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Cider Digest #0773
Subject: Cider Digest #773, 9 November 1998
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #773 9 November 1998
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
pear juice source ("David Johnson")
russet cider apples (CLYDECIDER@aol.com)
first-time cider maker seeking advise (Corinne Gaudin)
1998 cider (Terence Bradshaw)
re: UK visit (Dick Dunn)
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Subject: pear juice source
From: "David Johnson" <dmjalj@inwave.com>
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 22:33:35 -0600
Jeff Rose talks about obtaining "bulk pear juice for
the homebrewer. I could get a 50-gallon drum from a commercial supplier or
pay $2 per quart at a natural foods grocery store. "
A friend had suggested the following source. I haven't gotten around to
checking out the product. Does anyone else have experience with this source?
Mayer's Cider Mill, Inc
699 Five Mile Line Rd.
Webster. NY 14580
E-mail address:
Mayercider@aol.com
Price:
$21.00 per 23 liters (not a concentrate)
Dave
------------------------------
Subject: russet cider apples
From: CLYDECIDER@aol.com
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 18:34:38 EST
Hello!
I have a request and I hope someone out there in apple land can help me. We
are looking to purchase between 600 and 1000 bushel of russet cider apple from
somewhere in central New England. We live here in Connecticut and operate a
cider mill here in a small town called Old Mystic. Our local source for our
russet apple had a very bad year, as did a lot of orchards here in
Connecticut. One of the hard ciders that we make is made entirely from
russets. One great cider! At this time of year we are at our mill 7 days from
8 until about 6. If anyone can help us, you could call us at our business
anytime and ask for Harold or Annette. 860-536-3354. Thanks for any help that
may come our way.
------------------------------
Subject: first-time cider maker seeking advise
From: Corinne Gaudin <gaudin@aix1.uottawa.ca>
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1998 15:03:44 -0500 (EST)
HELP. I am a first time cider maker, inexpertly trying to recreate in
Canada the taste of my father's French cider. (His apples were
reinettes, but his methods were simple- no keeving and all that). The
result I'm looking for is not too sweet, and sparkling.
Figuring that the best way to learn was to try, we went ahead and
crushed 10 bushels of Russets, crabs, Empires, Spies. We put that in
2 glass carboys, treated both with the same proportion of camden
tablets, put them in the cellar at 12 degrees C, but they are now
reacting differently.
Here are my questions:
1. The large carboy (54 liters) began at SG 1.055, PH 3.65. It began
fermenting after 2 weeks, and is now going great guns. It looks
clear, tastes clean and promising.
The small carboy (35 liters) began at SG 1.050, PH 3.63. After 2
weeks it had not budged a bit, so we added some sugar and Lavlin
champagne yeast. Now it is moving a bit, but doesn't look quite
right. It's cloudy, tastes insipid (though not off), and has developed a
thin, grey skin on the top. Any explanations? Is this sign of
impending doom? Should we rack? Why are the 2 batches (prepared
the same day, with the same mix of apples, the same equipment
disinfected the same way) reacting differently?
2. I still haven't figured out when we are supposed to bottle. I don't
much like the Proulx/Nichols advise of fermenting to dryness and then
adding sugar to the bottles. I vaguely remember my father bottling
when bubbles were coming out of the airlock at a rate of 5-10/minute.
One British Web site (Lea) suggests bottling around SG 1.010, but
then I've noticed elsewhere that some ciders settle at about that level,
or higher. Does that make a difference? Any suggestions?
Any help will be much appreciated.
------------------------------
Subject: 1998 cider
From: madshaw@quest-net.com (Terence Bradshaw)
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1998 11:25:33 -0600 (CST)
With the relatively low volume on the digest lately I thought I would talk
about my cider for this year and possibly throw some food for thought out
there. I made two pressings this year:
1. "Wild" or abandoned batch:
Apples collected from gone-by, unmanaged trees in central Vermont
(1400-1900ft, overabundant rainfall on fairly shallow, rocky soils), with
about 1/3 from fungicide-free SRC's (Liberty, Nova Easy-Grow) from a
commercial pick-your-own in same area. Rough mix 2 Liberty : 1 Nova : 2
Jonathan : 2 Lady : 2 mix Cortland, Gold Russett, Northern Spy. OG 1.058.
Divided into eight carboys: 1,2 Pasteur champagne yeast; 3,4 Pasteur red
wine yeast; 5,6 natural press from yeast; 7 Montrachet wine yeast; 8 Wyeast
ale yeast. All sulfited to 100ppm except 5&6. Press contains healthy
quantities of natural yeasts, but 3-400 gallon vinegar vats are nearby. All
are fermenting well at 60 F.
2. "Golden" batch:
Apples from Golden Apple Orchard, a commercial orchard I manage in
Champlain Valley of VT. Low-spray but fungicides used, trees 15-20 yrs old
on Robusta 5 or MM 111 rootstock. Heavy clay-loam soil with limestone
bedrock. Very rainy season (near 40"). Rough mix 3 Rome : 2 Empire : 2
Cortland : 1 each Spartan, Golden Delicious, Lady, Granny Smith, Mutsu.
Harvested 10/28, pressed 11/7-8. Run into one 55 gallon food-grade
polyethylene barrel. OG 1.050 at 38 F. Natural press yeasts used, no
sulfites. 10 lbs organic Thompson raisins added, probably more honey to
come soon. Currently in garage (40 F now, 28 last night) wrapped with an
electric blanket to bring temp up. Plan to move inside to 65 F when I can
get the manpower.
Thoughts:
What temps are folks fermenting at? I know my unheated garage will be too
cold when we get into the -20s or worse this winter, but would like to go
lower than the 65 in my house.
What experiences have people had using raisins both as a sugar and a yeast
source? And is there any info on converting # of rasins to # of fermentable
sugar?
Terence Bradshaw
Pomona Tree Fruit Service Golden Apple Orchard
RD 1 Box 132, Chelsea, VT 05038 Whalley Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445
(802)685-0073 (802)425-2060
http://www.uvm.edu/~tbradsha/home.html madshaw@quest-net.com
------------------------------
Subject: re: UK visit
From: rcd@raven.talisman.com (Dick Dunn)
Date: 9 Nov 98 16:06:40 MST (Mon)
Roy Bailey <lvcider@westberks.demon.co.uk> mentioned...
> Not only did we talk cider, we (naturally) drank some. I provided some
> of my 1997 Royal County dry, which received complimentary remarks from
> such acknowledged experts, and we sampled two of Andrew's excellent
> products.
It was interesting to me because, of the little breadth of experience I've
got with tasting English ciders, I'd come to like the Somerset/Hereford
styles more. Roy's style (he's "Lambourne Valley Cider Co") is more like
Kentish, and my first reaction to the Kentish style a couple years ago was
that it seemed sharp and thin. Roy's ciders were not guilty on either of
these counts...I feel more inclined to drink the Kentish style again.
It's also a bit of inspiration for cider-making, since for the most part
it's difficult for Americans to find other than dessert/culinary apples.
The Kentish style is based on "eating" varieties rather than cider-
specific varieties; thus it's a style we'd have a better chance of making
here. (I'm not about to grub out the Dabinetts and Kingston Blacks and
such that I've planted, but I've got to make some cider between now and
when those trees finally mature enough to bear!)
We brought back a bottle of Lambourne Valley's "Royal Ransom" and served it
at a small party last Friday to favorable reviews all around. It struck me
as having yet more body than Roy's other cider we tried, and for the little
I really know of styles, I'd have a hard time putting it in a particular
style pigeon-hole.
- ---
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
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End of Cider Digest #773
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