2012 Pressing Report

At last, I am finished pressing this years juice. And may I say what a mixed bag of apples it has been!

Hampshire Heritage, as ever, is a pleasure to work on. Yields are slightly up and as usual the balance has been struck 50/50 between dessert and cider fruit. If ever there was a year that this was in danger, it was last year. However, it is testament to the care and love that Fruitwise give to their orchard that both the sugar content (potential alcohol) and quality has been brilliant. A touch less alcohol than last year (will come in under 7%) but the number of varieties pressed remains roughly the same – Hill Farm may have contributed a few Egremont Russets to make up for the lack of Fruitwise russets last year, but needs must.

Eastern Delight has taken off as the Hill Farm cider now. Last year, it had quite a lot of Fruitwise dessert apples in it, which added a huge amount of character. However, if its going to expand then it needs to stand on its own. Yield and sugars in Hill Farm apples have been fantastic again, and I am expecting ED to remain just over 7%. However, the Cox had a year off, so it’s a lot of Egremont and some Royal Gala. To compensate for the acidity, there is about 5% cider fruit in the blend.

Wild West, in a Rotoplas

The troublesome cider this year has been, once again, Wild West. The normal orchard, Strongs, had a near total failure of crop last year, so I used a neighbouring orchard, Rogers. Sadly, I was left a ton short at the end, so there is slightly less juice than I had planned. Also the apples were VERY grubby and I ended up throwing quite a lot away (more than I would call reasonable, to be fair).  Add to this poor sugar levels and I think you will understand why the blend had to be 80/20 cider fruit to dessert (acid). Not only did I need to protect the juice with extra acid, but I needed to get the sugar level to above 1045. My lesson for this cider is to secure a proper contract for fruit with some kind of incentive to supply a reasonable quality of fruit!

As for specials and competition ciders, well, there are five of them in total. Four are competition blends of specific Fruitwise apples and there is about 30 litres of each. These will be released as (very) limited bottles at some point – unless I drink it all:-) The last is a single variety Egremont Russet cider which was produced by both myself and my 9 year old daughter, Cariad. Cariad lives with a form of muscular dystrophy, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (which you can Google all you like but I won’t go into any more detail than that as she is learning how to use the internet!) Each year she insists on making something to sell so that she can raise spending money for our annual pilgrimage to Disneyland Paris. Last year it was jam and chutney. This year she figured she could make more by making cider. So a bin of Hill Farm Egremont Russet was selected (by her) and we made 220 litres. She will be designing the label and all proceeds from it will go into her piggybank for Disneyland.

Well, charities have done a lot for her in the past and she has a very independent mind!

What else?. Watch out for a new ‘medium’ blend this year… and a renaming of the ‘medium-dry’ Wild West. Many people have suggested that the all dry line up ought to include a sweeter cider, so these should redress that imbalance (though I like dry ciders, so it took some getting used to!)

The new  medium cider will be a blend of 50/50 Eastern Delight and Wild West, and be available in bottles as well as bag in box. It doesn’t have a name yet – its still in testing currently from the very last of last years batches.

Wild West (medium dry) will be known as Mild West from 2013. I know it is very sad, but I giggled a lot when it was suggested to me!

So, there will be 146 ciders in 2013. About 6,500 litres give or take. Lets just hope I can make it 4 years in a row of winning something – and that I don’t end up throwing the Wild West down the drain!

It's Snow Joke!

As it was so pretty, but blooming cold, I figured I would take some pictured of my final day of pressing to show off on here. The images will also be available through the website gallery that I spent so long over Christmas on (whilst unable to press apples through being at the in-laws)

This last batch were the very late Fruitwise stored dessert fruit. These were picked for market but unsold – I normally get them as the very last apples to press, they are very well bletted (soft) and provide a welcome break to the grubby cider fruit I had spent the previous month working my way through. These will go into Hampshire Heritage to balance the blend to 50/50.

Fortunately the hosepipe didn't freeze... to much!

Ice Racks

Pressing went on!

The last apples. This isn't how they are normally stored!

"Would you like ice in your cider?" - I guess the washing water was cold!

Pretty, but tricky!

Pressing on...

I have been just a little bit rubbish at keeping this up to date recently. Mostly its been due to the need to press and get this season out of the way. So, to rectify this, I thought I would write a summary of where 146 Cider is at the end of 2012.

