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Cider Digest #1545
Subject: Cider Digest #1545, 26 December 2009
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1545 26 December 2009
Cider and Perry Discussion Forum
Contents:
Re: Chinese apples (Mike Faul)
Quick question ref Ale yeast ("Steve Boston")
Re: Racking question (Claude Jolicoeur)
Racking question (Andrew Lea)
Chinese apples (Andrew Lea)
cold temps in the cider room (seth jones)
Results of the 5th Annual Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Compe (g...)
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Re: Chinese apples
From: Mike Faul <mfaul@faul.net>
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:36:47 -0800
Greg
Like honey, I wouldn't touch Chinese imported apples or apple juice for
cider.
Caveat emptor really applies here. Pesticides, lead etc.... why invite a
potential problem.
> Subject: Chinese apples
> From: Greg Kessler <greg_kessler@hotmail.com>
> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:25:02 +0000
>
> I read in USA Today that China is the leading apple producer in the world,
> with 58.8 billion pounds per year (compared to 9.8 billion in the US which
> is second). Anyone know if there are any cider-worthy apples grown in China?
------------------------------
Subject: Quick question ref Ale yeast
From: "Steve Boston" <sboston@cogeco.ca>
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:41:33 -0500
Good day,
Quick question ref Ale yeast and cider. Is Nottingham or the other common
ale yeasts suplite tolerant like the wine yeasts?
I recently made a small half carboy batch of common farmhouse cider with
local farm juice - no additives, no SO2 - only pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient
and a pack of Nottingham Ale yeast. Worked fine and, although is slow to
stop, it brought an original SG of 1.060 down to 1.003 no probs. I decided
to try a full batch but added tannin, acid blend, yeast neutrient, pectic
enzyme and SO2 (1 campden per imp gal). Then the same Nottingham Ale yeast.
3 days and no action at a temp of 66 to 70 degree F or 18 to 20 C. Two
other cider batchs with the exact same additives fermented well with LALVIN
EC 1118 and V 1116.
Was wondering if the suphite was blocking the ferment with Nottingham Ale
yeast as beer is not sulphited. Thinking of waiting a few more days and
pitching EC 1118 if it doesn't start to get it going.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Cheers,
Steve
------------------------------
Subject: Re: Racking question
From: Claude Jolicoeur <cjoli@gmc.ulaval.ca>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:18:03 -0500
In Cider Digest #1544, 17 December 2009:
>Subject: Racking question
>From: "Casey Sayre" <csayre2@comcast.net>
>Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 13:02:58 -0800
>
>I have 15 gal of a blend of Porters Perefection, Dabinett and Yarlington
>Mill. The cider had a starting S.G. of 1.051, a PH of 3.8 and Acidity of
>0.35 (On the edge with low acidity but so far no problems with molds, etc).
>I added pectic enzyme then add yeast (WLP 775) the next day. No nutrient has
>been added. The fermentation has been going quite slow as the yeast was
>added on 11/07/2009. The S.G. most recently on 12/10 2009 was 1.035.
Casey,
Welcome in the club of the slow guys!
If I calculate, you get a drop of 16 points of SG in 33 days, so roughly
half a SG point a day. You may compare your data with, for example, my 2008
late blend, started Nov 9 2008 at SG 1.060, by Dec 7, it was at SG 1.043,
end of April at 1.020, August 1.003, and finally bottled last October at
1.002! In my opinion, the slow batches are always the best ones. As of
racking, I usually start my ciders in a large plastic bucket (7 gals) and
do a racking to glass carboy after a couple of weeks of fermentation when
foaming has stopped. After that I don't do any racking until bottling time.
Sometimes I also get some pectic gel but I don't worry about this. So, in
my opinion, your cider is starting just fine.
Claude Jolicoeur
Quebec
------------------------------
Subject: Racking question
From: Andrew Lea <andrew@HarpHill.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:59:57 +0000
Casey wrote:
> I have 15 gal of a blend of Porters Perefection, Dabinett and Yarlington
> Mill. The cider had a starting S.G. of 1.051, a PH of 3.8 and Acidity of
> 0.35 (On the edge with low acidity but so far no problems with molds, etc).
> I added pectic enzyme then add yeast (WLP 775) the next day. No nutrient has
> been added. The fermentation has been going quite slow as the yeast was
> added on 11/07/2009. ......
