Nice to be of help. Got an email from Owestry

HI Ed Cyder Time !!!!!!!!!!

I have bottled One Drum, It seemed to finish before the others Which I find strange because I blended them all the same back in October when I had four different sorts of different apple juice.

Its cloudy and has a slight pinkish/ orangey tint. Its taste ok . Dry first taste but then there's something else going on a more neutral taste not sweet.

I don't think it will win any prizes ,but its not unpleasant . If you are up any time I would valve your professional opinion It may help me improve this years brew

Thanks for all your help

my reply

Glad the cider has turned out drinkable! I find all my cyders finish at different times although they are pressed at the same time and contain different fruit! Must be due to how vigourous the yeast is I suppose. There is nothing wrong with cloudy cyder - some clear some do not. some of my cyder was bright orange last year. Cyder comes in all shades of many colours from green to red! If you are getting other taste after the dry it should mean the cyder has matured properly which is good news. I will let you know if I am around Owestry at all. I would love to try your cyder!

Coming soon.. Breton cider of should I say cidre reviews from my recent holiday in Brittany.

Herefordshire Cider at Checkley Brook

One one my favourite Cambridge Bars has recently had a complete make over with the inside being completely redone. The owner Matt Knight's idea was to create a multi purpose venue. The cambridge pub now caters for anything for art exhibitions to wedding receptions. Being on three floors of a large central Cambridge building there is plenty of room for the various functionality offered.

During the week you can go there for a quiet pint of real ale or cider, or even a coffee (yeah right!) . The front of the pub now opens onto the street so with spring here it makes a great al fresco drinking pub where you can watch the world go by. Matt always make sure he a some local Cambridge ales in too.

At weekends it is open late and is a good nightspot supporting many local DJs and musicians. I am getting a bit old for that sort of stuff but my younger friends seem to like it.

But in these days of epidemic pubs closures it is pubs like these that can offer something extra that seem to stay open and in fact do well. Successful pubs need to offer good ale/cider, good food or entertainment and the fountain seems to do all three very well.

Of course I have a vested interest in 'ale' pubs doing well as I sell my cider in them. Perhaps if more landlords had Matt's imagination has stocked his range of drinks there would not be so many closures.

Herefordshire Cider at Checkley Brook

Questions about the malo-lactic cider fermentation stage

Further questions from a cider maker in Owestry - the malo-lactic or secondary fermentation of cider.

Happy New Year.
Hi Ed .
More questions I am afraid.
My Cider was racked off 5 weeks ago and screwed down . I am I no hurry to drink it. I will probably be end April when I will want to bottle it ,but it still produces gas which on your advice I let out twice a week or so.
Will this diminish ? My worry is if it does not will it be safe to bottle, am going to use old beer bottles with a crown top my worry is that they may blow up. Am I worrying about nothing .
Best wishes

The reason your cider is still producing gas (CO2) is that it is going through malo-lactic or secondary fermentation (the primary stage of fermentation for your cider has finished, as we discussed in November). The malo-lactic fermentation stage still produces CO2 but a lot less than the first fermentation stage. This secondary stage effects the very complex flavours with in cyder balancing the acid and tannins. This is the maturation stage of the cider.

The CO2 production certainly will diminish with time. It should well have finished by the end of April. It will probably ease off in a month or so if you racked of 5 weeks ago. Mine usually takes two to three months (but my cider is kept in out buildings and does not finish the first fermentation until March).

You are right not to bottle it at this stage in old beer bottles as the pressure may build up to explosive levels. So wait until April until you bottle or wait until the CO2 production has diminished.

If you wanted to try making a champagne style cider this is the perfect time. You need proper champagne bottles (which were invented in England for cider years before champagne was ever produced) and cork and cages.

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/bottling/corks-caps-labels/champagne-cages-25-s.html

http://www.brewuk.co.uk/store/bottling/corks-caps-labels/champagne-stoppers-25-s.html

Add one spoon of sugar to each bottle, siphon in the cider into the bottle and cork it up. This will produce a lovely fizzy chanpagne style cider. However I usually leave them in bottle like this for a full year before drinking. It is worth the wait.

Hope this helps.

Cheers Ed




Herefordshire Cider at Checkley Brook