When apple season is winding down and the leaves are starting to change, it becomes time to think about next year. Specifically, it’s time to start thinking about apple tree propagation and I am not talking about making your scion list. I’m talking about bud grafting. Bud grafting has been the most effective grafting method … Continue reading Bud Grafting Apple Trees
Category: Hard Cider
Pectic Enzyme: Juice Application
Impact of Pectic Enzyme - Juice Application Pectolyase, pectozyme, and polygalacturonase are three types of pectic emzymes or what are often called pectinases. These are naturally occurring compounds found in plants that breakdown the polysaccharide known as pectin. Pectin gives structure and strength to the plant cells. This structure is what make jelly and jam become … Continue reading Pectic Enzyme: Juice Application
Fermentation Stages of Yeast
It is common to talk about fermentation in stages and often there are three stages identified. If you are talking about a wild or natural fermentation, those stages might be how initially non-Saccharomyces strains start the fermentation. This is followed by Saccharomyces yeast that complete fermentation. The final stage is maturation where Brettanomyces strains often … Continue reading Fermentation Stages of Yeast
Cider and Health: 5-caffeoylquinic Acid
5-caffeoylquinic Acid And it’s health benefits I like the motto, ”All things in moderation”. I enjoy my hard cider with dinner and for me, one is plenty. I love contemplating the aroma, the flavor, and how it goes with the food. What I also enjoy is that hard cider can have healthful aspects. It’s part … Continue reading Cider and Health: 5-caffeoylquinic Acid
Pizza & Hard Cider: Veggie Edition
You may have noted that my pizza and cider posts have slowed down. That is not because I don’t like pizza and cider or that I stopped making sourdough. It’s mostly because we discovered another great option for sourdough discard: crackers. Yes, I will post some recipes because sourdough cheese crackers and hard cider are … Continue reading Pizza & Hard Cider: Veggie Edition
Cider Words: Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides and their influence on wine. Polysaccharides are carbohydrates, which are basically simple sugars, monosaccharides like glucose and fructose, linked together in long chains. Yeast can break these down into the simple sugars for use in creating ATP for reproduction. However, polysaccharides also react and combine with many endogenous compounds found in wine and cider. … Continue reading Cider Words: Polysaccharides
Apple Peel Preparation
I have been harvesting and including apple peels in my hard cider for several years. As I have noted in other articles (see the tips page), peels are an excellent way to enhance the organoleptic properties of your hard cider. Want a darker hue to your cider, include peels from red apples in your fermenter. … Continue reading Apple Peel Preparation
Cider Words: Glucophilic & Fructophilic
Glucophilic and Fructophilic An interesting aspect about yeast is the preference it has for types of sugar. Most yeast prefer glucose so they are what is called glucophilic. The most common fermentation yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, used for wine, beer, and bread is generally glucophilic. While many strains are capble of processing glucose snd fructose, some … Continue reading Cider Words: Glucophilic & Fructophilic
Salmon Tacos and Hard Cider
I have yet to find a food that doesn’t pair well with hard cider. That is often because you can have so many different styles of cider. However, I always enjoy cider with seafood. I have written several other articles about seafood and cider. just search the website or review the experiences page for more. … Continue reading Salmon Tacos and Hard Cider
Cider and Maceration
Maceration and it’s impacts on cider making. The definition of maceration is to soften or separate. With regards to apples and pears, this process occurs after the apples have been milled or crushed but before the pomace is pressed. One of its key goals is to break down the pectin found in the fruit. This … Continue reading Cider and Maceration