> Would it be advisable to rack the cider at this high of a S.G. or rack and
> add some nutrient? My inclination is to just be patient, but as noted I'm a
> little concerned about sitting on the lees.
Stick with your inclination. Be patient. Let it go to SG < 1.005 before
you rack (unless it sticks really firmly before that and you want to
rack it a couple of times to get a naturally sweet cider). The yeast
lees will not be a problem.
> I have another 30 gal of various cider apples blended with Jonagold to get
> the PH to 3.4 and it fermented to dryness in about 3 weeks. All of the cider
> apples in both batches are from the same orchard but the jonagolds were
> culls from a commercial operation nearby.
Interesting. My guess is that the commercial Jonagolds have much higher
nutrients (nitrogen), which is why they finish so quickly.
Andrew Lea
nr Oxford UK
www.cider.org.uk
------------------------------
Subject: Chinese apples
From: Andrew Lea <andrew@HarpHill.co.uk>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:48:10 +0000
Greg wrote:
> I read in USA Today that China is the leading apple producer in the world,
> with 58.8 billion pounds per year (compared to 9.8 billion in the US which
> is second). Anyone know if there are any cider-worthy apples grown in China?
A recent scientific article
http://www.scientificsocieties.org/JIB/papers/2006/G-2006-1023-457.pdf
states that "Apple cider in China is usually made from 'Fuji',
'Starking', 'Gala', or 'Ralls' apples". and that the reason for this is
to use up surplus dessert fruit. There is quite a bit of scientific
work coming out of China on cider now (most of it pay per view) but none
of it ever uses 'cider' apples that i can recall.
So I think the short answer is 'no'. There is no cultural history of
cider production in China until the last few years so no effort would
have been made to select or even to plant imported cider cultivars, I think.
Andrew Lea
nr Oxford, UK
www.cider.org.uk
------------------------------
Subject: cold temps in the cider room
From: seth jones <sethjones@earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:21:43 -0500
I've been using a new room in my basement to ferment my ciders and
cysers this year. I've got 12 carboys there of different mixed blends.
I'd had good luck keeping it at around 45F until last week when temps
in Eastern NY plummeted. It's a weekend place and when I turned up the
temp was at 38F. No activity in the bubblers. I'm traveling for the
holidays and won't be able to get that heat up (it will stay about
38-40F) until after the New Year when I'll add more insulation and an
electric heater. My question (finally): Will the yeast restart on it's
own? Should i add a little nutrient to give it some breakfast? Any
other advice? Thanks in advance.
Seth Jones
Petersburgh, NY
------------------------------
Subject: Results of the 5th Annual Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Compe
From: gawdey@att.net
Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:35:14 +0000
The Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association is pleased to announce results
of the 5th Annual Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition.
The competition was held at the Amway Grand Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
on December 12, 2009.
With 81 commercial entries and 94 noncommercial entries this is the largest
Pro-Am fermented cider competition in North America and one of the largest
in the world. The competition is open to nineteen categories of fermented
beverages made from apple or pear. Entries came from across much of North
America, from Washington to Nova Scotia and New Hampshire to North Carolina.
Open to international entries, this year's competition saw over a dozen
commercial entries from cidermakers who have previously distinguished
themselves in well respected English competitions.
In the commercial division ten gold medals, twenty-five silver and thirty-one
bronze medals were awarded. A gold medal and Best of Show went to Uncle
John's Fruit House Winery of St. Johns, Michigan, for its entry in the common
cider category, Uncle John's Hard Cider. Highlighting some of the apple
varieties that excel in Michigan, this cider is a blend of distinguished
old North American apple varieties such as Winter Banana, Winesap and
Northern Spy, with a light added touch of McIntosh. Uncle John's also
took gold for its entry in the cyser category and for its apple/cherry
cider in the fruit cider category.
A gold medal and Best of Show Honorable Mention went to Warwick Valley
Winery and Distillery of Warwick, New York, for its pommeau category entry,
American Fruits Apple Liquor.