Gathering Fruit for 2013 Hampshire Heritage

Bad news first; Wild West and Hampshire Heritage are both sold out. Well, at least they lasted a little longer than last year! You may still be able to get some bottles from some of the outlets (see my website - www.146cider.co.uk) and there is always the Gosport Winterfest and Winchester Beer Festival where I have saved some of each.

Better is that there is still plenty of Eastern Delight left. I think it was over compensation for having made so little of it for 2011!

Each year, I try to grow the number of outlets a little at a time to ensure supply lasts longer than just a couple of months. As this season closes, I can confirm that the National Trust in Hampshire has selected 146 Cider Co. to supply bottled ciders for their Hampshire houses (well, the gift shops). In addition, I am also talking to another group of historic houses and a posh hotel too... lets see where that takes us!

Pressing

Production has yet again increased by some 80% and is currently expected to be 6,500 litres for 2013. I say expected as I have yet to finish - with about 1.5 tons of apples to press. This means that there will be plenty of all three blends... plus there is a 4th blend, a variation of a blend and some special bottled ciders all fermenting to be ready for next May/June.

The problem is that the cider garage at 146 Cider has a maximum capacity of about 7,000 litres. So, the lovely people at Fruitwise (where all Hampshire Heritage fruit comes from) are in the process of constructing a new 'cider shed'. I only expect to store things here as opposed to working from it. However, next year it will really come into its own by allowing me a little more time before having to buy or rent a property for 146 Cider.

During this Christmas period, I have used the down time to update the website - updating a few things as well as constructing a new image gallery which now contains photo's from throughout the commercial journey of 146 Cider (and before). My hope is that is adds another layer of transparency about what I do and what is involved in making these drinks.


So, Have a wonderful New Year and I hope you enjoy any ciders that you have to hand! I will do my best to keep this blog going (though it will not be a New Years Resolution... I am not good at keeping those!)

Introducing the future of Bag in Box technology...

Ladies and Gentlemen. For your delictation and endulgance I give you the latest development in Bag in the Box technology..... The Bag in.... ummm, nothing. The BAG (ladies and gentlemen:-)

Should have drawn faces on them... note the bowling ball handle

No, its no illusion. this is a bag. it is standing up all on its own without the aid of mirrors or, well, a box.

Its actually a three litre, triple thickness bag which is literally a carry out. I saw them when doing the usual order for the start of the season and wanted to give them a try to see if they are a good idea. And, owing to the fact that I have a number of South Hants CAMRA people due a small amount of the cyser (honey cider to the oiks) I made but cannot sell without attracting masses of duty, I figured I had an audience to try it on.

Note to said CAMRA people. Could you let me know how you get on with it:-)

What are the benefits? Well, cheap (definitely) and environmentally sound (possibly). Easy to dispose of and even carry (although carry too many and watch the plastic finger holes slice each of your fingers off like a mini guillotine:-).

Why did we ever need a box? The answer to this lies in the use of said bag. The bag is very frustrating to fill and even more hassle to seal after filling. And, although Mr and Mrs (and Ms) Trading Standards expect a full measure, it is very difficult to achieve all of the 3 litres; impossible without spillage and/or divising some contraption to hold the bag upright. Oh, wait... yes. The contraption I eventually used was (wait for it) a box!!!

Full circle.

In conclusion. They are neat - easy to move around but a bugger to fill and seal. I reserve judgement on what they are like to use and how well they store cider. I have a bag made up that I will store for a month or two now... now that is what I call consumer testing:-)

41 and counting...

OK - I was 41 on Sunday. So. It happens to most of us and is better than the alternative. But what do you get for a 41 year old that has a passion for apples and who is trying to 'expand' (and having recently given up smoking I do mean that literally as well as figuratively!!).

So here, for your delictation and delight we have the JShip Packing Scales for bag in box filling exactness. To those who also have the 'apple' passion, please avert your eyes now:

I should also say to those customers who have had bag in boxes from me in the past - please don't worry, I always went over the limit for your bag in boxes. Sadly, these new scales means that you will get a bit less 'cos I can now be much more accurate.

Update from the garage of 146...

