Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Cider Digest #1476
Subject: Cider Digest #1476, 17 November 2008
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1476 17 November 2008
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Franklin County Cider Day - gravity readings ("Aaron Charlwood")
Re: Cider Digest #1475, 12 November 2008 (Sketchpub@aol.com)
sanitizers (Jason MacArthur)
Forthcoming book from Andrew Lea (Alan Yelvington)
RE: Cider Digest #1475, 12 November 2008 ("Tim Barrie")
Re: Crispin Cider (Dick Dunn)
Send ONLY articles for the digest to cider@talisman.com.
Use cider-request@talisman.com for subscribe/unsubscribe/admin requests.
When subscribing, please include your name and a good address in the
message body unless you're sure your mailer generates them.
Archives of the Digest are available at www.talisman.com/cider
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Franklin County Cider Day - gravity readings
From: "Aaron Charlwood" <aaron@russellst.com>
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:57:05 -0500
Hi folks,
I completely neglected to take OG readings of the bulk cider
that I purchased from Pine Hill Orchards during Franklin County Cider Days
in Massachusetts a few weeks ago. I blame the consumption of too much of my
own product. Does anybody happen to have original gravity readings for these
ciders? The ones I am looking for are:
#1
42% Redfield
23% Jonathan
15% Russets
15% Hudson-Golden Gems
5% Golden Delicious
#2
30% Rome
22% Redfield
16% Baldwin
8% Jonathan
8% Gala
8% McIntosh
8% Golden Delicious
Thank you!
-Aaron Charlwood
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Cider Digest #1475, 12 November 2008
From: Sketchpub@aol.com
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:38:42 EST
Dear Cider Digest:
I tried something a bit different this year with my cider fermentation: I
made sure that I stirred the fermenting juice everyday to get more oxygen into
the fermenting juice. My ciders all took off much earlier than in the past.
In the past, I have always had sluggish fermentations and I assumed that it
was caused by the cool (53 F) temperatures in my winery. I would then move the
plastic barrels into the my labeling room which I kept heated and that
would seem to help.......but I think more important at the initial stage of
fermentation, is getting oxygen to the yeast.
I also am no longer freaked out by the chappeau on the top and dig in with
my wooden spoon and break it up in the process of stirring it and it
disappears.
Ron Irvine
Vashon Winery
Irvine's Vintage Cider
Vashon, Washington
------------------------------
Subject: sanitizers
From: Jason MacArthur <rotread@localnet.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:33:25 -0500
I wanted to pick up on the thread regarding sanitizers and off
flavors. Has anyone besides Terry had problems with iodophor? We
have been using it in bottles and carboys for several years and have
had no problems, but these are all glass containers. We don't
rinse, simply drain, wait several minutes, and fill. I am wondering
if the off flavors came about because the iodophor "hid away" on the
cloths and any wooden parts of the press it came into contact with.
Pure speculation but I am curious how others deal with sanitation of
various surfaces.
Jason MacArthur
------------------------------
Subject: Forthcoming book from Andrew Lea
From: Alan Yelvington <alany@semparpac.org>
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:54:26 -0500
Andrew has a book coming out! (joy joy). ere's the link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1904871372
or
http://www.amazon.com/Craft-Cider-Making-Andrew-Lea/dp/1904871976/ref=sr_11_1?ie
=UTF8&qid=1226760434&sr=11-1
Isn't the Internet cool?
Anyway, no harm giving Andrew a plug.
------------------------------
Subject: RE: Cider Digest #1475, 12 November 2008
From: "Tim Barrie" <tim_barrie@msn.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:47:26 -0700
Hey Claude Jolicoeur, I appreciate your feedback. I know I have upset a few
people with the '10 minute Hard Cider' recipe.
On the other hand I have had a number of people tell me it's a great idea
and they have tried it. Also that they, "love the idea of attempting to
make the 'proper fermented version, where should they start?"
