Craft Hard Cider: Recipes, Tips, and Ideas for Making & Enjoying Hard Cider
You may have noticed some changes to the Recipe Page on PricklyCider.com. If not, check it out here. I used to list the recipes by alphabetical order. As the number of recipes has grown over the years, I thought it might make more sense to group them by cider type and then alphabetical order. Someday, … Continue reading Exploring Prickly Cider: The Recipes
Racking is a term used quite often by cider makers. It simply means to siphon off the clearer juice or cider from the sediment or lees that accumulate on the bottom of the container. The origin may be related to the old French word arracar, which meant to drain. A racking cane or tube is … Continue reading Cider Question: What is racking and why is it performed?
Which is more important when making great cider, the apple varieties you use in your juice blend or the yeast you use? It’s not an easy question to answer. If I asked whether the apples were more important than the shape of the fermenter, most of us would probably say the apple. I recognize that … Continue reading Cider Question: Apples or Yeast
Most books on cider making say that sanitation of your cider making equipment is important. Is it really? Those who don’t think it is will often note how cider has been made for centuries with rough equipment that may get rinsed out with some water each year but never sanitized. Like always, the real answer … Continue reading Cider Question: How important is sanitation?
Pommeau is traditionally a French drink made by blending apple juice with calvados (apple brandy) and aging it. But, why can’t we make pommeau with other spirits, especially spirits made from what is local. If you live in the Southwestern United States, specifically Arizona, that local spirit would be tequila. Arizona Pommeau is the result … Continue reading Making Arizona Pommeau
Transamination: A binding of amino groups to form new aroma compounds. If you are like me, you’re probably wondering how to say it let alone what it is. But, transamination is one of the most important and positive chemical reactions that can happened to your cider. It involves the transfer of an amino group from … Continue reading Cider Words: Transamination
Most of my cider adventures have been about places I have visited. Sometimes, the fun with cider adventures start before you ever leave your house. It is the planning. With the internet and Apps like Google Maps and YouTube you can visit almost anywhere virtually from your couch. One of the places we are planning … Continue reading Cider Adventures: Spain
There is art and science involved in making great hard cider. PricklyCider.com is dedicated to helping you understand both the art and the science involved in the process. One idea I have been working to implement is a way to engage more of the expertise and experience from active cider makers around the world. With … Continue reading Cider Poll – The Art of Aging Cider
I was debating what type of ice cider to make from last season’s frozen juice. I usually like to have some type of dessert cider option that I can offer. As a note, I think of cider in three categories: Traditional, Adjunct, and Dessert. Traditional ciders are those made just from apples and pears (perry). … Continue reading Making Prickly Pommeau
I often provide information that I have learned from reading research papers or from my own personal experiments. But, I have met many experts on my cider journey and I wanted to find a way to share the collective knowledge we have about cider with the world. “Cider Poll” is my attempt to capture and … Continue reading Cider Poll – The Ideal Cider Base
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