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Cider Digest #1265
Subject: Cider Digest #1265, 7 October 2005
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1265 7 October 2005
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Triple dosing (Donald Davenport)
Great Lakes Cider Competition ("McGonegal, Charles")
Sulfur aroma, flavor (Mark Beck)
Re: Keeving and acidity (Cider Digest #1264, 3 October 2005) ("Gary Awdey")
Re: Great Lakes Cider Competition ("Patrick J Oconnor")
Apple Day in the US? (Dick Dunn)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Triple dosing
From: Donald Davenport <djdavenport@earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 08:52:48 -0600
Thanks, Andrew.
I did as you suggested and mixed the batch with some locally pressed
juice and re-inoculated. Finally got it going.
Caveat emptor. Read the label. The Campden tablets I used were from
LD Carlson. Label clearly states 1 tab = 150ppm SO2/gal. Just not
what I expected.
Don Davenport
------------------------------
Subject: Great Lakes Cider Competition
From: "McGonegal, Charles" <Charles.McGonegal@uop.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 12:01:00 -0500
Gary beat me to posting links to the Great Lakes Cider Competition, but
I would like to add some other notes.
The Michigan Cider Club has been very active within Michigan in the last
few years. They are working with folks at Michigan State University to
develop a working resource of cider knowledge - both technical (fruit
and fermentation) and marketing. They are holding forums in assocation
with the Great Lakes Expo (a direct farm marketing conference) _and_ the
Michigan Winery Association.
If you take a look at the Great Lakes Expo site
(http://glexpo.com/program.php?id=3D57) for this year's conference, you
see an impressive list of speakers from Michigan cider community and
regional cider advocates like Rex Halfpenny.
I think one of the most interesting things about the Michigan group's
efforts is their emphasis on marketing outreach, market surveys and
improving cider made with apples _widely_ grown in Michigan.
(I may love my eccentric heirloom cultivars, but I think that a 'rising
tide' of improving cider will be good for all us small producers. IMHO,
at least)
There are several groups like this around the country. The Northwest
Cider Society, for instance, the forums/salons among Cider Days, and
Charlotte Shelton's growing Cidermaker's Forums. I hope we will see
more cooperation and participation _across_ regional events in the
future.
<\soapbox>
I know there are commercial cidermakers involved in each regional group
lurking on the Cider Digest. So please, let's flood this year's cider
events with our products. Show off our stuff! And encourage our
neighbors to get involved - at least by sending samples, when we can't
make it in person.
<\soapbox>
Charles
AEppelTreow Winery & 'Stillery
Burlington _Wisconsin_
------------------------------
Subject: Sulfur aroma, flavor
From: Mark Beck <beckmk@whitman.edu>
Date: Mon, 03 Oct 2005 12:17:47 -0700
I've been making cider for years, always with good results. This year I
tried something new, and so far it's been a disaster. I'm hoping someone
can help me salvage the stuff.
For the first time I added Campden tablets. I added 5 tablets to 5 gallons
of cider, let it sit for about 24 hours, then pitched my
yeast. Fermentation went well, and was finished in about 2 weeks.
The problem is that when I racked the cider after 2 weeks, it had a
terrible sulfur aroma and flavor--it's quite undrinkable. The yeast I used
is one I've used before and it's not a big sulfur producer.
I suspect the Campden tablets. Because I've never used them before, I've
always fermented in a closed fermenter with an airlock--and this is what I
did this time as well. I suspect that the sulfur from the tablets somehow
got trapped in the fermenter -- it didn't escape out through the
airlock. Is this my problem? Any way I can scrub out the sulfur and save
this batch?
Thanks,
Mark
Walla Walla, WA
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Keeving and acidity (Cider Digest #1264, 3 October 2005)
From: "Gary Awdey" <gawdey@att.net>
Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 22:25:23 -0400
In CD #1264 John Brett wrote:
>
> Claude Jolicoeur wrote that keeving is most effective with low acidity juices
> from traditional bittersweet varieties. Has anyone out there experimented
> with keeving more acidic juices? I'd be interested in knowing the results -
> good, bad or indifferent.
As I understand it, keeving is not less effective with low acidity juices,
just more difficult to achieve. According to a quote of Frémy found in
Charley's THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF CIDER MAKING (citing Ann de phys.
et chimie, 3rd series, XXIV, p.1, 1848) "...The action [of pectin
precipitation] is dependent on the relative proportions of the enzyme,
calcium salts and the free acids of the juice." According to Bertrand and
Mallèvre (Comptes Rendus, CXIX and CXX, and Bull. Société chimique, 1894)
acids inhibit the action.
Maintining a beneficial balance by adding more enzyme (either through
judicious selection of fruit or through addition of PME from another source)
and by adding calcium salts (e.g. calcium chloride or calcium carbonate)
will help to offset the inhibiting effect of the higher level of free acid
(ie lower pH). There are other factors that also help or hinder the
success of a keeve. Interestingly, Warcollier has observed that the natural
tannins of the juice inhibit the pectic precipitation (though there are
certainly other good reasons to add fruit with some degree of natural
tannins). Low temperature helps too, though steadiness is important.