My word, January and February passed pretty darn quick! Now that we are into March I have finally finished the task of cleaning and cleaning (oh, and cleaning) everything in or even near the cider garage. I am also meant to be racking ciders off to mature. After all, its not been so cold a winter.

Well, having ploughed my way through cleaning the Voran, the kegs (of various sizes), the mill and a variety of tools and 'things' I am generally ready to put the cider into storage. Aha. But the cider isn't ready for me! Not one of them. Hampshrie Heritage is sat at 1.005, Wild West is at 1.005. Eastern Delight, which was the last to be complete in early January is at 1.005. Before storage, I really want to let them reach 1.000; normally they finish at around 0.995.

So. They stay put for now. At least things are clean and ready. The sad part is that until they are ready and mature I have no cider for sale.

On the bright side, I have used the opportunity to have a sly snifter of each and can report that:

Hampshire Heritage - is a fairly deep cider this year with some full tannin in it. The acid is much milder than last year, which is no surprise. More West Country than I had expected it to be, it will be interesting to see how it matures.

Wild West - is much, much better this year. Very rounded tannins and the addition of the bittersharps balances the taste out very nicely. I hope it doesn't get too dry though.

Batch 15 - This is a special competition batch of cider. Guess what? Its still at 1.007 and tastes very juicy (which isn't surprising as it was pressed very late!). However, the balance is just right - there is acid present as well as pretty good tannins too.

Eastern Delight - This is still too youngh to try, although it has progressed well and is down to 1.005. I will report back once I have had a glass to see how it is:-)

So, on the whole everything is looking good. It just has to finish fermenting! And at least the tanks are ready to be filled.

One more thing to note - the first beer festival of the year is the Winchester Beer and Cider Festivel. I was concerned it was going to be too early for me, but I have nicked 20 litres each of Hampshire Heritage and Wild West which now accompany me in my office (which is warmer and will let them finish quicker). So I shall take them to the ball on the 16-17th March...

So, although the cider won't be on general release until May, you will be able to get a sample or two locally... well, maybe at Reading too...

Pressing Video

So, this is what cider makers do when they have no apples to press...

Well, in actual fact I am in the process of updating the website ready for the 2011 season ciders - writing up the variety lists and archiving the out of stock ciders. In addition I want to add a gallery of images and clips which give further provenance to the 146 Cider Company products. No, its not 'clever marketing' - its just trying to show clearly what we go through to make the cider.

That said, if the cider turns out badly, I will have to re-adjust the site! Anyway, I hope this is entertaining, if not at least a little informing.

I know... its been a while

Blogging about cider making is a funny ol' business. When things are quiet and there is lots of time to post info about things, there's not much to say. When things are full flow and there are stacks of things, no time at all.

This year has not been helpted much by a rather nice lady who wasn't looking where she was going and wiped the front of the van off a week or two back. However, its now fixed and hopefully things can return to normal - albeit 2 weeks behind schedule.

The apples from Fruitwise are both excellent and in vast abundance this year. So Hampshire Heritage should be taken care of nicely. I have high hopes for it. Having said that, I have yet to collect even a single apple from Strongs - though I have 4 tons booked to press. Hmmmm!

I have another Hampshire supplier too now, being Hill Farm in Swanmore. I have roughly signed up for a couple of tons of Russets and Cox's to add in to Eastern Delight. At writing I have no idea of quality, but I have it on very good authority that they make good juicers, so that is a good start!

Other news is that the Voran is installed (though yet to be used in anger). The tanks are also in - albeit with rather tiny airlocks due to the height between the top of the tanks and the roof of the Cider Garage! We shall see how quickly the airlocks dry up but it could be an interesting diversion!!!

So, are we on for 5-6000 litres? Who knows. I will give it my best. However, at this point I have a lot of catching up to do!

40 years old and a dilema...

I have a few cider mugs in my little collection... Aspalls, Tauntons two handled mugs, various glasses from the festivals I have supplied. However, look at this fine specimen!!!


I wanted to show off my new cider mug - one of the many presents I have been fortunate enough to get to mark my 40th birthday. Crafted in the same way as a wooden barrel would be - and based on a tankard raised with the Mary Rose. And it makes a very fine cider recepticle!!

