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Cider Digest #1463
Subject: Cider Digest #1463, 8 September 2008
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1463 8 September 2008
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Apple syrup densities (Andrew Lea)
Re: Cranberries (Bill)
So much for categories... (Donald Davenport)
Lost Meadow Cider Mill Opens September 13, 2008 (Terry Bradshaw)
CiderFest on Vashon (Sketchpub@aol.com)
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Subject: Apple syrup densities
From: Andrew Lea <andrew_lea@compuserve.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:22:42 +0100
Chris Horn wrote:
>
> Maple syrup falls between 66-68 brix (higher and it will crystalize, lower
> and it ferments/molds). Does anyone know if I can aim for the same ball
> park and be OK?
The max typical AJC (apple juice concentrate) brix is around 70 -72. But
you *must* depectinise the juice first, or you get apple jam / jelly.
AJC does not seem to crystallise probably because it contains virtually
no sucrose. But it does get very viscous.
The max you can go to with apple without depectinising is about 50 - 55
Brix. Anything above that and it gels. But those low brix concs / syrups
are not microbiologically stable ('water activity' still too high) so
must be kept deep frozen. They are commercially traded at least in
Europe as so-called half-concentrates.
Remember even 70 Brix AJC may still get osmotolerant spoilage yeasts
e.g. Zygosaccharomyces bailli and rouxii growing on the top surface at
room temperature. Best to keep them in the fridge at least.
Andrew
- --
Wittenham Hill Cider Page
http://www.cider.org.uk
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Subject: Re: Cranberries
From: Bill <squeeze@mars.ark.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:54:40 -0700
Bradley - there is no need to use the whole fruit to "maximize color",
straight cranberry juice is RED, as red as you can imagine - see here:
<http://mars.ark.com/~squeeze/pics-pg/c-berry.jpg>
that's straight cranberries run thru the apple shredder [your crushing
and freezing will do], then pressed, NO need to boil if you've broken
the skins, and NO need for sulphiting cranberry juice, it will keep
almost indefinitely with no treatment at all because of it's low sugar
and high acid nature, as well as a range of phytonutrients not found in
other fruits, wild yeasts don't infect it, and it's pectin component is
minimal, if any .... I'd recommend mixing the thawed berries with the
fresh crushed apples to press together
I've added cranberry juice to apple for cider ... mot impressed
Bill <http://mars.ark.com/~squeeze/>
------------------------------
Subject: So much for categories...
From: Donald Davenport <djdavenport@earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 2008 12:01:05 -0600
The beer and cider judging for this year's New Mexico State fair has
just finished and before I get over being annoyed with it, I wanted
to vent a little.
It was advertised to be a competition conducted using the BJCP
guidelines, with distinct subcategories for Common Cider, English
Cider and French Cider. Also Specialty Cider, Common Perry and
Traditional Perry.
I entered 3 ciders--A "Common" cider which was a blend of 80% desert
apples and 20% bittersweets and bittersharps. Nothing exotic, but
very pleasant and drinkable. For the English Cider category, I
entered a 100% Kingston Black and a Yarlington Mill varietal, the
latter being beautiful in color, nice, soft astringency and an
excellent nose. I was really proud of it.
Long story short, the judges, after poring through (pun intended) 26
subcategories of beer, ale and mead, awarded 61 medals, often for
single entries in a given type or style.
When it came to cider and perry, they lumped all the categories into
one--Common Cider and Perry--and awarded 3 medals (My KB got bronze.
The Gold Medal Winner was a self-described "Scumpy").
I guess what annoys me is that if the judging guidelines specify
subcategories--and you have entries in those subcategories--it seems
patently unfair to decide to put a perry up against a cider, or an
appropriately high tannin English style cider up again a cider made
purely of desert fruit.
Perhaps it's just another case of judges being highly knowledgeable
about beer, but feeling less adept at judging the subtleties of
various cider styles and so just combining the various subcategories
into one seemed the better part of valor.
