Fermented apple juice has been at the center of a discussion recently about whether or not it can get people drunk. Because many of us tend to be prejudiced and think that store-bought apple juice can never get you drunk when it is left to ferment over time.
As a general guide, fermented apple juice can get anyone drunk when consumed in excess. For those who intend to drink it just once in a while, the effect is less likely to manifest.
This may sound unbelievable but, then again, alcoholic drinks popularly known as Apple Cider are created when microorganisms interact with sugars and carbohydrates contained in crushed apple fruits that are fermented over time. Even if you are consuming store-bought apple juice without added sugar, there are sugars naturally present in the juice, which are converted by microorganisms to ethanol.
In other cultures, such drink is popularly known as Calvados which is ordinarily made up of cider apples that are fermented for two years or more to achieve a finer taste.
However, if you want your apple wine ready within weeks, then adding yeast immediately after crushing is the best option.
How Much Alcohol is in Fermented Apple Juice?
The main reason why fermented apple juice can get you drunk is because of its alcoholic content. The process of fermentation converts the sugar and carbohydrates present in crushed apples into ethanol.
Generally, it takes about 6 pounds of apple concentrate to produce 1 bottle of wine that contains 16% alcohol.
The Alcoholic Content of Fermented Apple Juice is Comparable to Wine or Beer
It’s difficult to state exactly how much fermented apple juice can get you drunk because it depends on the type of yeast added and the types of apples used. However, it has been estimated that 1 liter (about 34 ounces) contains about 5% – 8% alcohol. This translates to about 2 -3 units of alcohol, which is the same as 1 glass of wine or beer.
Yeast Used to Ferment Apple Juice Has Different Alcoholic Potential
As stated earlier, the type of yeast used during fermentation greatly affects how much apple juice can get you drunk. For example, ale yeast contains less alcohol than champagne wine yeast.
For easy consumption, some people choose to buy apple juices that contain more sugar. While this may be good for the teeth, it also results in the creation of apple cider that contains a higher content of alcoholic drinks.
What Happens If You Drink Spoiled Apple Juice.
Its not uncommon for someone to drink spoiled apple juice knowingly or accidentally, but what really happens when you drink spoiled apple juice?
In general, drinking spoiled apple juice leads to abdominal upset that can be accompanied by vomiting. Since it is difficult for one to know if their batch of fermented apple juice is spoiled, it’s best not to take the risk of drinking it.
However, drinking spolied apple juice in excess amounts for some people only gets them intoxicated for a few hours and will not lead to severe health conditions. The higher the concentration of the spoiling microorganism and alcohol, the more intoxicated you get after drinking it. Drinking spoiled apple juice in excess amounts may also result in one having a hangover that lasts for two or three days.
Can Juice Turn into Alcohol When Left Outside Fridge?
Ordinary juice bought from your local store or fruit that is left outside for a long period can turn into alcohol. However, this is not considered fermented apple juice because the conversion process takes about three weeks to complete if the temperature remains between 10oC and 15oC.
On other hand, if you leave your apple juice in room temperatures around 20 o C, it may take only one to two weeks for the conversion process to take place. However, even if your apple juice turns into alcohol, it may not be strong enough for you to get drunk.
However, if you store fermented apple juice at room temperatures for approximately 18 hours, you will get something known as Apple Schnapps which can get you drunk after just one shot.
Fermented Apple Juice and Alcohol Poisoning
Since fermented apple juice gets you drunk at a much slower rate than wine or beer, it is unlikely that drinking it will lead to alcohol poisoning. However, if you drink large amounts of cider in one session, there is a chance that your body will not be able to break down the alcohol content. When this happens, you can have serious health consequences.
If extreme intoxication occurs, you may initially experience nausea and vomiting. As the condition progresses, your body temperature will fall considerably as well as your heart rate. While mild alcohol poisoning only lasts for a few hours, it is important to keep an eye out for signs of severe alcohol intoxication which can lead to coma or death.
Overall, fermented apple juice can be used to make apple cider that can get you drunk if stored in warmer temperatures for a few weeks. However, drinking regular apple juice will not get you intoxicated since it takes about three days or more before the conversion process takes place.
Also, you can also use fermented apple juice to make apple Schnapps which is a strong alcoholic drink that you only need take one shot of it to get severely drunk. On the other hand, even if the conversion process takes place in regular unsweetened apple juice, your body will not be able to break down alcohol content immediately and as such, it is unlikely that you will experience severe health complications due to consuming spoiled apple juice.
Fermented Apple Juice and Liver Damage
While there are no scientifically proven links between the consumption of fermented apple juice and liver damage, doctors at Yale University have strongly warned against mixing alcohol with other drinks that have high sugar content. While unsweetened apple juice is low in sugar, fermented apple juice is very rich in both fructose and glucose.
Since your liver plays a major role in processing alcohol, drinking fermented apple juice along with alcoholic drinks will lead to an excess load for the organ. When this happens, it may alter the structure of the cells resulting in various complications including cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Fermented Apple Juice and Hangovers
The main component of fermented apple juice and other drinks that get you drunk is alcohol which is a central nervous system depressant. Also known as ethanol, this chemical will slow down your body’s response time leading to one feeling relaxed, sleepy or maybe even intoxicated depending on the amount of the drink consumed.