I got to try it out at my 'apple and cider' themed party. With only a few Apple Mac's coming, we also had a 'Royal Gala', a 'Pink Lady' and even a 'Granny Smith' as well as an apple tree, an apple pi, and a bee keeper (my father... who happens to be a bee keeper - go Mr Creative!)

For me, well have you ever heard about that little known super hero 'Captain Apples'?

A good party and a fitting end to the last of the 2009 146 cider. Roll on the new 'Hampshire Heritage'!

Now... I have a dilema. With the main blend sorted out for a name, I am unhappy simply calling my other blends '146 West' and '146 East' and so changed the names to 'Pickfords Promise' (or even Pickfords Western) for the western cider and 'Bunyards Delight' (or Bunyards Eastern) for the eastern cider.

'Pickfords' is because the apples used come from an orchard just north of Bridport - an area that PHT Pickford reported was very good for growing apples. Mr Pickford was sent from the Ministry of Agriculture in the 1930's to see what was going on in Dorset and essentially raise the game of Dorset producers. This he did, and reported back what he found.

'Bunyards' came about because the fruit is mainly sourced from the Fruitwise 'Bunyards' orchard - a desert apple orchard with many heritage varieties such as Egremont Russet, Ribston Pippin, Laxtons Epicure and Orleans Reinette. The orchard is named after Edward Bunyard, who wrote beautifully about apples at the turn of the 19th/20th century and who came from Kent. And as Kent has a tradition of eastern style cider (and is East too:-) it felt right.

I am kind of happywith all of this reasoninng... but still am unhappy with the complete names! I have less than a month to figure it all out as Winchester Beer Festival is likely to want the very first of the Western stuff... as long as it has fermented by then!!!

Any sensible suggestions will not be ruled out!!!

Whadda ya know!

While waiting to start racking the Hampshire Heritage, it seems I am back in production mode once again. Fruitwise, the orchard that provides the ingredients for both Hampshire heritage and the small amount of eastern style cider I made during the 2010 season have finished their markets for the year and have boxes of apples left over.

Instead of throwing them out for the birds they asked if I wanted them. I am not worried about the birds; I expect they are happily munching their way through all the spent pomace we mulched at the base of about 50-60 trees during pressing last year.

So, this weekend I milled and pressed 260kg of quality, well bletted desert apples. This added another 190 litres to the total and brings the 2010 total to 523 gallons. Not just double the previous year (which has always been the plan) but about 3 times as much.

It also means that the Eastern style of cider is now much more respectable and should be available for more festivals. I may even take 60 litres aside and let it mature for 12 months to see if that improves things... gotta keep moving forward!!

February Catch Up...

The headlines:

- Pruning the 146 micro orchard and adding to its small number

- Fermentations – slow and slower

- 7 year old makes ginger wine (with a hint of chilli)

- And finally, don't forget the Gosport Winterfest!

Okay – I should have warned you not to get too excited by it! Well, it is winter after all!

Pruning the 146 micro orchard and adding to its small number

Winter is the time for tree management. This is essential for tons of reasons, for which I am probably not the best reference. Take a look at Stephen Hayes Youtube site to see what I mean. As the trees in the micro orchard are only 3 years old, pruning helps form a decent tree shape – a good form will optimise the amount of fruit a tree bears as well as making future maintenance easier.

At the moment, there are 6 trees in the orchard. These include a high quality desert apple (Ashmeads Kernel) and a very mildly acid cooking apple (James Grieve). These will ultimately form a base for a special ‘limited’ cider that I want to make in a few years. To build on this, there are currently four lesser known cider apple trees; a full bittersharp, two full bittersweets, and a medium and mild bittersweet. My hope is that these rare varieties will bring something extra to the cider that cannot be found elsewhere.

To this, I have a couple of Dabinetts that I want to plant shortly. Many cider makers are happy to make Dabinett single variety cider; and its not bad. However, for my purpose it is a good variety to provide a quality bulk to the blend.

It is also another variety to play around with.

Fermentations – Slow and slower

February is turning out to be warmer than last year, so although the cider got off to a slow start, the fermentation tanks are keeping busy. A friend from the Cider Workshop has a live webcam linked to his tanks, so you can witness in real time the wonders of fermentation! To be honest, cider fermentation is really not that much of an event in itself.

