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Cider Digest #1421
Subject: Cider Digest #1421, 17 November 2007
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1421 17 November 2007
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Q re Gravenstein juice ("Derek Terrell")
Refractometer (Andrew Lea)
Rodent control in the orchard (chris horn)
Rootstocks (james cummins)
FW: Abebooks has found the book you want ("deirdreb@mindspring.com")
Harpoon Cider? ("drcath@tiac.net")
PS - Web Links to Harpoon Cider ("drcath@tiac.net")
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Subject: Q re Gravenstein juice
From: "Derek Terrell" <DerekT2@msn.com>
Date: Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:11:21 -0500
I usually trek to the foothills to get my cider runnings but this fall I'm
too busy to make the trip. Whole Foods Market sells Organic Gravenstein
juice which I'm guessing is hot pasteurized, but otherwise does not contain
preservatives. Sugar content is listed as 24g per 8 oz. serving, which iirc
is about OG 48 (96 Brix?). I have easy access to tannin, acid blend and/or
malic acid, etc. I'm thinking about dumping 6 gallons into my fermentor
and fermenting it out with Wyeast Cider yeast -- I've generally used Cote
de Blanc in the past but preferred my English cider yeast results last
year better. So, my questions:
1. Gravenstein seems to be an acceptable if not ideal apple for
hard cider. Can I ferment as is or do I need to busy myself with
adjustments? Suggestions? I'd like to keep it simple but not to the point
of bland fizz.
2. Post-fermentation I am thinking about dosing the six gallons with
"Super Smoother" (pre-measured glycerin and Sinitin oak essence) to round
it out -- I've used chips and cubes in the past but don't want to bother
standardizing the many varieties available (read: I rarely use the same
variety twice). I guess my reasoning is if I like one pack of SS in 6
gallons than I can repeat w/o thinking about it. I can play from there.
3. If the cider is lame I am considering hitting 1/2 of it with sorbate
and back-sweetening it. The other half I would dose with Brett. and allow
it to condition out for several months. I had a French cider a few years
ago that was not only aged in oak (Calvados barrels?) but was unmistakenly
laden with Brett. While it made my wife gag, I'm a brewer by trade and
prone to playing with bugs in sour beers and that cider fascinated me.
Yes? No? Thoughts?
- - Derek
------------------------------
Subject: Refractometer
From: Andrew Lea <andrew_lea@compuserve.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:39:45 +0000
Jeremy Kent asked
>
> Do any of you use a suger Refractometer to obtain the sugar content of
> the apple/mash rather than taking a gravity of the juice to obtain the
> sugar content.
> If you do, do you find the refractometer useful??
I use a hand-held refractometer (0-30 Brix) to test how the apples are
coming along in the field, and later on the finished juice. You have to
convert Brix to SG using published tables. It's useful to have and I use
it a lot, but I inherited mine from elsewhere and I don't know that I'd
specially go out and buy one. Hydrometers are far cheaper. It uses only
a drop of juice, though, which is sometimes useful.
One empirical observation over several seasons is that the sugar content
I measure on individual apples in the field is about 1% lower than the
figure I get on the the bulk when pressed. I assume this is sampling
bias - i.e. I choose nice ripe apples to sample whereas not all the bulk
when gathered are of such quality! This is nothing to do with the
refractometer per se.
Andrew Lea
- --
Wittenham Hill Cider Page
http://www.cider.org.uk
------------------------------
Subject: Rodent control in the orchard
From: chris horn <agent_strangelove@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:27:57 -0800
Several months ago I posted a question as to what other folks do about
burrowing rodent control in the orchard (and garden). I was met with
silence.
The area I live in is famous for the number of moles and gophers (and then
the voles that move into the tunnels of the other two). Trapping (spring
type, I wont use 12 gauge traps for safety reasons) only sort of kept them
at bay.
