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Cider Digest #1976
Subject: Cider Digest #1976, 4 July 2015
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1976 4 July 2015
Cider and Perry Discussion Forum
Contents:
Re: Cider Digest #1974, 23 June 2015 (paul rasch)
Spanish Cider Tour 2015 ("Mike Beck")
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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #1974, 23 June 2015
From: paul rasch <paulsara@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2015 11:47:04 +0000 (UTC)
Wondering if anyone has experience with cider made from dessert apples going
"flat" tasting after 2 months or so of storage. Had a mix of Gala/Jons,
fermented @ 60 degrees with cotes de blanc yeast till dry, racked after 3
weeks, stored with no O2 space in 275 gal plastic totes @ 60 - 65 degrees.
Now seems watery/thin in flavor. Any ideas why? Or is this just dessert
apples with no tannins?
PaulFox Ridge FarmIowa
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Subject: Spanish Cider Tour 2015
From: "Mike Beck" <mjbeck@ujcidermill.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2015 16:45:14 -0400
Cider tripping
As I am planning my trip to see Britain's cider industry I am
reminded of my trip that had an up close look of the Spanish cider
industry last summer. Our tour group was filled with cider folk
across the US & Canada, producers, academia, authors and bloggers were
all part of the group. We were able to visit three cideries in the
Basque region before we headed to the Asturias region. The cideries in
the Basque region were very impressive. Each one of them had large
dining halls that were included in the facility. Much of the cider was
marketed at their respective facilities as well as selling for wholesale
trade. All of the Basque cideries served us tuna omelette's
that were delicious and paired surprisingly well with the cider. Each
of these cideries had many chestnut barrels of 18,000L+/- that were
regularly used for serving cider. Some of those barrels were over 75
years old or more. A fantastic bit of history with every sip. This
was also very educational on how to properly pour & drink the regions
cider. The high pour is important, it will help open the cider and pick
up more aroma and flavor. Drinking cider here is much different here
than there. We never saw cider poured into a pint glass or wine glass.
Cider is poured into a glass about the size of a rocks glass that has a
slightly tapered wall. A proper pour is about two fingers deep and the
cider is drunk in slow gulps, leaving the last little bit in the glass
and discarded to the floor. This method makes a really big difference
in the flavor of the cider and its enjoyment.
After two days in the Basque region we headed to
Asturias region where we got to see some smaller cider operations and a
few very large cider operations. All of these places were very
welcoming and had great facilities to see. Once again we saw many of
the same large chestnut barrels and impressive facilities. Some had new
modern equipment some even had equipment that looked like it had been
around a 100 years or more but still used every year. Asturias ciders
still use the high pour method but there is more romance shrouded in
their pouring method. Each of the producers we visited were gracious
hosts and fed us well. Every cidery had torta's and pregnant
balls for us to enjoy with their cider, a torta is a potato dish and
pregnant balls are a chorizo stuffed roll(Espicha). We visited the
towns of Villaviacosia, Nava, Gijon and got to meet some great people.
The best part about these towns was that cider is very much an integral
part of their culture. Cider seemed to be celebrated there, In
Villaviacosia the streets had apples stamped into the sidewalks, the
town of Nava holds their National Cider Museum and the beach town of
Gijon holds huge festivals to celebrate cider. While in Gijon we
visited many sideras and at night the town comes alive with revelers.
Cider is what was drank, and it was very social event. Many people
would buy 3 or 4 bottles at a time and one person in the group would be
the Escanciador (pourer) usually pouring into one or two communal
glasses for a group of 6 or so. In an ancient part of the city one
evening there was a town square that was filled with people drinking
cider. It was a sight to see all the people loving cider, in this
ancient setting. While in Gijon we went to the Sidra Natural Festival
that must have had 5,000 attendees that got sample Sidra (cider) from at
least 40 vendors. Our group was even invited to a Sidra Industry
luncheon later that day and was able to rub elbows with the many of
industry's premier producers. Our tour guides Edu & Begonia
were great and helped us bridge any language gaps when visiting the
cideries and such. I am probably leaving more out than I remember, but
fond memories come back every time I see one pictures from trip or when
I communicate with some of the cidery owners that I have become friends
with. If any of this sounds fun...There is another Spanish
Cider trip being planned for 2015 and it is very affordable, here is
what is being planned:
Spanish Cider Tour 2015
Dates: August 24th - September 1st
Cost: $1,000 Euro ($1,200 USD+/-)
Included: 7 nights Hotel - 3 nights in Villavicosia + 4 nights
in Gijon (Breakfast Included)
Meals: 5 Lunches & 5 Dinners
Espicha cooking class
Escanciado workshop (proper pour)
Private Bus to all activities
Be a part of the Guiness World Record pour on the beach in Gijon
Attend the Sidra Natural Festival in Gijon
Visits to cider mills with Espicha.
Not Included: Flights and Transfers
For Information and questions please contact Bego?a Medio at
info@bmedio.es or Edu Vazquez at eduardocoto@gmail.com
They have a twitter handle set up for this year's tour
#cidertour2015
Some highlights of the 2014 tour can be found at
http://www.blurb.es/b/5883474-sidra
Hope to some of you folks that lurk here later this week in west country
or at the Cider Trends Summit in Bristol.
Mike Beck
St. John's, Michigan - USA
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End of Cider Digest #1976
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