Cider Real-Time by Bruce L.

Brode (Published in the September 1996 Brews and News) Fermented apple cider is poised to be the next big trendy beverage for those devoted to microbrewed beers and the like, according to some of the beverage industry marketing gurus. There has been steadily increasing interest over several years, actually akin to a revival, in one of its traditional home bases in Britain, from whence we now get such draught and bottled products as Taunton's Dry Blackthorn and Bulmer's Woodpecker ciders. North American brands have started to get their acts together, too, notably the Woodchuck brand out of Vermont and Wyder's Cyder of Canada; Grant's of Yakima has marketed one for some time. Most of these ciders are about 5% alcohol by volume, or essentially beer strength, but their lighter body and crisp acidity provide a refreshing alternative to beer. Pear cider, or perrie, is a close relative and the Wyder's product of this is now a fairly common sight at many beer specialty bars and pubs. Hard cider making comes out of a farmhouse tradition, and for this reason home fermentation enthusiasts should give serious thought to crafting some. There are good reference books on the subject, some of which I have listed at the end of this article. Key to the process, of course, is getting the right kind and variety of apples, and handling them appropriately. The American homebrewers Association provides four categories for cider entries in their National Competition, as follows: 1. Still: Not effervescent. Under 7% alcohol by volume (5.5% by weight). Can be dry or sweet. Pale yellow color, must be clear or brilliant. Apple aroma. Light body and crisp apple flavor. Sugar adjuncts may be used. 2. Sparkling: Effervescent but not foamy. May be force carbonated. No head. Under 8% by volume (6.3% by weight). Dry or sweet. Pale yellow color, must be clear or brilliant. Light to medium body, crisp apple taste. Sugar adjuncts may be used. 3. New England Style: Still or sparkling dry cider. Carbonation must be natural. Between 8 and 14% by volume (6.3 and 11% by weight). Pale to medium yellow color. Pronounced apple aroma. Medium to full body. Balanced by drying tannins but never "hot" due to excess alcohol. Adjuncts include white and brown sugars, molasses, or raisins. Wild or wine yeast only. 4. Specialty Cider: Any and all adjuncts may be used. Alcohol content must be below 14% by volume (11% by weight). Total unfermented juice must be composed of at least 75% apple juice.

Apple Varieties Even traditionally, there are very few apple varieties which make a good, fullflavored cider by themselves. Most often called for is a blend of varieties that all contribute in one way or another to three basic aspects of the cider: sugar content, aroma, and acidity. Acidity is usually separated into tartness and astringency, as the difference between the effect on palate flavor and the finish, respectively. Complexity of flavor and aroma proves to be a successful approach to good cider. Sugar-laden apples are most common in the Western U.S., as these require a longer growing season to develop their sugar content, and are popular for eating 'out of hand.' High sugar or 'neutral' varieties, also called dessert apples, include Red Delicious, Gold Delicious, Rome Beauty, Baldwin, Cortland, and York Imperial. These may make up 30 to 60% of the total juice for cider. Aromatic apples include McIntosh, Gravenstein, Cox's Orange Pippin, Roxbury Russet, and to a certain extent Red Delicious, and will comprise 10 to 20% of the blend. Tartly acidic apple varieties include Granny Smith, Newtown Pippin, Gravenstein, Jonathan, Winesap and Northern Spy. The overall blend will include 10 to 40% of such varieties. Astringent apples are essentially crabapples, and provide tannin. They may also provide tart acidity, and must therefore be used carefully to avoid unbalancing the blend, 5 to 20%. These are native wild apples, although there are some cultivars such as Red Astrakhan. Tannin can also be added to the cider must in the form of powdered grape tannin available at home wine supply stores, but again must be used carefully. One source recommends one teaspoon per five gallons of juice from low-tannin apples such as dessert varieties, which seems like a maximum figure. Harvest, Crush and Press Apples vary in their juice content, not only from one variety to another but from one year's crop to the next. Aside from that, they do not give up their juice easily. One traditional technique calls for "sweating" the apples, or allowing them to sit for a few days after harvesting but before crushing, to soften them and in some cases ripen them a bit more and facilitate juice extraction. This process would have to be monitored carefully as to temperature and moisture, it would seem, so that you don't wind up with a pile of rotten apples! It may also not be best for all varieties. You will find that apple varieties ripen at different times during the season, from August through early November. If a blend is what you're looking for, you may well find it necessary to grind, crush and ferment a succession of singlevariety ciders for later blending, or freeze the pressed and settled juice until