A guy a work suggested (and loaned me) a little toy he uses on his
daughters? softball fields. The rodenator (http://www.rodenator.com/) is
a slick little toy that floods the burrows with propane and oxygen and then
you set it off. The conclusion is a bit like a heavy pistol shot and rodents
are killed by the concussion. Depending on the depth and length of fill time
you may get flames and dirt shooting back up. This is not a device for use
on putting greens but think Caddy Shack. I have used it once and we will
see what the long term results are but so far, I'm happy. A short video of
a shot can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvRfzs9beb0 I think
I will use it again this spring when they are more active if I missed any.
If all else fails it?s an very entertaining way to spend an afternoon.
Chris Horn Scappoose Oregon USA
'I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure'
- -Clarence Darrow
------------------------------
Subject: Rootstocks
From: james cummins <jnc1@localnet.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:19:57 -0500
A number of notes lately have referred to differences among varieties
and for given varieties, variations relative to location.
It could be quite helpful if the rootstock could be identified along
with variety. Certainly rootstock will be major player in determining
precocity, productivity and disease incidence and probably has some
influence also on fruit quality.
Jim Cummins
Geneva
------------------------------
Subject: FW: Abebooks has found the book you want
From: "deirdreb@mindspring.com" <deirdreb@mindspring.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:07:02 -0600
I requested this book long ago. Since then I bought it directly from Liz
Copas in England . But those of you wanting this book, here is an available
copy.
- --Deirdre
Deirdre Birmingham,
deirdreb@mindspring.com
Mineral Point, WI 53565
> We're pleased to tell you that Abebooks.com has successfully found the
following book(s) you want.
>
> Your Want: # A22512222
> Author: Liz Copas;
> Title: Somerset Pomona;
> Publisher: Dovecote Press;
> Published Date: 1975 to 2004;
> Keywords: apples;
>
> We have matched your Want with one or more books now available on our Web
site, including the following (please note that only the lowest and highest
price matches made today are displayed):
>
> 1. A Somerset Pomona : The Cider Apples of Somerset,
> COPAS, Liz
> Dovecote Press, 2001, 1874336873, CIDER, APPLES, SOMERSET, 1625,,
Landscape style PB, 80 pages, in VG condition, lengthways crease in rear
cover.
> Bookseller: recollectionsbookshop.co.uk, Newquay Cornwall, .
> Price: £ 10.00 (US$ 21.43)
>
> View or Order this Book:
> http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/ListingDetails?bi=1002045829&cm_la=want
>
> AbeBooks Customer Support
> www.abebooks.com
------------------------------
Subject: Harpoon Cider?
From: "drcath@tiac.net" <drcath@tiac.net>
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:57:32 -0500
Has anyone sampled the new Harpoon Cider from Harpoon Brewery (Boston, MA)?
I have not but I did inquire about the production details and I was
surprised to learn that, although they are marketing the locally-produced
angle (which I admire) by using apples from New York and New England, they
are using primarily MacIntosh with Red Delicious, Gala and Macoun.
Sheeesh... AND, they are using the same yeast used to brew their beers. I'm
looking forward to trying it but not sure what to expect.
Is this the first example of a commercial brewery (rather than a winery or
cidery) making a cider for the masses (aka the LCD)? My guess is that their
choice of apples is based on the requirement for a consistent blend at the
volume required for mass production. They probably can't get enough real
cider apples to keep filling six packs. But beer yeast? Again, probably
because they are used to selling beer to beer geeks and they believe that
they won't care.
Cheers,
Dave Catherman
Connecticut
------------------------------
Subject: PS - Web Links to Harpoon Cider
From: "drcath@tiac.net" <drcath@tiac.net>
Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:08:18 -0500
Sorry, forgot to include on-line links in my previous post re: Harpoon
Cider for more info;
http://www=2Eharpoonbrewery=2Ecom/index=2Ecfm=3Fpid=3D104818
Dave Catherman
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #1421
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