Cider from fresh fruit

aero-spaced-out · Sep 19, 2024

Hello all

Context: A work colleague has a pear tree out their back AND his wife has somebody where she works that has an apple tree. He came in with a bag of apples and pears for me and said to me that there will definitely be more coming.
So a perry and an apple cider is on the cards.

I have ordered a scratter/pulping bucket and a 6L fruit press. Except I have no idea where to begin.

My approach was going to be to to quarter them, freeze/thaw them, scratter them and press the juice.
From there
Transfer to a demijohn, kill off any wild yeast, then add some peptic enzyme to clear it before I start adding anything I need to start fermenting.

Killing off wild yeast as I don't feel comfortable leaving them in there... maybe next year I'll try an on fruit natural ferment lol

I just don't know if that is the correct order.
Am I better letting the fruit sit for a while before I do or doing anything different from what I am planning?

It's going to be a weekend job for me so if there are any resources or books I could get to read on it I would be appreciative!

Cheers!

Cwrw666 · Sep 19, 2024

If the fruit isn't bruised or other damage then letting them sit for a couple of weeks before freezing will reduce acidity considerably.

fluketamer · Sep 19, 2024

you may have two issues.

1 ) those are unlikely perry pears if they are edible. trying to make perry from regular non perry pears has always turned out not worth it for me. i have tried pear juice and fresh pears both. you need perry pears to maker perry. they prolly have more acid and tannin then regular eating pears.

2 ) similar issue with the apples. to make really good cider you need cider apples with a high amount of tannin and acid. those are different from eating apples.

you can make cider from eating apples but it will not be the same. you will need to add acid and tannin.

you could easily do that to the apples but i have tried with the pears and it doesn work well.

good luck and let us know

aero-spaced-out · Sep 19, 2024

fluketamer said:
1 ) those are unlikely perry pears if they are edible. trying to make perry from regular non perry pears has always turned out not worth it for me. i have tried pear juice and fresh pears both. you need perry pears to maker perry. they prolly have more acid and tannin then regular eating pears.

My work colleague doesn't even know what they are but they are small pears that as he has described them:

Are bitter with the tiniest bit of sweetness to them

They are quite small too.
I'll upload a photo of one here tomorrow when Ive got one on hand.

fluketamer said:
2 ) similar issue with the apples

The apples smell wonderful. These are absolutely for eating. You can tell just by their scent. Have yet to wash and try one but I'm 95% sure these are going to taste beautiful.

Any particular kind of acid? I have seen strong black tea for adding tannins but would the acid jsut come from a citric acid addition or how would that work?

jof · Sep 19, 2024

I find cider works ok if you have a mix of different kinds of apples & a few crab apples too.

Also I use a food processor to pulp them before pressing.
Those blades in a bucket that you connect to a power drill look too dangerous & not particularly effective to me.

Note the maximum I've done in a day(well afternoon really) using the food processor is 6 gallons, so if you have tons of apples you'll need something more industrial, like the garden shredders some of the other forum members have used in the past.

fluketamer · Sep 20, 2024

aero-spaced-out said:
My work colleague doesn't even know what they are but they are small pears that as he has described them:

Are bitter with the tiniest bit of sweetness to them
They are quite small too.
I'll upload a photo of one here tomorrow when Ive got one on hand.

The apples smell wonderful. These are absolutely for eating. You can tell just by their scent. Have yet to wash and try one but I'm 95% sure these are going to taste beautiful.

Any particular kind of acid? I have seen strong black tea for adding tannins but would the acid jsut come from a citric acid addition or how would that work?

most say malic acid as that is the acid in apples naturally and if you smell a bottle of malic it smells like apple pie. but i have used lemon juice and lime juice with good results. better with lime then lemon but thats probably in my head. lol

black tea tannin works well for me in juice ciders

from google:

The ideal pH range for cider is 3.2–3.8. This is because a pH level within this range ensures that cider is acidic enough to ferment properly and avoid bacterial infections. A pH level that is too high can also lead to flavor problems.

i have never tried to eat a perry pear (or had the opportunity) but those may be perry pears i dont know. however they sound more like when you have a pear tree and dont prune it properly and regulary it results in small hard mostly bitter pears that arent that sweet. dont ask me how i know. lol i tried to make perry with hard bitter semi sweet bartlets also. that didnt work either.

hopefully you luck is better than mine

User 38108 · Sep 20, 2024

Firstly use a blender or something to cut the fruit up. When you go to press them put them in a Muslim bag then squeeze. This makes cleaning out your press easier as you then just have to remove the bag and the biscuit of pulp.
If you are worried about making cider with eating apples invest in a wheat beer extract kit and make up as normal but instead of using water use the juice from the apples. You hen have a an apple beer.
If you want to do something very special with the apples make the cider when it comes to 2nd fermentation put it in a container that will expand with the liquid and leave a bigger air gap than normal. When it's really cold place it out just below freezing is good. This will freeze the water and leave you with the alcohol. Strain it all off and leave for about 8-12months you now have Calvados or apple brandy

fluketamer · Sep 20, 2024

apple jack is a little different than calvados. calvados is distilled cider.

applejack is made by freeze distillation which will result in a slightly different beverage. more apply and less spirity. but also hotter and not as smooth as calvados. calvados is always aged ,
At home its hard to get applejack up past around 25 percent using freeze distillation. whereas calvados is usually around 40 percent. and freeze distillation at home is a PITA.

i would press the apples, and like jof said add some bitter crabs if you can find em. then ferment 5 gallons of the juice with an ale yeast on the colder side like 18 to 20 c for 2-4 weeks. completely dry. then rack it to a keg with a syrup made of 300 grams of table sugar and 1 tablespoon of gelatin dissolved in 500 ml of unfermented cider. then invite me over cause that sounds delicious.

User 38108 · Sep 20, 2024

Someone always gets technical

Cider from fresh fruit

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