you are ready for it. Once the apples are ripe and picked, they are best used fresh, although commercially they are often kept in cold storage for several weeks as may be needed. For example, Gravensteins ripen early, Red Delicious in mid-season, and Granny Smiths later in the season, in most years. Before much juice can be obtained, the apples must be ground up to expose more surface area of their pithy structure to the pressure of the press. With equipment of good efficiency, a standard rule of thumb for juice yield is that one bushel of apples (about 40 to 45 pounds) should produce 2 to 3 gallons of juice (commercial presses that exert several hundred pounds of pressure per square inch can obtain more). Therefore, plan on at least 100 pounds of apples for 5-plus gallons of juice sufficient to yield 5 gallons to secondary fermentation, and perhaps provide you with a bit of fresh-pressed juice to enjoy. Since a considerable quantity of apples are needed for even a small batch, the services of a high-volume apple grinder and press are worth obtaining, unless you can locate an orchard operator who can do this for you at nominal or negligible cost. Undoubtedly, gaining access to an independent grinder and press allows for a potentially wider variety of apples for use in the blend. Immediately after grinding, the apple pulp, called 'pommace,' goes into the press. A rack-and-cloth press, or a wine-style basket press, used with mesh cloth (such as cheesecloth or nylon mesh bag) works well and treats the pommace relatively gently. The mesh is wrapped around portions of the pommace, and these "cheeses" are then stacked using slats or racks made of waxed wooden lathwork placed in between them to facilitate the flow of juice out and down into a collecting pail. Of course, the fresh juice is quite perishable as well as being subject to browning oxidation, and must be refrigerated immediately. Allowed to chill overnight, particles will settle to the bottom and the clearer portion of the juice, now called "must," can be racked off this sediment the next day and fermentation begun. Acid Adjustment to the Must For wine-strength ciders, the total acidity level can be measured by titration and correction made prior to fermentation in the same manner as for grapebased white wines. Acidity should be about 0.8 grams per liter (expressed as Tartaric Acid). Acid adjustment can also be made to taste, carefully, prior to bottling, if you feel that the finished cider is insipid or too sweet. Check the existing acidity by titration and if low, add Malic acid in very small increments, tasting as you go, then recheck by titration when the taste profile is to your liking to see how close you've come to the recommended numbers. Ideally, for wine-strength ciders this will likely fall in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 grams per liter (or parts-per-thousand, expressed as Tartaric Acid). Sugar Adjuncts Adjusting the sugar content of the must presents many options. As you can tell

from the A.H.A. cider competition categories above, sugar is generally allowable as an adjunct, and indeed is probably necessary for any cider that won't otherwise ferment out to more than about 5% alcohol, unless it is your intention to pasteurize the cider instead to help preserve it. You will find that the gravity of dessert apples such as Red Delicious ranges from about1.045 to about1.060 and perhaps a little higher. Calculating how much sugar to add will depend on the existing specific gravity of the must, the target original gravity desired, and the concentration of the sugar source. Sugar sources may be white or brown or raw (demerara) sugars (the New England approach), honey (for a cyser mead), apple juice concentrate (my favorite) or even malt extract. Generally speaking, 'dry' sugars will add up to 45 gravity points per pound per gallon (1 pound in 1 gallon of water yields a gravity of 1.045) and liquid sugars will be less. I often use a figure of 33 for honey and 25 for frozen/thawed apple juice concentrate. In terms of gravity adjustments, remember that cider will ferment out to 1.000 or less, since there is nothing present to contribute residual body as in a beer. To get to 6% alcohol by volume, you would need an original gravity of at least 1.048. Crystalline sugar or dry malt extract will add about 41 to 45 gravity points per pound per gallon, syrup malt extract 27 to 36, honey about 33, and juice concentrate about 23; these are estimates and actual results will vary a bit. If you like a residually sweet cider, it can be sweetened to taste prior to bottling, but you may wish to add an anti-refermentative such as Sorbistat in order to preserve that sweetness. Fermentation Cider fermentation is best approached in the manner of a lager beer or white wine, the point being to ferment it cool in order to control ester and diacetyl formation and to retain the fine aromatics that are usually lost in warmer ferments. The result is a smoother, more delicate flavor and much more of the characteristic aroma of apples. Some cider makers are content to let wild yeasts present on the apple skins do the work, but this will depend on the quality of those yeasts, so it's a bit of a shot in the dark. The alternative is to culture a reliable yeast of known and desirable qualities. Your choice of a beer yeast versus a wine yeast depends in large part on the original gravity of the must, with wine yeast indicated for musts exceeding 1.080 or so and beer yeasts for lesser gravities. Anticipating a need for yeast, you could grow some up in bottled apple juice prior to the time the cider must becomes available. For beer-strength ciders, either a warm-tolerant lager yeast or a cold-tolerant and neutral ale yeast would suffice for gravities up to about 1.080. In wine yeasts, I would recommend Cotes des Blancs (Epernay II) for original gravities of 1.080 to 1.100, and either Pasteur Champagne or Premier Cuvee (Prise de Mousse) for