Severe temperature drops can temporarily stop the incipient fermentation.
The gas that is evolved in the early part of fermentation buoys the
precipitate to the surface. If fermentation is halted loss of that gas can
allow the brown cap to collapse back into the juice. It is more difficult
to achieve a coherent brown head after that. Blending apples is also said
to make it easier to achieve precipitation.
Sometimes a combination of luck and effort will suffice. In 2002 I
achieved nice keeves with some of the Ciderday blends, adding nothing other
than 50 ppm sulfite (from Campden tablets). It took about ten days in the
coldest part of my cellar (right underneath the steel Bilco door, around 3-5
degrees C) but each of six 5-gal cornelus kegs showed a brown head. After
racking a bit of active dry cultured wine yeast was added (about 1/10 of a
small packet, just sprinkled on the surface to act as a starter). When the
yeast reproduced and started to settle the cider was racked off the lees.
This was repeated two or three times at intervals of a moth or two until
very little remained to settle. It was a pain, but the results were
naturally sweet (bottled in May and June somewhere in the neighborhood of SG
1.02) and truly spectacular after the summer's spontaneous malolactic
fermentation in champagne bottles. I didn't have a pH meter or test
strips at the time, but look at the blends and see if they sound a bit
acidic to you:
Blend 1
Baldwin 40%
Mac 20%
Spy 20%
Rome 20%
Blend 2
Rome 40%
Baldwin 20%
Spy 20%
Jonagold 13%
Mac 7%
Blend 3
Spy 48%
Mac 32%
Rome 20%
Gary Awdey
Eden, New York
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Great Lakes Cider Competition
From: "Patrick J Oconnor" <oak@msu.edu>
Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 11:56:01 -0400
Hello Charles:
I had to jump in to say THANK YOU for the kind words about the efforts here
in Michigan. Yes, I do agree with you that there is opportunity to link
different regions making hard cider and fruit wines.
Part of my doctoral studies has included the formation of a Michigan farm
marketing and agritourism organization. I have created a model of sorts
that could be applied easily to the hard cider industry. Perhaps this is
jumping to fast though.
I do know that Rex Halfpenny and I, and others, are enthused about creating
a contest that is inclusive not exclusive. Rex's presentation at the Expo
will tie it all together as he overviews how competitions can help promote
the products. Note that three makers will also present, offering a "reality
check" for folks interested in moving into hard ciders and apple wines.
Thanks again.
-- Patrick
McGonegal, Charles writes:
> Gary beat me to posting links to the Great Lakes Cider Competition, but
> I would like to add some other notes.
>
> The Michigan Cider Club has been very active within Michigan in the last
> few years. They are working with folks at Michigan State University to
> develop a working resource of cider knowledge - both technical (fruit
> and fermentation) and marketing. They are holding forums in assocation
> with the Great Lakes Expo (a direct farm marketing conference) _and_ the
> Michigan Winery Association.
>
> If you take a look at the Great Lakes Expo site
> (http://glexpo.com/program.php?id=57) for this year's conference, you
> see an impressive list of speakers from Michigan cider community and
> regional cider advocates like Rex Halfpenny.
>
> I think one of the most interesting things about the Michigan group's
> efforts is their emphasis on marketing outreach, market surveys and
> improving cider made with apples _widely_ grown in Michigan.
>
> (I may love my eccentric heirloom cultivars, but I think that a 'rising
> tide' of improving cider will be good for all us small producers. IMHO,
> at least)
>
> There are several groups like this around the country. The Northwest
> Cider Society, for instance, the forums/salons among Cider Days, and
> Charlotte Shelton's growing Cidermaker's Forums. I hope we will see
> more cooperation and participation _across_ regional events in the
> future.
>
> <\soapbox>
> I know there are commercial cidermakers involved in each regional group
> lurking on the Cider Digest. So please, let's flood this year's cider
> events with our products. Show off our stuff! And encourage our
> neighbors to get involved - at least by sending samples, when we can't
> make it in person.
> <\soapbox>
>
> Charles
> AEppelTreow Winery & 'Stillery
> Burlington _Wisconsin_
Patrick O'Connor
Email: oak@msu.edu
Cell: 517-927-7675
"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."
-Thomas Jefferson
------------------------------
Subject: Apple Day in the US?
From: Dick Dunn <rcd@talisman.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2005 23:24:32 -0600
Are there any celebrations of note for Apple Day in the US? I haven't seen
anything on it.
Apple Day seems to have originated with the UK organization Common Ground,
and as best I can phrase it in a few words, Apple Day is a celebration of
apples, orchards, community, and tradition. (I hope someone can fill in
more than my paltry words.) Cider is certainly part of the apples and the
tradition.
The established date is 21 October (or the nearest weekend to it, but in
this year it's close enough). We're planning a small party with various
apples and several ciders...not a big deal, but something. Anybody else?
- --
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #1265
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