Seem to me if you aren't prepared to judge a given category, don't
open it for competition.
Like I said, annoying.
Don Davenport
Santa Fe, NM
------------------------------
Subject: Lost Meadow Cider Mill Opens September 13, 2008
From: Terry Bradshaw <terryb@lostmeadowvt.com>
Date: Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:18:23 -0500
Calais,VT:
Lost Meadow Cider Mill will be open weekends this fall starting
September 13 and going until October 26. The mill is located off County
Rd in Calais, VT, two miles south of Maple Corner.
Fresh juice will be available for pickup Saturday or Sunday 12:00-6:00
PM or until it's gone. Call or email for directions. Sorry, the mill is
not open to the public during operation. If you need juice and can't
catch us on weekends or want us to reserve some, call and we'll work
something out [(802) 229-2004].
We will also have our own vinegar for sale at the mill as well as the
odd bag of apples that we just didn't have the heart to put through the
grinder.
Fermenting stock (?Cidre') _
We will be making cidremaker's blends on most weekends of the
season, at the end of the squeeze day. Varieties used will change with
the season; come a couple different times and compare the ciders you
make! Juice blends consist of a base, usually Liberty, Cortland, Gala,
or Golden (Delicious and Russet) and a bittersweet/sharp component such
as Foxwhelp, Ellis Bitter, Yarlington Mill, Chisel Jersey, Dabinett, and
some local crabs. Blended cidre juice is $7 per gallon in your
container only. Carboys and other supplies can be had from Vermont
Homebrew Supply in Winooski, VT (802) 655-2070. For a basic
cider you will only need to bring a clean, sanitized carboy and airlock.
We can take care of the rest, including any tips and consultation needed
to get things going.We strongly suggest getting reservations in ASAP for
your blended juice. While the sweet juice will ferment into cider, the
special blends tailored for cidermaking are the reason why we do this,
and a much superior product will come from it. And once the barrels are
empty, it will be a long wait until next year.
All cider apples are sourced from Vermont or New Hampshire orchards and
are tree picked, whole, sound fruit. The variety mix will change with
the season and we use only the freshest fruit available, not
cold-storage packing house cast-offs. The orchards we work with all
follow modern Integrated Pest Management protocols to ensure that their
produce is free of harmful residues and grown in an environmentally
responsible manner. Some fruit are sourced from organic or unsprayed trees
depending on availability and quality. All juice is unpasteurized. For more
information on cider/food safety go to
http://www.lostmeadowvt.com/juice/safety.htm/
Lost Meadow Orchard and Cider Mill are run by Terry Bradshaw and his
family. Terry has been in the orchard business for fourteen years and
has made cider every one of them. His fermented ciders have won national
awards in American Homebrew Association-sanctioned events and have
developed a local following. These hard ciders are never for sale, but
he is always glad to show you how to make your own.
http://www.lostmeadowvt.com
terryb@lostmeadowvt.com
------------------------------
Subject: CiderFest on Vashon
From: Sketchpub@aol.com
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2008 13:13:52 EDT
CiderFest on Vashon will take place on Saturday, October 4. It is composed
of four major elements:
1) a apple show with fresh apple juice pressing and apple identification put
on by our local Vashon Fruit Club from 10-3pm.
2) a seminar led by Dr. Bob Norton with Ron Irvine (Irvine's Vintage Cider)
and Drew Zimmerman (Red Barn Cider) on "How to Make Hard Cider" from 1-2pm.
3) Cider tasting (as in hard cider) between 3-6pm, showing about eight
different cideries and up to about 15 ciders. $10.
4) a four-course cider dinner held at The Hardware Store Restaurant,
matching ciders to various courses, from 6:30 on. $75.
All, except the dinner, occur at the Village Green farmers' market.
Sponsored by Vashon Island Rotary Foundation and the NW Cider Society.
Hope to see you there.
Ron Irvine
Vashon Winery (vashonwinery.com)
Irvine's Vintage Cider
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End of Cider Digest #1463
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