Gold medals also went to Westcott Bay Cider of Friday Harbor, Washington,
in the English cider category for its Traditional Dry Cider; Aspall Cyders
of Suffolk, England, for its Aspall Organic Cider entered in the French
cider category; Snowdrift Cider Company of East Wenatchee, Washington,
for its Semi Dry Cider entered in the New England cider category; Eden Ice
Cider Company of West Charleston, Vermont, for its Eden-Calville Blend
in the Prefermentation Intensified category (also known as Ice Cider);
Blackstar Farms of Suttons Bay, Michigan, for its Sirius Maple in the
Postfermentation Intensified (Pommeau) category; and to Vandermill Cider
of Spring Lake, Michigan, for its VanderMill NA in the competition's new
Nonalcoholic Sparkling Cider category.
In the noncommercial division twelve gold medals, twenty-one silver and
thirty-seven bronze medals were awarded. A gold medal and Best of Show
went to Rick Young of Mount Vernon, Iowa, for his Methode Champenoise
Hard Cider. Rick also took gold in the Common Cider category with his
Rocky Mountain Hard Cider. Best of Show Honorable Mention and a gold medal
went to Eric Fouch of Caledonia, Michigan, for Going Polar, his entry in
the Specialty-Other category. Eric also took a second gold medal in the
English Cider category for his Buck Fever.
In an impressive sweep that throws down a geographical gauntlet for home
cidermakers elsewhere the remaining gold medals in the noncommercial division
went to Michigan cidermakers. Four gold medals went to Jeff Carlson of
Grand Rapids for his Westside Cyser '06, Westside Perry, Westside Cherry
Cider, and his Sweet Heat Jalapeno Cider. Two gold medals went to Scott
Husted of Kalamazoo for his common cider and applewine. Gold also went
to Karl Vernon of Livionia for his applewine and to Joe Margevicius of
Metamora for his specialty cider, Honey Ginger.
Complete results are shown below.
COMMERCIAL DIVISION
25a CYSER
Gold
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St.Johns, Michigan
Cyser
26c OPEN CATEGORY MEAD (Made with apple or pear)
Silver
Robinette Cellars Grand Rapids, Michigan
Cyser
27a COMMON CIDER
Gold
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Uncle John's Hard Cider
Silver
Blackstar Farms Suttons Bay, Michigan
Hard Apple Cider
McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks Thurmond, North Carolina
North Carolina Hard Cider
Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery Warwick, New York
Doc's Draft Hard Apple Cider
Spicers Orchard Winery Fenton, Michigan
Sweet Williams Hard Cider
Bronze
McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks Fenton, Michigan
North Carolina Dry Hard Cider
Tulip Valley Vineyard and Orchard Mount Vernon, Washington
Burro Loco Cider
Tandem Cider Suttons Bay, Michigan
Early Day
McIntosh Orchards South Haven, Michigan
Draught Cider Dry
Tideview Cider Halifax, Nova Scotia
Tideview Festive Sparkler
Vandermill Cider Spring Lake, Michigan
Hard Apple Cider
Hideout Brewing Company Grand Rapids, Michigan
Hideout Cider
Northville Winery Northville, Michigan
Hard Cider
27b ENGLISH CIDER
Gold
Westcott Bay Cider Friday Harbor, Washington
Westcott Bay Traditional Dry Cider
Silver
Westcott Bay Cider Friday Harbor, Washington
Westcott Bay Traditional Very Dry Cider
Henney's Herefordshire, England
Frome Valley Sweet
Oliver's Cider House Herefordshire, England
Herefordshire Medium Cider
Bronze
Aspall Cyders Suffolk, England
Aspall Dry Cider
Aspall Cyders Suffolk, England
Aspall Medium Cider
Oliver's Cider House Herefordshire, England
Herefordshire Dry Cider
Henney's Herefordshire, England
Vintage
Snowdrift Cider Company East Wenatchee, Washington
Dry Cider
27c FRENCH CIDER
Gold
Aspall Cyders Suffolk, England
Aspall Organic Cider
27d COMMON PERRY
Silver
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Uncle John's Perry
Tulip Valley Vineyard and Orchard Mount Vernon, Washington
Red Barn Perry Moulton's Dry
27e TRADITIONAL PERRY
Silver