The Hampshire Heritage is just about finished (I am cleaning the storage tanks as I write) and the 146 Eastern is just nudging below 1010 (that will take about 14 days to finish). Only the 146 Western seems to be stubbornly stuck in the 1020’s. This is the batch that concerned me the most when planning the blend of sharp/sweet and bitter – there is less than 10% sharps (as per a traditional west country cider) so it was always going to be the most unpredictable fermentation this year.

7 year old makes ginger wine (with a hint of chilli)

So, its not all cider here! Following a successful batch of ginger wine (which was given mostly as Christmas presents for my daughters nurses and friends) we decided to give it another go. The recipe is simple and (loosely) based on a 1968 recipe in “Home Wine and Beer Making” – although we took some liberties with the recipe to produce something a little more special. I will post separately (although, lets face it, this is a cider website/blog!)

And finally - dont forget the Gosport Winterfest

Order is in and the cider is... well... still sat in storage for the moment. However, the Gosport Winterfest starts on Friday 25th February at the Thorngate Halls in Gosport. See the South East Hampshire CAMRA website for details.

Southampton man gets visit from EHO... And lives!

I had anticipated the latest visit by Southampton’s finest to be a bit of a challenge – the proper thing this time. I had previously written up a HACCP plan to identify parts of the business that we a ‘risk’, and also made sure that I had a copy of the NACM guidelines – to which I adhere to (as far as it is applicable).

So, the Environmental Health man came to see me and was really very human indeed. None of the anticipated “you need to do this, this and this”, no pound symbols came rushing past my eyes and not even a glimmer of the vast amounts of paperwork I had expected!

OK. In reality I have to write up a bit more ‘meat’ on the HACCP, and need to think about adopting a tracking document for the cleaning process... but this is more common sense than red-tape, and I had been doing something kind of a bit like it before. And, of course, I will need to wait for the letter that is bound to turn up sooner or later. But I don’t have that sense of foreboding that I have seen from others around the country!

As the winter progresses and the cider simply ‘does its stuff’, 146 Cider has been improving things to make 2011 easier to manage. A new ‘super’ hydrometer has been purchased – a foot long (thanks for the recommendation Mark Shirley of Rockingham Forest Cider)... OK, I did have a really useful (but slightly smaller) hydrometer but managed to smash it. I wish they were a bit more robust:-( A new scale is on order for the bag in boxes – no, its not that things have been any less accurate in 2010... its just that this one is designed for the boxes so should make things a lot quicker (once I have got Trading Standards to stamp it!!) Finally, I am waiting to get the 2011 labels test sheet. All very exciting.

So, how is the cider coming along? Very nicely, thank you very much for asking!

Cider report...

This ought to have been called the case of the missing cider maker ‘cos its been ages since I did any ‘blogging’. However, this hasn’t been for lack of activity in the Cider Garage!

My main job, the one that pays the mortgage, has had a couple of important months. Autumn is not just the appling season, its the exhibition season for the bus industry. The company I work for are the largest supplier of software into the UK bus industry and are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. To mark this occasion, a Routemaster which belongs to one of the staff was refurbished and was the centrepiece of the stand at the Eurobus Exhibition at the NEC at the beginning of November. Now, buses are all well and good – I appreciate them but mainly as a means to an end. However, I have to say that by the time I got to the show, I had a fondness for the old bus. And it looked very graceful on the stand (and a great place to hide away when standing up talking to people wore my legs out!


OK, enough of that. What is there to report from the cider front?

Despite early predictions that the apple crop from the Fruitwise Orchards was going to be very poor, the late spell of rain worked wonders and, although things were generally later than they normally are the crop was generous. With the workload I had on in September and October, this delay in collecting fruit was actually pretty good. Another benefit was that the fruit had longer to develop flavours – albeit the sugar levels have not been as high as some have predicted.

One of the predictable things about making cider is that each year is going to be unpredictable! This year, as far as the fruit is concerned, has proven that to me time and time again! Each year of pressing detailed records have been kept about the quantity of apples, potential alcohol and blending; this is mainly for posterity and learning the craft. It also serves to show how the blend should be made up. This year I aim to produce a cider that tastes similar to the 2009 blend – not least of all because lots of people have tried it and liked it. Makes sense, eh?!

