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Cider Digest #1312
Subject: Cider Digest #1312, 3 April 2006
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1312 3 April 2006
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
RE: fermentation temps and cooling ("Harrison Gibbs")
more on belt presses (john brett)
Belt presses ("Alex Hill")
more belt presses ("Mike Beck")
Re: fermentation temps and cooling (Terry Bradshaw)
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Subject: RE: fermentation temps and cooling
From: "Harrison Gibbs" <rharrisong@lycos.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 12:19:20 -0500
Ben,
I use to live in LA and was often plagued by the problem of keeping the
temp low for ales and such. I found a couple of easy methods, but they
take up space. The easiest way is to invest in a fridge or freezer.
If you only have space for a dorm fridge (4+ cu ft), this will work for
glass carboy if you carefully manipulate the cooling coils in the top out
of the way. Attach a thermostat control. You can find these through your
local homebrew shop or order them from an on-line supplier. The digital
kind are more expensive, so consider the dial type.
Another way to keep a carboy cool is to use a large plastic trashcan,
put some water in it, and use frozen 2 liter soda bottles to regulate
the temperature. I found that this method kept things in the low 60s F,
except on really hot days. The water bath prevents the temperature from
swinging wildly. You have to switch the bottles out in the morning and
at night, so this method uses some freezer space. Good luck.
Harrison Gibbs
Williamsburg
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Subject: more on belt presses
From: john brett <jbrett@eastlink.ca>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 13:33:06 -0400
We have been using a commercial belt press for some years and, from my
point of view, it does have one quite serious drawback. In order for the
belts to function properly they have to be kept clean and porous, at least
this model does. In order to do this, the belts pass under an array of high
pressure water jets, which drive out small particles of apple that plug
up the weave of the belts. Like it or not, a small portion of this water
finds its way into the juice via the saturated, porous belt. Typically,
if the belt press is operating well, we see a dilution from a specific
gravity of say 1.055 to something in the range of +/-1.045. Obviously,
flavour is also diluted. Other disadvantages are:
1. The belt press seems to produce a pulpier juice so we get less usable
juice after settling.
2. Belt tension and allignment is controlled by a number of hydraulic
arms. Any leakage in a hydraulic piston can cause frequent stops to
realign belts.
It is possible to run the press without the water jets on for short
periods of time if the quality of your apples yields a clear and relatively
pulp free juice. Then the pressing must stop every bin (700 lbs.) or so
and the belts must be cleaned by allowing them to run with the water jets
on. If the apples yield a pulpy juice then the water jets must be left on
all the time to maintain the porosity of the belts. Otherwise the juice
is more like thin apple sauce.
Our belt press, even when working properly, does not give us the high
quality juice we get from our much smaller cage/bladder press. By high
quality I mean more concentrated flavour, higher brix, fuller mouth feel,
and less pulp.
Now it may be that our problems are peculiar to our press. Perhaps
someone out there has some advice on how we might tweak our process and
our machine for better results. It would be much appreciated.
On another topic, I'm wondering how we make contact with the CiderNet.
Nothing relevant comes up when I put that name into an internet search.
John Brett
------------------------------
Subject: Belt presses
From: "Alex Hill" <alex@vigoltd.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:29:44 +0100
While trying not to use the Forum for a sales promotion, I wish to contribute
some technical observations on belt press operation.
Vigo has supplied and installed over two dozen Voran belt presses in
the UK. Cider makers buy them because they are less work than rack and
cloth presses. The quality of juice and yield is comparable to that from
any other press. At one well-known English cider company the proprietor's
18 year old daughter pressed over 800 tonnes of fruit single-handed last
year, using a belt press.
Cleaning a belt press should not take more than 30 minutes as all exposed
parts should be made of stainless steel. The belt is cleaned during
the course of pressing with water delivered by a high pressure washer
supplied as part of the package: there is a reciprocating spray nozzle
on a boom that sweeps the whole surface of the belt as it passes on its
return journey under the press. The frequency of cleaning is determined
by the condition of the fruit being pressed - good quality cider fruit
requiring less frequent cleaning than overripe dessert fruit. At the end
of the session the belt washer is left on and the machine is hosed down
in the direction of travel of the belt.
I hope that this helps the discussion.
Alex Hill
VIGO Limited
The Airfield
Dunkeswell
Honiton
Devon
EX14 4LF
Tel: 01404 890262
Fax: 01404 890263
www.vigoltd.com
Reg. in England & Wales No. 3607580
------------------------------
Subject: more belt presses
From: "Mike Beck" <mjbeck@ujcidermill.com>
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:38:00 -0500
In #1311 Charles McGonegal ask about belt & press cleaning.
The press comes equipped with built in high pressure water, belt cleaners.
We also clean it at the end of the day with an extra high pressure hand
wash. The extra hand washing removes all visible debris. we foam sanitize
with quaternary ammonia. Once a week I will sanitize with bleach and bring
the belt back to snow white.
That is not the reason I know. I know because everybody's cider in the
state is sampled for total aerobes, coliform and e-coli (120 +/- cider mills)
My cider consistently scores very low or nil in all those categories. Many
times my cider has less of those things than my pasteurized competition.
Our dept. of ag shows us at our annual conference. This is foyable info
from the state dept. of ag. It is more of a proof is in the pudding thing.
I always sanitize my fruit several times before it ever hits the press.
Probably has more to do with good clean fruit. At least the press is not
making it dirty.
Like I say, I think a processor should look at every option. I wish I had
bladder press for what few stone fruits and berry fruits that I have. My
cider press is kinda one dimensional. I still lover her.
mike beck
------------------------------
Subject: Re: fermentation temps and cooling
From: Terry Bradshaw <terryb@lostmeadowvt.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2006 11:37:07 -0500
Ben:
My cold room is an insulated room in the northeast corner of my
basement. Nothing fancy, just framed up a couple of walls and added
insulation and an exterior door. There is no active cooling, but I can
crack a ground-level window to let cold air in as needed. Winter temps
can go as low as 32 with the window cracked, closed it'll stay around
40. Summer temps get to about 65. Any temp change is slow and gradual
so the cider responds accordingly. Here's a view of the setup:
http://www.lostmeadowvt.com/cider/room.htm
Hope that helps.
TB
>It seems that the general wisdom is to ferment cider slowly, for several
>months, at a cool temperature, say around 50 degrees F.
>I was wondering what equipment/techniques everybody uses to keep their cider
>cool for all that time. Simply keeping it outside or in a cool basement is
>no longer an option for me, since I now live in an apartment in San Diego.
>
>Any help would be greatly appreciated.
>
>- -Ben
================
Terence Bradshaw
Calais, VT
terryb@lostmeadowvt.com
http://www.lostmeadowvt.com
http://lostmeadowvt.blogspot.com
1450 feet, zone 4A/B?
The views represented are mine and mine only........
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End of Cider Digest #1312
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