Oliver's Cider House Herefordshire, England
Herefordshire Dry Perry
Bronze
Oliver's Cider House Herefordshire, England
Blakeney Red Perry
28a NEW ENGLAND CIDER
Gold
Snowdrift Cider Company East Wenatchee, Washington
Semi-Dry Cider
Silver
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
New England Cider/Seasonal
28b FRUIT CIDER
Gold
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Apple/Cherry Cider
Silver
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Apple/Cranberry Cider
Aspall Cyders Suffolk, England
Aspall Perronelle's Blush Cider
Bronze
Vandermill Cider Spring Lake, Michigan
Apple Blueberry Cider
Robinette Cellars Grand Rapids, Michigan
Apple Cherry Cider
Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery Warwick, New York
Doc's Draft Hard Pear Cider
Vandermill Cider Spring Lake, Michigan
Apple Peach Cider
Northville Winery Northville, Michigan
Blue River
Tideview Cider Halifax, Nova Scotia
Raspberry Cider
Northville Winery Northville, Michigan
Crimson Dew
28c APPLEWINE
Silver
Robinette Cellars Grand Rapids, Michigan
Apple Table Wine
Bronze
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Applewine
28d OTHER SPECIALTY CIDERY & PERRY
Silver
Lehmans Orchard Niles, Michigan
Honeycrisp Hard Apple Cider
Bronze
Vandermill Cider Spring Lake, Michigan
Black Tea Cider
Vandermill Cider Spring Lake, Michigan
Michigan Wit
2006-1 MACRO CIDER
Silver
Weston's Herefordshire, England
Old Rosie Cloudy Scrumpy
Green Mountain Beverage Middlebury, Vermont
Woodchuck Draft Cider - Amber
Green Mountain Beverage Middlebury, Vermont
Woodchuck Draft Cider - Oak Aged
Green Mountain Beverage Middlebury, Vermont
Strongbow
Bronze
Green Mountain Beverage Middlebury, Vermont
Woodchuck Draft Cider - Granny Smith
Weston's Herefordshire, England
Stowford Press Medium Dry Draft
Green Mountain Beverage Middlebury, Vermont
Wyders Pear Cider
Original Sin New York, New York
Original Sin Pear Cider
2006-2a INTENSIFIED CIDER & PERRY - PREFERMENTATION (ICE CIDER)
Gold
Eden Ice Cider Company West Charleston, Vermont
Eden-Calville Blend
Silver
Eden Ice Cider Company West Charleston, Vermont
Champlain Orchards-Honeycrisp
Tideview Cider Halifax, Nova Scotia
Tideview Sparkling Ice Cider
2006-2b INTENSIFIED CIDER & PERRY - POSTFERMENTATION (POMMEAU)
Gold
Blackstar Farms Suttons Bay, Michigan
Sirius Maple
Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery Warwick, New York
American Sparkling Ice Cider
Silver
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Apple Dessert Wine
AEppelTreow Winery Burlington, Wisconsin
Poirissimo Traditional
Bronze
Robinette Cellars Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dessert Apple Wine
Blackstar Farms Suttons Bay, Michigan
Sirius Pear
2006-3a DISTILLED - EAU DE VIE
Silver
Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery Warwick, New York
American Fruits Pear Brandy
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Vodka from Apples
2006-3b DISTILLED - BRANDY (Oak Aged)
Gold
Uncle John's Fruit House Winery St. Johns, Michigan
Apple Brandy
2009-NA NON-ALCOHOLIC SPARKLING CIDER
Gold
Vandermill Cider Spring Lake, Michigan
VanderMill NA
NONCOMMERCIAL DIVISION
20 Fruit Beer (Made with apple or pear)
Silver Rick Young Apple Ale Mount Vernon, IA
25a Cyser
Gold Jeff Carlson Westside Cyser '06 Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Jeff Carlson Westside Cyser '08 Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Kurt Sonen Raspberry Cyser #2008 Ann Arbor, MI
27a Common Cider
Gold Scott Husted Common Cider Kalamazoo, MI
Gold Rick Young Rocky Mountain Hard Cider Mount Vernon, IA
Silver James Lindeman Hard Cider McFarland, WI
Silver Jeff Carlson Primetime Cider '08 Grand Rapids, MI
Silver Eric Fouch Kent County Preserve Caledonia, MI
Bronze Jeff Carlson Prime Time Cider '09 Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Jim Verlinde Lenney's Greatest Rand Rapids, MI
Bronze James Lindeman Hard Cider McFarland, WI