Consistency in cider is a myth – especially for craft ciders, but even the larger companies have to play and fiddly with their ingredients to ensure that each and every bottle tastes the same. So, as much as I strive to ensure a consistent product by blending to exact percentages, I know its not going to happen. Why? A good example is the Egremont Russet. Last year there was a glut of it in the cider; not so much was available this year, so it will play a lesser role. Lord Lambourne, however, was a total no show last year whereas there is a good amount in this year.

Tricky innit!

So, I am over 1500 litres of cider so far with another 1.5 tons of fruit left to press. The IBC’s are coming in handy and its been very satisfying to watch them fill up with juice. The pressing kit is getting worked hard and its starting to look like it could do with a rest (and a good service!). Its not that it is not clean, just tired – the reconditioned Goodnature press is coping well although the hydraulic ram needs emptying and refilling with hydraulic fluid. If I can get a chance whilst its raining, I shall get it done.

The exciting thing is that 146 Cider is expanding from its single offering, with a major new blend (well, major being 1000 litres) and another limited blend. There are also going to be a couple of ‘styles’ that I have been playing about with for a while, like a bottle conditioned cider and possibly even a ‘medium dry’!

And thats all I have to say about that... for now:-)

New apples for old cider...

It would appear that today is a good day for cider apple varieties here in the UK. Over the last 25 years, the NACM (National Association of Cider Makers), together with Liz Copas (Pomologist... that is someone who knows a lot about apples, not someone who reads your fortunes from the pips!) have been growing a number of new varieties. These were whittled down to 29 new types.


So, whats wrong with the old ones? Well, some are pretty hard to grow and very tempramental - round here, Kingston Black and Crimson King are pretty much non starters (although they grow well elsewhere). Others don't yield very well; though I can't think of one at the moment! Dabinett is probably pretty shy on Hampshire soil (well, Durley soil). These new varieties are trying to tackle these problems and produce a well balanced, problem resistant apple that makes great cider.

It has to be said (and Andrew Lea, ex-Long Ashton colleague of Liz Copas has mentioned it a few times on the Cider Workshop), these will almost certainly only be available to fairly large commercial concerns for the time being. However, you only have to look at varieties like 'Bulmers Norman' to see that this will, hopefully, filter down to us mere mortals sooner or later.

There is a great account of this in a Guardian article [click the link to access]

I would love to try cider made from a few of these:

Lizzy; Prince William; Amelia; Amanda; Jenny; Hastings; Connie; Helen's Apple; Three Counties; Jane; Tina; Early Bird; Vicky; Naomi; Nicky; Angela; Gilly; Willy; Joanna; Maggie; Hannah; Jean; Sally; Fiona; Shamrock; Tracey; Eleni; Betty and Debbie

I think Betty is probably my favourite name... although Willy isn't far off:-)

Bletting apples...

I just realised that in my last post I wrote about apple bletting, and put a notation next to it - leading to the belief that I would actually explain myself.

Well, this is marketing Will, but not as we know it. I forgot! So, to put things straight I have a post just about bletting:-)

In my dictionary, it says:

–noun

the ripening of fruit, esp. of fruit stored until the desired degree of softness is attained.

...which is pretty good for a dictionary! Bletting is exactly that. Pressing unripe apples is a big fat no no for making cider - the juice is acidic, sufficient starch has not changed to sugar, etc.

Bletted apples, however, are often soft (some insist that they are black before pressing, but I have yet to go that far!) Early apples generally don't blet very well. They don't keep and go mouldy (which is different from going soft!) However, the later cider apples can sit for anything from a week to a month before they are ready to press.

So there you go.

Revving up to the new season...

So, the pressing season is nearly upon us!! - I like 146 to capture the whole of the season, so although the early fruit neither contributes a lot to the taste of the cider (early apples tend to be thin and low in sugars) they provide a good starting fermentation to 'share' with the later pressings. Also, because of the dry year we have had so far, I do expect to encounter problems with high sugar levels in the main crop. High sugars mean high abv, and anything about 8.5% is liable for duty at a high level (the cider effectively becomes classed as 'made wine'). So the early fruit may help temper this a bit.

So, the plan this year? The plan is to produce 2-2500 litres of full juice cider. Plus I have a hope to produce a new product too - although Fruitwise has suffered some setbacks with bugs that have lowered the expected crop levels which may affect this. I have no wish to change this blend which I like (and many others do to, as it is proving!), but if needs must...