I suspect that if I were to suggest that they start with "Follow 4 easy
steps and get a great cider in 2 years!", that may not kick start them. As
good as the result might (or might not) be. I know I was put off quite a
few years ago when my first batch turned out badly.
What I really need is a few good examples of baby steps they can take.
Videos, detailed descriptions, interesting learnings etc. Easy ways to get
started and get a reasonable result in a fairly short period of time.
I know of at least a dozen people who are now going to get cider kits for
Xmas as a direct result of the blog.
Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
tim
BTW (I promise I won't use the word 'Brew' again and also I will add, a
commentary on why the word brew "in not appropriate").
tim
Tim Barrie
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Crispin Cider
From: Dick Dunn <rcd@talisman.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:19:47 -0700
Considerable puzzlement here...ok, I'll tackle some of it...
In the last digest, Lesley Heron <lheron@briteblueco.com> wrote:
> We would like to announce the launch of a new cider on the USA market,
> called Crispin cider. We are a super premium hard apple cider,
OK, what is a "super premium"?? That term is used, in beverage marketing,
to denote the high end of mass-market products. For example, Michelob is
considered Anheuser-Busch's "super premium" beer. (Yes, really!) This is
an odd place to make a claim that amounts to "We're the Michelob of hard
cider" when a lot of us would be more impressed by something like "We're
the Anchor (or Sierra Nevada or Ridge...) of hard cider."
Crispin? (nee Mutsu) A decent table apple, but hardly anything for real
cider. So a strange choice for a "cider" company. Oh, I suppose the word
has a nice ring to it.
> naturally fermented using a premium apple blend, with no added malt or
> spirit alcohol...
In order to get the interest of most of us here, I'd say you need to tell
us what apples go into that premium (that word again!) blend. This group
is about cider, and cider is made from apples. AND, just as surely as a
realtor says "location, location, location", a cidermaker could say
"variety, variety, variety".
"...no added malt..." (!) I'm sure various CD readers are wondering what
the heck that is about! At least I've stumbled over the answer to that one:
Brewers (including micros and brewpubs) who want to produce a cider need to
add a bit of malt in order to make it a "beer" instead of a "wine" by legal
definitions. But is any commercial cidermaker bottling cider that's made
with malt?
No "spirit alcohol"? Well, that's nice, but it would be illegal to add
alcohol and call it a cider, wouldn't it? What's the point here?
So anyway, I wandered over to the web site, duly cautioned by the domain
(crispinoverice.com) and found that it's promoting this cider for serving
over ice, just as the name suggests.
Gee, haven't we (many of us anyway) heard this advertising campaign before--
with Magners? And gee, hasn't that about run its course? Magners (of
Ireland) had a major success in Ireland and the UK, promoting serving its
cider over ice...but it was predictably short-lived; now they're in trouble
business-wise. The trouble with fashion is that it is fashion. So, next
puzzle: Why would Crispin follow after on cider-over-ice? Hitch your wagon
to a falling star?
A friend wandering the Crispin(overice) web site came across this one:
"This is not a traditional 'Riverdance, wet Labradors and smoky pipes'
hard apple cider, the kind that can leave you bloated rather than
refreshed."
Huh? Do what?
Started thinking along the lines of ciders that have smoky notes, sometimes
"farmyard" notes...is that it? But what does "Riverdance" have to do with
it?
Oh.
Ouch.
It's a slur against the Irish. The Riverdance phenomenon came from Ireland;
wet Labradors == hunting in a wet climate; smoky pipes in an Irish pub.
Finally the connection comes through: Magners (preceptors of the cider-
over-ice marketing) is Irish. Well, then...but one puzzle solved only
begets the next one: Why would anybody want to talk up a cider by saying
it has less flavor and character than Magners?
Well, I can't see the point. But Crispin may do well for the wine-cooler
segment. After all, as Mencken said...wait, nah, let's not go there.
- --
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #1476
*************************