While the consumption of alcohol will make you feel relaxed, it can also affect your mental abilities and coordination leading to poor decision making. This means that if you decide to drive when intoxicated,there is a chance that you may make mistakes thereby increasing the likelihood of an accident occurring.
Conversely, even though fermented apple juice has little to no sugar content, it can still lead to a hangover if consumed in excess. The reason for this is that the liver has the tendency of breaking down alcohol before all other components and as such, when you consume too much-fermented apple juice, your liver may not be able to break down all the alcohol quickly enough.
Can You Make Wine Out of Apple Juice
There’s no shortage of homebrews that take pride in their wine-making skills. While most of these people turn to grapes for their home brews, the truth is you can make wine out of almost anything including apple juice.
Before you decide on fermenting your own apple cider, there are some things that you need to put in mind. First, if you want to get drunk off fermented apple juice, it must have a sugar content of at least 15% or else your body will not be able to break down the alcohol quickly enough.
Also, if you want a fermented apple cider that is strong enough for you to get drunk off, you need to ferment it longer than regular apple cider. This is because during fermentation, yeast breaks down sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. While regular apple cider gets up to 12% of its volume from fermentation, a fermented apple juice that you can use to make alcoholic cider should have a minimum content of 16%.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that if you want your homemade wine or cider to have a rich flavor, you should add other ingredients such as spices, sugar and other fruits to it. Adding sweet apples such as honey crisp will also give your wine a rich taste while improving its color.
Is fermented apple juice alcoholic?
While alcoholic drinks are commonly formalized as those containing higher degree of alcohol( between 1% and 40% of alcohol), the truth is anything that is fermented is more likely to contain either alcohol or traces of it.
And apple juice in particular, will contain higher levels of alcohol good enough to get you drunk. This is because it has a sugar content that ranges from 5-12%.
This is also true that if you ferment apple juice with yeast, its sugar content will increase and so will its alcoholic percentage. If left for about two weeks, your apple juice will contain at least 2% alcohol content.
Is fermented apple juice alcoholic?
As a general guide, fermented apple juice is alcoholic from when it begins to ferment. While alcoholic drinks are commonly formalized as those containing a higher degree of alcohol( between 1% and 40% of alcohol), the truth is anything that is fermented is more likely to contain either alcohol or traces of it.
And apple juice in particular, will contain higher levels of alcohol good enough to get you drunk. This is because it has a sugar content that ranges from 5-12%.
This is also true that if you ferment apple juice with yeast, its sugar content will increase and so will its alcoholic percentage. If left for about two weeks, your apple juice will contain at least 2% alcohol content.
Can you get drunk from fermented fruit juice?
In general, you can get drunk off fermented apple juice! However, the amount of drink that it would take for one to get drunk would depend on how their body reacts to alcohol. If one has a high tolerance for this chemical, he/she may have to consume at least 10 glasses of cider in order to get drunk.
But if one has a low tolerance for alcohol, it may take just 5 glasses of fermented apple juice for him/her to feel the effects of being intoxicated. In either case, an important factor that you need to put into consideration is your age! While kids should steer clear from drinking any alcoholic beverage whatsoever, adults may only be able to consume about two glasses of fermented apple juice before they feel drunk.
In addition, it is also important to note that the alcohol content in cider can vary depending on how you make your drink. In most cases, homemade fermented juice will contain more yeast strands which will increase the fermenting process leading to an increased proof content.
Also, if you want to get drunk off fermented apple juice, it is important that you prepare your drink correctly. A good way of doing this is by making sure that the amount of sugar and yeast in your cider mix is enough for it to ferment fast.
How much alcohol does fermented apple juice have?
As a general guide, fermented apple juice contains 5% of the alcoholic percentage on average. As the fermentation of apples widely differs, by the time the fermentation process is completed, fermented apple juice has about 5% alcohol content or less
How long does it take for apple juice to ferment into alcohol?
In general intakes between 14-21 days (two and three weeks) for fermented apple juice to turn into alcoholic cider. This process is greatly influenced by the sugar content of your apple juice which should be between 10-15%.
Also, apple cider that will turn out well must have a PH level within 3.1 and 3.5 range . If it falls outside this range, fermentation will either be slowed down or accelerated.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that it is not necessary to use only sugar to ferment apple cider. This is because adding spices such as cloves and cinnamon as well as other fruits such as plums will do the trick.
Though the fermentation of juices largely depends on its sugar content, there are other factors that can hasten the process. These include the amount of sugar available to yeast, temperature and PH balance.
First, if you want fermentation to start quickly, you should ensure that your apple juice has a high sugar content(ideally between 10-15%). This is because when yeast comes in contact with high sugar content, it goes into a hyperactive state that encourages fermentation.
Second , temperature also has a significant role to play in determining how fast your fermented apple juice will be made.
This is because yeast mostly thrives at temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit or 18-24 degrees Celsius .However, above 30 degrees Celsius or 86 degrees Fahrenheit, yeast goes into a hibernation mode which will slow down the fermentation process.
Finally, PH balance also has an impact on fermentation time of apple juice. This is because your fermented apple juice PH should be between 3.1 and 3.5 for it to turn out well. If your PH levels fall outside this range, not only will fermentation be affected but also the taste of your fermented apple juice.
