Monday 27 September 2010

Batch 2

Pressed 2nd batch yesterday - gravity of 1054 - washed all pressing boards down this morning. Need to keep apples coming in...

Tuesday 21 September 2010

Under way!

Batch 1 has started fermenting - could well have started yesterday, but realised something was amiss this morning - the sealing ring was missing (it'll be in the bottom - the sealing ring has a habit of falling out at the last minute...) Fitted another sealing ring and she's away. This is all-natural fermentation - no sulphites, no added yeast - just nature doing it's thing!
Rather different - the 3 litres of 'turbo' cider is now racked... though it doesn't taste of anything, lol! No surprise really as it's just from cheap apple juice (...with added yeast of course)
30lbs of sharp apples prepared this morning towards batch 2... just a matter of sticking with the repetition now - collect, sort, prepare, scrat, pulp & press - good to know that I've got tree-loads to go at too... something of a race really what with the dark nights approaching - tend to get odd looks collecting up a ladder on head torch...

Sunday 19 September 2010

Well, that went well...

Started at 3pm... nearly there on Batch1! Phew... Just got to take the original gravity and fit an airlock. Tastes nice 'n sweet so I reckon the gravity will be 50+.
All containers rinsed out now but will tackle the pressing boards tomorrow...
The pulper behaved itself anyway. Took 3 pressings though to get 30litres (2+2.5+2) that's gallons though.. but the 30l fermenter is full up to the outer rim - just right if it gets a bit over-active, otherwise froth can bubble up into the airlock...
bathtime methinks

Friday 17 September 2010

1st pressing this weekend...

Well I've followed the sharps with 30lbs of crabs - mainly bitter sweets - and same of sweet, so 90lbs is scratted ready for pulping. Still doing mine the Jo Deal* way (blending the apples) as it's more convenient for the smaller producer. If I keep coming home with lettuce trays of different varieties I can plan ahead...
I've scrubbed down all the press boards - just 12mm exterior ply - ready. Though this set-up can be problematic if I try and make too big a stack 'cheesewise' - on applying pressure with the jack the stack can begin to skew. This slows the whole process. I could do with adding a square (as in true) top plate to keep the whole stack of cheeses parallel to each other. Ideally I would like to get 6 gals in one pressing, but 3 seems to be the most my set-up can handle at present. My general rule of thumb seems to be: scrounge it or buy it cheaply, which, of course rules out anything with a hint of professionalism to it... ie. a shark mill or proper cider press!
Which brings me to: New press cloths cut tonight - curtain lining (most likely poly cotton) - free offcuts from local curtain maker.

*still in print: here though the cover is different on mine, but I did buy it in the 70's!!

Wednesday 15 September 2010

It's that time of year again!

As the car is running okay this year... shhh... I've been getting apples together. Having condensed up the rubbish in the garage (and I have been to the tip a few times!) I now have space to set up the scratter and press. This very night has seen me scrat 30lbs of sharps (when you get a handful of the well-chopped-up stuff and squeeze and it stings round your cuticles you know it's sharp enough!) The 'lightweightmick' scratter is a big improvement over cutting and pulping of earlier years, though it does tend to whip some big bits through about the size of scallops. If I had a good enough press I could press the scratted apples as they are but to get a good porridge consistency they still need to be run through the pulper first.
Hopefully this year I'll have more time to put some cider making videos together.

Out and About...

..this year has taken me to Norfolk. The Norfolk Cider Company sounds rather grand... but isn't, and not worth seeking out - however, Uncle Stuarts (a brewery) nearby made up for the confusion. But the cider guy was a very opinionated kind of person and over-stepped the mark by producing a Camra guide to authenticate the awful muck he was dispensing...
A very different story at Whin Hill though. Here you can even sit out and sample the fare. Some very nice cider here, though I do think they need to invest in some stronger bottles for the slightly sparkling, as one of mine burst...
Otherwise I've been down the quiz night a few times at The Old Poet's Corner, Ashover. Hmm, well I've yet to sample something decent here, though Ben Crossman's wasn't too bad... all a bit too sweet aka 'medium' to be 'proper' though - maybe it's for the ladies there. There is a festival there in October so maybe some half-decent cider will turn up...