Bronze Eric Smead 1st Blend Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Jeff Carlson Westside Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze John Applegarth Common Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Jim Prucha C2 Londonderry, NH
Bronze Randall Lamars Common Cider Hudsonville, MI
Bronze Lori Lamars Common Cider Hudsonville, MI
27b English Cider
Gold Eric Fouch Buck Fever Caledonia, MI
Silver Brian Chuchla English Cider
Bronze Jim Verlinde Leon's Best Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Jeff Carlson Westside English Cider Grand Rapids, MI
27c French Cider
Gold Rick Young Methode Champenoise Hard Cider Mount Vernon, IA
Bronze Scott Husted French Cider Kalamazoo, MI
Bronze Alan Pearlstein New France Cider Ann Arbor, MI
27d Common Perry
Gold Jeff Carlson Westside Perry Grand Rapids, MI
Silver John Applegarth Common Perry Grand Rapids, MI
Silver Jeff Coffey Perry Como Ada, MI
27e Traditional Perry
Silver Gary Awdey Gutzwiller Valparaiso, IN
28a New England Cider
Silver Alan Pearlstein Patriot Cider Ann Arbor, MI
Silver Scott Husted New England Cider Kalamazoo, MI
Bronze Jeff Carlson Westside New England '08 Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Jeff Carlson Westside New England '06 Grand Rapids, MI
28b Fruit Cider
Gold Jeff Carlson Westside Cherry Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Silver Jeff Carlson Westside Black Raspberry Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Silver Eric Fouch North-South Cherry Cider Caledonia, MI
Silver Scott Husted Black Raspberry Cider Kalamazoo, MI
Silver Rick Young Hard Cider Sangria Mount Vernon, IA
Silver Joe Margevicius Henry's Blackberry Fizz Metamora, MI
Silver Jeff Carlson Westside Black Cherry Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Gary Awdey Sour Cherry Cider Valparaiso, IN
Bronze Joe Margevicius Henry's Blackberry Fizz Metamora, MI
Bronze Scott Husted Peachy Perry Kalamazoo, MI
Bronze Joe Margevicius Joey's Cherry Pop Metamora, MI
28c Applewine
Gold Scott Husted Apple Wine Kalamazoo, MI
Gold Karl Vernon Apple Wine Livonia, MI
Silver Eric Fouch Resistance is Futile Caledonia, MI
Bronze Thomas Sanderson Tom's Liquid Gold Lisle, IL
Bronze Ken Wortz Apple Wine Charlotteville, NY
Bronze Jeff Carlson Westside Applewine Grand Rapids, MI
28d Other Specialty Cider & Perry
Gold Eric Fouch Going Polar Caledonia, MI
Gold Joe Margevicius Honey Ginger Metamora, MI
Gold Jeff Carlson Sweet Heat - Jalapeno Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Silver Herb Stevens Porter's Cider Wine Grand Blanc, MI
Silver Jeff Carlson Atomic Fireball Cider Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Eric Fouch Kentucky Cherry Cider Caledonia, MI
Bronze Karl Vernon Cherry Apple Wine Livonia, MI
Bronze Blair Miller Cider Cooler Vermontville, MI
Bronze Tom Hicks 2# Pilsen Cider Cedar Rapids, IA
Bronze Jeff Carlson Westside Cherry Applewine Grand Rapids, MI
Bronze Keith Kintigh Birthday Suit Spiced Cider Bellaire, MI
Bronze Gary Awdey Cider with Apple Eau de Vie Valparaiso, IN
Bronze Tom Hicks 2# English Light Cider Cedar Rapids, IA
Bronze Blair Miller No. 16 Vermontville, MI
The Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association wishes to thank Competition
Chair Rex Halfpenny for organizing the competition and to members of the
Prime Time Brewers for their invaluable assistance as volunteer stewards.
The Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association is a registered not-for-profit
association of cider and perry makers in Ontario and the seven US states
contiguous to the Great Lakes. Its mission is to promote cider and perry
and to provide related educational opportunities. Cidermakers who wish
to be placed on an email notification list for next year's competition or
those who wish to learn more about joining the Association may contact me
at gawdey@att.net.
Congratulations to all!
Gary Awdey
President, Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #1545
*************************