As I do have a full time job, and ironically one of the busy periods of the year is during the cider season, I don't expect to get much more time to collect and press apples than last year. Pressing for longer, into November and towards Christmas, is the main answer and should also give the apples more time to ripen properly. Don't believe the 'straight from the orchard to the press' rubbish that some advertisers would have you believe! It may work like that for some 'brands' but to craft a full juice cider, the fruit is left to fully ripen first... some Somerset farmers would say its not ready till some are black!

The other tactic has been to buy a second press. Producing volume on your own is all about optimising time - but the tricky bit is not to cut corners in the process! Using two presses in tandem should deliver 300 litres in a full day of pressing, whereas this was 150 litres last year. The other press is a proper, Goodnature press, which uses a manually operated hydraulic ram. Its still a rack and cloth set up, just like the 'Raypress' and it will press roughly the same amount of pomace too. Once it has finished going through its overhaul, that is!

To go along with the planned increase in production, there are now two 1000 litre IBC's embedded at the back of the Cider Garage. These will help blend and mature the cider in bulk with a lot less moving about.

So, thanks to all those who have spent money on 146 cider - its all going back into making more cider and improving practices! All the best:-)

The soul of 146 cider (Part 3 - Orleans Reinette)

The Orleans Reinette. What an apple! This is my number 1 favourite apple for taste. And as such it deserves a big ol’ place in 146 cider. Yup, its a desert apple (although a good sweet one) but it has such a good body to it that I plan on making a gallon or two of it as a single variety this season. Sadly, it won’t be sufficient to sell on (I have to say, why would I subtract a decent apple from the main blend... surely that would weaken the whole thing?)

Orleans Reinette is also a useful apple, falling mid to late October when the cider crop is in full swing. See, a problem with tannin is that it needs a bit of acid to keep it from getting sick. I have other varieties that help with this balance, but the Reinette is a good part of that. Not that I need an excuse to make cider from it really. I think it really helps on a taste level – keeps the cider from being too west country and gives it a quality ‘mouth’ (I say that like I really know what it means!!)

So, what is the Reinette? Well, as you might expect its French. It dates back to the 1700's (breaking the Victorian mould), and is used in the UK mainly as a desert apple. The French, however, use it also for cooking as the flavour is absolutely superb... just something to consider when you are breaking out the Bramleys for the apple pie next. From records, its not a great keeper, although this is not something us cider makers have to worry about too much (sorry, Stephen).

Next time its back to cider varieties – Stephen Hayes mosted favourite (I think... well, at the moment it is), Yarlington Mill. Superb apple – very reliable... a lot of it in 146 Cider!

What’s in 146Cider (2009)

As with last years cider (which was never really seen out ‘in public’ although was a perfect gift for builders and friends etc.) I really like the idea that anyone drinking a bottle of 146 can look up what went in to their drink. In a way, I think its encouraging for anyone who wants to have a go at making cider themselves. However, in the commercial environment where producers and manufacturers are so frightened to declare what they use to produce their products us cider makers should be proud of the low food miles, minimal energy, absence of artificial flavours and preservatives and (quite simply) the simplicity of our businesses!

Craft cider is almost entirely made from apple juice. I say almost entirely – there is nearly always some water in there. The process of keeping things clean means rinsing and washing down – and some of this will get into the end product (don’t worry – it’s always clean/boiled water). And then there are sulphites. This is added to clean the juice prior to fermentation (kill any unwanted bugs), and then to protect cider that is in storage. If you have a bottle in front of you, it will say ‘trace’, so the quantity is tiny.

The 2009 season saw an increase in the amount of Bittersweet cider fruit available, and this shows in the finished product. I also used more specific sharp varieties, including some cider sharps. This has given a dual tone to the cider. So (if you are interested in my own tasting notes), I believe that the 2009 146Cider has both tannin and acid – which can both be tasted as being separate from each other in the mouth. I am pleased to say that, once again, the cider is neither west country nor is it Eastern style – something I am keen on maintaining.

So, what is in your pint?

Once again, the entire fruit came from the Fruitwise Orchard. This is a good relationship to have, and my hope is that 146Cider going ‘commercial’ will reward both them as well as 146. I have already documented the pressing previously – although it produced a total of 900 litres of cider.

