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Cider Digest #1211
Subject: Cider Digest #1211, 28 March 2005
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1211 28 March 2005
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
pH meters (Andrew Lea)
pH meter and New Cidery ("Drew Zimmerman")
new back yard orchard ("Donald Shelton")
Judges & Entries Needed, 12th Annual BUZZ Off May 21st ("Christopher Clair")
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Subject: pH meters
From: Andrew Lea <andrew_lea@compuserve.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 09:52:39 +0000
Jason MacArthur wrote
>
> All this talk of pH meters has reminded me of a question I have about
> them. Does the sensor really need replacing every year? This is what
> the catalogs say, but it seems like a shame to throw out a sensor that
> you've only used for a brief period every autumn. Can they be stored
> in such a way as to protect them?
The professional pH electrodes which are on a flying lead with a
separate 'box of tricks' can certainly be protected and would not
necessarily need yearly replacement. They are kept moist and infection
free by immersion in a special buffered and anti-microbial 'electrode
storage solution' which is available from laboratory suppliers. The
'all-in-one' dipstick type would be more difficult to store but the same
solution might be worth trying. The electrode would need recalibrating
every time it comes out of the storage solution (all pH electrodes
should be recalibrated daily prior to use anyway)
There are many things which kill pH electrodes (or lead to sluggish or
erratic response). Some of these are:
1. Lack of daily use and drying out between sessions.
2. Microbial infection
3. 'Poisoning' by organic components eg proteins, polysaccharides,
alcohol, polyphenols etc.
4. 'Poisoning' by inorganic solutions eg strong acids, bases and metal
cations
5. Long immersion in clean water of low ionic strength
6. Lack of human company. They need constant friendly re-assurance every
morning.
They are very delicate items which consist of sensitive glass/ metal
electrode junctions protected by a semi-permeable membrane and including
a reference electrode which is liquid or gel-filled. (Often this dries
out over time and cannot be put right). In fact I am always surprised
how robust they are given their complex construction. I suspect though
that the design life of the electrodes on the 'all-in-one' dipstick
meters is not great anyway. When you realise that a professional in a
food analysis lab might pay £75 for a replacement electrode for his £500
pH meter, and that the dipstick type is available for £25 'all-in', you
can begin to understand that you probably get what you pay for. That's
one reason I tend to favour pH test-strips for the occasional user,
although I do realise their limitations as set out by Gary earlier in
this discussion.
Andrew Lea
- --
Wittenham Hill Cider Page
http://www.cider.org.uk
------------------------------
Subject: pH meter and New Cidery
From: "Drew Zimmerman" <drewzimmer@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 14:01:39 -0800
I've been using the "Checker" by Hanna Instruments which is a pocket pH
meter that sells for well under $100. It is amazingly durable as I've
been banging it around for 4 years now and am on my second set of
batteries. Besides testing my juice and cider, I also check my soil pH
by mixing up a milk shake thick slurry of water and dirt and insert the
meter.
A couple of notes on using one of these: keep some storage solution in
the little cap that goes over the sensor. This keeps it from drying out
and in good condition. I leave mine this way for 4-5 months at a time
with no harmful results. Get new buffer solutions each Fall or
beginning of the season and be very careful not to mix or contaminate
them. I rinse and blot before and after inserting the probe. Always
calibrate the meter with the buffers before each use. This is very
important as the meter can drift between uses, however, once calibrated
and left turned on, it remains stable for a couple of hours. I used it
once as a demo during one of the cider making classes at the Mt. Vernon
research station and had an opportunity to compare it to an expensive
laboratory meter. The checker stayed spot on for the duration of the
afternoon lab session. One thing to note is that it is temperature
sensitive. It is very hard to calibrate at temperatures below 50F - the
buffers are accurate at 60F and the meter seems to work best there also.
Be sure that your test sample and the buffers are the same temperature
and that they are 60F plus or minus 5.
New cidery? Well I guess Dick is forcing my hand so I'm pleased to
announce that Tulip Valley Vineyard Orchard, home of Lahar wines and Red
Barn Ciders will be opening this Spring in the heart of scenic Skagit
Valley about 3 miles west of Mt. Vernon Washington. We'll be selling
mostly out of our tasting room this season, probably Wed. thru Sun.
during the Summer and Fall. I'd like to do mail order sales, but that
probably is a project for next year - right now I'm up to my eyeballs
with bottling and packaging. The first cider product is "Jonagold
Semi-Dry". Skagit Valley Jonagolds are reputed to be some of the best
in the world and make a fair base for hard cider. I've blended in a
small amount of bittersweets and bittersharps to add a little character
and mouthfeel, then back sweetened with juice frozen from last fall's
harvest to just under 2% residual sugar. This cider is intended as an
introduction to hard cider for those not accustomed to drinking a lot of
cider. Most people have a preconceived idea of what hard cider should
taste like and unfortunately the real thing doesn't come at all close to
"Martinelli's with a kick". I'm hoping to stretch their awareness a
little toward the traditional without making them too uncomfortable. If
you stop by and the Jonagold isn't just quite what you are looking for,
let me know and I'll grab the thief and take you out to the shed for a
little barrel tasting. I'm working on a full up bittersweet blend
(unsweetened) to be released late Summer-early Fall.
cheers
Drew
Red Barn Cider
(Ya thinks maybe we makes it in a red barn?)
------------------------------
Subject: new back yard orchard
From: "Donald Shelton" <sheltonde@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 22:00:06 -0500
Although I still have my old larger orchard, we recently moved closer to
town on 3 acres and may sell the large orchard property in the next couple
years. Looking ahead, I am going to plant 20-25 new trees for cider in the
new back yard. Since I have the luxury of starting from scratch, I thought I
would solicit advice from the list as to a good mix of varieties. My
property is in southern Michigan. Optimally I would like to have a varietal
mix that would ripen at different times and provide a good mix at each time.
Now that is not asking much, is it ??? Seriously, I would welcome your
advice.
Don Shelton
------------------------------
Subject: Judges & Entries Needed, 12th Annual BUZZ Off May 21st
From: "Christopher Clair" <buzzclub@verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 21:55:22 -0500
Brewers Unlimited Zany Zymurgists (BUZZ) is proud to announce that the 2005
BUZZ Off home brew competition will be held on Saturday, May 21st at Iron
Hill Brewery & Restaurant in West Chester, PA. For another year we will be
a qualifying event for the prestigious Masters Championship of Amateur
Brewing (MCAB) as well as the Delaware Valley Homebrewer of the Year. All
BJCP recognized styles (2004 guidelines) including meads and ciders are
eligible for entry. For complete details and forms, please visit the BUZZ
web site at http://hbd.org/buzz.
Entries will be accepted between May 1st and May 15th. For drop off and
mail in locations please refer to the BUZZ web site. Please, do not send
entries to Iron Hill.
BJCP Judges and stewards will be needed. If you are interested please
contact me or another committee member (contact information can be found on
the web site). All judges must be BJCP certified (any ranking).
Good luck and cheers!
Christopher Clair
buzzclub <at> verizon.net
http://hbd.org/buzz
"The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer."
- - Ancient Egyptian Wisdom, 2200 B.C.
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End of Cider Digest #1211
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