Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Cider Digest #0647
Subject: Cider Digest #647, 14 February 1997
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #647 14 February 1997
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Raspberry/Peach/Cranberry ciders ("Sargent, Ernie")
Really big ciders(Digest #642) (Andrew LEA)
Send ONLY articles for the digest to cider@talisman.com.
Use cider-request@talisman.com for subscribe/unsubscribe/admin requests.
When subscribing, please include your name and a good address in the
message body unless you're sure your mailer generates them.
Archives of the Digest are available for anonymous FTP at ftp.stanford.edu
in pub/clubs/homebrew/cider.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Raspberry/Peach/Cranberry ciders
From: "Sargent, Ernie" <ErnieS@ios.bc.ca>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 1997 09:23:07 -0800
Just (Feb. 9/97) bottled last falls experimental batches of fruit
ciders. I added re-constituted frozen fruit juices (containing ascorbic
acid as a preservative) to gallon jugs of apple cider during the ferment
(the actual specs were: juice reconstituted to 1070 and 500 ml of this
juice was added per gallon of apple cider - i.e. 500 ml of Rasp/gall;
another 500ml of Peach to another gall...). Each batch has turned out
very well - I initially thought the peach was a bit overdone - too much
peach in nose and flavour, but it ameliorated during the last few months
and I thinks it'll be just fine.
The raspberry also seemed overdone, but it too has dropped a lot of
the extreme fruitiness - however it has also turned brownish in color;
it's not oxidized, just isn't the brilliant red I was hoping for.
The big winner for me was the Cranberry - it's tart and crisp with a
tiny touch of bitterness on the finish, but it also has a fruitiness and
a little bit of residual sugar that balances the crispness. I used
Epernay II yeast (a wine yeast that I usually use for Riesling or
Gewurtraminer wine) and I find it works much better than the sparkling
wine yeasts I've tried in the past.
I also did an experiment with various yeasts, but will report on those
another time - this post is getting very wordy.
------------------------------
Subject: Really big ciders(Digest #642)
From: Andrew LEA <andrew_lea@compuserve.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 16:53:00 -0500
A few weeks ago Steve Daughhetee wrote as follows:
>> I just had to mention that here in central NY we routinely
>>produce ciders from late-harvested golden russets with SGs in
>>the mid 1.070s. These are flavorful apples and can carry the
>>alcohol quite well (after a year in the cellar).
Leonard Mattick's survey from Geneva NY in the late 80's (93 US juices)
gave SG 1.071 as the maximum, but in my lab last year we had a UK Egremont
Russett juice with an SG of 1.074 (it came from a reputable source and we
couldn't find any evidence for adulteration). This variety is I think
fairly close to your Golden Russett (but isn't used as a cider apple in the
UK, only for speciality single variety juice). Anyway this got me to
thinking just what the highest sugar level in apples really could be.
In the years before the First World War, the Long Ashton Research Station
Annual Reports contained detailed analyses of all the cider apples they
pressed which, at that time, were all treated as single varieties for
investigation of their 'vintage properties'. I've had a look through the
reports and here's the highest data I found:
Year Apple type Gravity
1906 Ashton selection 146 1.085
Ashton selection 197 1.088
Pole-Carew no 10 1.089
Butleigh no 14 1.092
1912 Bramtot 1.102
Medaille d'or 1.092
Kingston Black 1.088
These seem to be the best seasons (hottest summers?) between 1904 and 1914,
and of course they only represent a tiny fraction of the hundreds which
were analysed in all that period. Mostly the gravities come out at 1.050 -
1.060 as expected. But it does seem to show that, in exceptional cases,
apple juice gravities up to 1.100 CAN happen!
Andrew Lea
nr Oxford, UK
(andrew_lea@compuserve.com)
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #647
*************************
