Things you will need –

Non-Concentrated Apple Juice
Yeast (I used Safale US-05 and Danstar Notthingham)
Plastic Bottle(s)
Large plastic funnel
sanitizer (bleach or fancy brewing grade stuff)
Freezer
Re-sealable Glass bottle
Tin foil

Step 1 – Buy Apple Juice!
- Specifically, you are looking for any apple juice NOT from concentrate. It doesn’t matter the brand or if it has been pasteurized, but it should be the fresh squeezed. The last time I made a batch, the apple juice came directly from a farm that presses apples, but store bought will work fine.

Step 2 – Add Yeast –
- Now open your bottle of apple juice and pour yourself a small glass or fill your tube for a hydrometer reading,* it should enough to create a little room at the top.

OK, ready for the magic to happen? Open your packet of yeast and pour it in! Cover the top with tin foil and place it in a dark, quiet place. Find a place for your apple juice where the temperature will not vary. I typically use a closet. Give your brew about a week, two if you want to be extra safe, for the yeast to do their duty. You wil know it is done once all the particles have stopped swirling around and there is a nice thick layer of substrate on the bottom.

NOTE/DANGER/CAUTION/READTHIS! – DO NOT SCREW ON THE CAP!!! When eating all the sugar in the apple juice, your yeast will be producing alcohol (yay) and CO2. If you screw on the cap after adding your yeast, you will create a pressure bomb which can do some damage. I once had my Sunday best ruined (on the way to Church no less) while checking on a clogged air lock from one of my brews. This video is a great example of the pressure can yeast can produce.

Step 3 – Freeze!
- If you brewed in a plastic bottle, take off the tin foil and gently screw on the lid, just enough so it come off if bumped, DO NOT TIGHTEN SHUT (remember the video) and place in your freezer overnight. If you used a glass bottle to ferment, transfer, VERY gently, your apple jack into a sterilized plastic container. You can be fancy and buy a sanitizer from a brew shop or go really cheap and use a bit of diluted bleach and then rinse with hot water very thoroughly. Again, place plastic container in fridge with cap lightly screwed on.

Step 4 – Distill! (Kinda)
- Now that your apple jack is frozen solid, take it out of the fridge and place on a counter. Now sterilize (again with a brewing safe sanitizer or bleach) your funnel and a 2nd plastic container. Place funnel in empty container with your bottle of Apple Jack turned up-side-down inside the funnel. This is where the “kinda” distilling process occurs. Alcohol has a much lower freezing point than water, so it will funnel out of the frozen cider you just made faster than anything else in your batch. This is the cheater’s way to distill.

Out of a gallon of apple cider you should get about one-forth gallon of Apple Jack. Now you can bottle this as is and let it age to taste or repeat the process and end up with something that will really warm you up on a cool night. For this sample I froze the batches twice over and I let them age in a closet. I will open them up in a few weeks to take a sip and go from there. If I find they are turning more tart, I will probably share and drink them sooner. If they are turning more mellow, I will let them age longer and wait until I grow too impatient.

This is the result of the Safale yeast. My tasting notes are as follows - A little sweet and sour, and a bit of heat in the taste and nose.

And here is the Nottingham yeast – Sweet and lightly acidic. Not very tart and less heat than the Safale

If you want to bottle this as a gift, I suggest something with a re-sealable cap or a cork. I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season. If you do give this a shot please feel free to contact me and let me know how it turned out.

For more info and a great video on this, check out:

Basic Brewing – The video episode that inspired me in the first place.

Another way to do it.

“This is a first for Long Beach and I am proud to sponsor an event like this that promises to facilitate community and culture through food,” said the councilmember. In order to pull this off, O’Donnell’s office partnered with the ZaSo Design District and the East Anaheim Business Association (EASBA). Together the groups managed to put together a trial run of sorts for possible changes to City of Long Beach regulations that have previously prevented many food trucks from making the Long Beach pit-stop, as they have in such popular areas as Venice, Santa Monica and Santa Ana.

The LB Food Review decided to make this a group event. Chris, Taylor, Brian and I spent a couple hours in the beautiful Long Beach sun munching on Lobster Rolls, Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Gourmet Meatball Sliders, and more. By the end of the event our hands were greasy and our stomachs happy. Check out all the photos below, and get a taste for what this weekly event will continue to offer each Wednesday through this August.

