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Cider Digest #0552
Subject: Cider Digest #552, 7 September 1995
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #552 7 September 1995
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re:what yeast to use (Roger Lee)
Re: Wild Yeast recomendations (D Moore)
cider/perry page (Roger Lee)
Anyone growing or using Dabinett? (Steven Rezsutek)
Cider Press Plans (wegeng.XKeys@xerox.com)
Pumpkin Mead & Cyser ("Hollander, Steve")
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Subject: Re:what yeast to use
From: Roger Lee <rlee@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
Date: Mon, 4 Sep 1995 16:06:18 +1000 (EST)
Jonny Miner writes:
>I want to make a sparkling sweet cider and have read that ale yeast
>was the way to go. The question is, which one. I'm partial to Wyeast,
>but will use dry in a pinch. What do you recommend?
G'day,
I'm a newbee to cider brewing ( and brewing in general) too. It was
suggested to me that for residual sweetness that a stout or irish ale
yeast was the way to go. Someone from the Uk-homebrew mailing suggested
the Wyeast irish ale yeast (I think) would do the trick. I don't know,
but thought to pass the info on.
Sweet water and light laughter until next,
Rabbit.
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Wild Yeast recomendations
From: D Moore <102475.2737@compuserve.com>
Date: 05 Sep 95 08:20:08 EDT
I think I messed up the address, let me try posting again:
John Carlos White said
>>Or, is boiling the spices in not a danger to the wild
>>yeasts?
The whole point of heating is to kill wild yeasts so that a known commercial
yeast can be substituted. If you want to use the wild yeasts, then simply do
nothing. The wild yeasts will do their thing. Spices can be added to the
unheated cider during the ferment, or you can make a tea of a small portion of
the cider and heating just that with the spice. After it cools, add the "tea"
back to the main batch.
>>Are there natural yeasts in commercial raisins? I guess
>>I'm trying to figure out the best way to cultivate these
>>wild yeasts to create a mild fermentation. Again, I'm
>>going for more of a "hard cider" than anything over 3%.
There are wild yeasts in raisins, but if you don't kill off the ones in the
original cider that really doesn't matter. Keep in mind that wild means
unknown. You can't be sure of the results and you can't guarantee a mild
fermentation (i.e. low attenuation).
My favorite thing to do during cider season is the following:
Pick up several gallons of fresh unpreserved cider that say "Keep Refrigerated".
The first thing to do is don't keep refrigerated. Set it out on the counter for
couple of days and let the wild yeasts do their thing. When it shows good
activity, (don't blow up the jug <g>), transfer it to a 5L minikeg and bung it
up on the counter for about 12 hours. Then put it in the refrigerator for about
3-5 days. Now tap it and drink. At this point it will be sweet, sparkling, and
0.5 to 1.0 % alcohol. I even let the kids have it at dinner. It won't keep,
but boy it's good while it lasts. Drink fast and do it again.
Good Luck
------------------------------
Subject: cider/perry page
From: Roger Lee <rlee@st.nepean.uws.edu.au>
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 1995 23:06:57 +1000 (EST)
G'day!
Just in case anyone's interested, the uk-homebrew homepage has a
cider/perry page under consruction. There's some interesting stuff, with
more to come. Check it out! (I forget what the address is, but you can
get to it from beers,wines and spirits of the net)
Sweet water and light laughter until next,
Rabbit
------------------------------
Subject: Anyone growing or using Dabinett?
From: Steven Rezsutek <steve@nm700.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 1995 10:12:47 -0400
I recently picked up a wonderful book on apples ("pome tome"? :)
by Joan Morgan and Alison Richards called "The Book of Apples",
which, in addition to a rather extensive catalog of dessert and
cooking apples, included a chapter on cider and a small directory
of cider apples. I'd recommend it to anyone "into" apples in some
fashion. Mine now lives on the coffee table. ISBN 0-09-177759-3.
Anyhow...
In perusing said cider apple directory, I found that Dabinett,
aside from a generally good review flavorwise, has a trait that
seems to make it ideal for backyard orchardists with limited
space, namely that it is self fertile. There was another variety
that also had this trait, but I don't recall what it was.
Given that I have yet to locate varieties that I thought I wanted
earlier, and that Dabinett seems to be ideal for my situation, I'm
seriously thinking of giving the other of my two tree slots over
to a medlar, and going with Dabinett for cider.
I'd like to hear others' comments, if there are any to be had, on
the tree, the cider, or both.
Thanks,
Steve
------------------------------
Subject: Cider Press Plans
From: wegeng.XKeys@xerox.com
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 1995 08:26:56 PDT
The NY Agricultural Experiment Station has plans for building a small fruit
juice press, which appears to be suitable for crushing apple pulp (not whole
apples!). The plans are contained in publication SpR 8, "Homemade fruit juice
press, Downing, 1972". The cost is 30 cents (US postage stamps are suppose to
be ok for payments under one dollar). Mail your request to:
Bulletins
Jordan Hall
New York State Agricultural Experiment Station
Geneva, NY 14456
Checks and money orders should be made payable in U.S. dollars to
"Communications, NYS Agricultural Experiment Station."
Their list of publications is available on-line as a MS Word document. The URL
is:
ftp://aruba.nysaes.cornell.edu/pub/COM_SER/catalogb.doc
There are a couple other publications that reference hard cider, but I did not
find any of them particularly useful for home cider makers.
/Don
------------------------------
Subject: Pumpkin Mead & Cyser
From: "Hollander, Steve" <HOLLANSL@pb.ae.potter.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Sep 95 08:04:00 PDT
I have about 100 pounds of French homegrown pumpkins and want to make a
big batch(say 50 gallons) of mead and not have to mess with the strainer
bag. Also I have never used acid blend, tannin, yeast nutrient or campden
and not known any better. Do I have to use these? I always use ale yeast.
I also am brewing a cyser(two gallons apple juice, 1/2 gallon honey)
and plan on adding pumpkin after the initial fermentation like I have done
raspberries earlier this year, has anyone done this?
Thanks in advance for your advice and experience.
Steve Hollander
hollansl@pb.ae.potter.com
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #552
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