...and then some

Last Sunday saw batch 6's 2nd and final rack and 1st rack of 15 and 16... as 16 was still quite lively, I'm giving 17 and the 2 of 18 a bit longer.

...and here still fermenting:



...there's batch 19 (the 5 litres of single varietal crab) and the 3 litres over from the batch 17 pressing... oh, and that rather nice strong proper Polish honey/vodka liqueur that's found its way into the household should help keep any colds at bay - Na Zdrowie!

A bit kewd out...

'Kewd' - (pron. not as in Kew (ie. gardens), but as in 'cow' with a broad Lancashire accent with added 'D') - local (ie. N Derbys) dialect for cold...
in fact a bit too cold to taste the cider I've just brought in from the garage - Batch 5 is rather pleasant if a little cloudy, but just plain 'too kewd'...

...accessing no.4 (it's at the back and at a funny angle...) - very different to 5 - not as 'nice' and quite 'tart' by comparison, though very clear. Amazing how different they can turn out...
Must get some racking done this weekend now car is tested... repeat after me...

Ice in their Cider Anyone?

Just how did I get 6.5 gallons into a 5 gallon barrel? Well I didn't, though thought I did...
With a view to freeing up a 30 litre bin, I'd transferred Batch 1 last week to the 5 Gallon sherry container (now that 2 has gone - mainly on topping up other batches) only to discover today that it contained a lot of ice:





showing some residual cider in the bottom:



...this much in the sink:



explains how I got 6.5 gals into a 5 gal container...

I'd used the tap on the barrel and hadn't peeked inside till today. Just shows how cold its been all over Christmas this year. Had it thawed and refrozen it would have formed a solid in the bottom, but it was still in fine ice-crystal layers!
Leaves Batch 1 a little more potent at least!

Not just for drinking...

Ham cooked in cider is another reason! Imparts a lovely flavour...

Old Poet's again, again...

And it came to pass 'twas Quiz Night again - I got one answer right - yes, just the one - waste of a quid really, any ways the cider was even more of a mystery:

Orchards Wye (tends to suggest the Wye Valley) - got that stainless steel + acid edge (which tends to suggest NOT the Wye Valley...)

and:

Mc(something) (tended to suggest a name...) - rather better than the above, with a rounder tannic edge.

Bearing in mind that the glasses could have been confused on their way from the container to the bar...

Directing enquiries as to the whereabouts of these two ciders at the landlord proved fruitless: "I've no idea," was his response.

Two mystery ciders indeed... craft or crafty?

Minus & Miners...

Well as the temperature dropped to -10c last night, the last apples prepared this morning were quite solid, but went through the scratter okay. These are the 15lbs of crabs for just a gallon of single variety (I call them P.O.W - as the nearest pub to their location is the Prince of Wales) these could turn out to be a good 'cider apple' as they have a good mix of suitable properties. If this batch works I'll be tempted to try some grafting, or maybe see if I can't peg down a branch or two to root - the idea being to source and preserve some good original Derbyshire cider fruits! In this way I can perhaps gather together some of the better crabs and find good locations (ideally not too far from a layby or car park) where access is not too difficult, for my old age... lol.
I'd be 'shot down' somewhat to send a few off to Brogdale at some later date only to discover that they are a recognised variety anyway! Most unlikely though, but not impossible, as they could have been planted with 'remaindered' nursery trees as a roadside screen...
It's interesting to note that some stretches of road have more wilds than others - I like to think that an 'apple-a-day' enthusiast has discarded their cores on a regular basis, perhaps miners on their way to or from work, or maybe school kids - Johnny Appleseed characters or what?

Made it!

550 litres... phew. There's enough crabs left maybe for 5 litres of a single variety - just out of interest really, to see what it would be like. Plenty of sweets - mainly GD, in fact all GD... surely? No sharps at all, not even a one to go with the chops tomorrow... so that's just about it. 16's popping away merrily and 17's just started fermenting and will need an airlock tomorrow. Can't be arsed to take the gravity on the 2 batchs making 18...