Today’s trucks were The Vizzi Truck, the Sweets Truck, Great Balls on Tires, Rosa’s Italian, and the Lobsta Truck. There will be a variety of food trucks in attendance each week, and some other future participants include Cool Haus, Global Soul, Ahn Joo, Grill ‘Em All, Greasy Wiener, Mandoline Grill, Buttermilk, and Crepe’n Around. To track which trucks are coming, or to simply learn more about Long Beach’s newest event for foodies, check out www.LunchTruckIt.com.

And check back in with us. We’ll be spending many a Wednesday at ZaSo Design District lunch truckin’ it!

Beginning May 4, food trucks that were previously restricted in the City of Long Beach will come to Coronado Avenue at Anaheim Street every Wednesday for lunch.

“This is a first for Long Beach and I am proud to sponsor an event like this that promises to facilitate community and culture through food,” said Councilmember Patrick O’Donnell who represents the Fourth Council District of Long Beach.

The draw is Lunch Truck It, a weekly event that aims to bring Long Beach professionals, families, students, and local residents together for lunch every week. The businesses of the Zaferia-South (ZaSo) Design District that line Coronado Avenue, the East Anaheim Business Association (EASBA), and O’Donnell will host the event. These key stakeholders are hoping that such an eclectic and epicurean event will bring a new awareness to an often-overlooked area of Long Beach.

“We want to bring attention to ZaSo and what better way than to bring in the gourmet food trucks that have built huge followings in similar districts around LA,” said Carl Dene, Owner of Vision Design Studio and main proponent of Lunch Truck It.

There will be a variety of trucks in attendance every week, with L.A. favorites such as: The Vizzi Truck, Cool Haus, Global Soul, the Sweets Truck, Ahn Joo, Grill ‘Em All, Greasy Wiener, Mandoline Grill, Buttermilk, Great Balls on Tires, Crepe’n Around and more. To find out which trucks will be there each week, follow Lunch Truck It on Twitter @LunchTruckIt, check out their fan page on Facebook, or visit the website: www.LunchTruckIt.com.

The first event will be Wednesday, May 4, 2011 at 11:30am at 1342 Coronado Ave, Long Beach, CA 90804. The members of Lunch Truck It invite any available members of the press to cover this first event. For any questions or comments, please contact Jaqueleen Larson, at 562.597.4000 x724 or info@LunchTruckIt.com

For those of you eating at home, I wish you a fully cooked (but not overcooked) meal with loved ones. If you will be eating out tomorrow, I will offer up one humble suggestion that probably already crossed your mind, and that is Chen’s. It’s one of our favorites but will probably be a busy spot on Christmas day so plan accordingly.

Most of all, I wish you a peaceful holiday with your family, friends, and loved ones. If you have any traditional holiday meals that are unique to your clan, please feel free to share with us in the comments! Merry Christmas to all, from LB Food Review!

Tonight’s spotlighted guest is Heather Nelson. For those of you that don’t know her, you will be amazed at what this young woman does for our community. Heather is a mom to three, wife, avid volunteer, office Manager, wedding Assistant, photographer, Owner/Creator of BriannesBasics.com, Co-Founder of MikksKidKrusaders.com, and Founder of InspiredGrace.org and we’re just getting warmed up. You are going to enjoy getting to know Heather and her many passions and causes.

Once we all share in and learn of the spirit of giving back with Heather, LB Food Review will again join in to talk food and drink, followed by a celebratory recap of the first year of Swoop’s World on the BlogTalk Radio network. Listen live as we look back at some of the memorable times and guests that have been on the show, including two Olympic Medalists, an Academy Award Winner, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, citizens, politicians, activists and many many more.

Tune in and join the celebration of Swoop’s World’s first year as they head into year two! Join live Wednesday night at 9pm (PST). Listeners can call in live (917) 889-7449 or join in via the online chat. Click the episode link now and use the “Set a Reminder Function” so you won’t miss a minute.

Swoop’s World Radio is an Internet radio show focused on Long Beach, CA. Listen live every Wednesday @ 9PM. Information about show, as well as archived episodes can always be found here or on iTunes.