The 146 blend is made up of the following:
• Desert Fruit – 48%
• Cider Fruit – 44%
• Sharp (Culinary) Fruit – 8%

This came from the following varieties:

• Ashmeads Kernel
• Bramley
• Dabinett
• Egremont Russet
• Harry Masters Jersey
• John Downie Crab
• Kidds Orange Red
• Kingston Black
• Laxtons Epicure
• Le Bret
• Ribston Pippin
• Spartan
• Sunset
• Sturmer Pippin
• Tremletts Bitter
• Winter King
• Yarlington Mill

As this season will be more commercially available than ever before, I do hope that people find this information interesting – after all, making craft cider really is nothing like the latest Magners adverts would have you believe (although the idea of driving a truck through a golf course actually is rather appealing:-)

As ever, any feedback is welcome.

Jez

What’s in 146? [2008 cider]

Due to various business trips and commitments, cider has not been top priority over the last couple of weeks (shock, horror!!) However, this does create the space for reporting on last years cider – which shall hopefully find a home for retail sales as soon as I can get round to organising it!

A significant reason for starting this blog was to allow anyone drinking 146 cider to see where it came from. I guess it’s a part of being honest about where the cider came from… yeah, I know ingredients are included on the label – but “Apples, tiny bit of water and a trace of sulphite” is a bit too simple. I like the idea that people can see photo’s and information about what type of apples went in to the blend. At the scale I am operating at, I can easily do it. We shall see if its something that can continue! So:



146 Cider (Traditional) – 2008 blend

Pressed between September and November 2008 at both 146 Cider and at Fruitwise Orchard. This was blended initially in February 2009 and then finally in September 2009. It was mature in August 2009 and ready for bottling in October 2009.

Desert Apples 30%
Cider Apples 64%
Sharp (Cooking) Apples 6%

Varieties found in 146 Cider:

Ashmeads Kernel
Bramley
Cox
Crimson King
Dabinett
Egremont Russett
Grenadier
Harry Masters Jersey
Kidds Orange Red
Kingston Black
Le Brett
Lord Lambourne
Michelin
Nehou
Orleans Reinette
Pippin
Spartan
Suntan
Tom Putts
Tremletts Bitter
Winter King
Yarlington Mill

Sulphite was added (50ppm) prior to fermentation and then (50ppm) prior to maturing.

My hope in providing this information is that drinkers who care a little more about where their beverage comes from will look here to see. In the same way that line fishermen will tag the fish to show that it is humanely caught, 146 cider is produced in a traditional way, using no industrial equipment or additives, and travels no more than 10 miles from orchard to bottle (OK, if you factor in miles for purchase of equipment that total could be doubled…)

If you have tried 146 cider, do let us know what you think.

Pressing all done...

So, the last pressing for the 2009 cider is now done and ‘Stephen’, the #1 Spiedel tank, is bubbling away. So that is that… time to do the maths and the records ad pack everything away. No, it doesn’t mean ‘no more washing, sterilising and cleaning’ as it generally doesn’t at all. However, my target for this year was to double (again) the quantity of juice pressed, and I am happy to report that this has been achieved.

There are a number of reasons for ‘just’ doubling up and not rushing away with and pressing thousands of litres. The main reason is simply that I am not set up to produce lots of cider well. I don’t have the tankage, pressing ability, storage and most importantly the time. By increasing steadily (if you can call doubling up each year steady) things can be bought and introduced in a reasonable way. This year I am have the benefit of 2 Speidel tanks – which have proven themselves already. The Fruit Shark mill has made such light work of producing pomace from apples this year that I know it will do for a number of years to come. The press has come in to its own too this year, with a consistent 6-7 gallons of juice at each pressing taking just under 2 hours to achieve. Harmony, it would seem, has been achieved – shame it can’t last!

So, with 835 litres of juice fermenting, there should be now be much more time to organise things. I need to finish bottling up the 2008 season cider. It is now pretty much fully mature and I need to find a few buyers for it. I am hoping that this won’t be too much of a task – in any case it’s all on a VERY small scale!

Also, the next four months will be taken up by builders and buildings as we extend the house to provide better disabled facilities for my daughter. Not that I begrudge her this at all – it has been too long in coming!

All in all a good season. Time to start thinking about the next one!