gravities higher than that due to their strong fermentation abilities in the face of high alcohol levels and general tolerance to cold. Many other yeast strains are possible, and experimentation is needed. A blend of ciders fermented with different yeasts may prove to be singularly complex and appealing. You will find that the gravity of juice from dessert apples such as Red Delicious ranges from about 1.045 to perhaps 1.060. Fermentation is best carried on in the range of 48 to 58 degrees F. Addition of yeast nutrient may not be necessary since the must will likely have sufficient protein fractions present for this purpose. Following primary and secondary fermentation stages, sparkling ciders can be easily made, either by priming (I recommend frozen/thawed apple juice concentrate for the priming sugar) or by force-carbonating in a keg. Final acid adjustments can be made prior to bottling, either to taste or by titrating residual acidity and calculating an appropriate acid addition, and residual sweetness can be enhanced with use of apple juice concentrate. Recipes Here's a recipe for a hard cider made in the style of a dry white wine. Use a blend of apples if possible: Dry Still Hard Cider 5 gallons apple juice at S.G. 1.050 or so, at least 25% tart juice from apples such as Granny Smith variety, or add Malic acid to an appropriate level after titrating the acidity of the juice 9--16 oz. cans frozen/thawed apple juice concentrate 2 packets dry Cote des Blancs wine yeast Procedure: Add concentrate to juice. Rehydrate yeast in 1/2 cup warm water for 15 minutes, then add to must. Aerate must. Ferment at 52 F. for 2 to 3 weeks, then rack to secondary and age until fermentation ceases. Chillstabilize at 33 F. for several weeks, filter or fine if necessary, then bottle. If you don't want to hunt down fresh-pressed apple juice, you can try using bottled juice or juice concentrate. Here is a recipe for a Dry Sparkling Cider that comes out at about 7.5% alcohol by volume if force-carbonated, or around 8% if bottle-conditioned with live yeast, making use of both juice sources: Dry Sparkling Hard Cider 5 gallons apple juice (I used 3 gallons Trader Joe's "First Crush" Unfiltered Gravenstein juice, and 2 gallons Trader Joe's Unfiltered Apple Juice which is mostly Red Delicious) 2--16 oz. cans frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed (each can reconstitutes with 3 cans water to yield 1/2 gallon of juice, but I used them without any reconstitution) 1 teaspoon Superfood yeast nutrient 1 teaspoon Malic acid crystals 2 packets dry beer yeast (I used Nottingham Ale yeast) Procedure: Heat 1/2 cup of water to 160 F. and stir in the yeast nutrient; cover and let sit until cooled to about 100 F. Add the yeast, stir and rest for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Meanwhile, place apple juice and

concentrate in sanitized fermenter(s) and aerate the 'must.' When the yeast is active after 15 minutes of hydration, add it to the primary fermenter(s) and continue aeration for a few minutes. Ferment 60 to 70 F. for 1 week or so, then rack to secondary and age until stable and clear--fine with Bentonite if necessary. Acidify to taste, if necessary, with additional Malic acid, added 1/4 teaspoon at a time (be very careful how much you add!). Rack into a keg filled with CO2 gas and force-carbonate, or bottle with 1 to 1 1/4 cups apple juice concentrate as a priming sugar. One advantage of kegging the cider is that you can sweeten it to taste with additional apple juice concentrate if you don't like it "bone-dry". Further Information There are several published reference books on cider-making: "Making Cider," by Jo Deal (Amateur Winemaker Publications/G.W.Kent Inc., 1985) is an informative and concise little book by a British author that may be most notable for its recipes, including food and drink recipes using cider as an ingredient. "The Art of Cidermaking," by Paul Correnty (Brewers Publications, 1995), is the most recent work on the subject. It reflects some valuable practical experience with cider-making and contains a number of cider recipes as well as a good section on evaluating and judging cider. "Sweet & Hard Cider," by Annie Proulx and Lew Nichols (Storey Communications/Garden Way Publishing, 1980) is an extensive and very informative book that goes beyond the basics of cidermaking into the history of apple varieties and cider traditions of various regions, and has a number of recipes. For those interested in tasting heirloom apple varieties, write to Applesource, 1716 Apples Road, Chapin, IL 62628. this is a service which ships from growers in California, Illinois and Indiana. It's pricey, but where else can you find Arkansas Black, Cortland, Northern Spy, or Esopus Spitzenberg varieties (among many others) to see what they taste like? Apple-growing areas in Southern California include the Tehachapi valley on route 58 between Mojave and Bakersfield (12 members of the local growers association) and in the foothills of the San Bernardino mountains near Yucaipa. I also recall Arnez Ranch in Ojai, in Ventura county, as an apple-grower. Prime apple orchard territory in California is near Sepastopol in Sonoma county, and I have heard tell of orchard country along the Eel River near Eureka on the North Coast. I also know of another area called "Apple Hill" in El Dorado county near Sacramento where there are orchards. For those interested in starting a cider orchard, catalogs of heirloom variety tree seedlings are available from:

Living Tree Center, P.O. Box 10082, Berkeley, CA 94709-5082, (510) 420-1440; and also from Burford Brothers, P.O. Box 367, Monroe, Virginia 24574, (804) 929-4950. Burford also has a separate catalog of international varieties available for $15, which although pricey is quite informative on the history and characteristics of virtually every apple variety ever developed for commercial production, an impressive work. Who knows, maybe a glass of hard cider now and then will help keep the doctor away?