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Cider Digest #1554
Subject: Cider Digest #1554, 11 March 2010
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1554 11 March 2010
Cider and Perry Discussion Forum
Contents:
BPA in Plastics (Dan Schultz)
adjusting pH (Scott Heath)
Seeking French perry pear information ("McGonegal, Charles P")
Need scions/offering scions and introduction. (Steven Edholm)
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Digest Janitor: Dick Dunn
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Subject: BPA in Plastics
From: Dan Schultz <d2schultz@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 08:53:57 -0800
Lurker with my first post here. I'm on my third season of cider. Making
about 40 gallons annually for personal use. A friend and I buy our apples in
Hood River, Oregon and then spend a few days of enjoyment crushing and
squeezing them for their sweet juice. I prefer my cider dry, tart and
carbonated.
My background is in plastics and if any of you frquent homebrewing forums,
you've probably seen me around. BPA is a precursor to polycarbonate whcih is
used to make the plastic carboys (not the Better Bottles as those are made
with PET). There won't be any BPA in polyethylene or polypropylene or most
other plastics.
I have a chart that I down loaded from GE many years ago at
http://www.oregonbrewcrew.com/schultz/o2perm.jpg that ranks plastics for O2
permeation. PE (HDPE) and PP are two of the better plastics. Thicker walls
are even better. I will contend that O2 permeation through an air lock is
likely higher than O2 permeation through plastic so seal off your SS or
glass containers before sweating using plastic if you utilize air locks
after fermentation.
During fermentation, the yeast will take up any O2 that might get into the
fermenter so palstic is a great choice during fermentation.
My choice is Corny kegs once fermentation is over; sealed stainless steel
and easy to move around.
- -Danno
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Subject: adjusting pH
From: Scott Heath <scott@fireballfarm.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 23:32:40 -0700
What is the way, or the BEST way, to lower the pH of juice and/or
fermented cider? Is it just to add malic acid? Are there other
methods? I didn't have a pH meter when I was pressing and now I
see that my cider batches vary from about 3.75 to 4.1. Ideally I'd
like it around 3.5 for protection from spoilage.
AND... are there any other opinions out there about 304 SS versus 316 SS? I
already have some HDPE barrels and am looking to upgrade. It seems
like 316 would definitely need to be imported or custom. Everything I'm
finding online is 304. Makes me want to believe that it would be OK
to use. BUT, if making the jump into stainless, wouldn't it be
prudent to spend the extra dough for the increased corrosion resistance?
Scott Heath
New Mexico, USA
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Subject: Seeking French perry pear information
From: "McGonegal, Charles P" <Charles.McGonegal@uop.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 13:39:37 -0500
Digesters,
A few years ago, I requested that several cultivars of traditional
french perry pears be imported and sent through the quarantine system.
The first two of them have made it through the process and will be
available in another couple of years from the germplasm repository.
Corvallis has asked me if I have any other info on the cultivars - and I
don't. Nor have I been able to google any up. Does anyone have a really
good 19th century cidre library? I'm looking for info on La Jaunette
and Belle (or Poire) de Cloche.
Charles McGonegal
AEppelTreow Winery
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Subject: Need scions/offering scions and introduction.
From: Steven Edholm <stevene@pacific.net>
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 17:58:30 -0800
I am new to the list. I'm an amateur cider maker for the past few
years and have become interested enough to want to plant some
dedicated cider varieties. I have a rural property in the coastal
mountains of Northern California. I'm an apple enthusiast anyway and
so far have 4 golden russet trees, belle de bosskop, king david,
suntan, tydemans late orange, cox's orange, cherry cox, karmijn de
sonneville, red gravenstein, edward's winter (maybe not the true
edwards winter, but a small apple with some astringency and complex
flavor), Lady Williams, Hauer pippin, Grenadine, yarlington mill,
muscat de bernay, kingston black, michelin, wickson, hewe's crab and
roxbury russet. I also have a "test tree" with over 60 varieties
grafted onto it which are starting to fruit in the last couple of
years. All except the test tree are 4 years or younger on M111 stock.
I'm ordering up some geneva 30 rootstock (50% of standard size) to
put in an experimental orchard and wanted to put a call out for
scions this year. It's a little last minute, but if anyone has any
of the list below I would be very grateful. I can pay shipping or we
can trade. Tim Bray gave me a good assortment of scions from his
orchard this year and I will be glad to send extras of those out to
people that can use them. I would also welcome any comments,
recommendations or especially non-recommendations on these
varieties. Since I have a lot of tart dessert apples, I'm primarily
interested in bittersweets, sweets and anything with exceptional and
aromatics that can survive their way into the bottle.... also, I
suppose anything that can make a good single varietal. Regular heavy
cropping, health and generally good cultural traits are always
welcome too:) I will probably try to graft what I'm most interested
in from research and later top work over anything that I can't use to
whatever I find does well here and suits my tastes cider-wise. I'm
interested in the experiment as well as the product, but product is
still the goal.
Looking for:
*Dabinett
*Gilpin
*Harry master's Jersey
*Medaill D' or
*Nehou
*Somerset redstreak
*Stoke red
*Northwood
*Sweet coppin
*Binet Rouge
*Harrison
*Bulmers Northern
*carolina red june (not a cider apple, but I've been looking for it
and no one seems to grow it out this way).
*whatchya got?
I can offer:
*Brown's
*Kingston black
*major
*ellis' bitter
*Fillbarrel
*Hewes (virginia) crab
*Tale sweet
*Court royal
*Michelin (this is off my multi-grafted tree, so could be infected
with who knows what as there is so much stuff from unknown sources on
that tree)
*A small red crab apple that my friend says makes makes KILLER!
(her words:) pink cider. I'm not sure she's fit to judge, but there
ya have it! Unknown variety she just sent me scions of it this year
The note she sent with the scions says- "crab scions from Warren-
Wilson college Asheville NC. Trees of probably 30-40 years? Unknown
variety- a very sweet little pink fleshed fruit- large size for a
crab. Amazing cider"
* Also, some of the stuff I have trees of in the top list and stuff
off my multi-grafted tree if you aren't discouraged by the disease
factor.
Thanks!
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End of Cider Digest #1554
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