Pressing Matter...

Well I've made a bigger press for this year's cider. Customer Jackie's had the builders in and they'd left some hefty bits of wood... and guess who's scrounged them (in return for a bottle or two... fair do's)
I did the first press on Sunday, and as there were a few creaks and cracks, I investigated to find the ex-fence post for the uprights had a large knot running through it on one side! Luckily it held together and allowed me to get my 1st 3 gallons of juice (and potential cider!)
So, I now have my 1st 30 litres of juice sitting in the kitchen. Hopefully fermentation will start within the next couple of days.
I'm hoping to post up more pics this year as time permits - though the bigger challenge will be to get all the apples I've gathered in so far pressed before they go rotten!

Whey Hey!

Managed to find time to transfer batch 8 into barrel this weekend! Has a kind of `rocket fuel` edge to the flavour... and I was surprised to find how lively it was - as it refused to pump. So, I had to syphon it into poly-barrel, but didn't put my back out as feared lifting it up onto worktop...
Yes this is more of a `Derbyshire Single Shudder` and just maybe I'll get some of it into all those bottles... some of which still accompany me daily in the back of the Panda... oh dear... those 'speed bumps'. Wish I had more space... so I've got about 200 litres left now... If I hadn't had a pint of the stuff I could work that out in gallons... it's well... no end of gallons yet. Need to start thinking about welding up a bigger press for this year as it's definitely worth it. He he...

Rack On...

Did the final racking of batches 12 and 13 this weekend - so only the dodgy no.14 to rack now (expected to be dodgy as I had trouble pressing the juice from the sweets for this batch...)
No 13 was a using-up batch and tasted (not surprisingly) quite different to earlier batches - not unpleasant though and quite heady (OG 1060 now SG 1004)
No.6 is now on tap also... knock it back and think of England... well, Albion... Avalon*
marvelous stuff...
I suppose if you drank paint stripper for long enough...
(* Ayup, Blake-ion slip there? Avalon methinks more 'proper')

Exhausted...continued

Well - took another 2 litres down to A. Smith's in Creswell today. Turns out that Tony never got any of the last 2 litres - Charlie supped it all! - half one day and half the next... a litre a day... a better man than me. A pint's enough for me! ...mind you I've usually had 1/2 a bottle of wine beforehand... crank it up... front box is on it's way out now - so looks like I'll have to be going back soooon...
Tip for the day: the more you drink the better it tastes!
(Tesco no longer taking cheques from Monday btw...)

Batch 11: Not Good!

This weekend gave me chance to rack batches 10 and 11.
Yesterday morning I was banished from the kitchen... doh...
...which made the job a tad more tedious and slow as I opted to siphon the cider rather than pump... but No. 10 (OG 1.060)was quite dry (now 1.004) but okay.
Today I tackled no. 11. (OG 1.060 - now 1.003) This is the batch I discovered had somehow lost the top of it's airlock. I noticed this sometime over the Christmas period - no idea how long it had been off! I blame Billy - he's the overweight British Shorthair... a bit clumsy is Billy... but then again it could've been me when I removed the last of the lettuce trays that had held apples up to the end of December. Shame I've got no other place to keep it than the cat pen!
I've cellotaped all the airlock tops on now!
Anyway, being open to the air could be the reason it has a slight vinegary taste and not nearly as good as the other batches to date. It'll go down okay though - think I'll call it Derbyshire Double Shudder - free cat hair in every bottle! Certainly not one for the ladies... ye gods, no.



Does Billy look bovvered...?

Local Cider Tasted Today!

One of my customer's lads has made cider for the 1st time. He attended a one day cider making course at Rufford last yr. His Mum just happened to have one handy in the fridge and would I like to try some? ...does a car need oil? I only tried a mouthful as I still had work to do. But what a sip! Bottle fermented, very crisp, fresh and dry... very very nice. Heady stuff too! Like champagne only better! Reminded me of Burrow Hill's Bottle Fermented Sparkling Dry though not as bone dry as theirs. He's bought the spring-steel closure type of bottles (like Grolsch lager bottles?) - this year though he's only made 8 galls. He's recently moved to Shirebrook - I'll try and track him down as where he's moved to has an orchard...

Avatar Explained:

Thanks to Rich's Farmhouse Cider, Somerset