Time for training?

Last year the 146 micro orchard was planted out. When I say micro orchard, I mean that its an allotment near to my home and the long term plan is to produce a small amount of ‘special’ cider from these trees. So now they are 2 years old the will need cutting back to train them. Only issue might be that it won’t just be the trees in training!

So, book in hand and websites reviewed (including Stephen Hayes Fruitwise clips) I shall venture out with my brand new clippers and have a go. OK, I shall wait for the snow to melt a bit and then do it, very carefully and probably very slowly. For something that is basically a commodity, its surprisingly how quickly you become attached to apple trees… no, I haven’t given then names (yet) and I haven’t wrapped them up in cotton wool either. However, they have kept me company whilst working the rest of the plot.

Why are they special? Well, there is:

James Grieve; and early cooker that sweetens up if left on the tree.
Ashmeads Kernel; a great eater but with some complex flavours (I have previously found this variety to be great as juice).

These two varieties will make up the ‘non’ cider apples in the cider. The cider varieties are the less obvious choices. There are:

Royal Jersey; a rare variety which apart from being a full bittersweet and coming from Jersey, I don’t know a whole lot about. Will no doubt either love it or hate it – when it produces an apple to try.
Knotted Kernel; a medium bittersweet from Herefordshire. The reports I have seen on it is that it is both rare and that it produces a very good cider.
Hang Down; Yeah, another rare one but it used to be grown commonly. Its supposed to produce a small tree and is slow in growing, but is a mild bittersweet with good flavour.
Skyrmes Kernel; a full bittersharp. At planting, I was told that only 6 people in the UK were known to be growing this old variety. How true this is doesn’t really matter but having a true bittersharp cider apple will add a fullness to the final blend.

I have been called a bit of an obscurest in my choice of these trees. Sure, the regulars of Dabinett, Yarlington Mill, etc. are known to produce decent cider. But these varieties are in the main blend and, well, wouldn’t it be boring if we all did the same thing all the time:-)

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!