Craft Hard Cider: Recipes, Tips, and Ideas for Making & Enjoying Hard Cider
Many of us struggle to find true Bitters, which are apples that are high in tannins. Some call these cider apples because making cider is often the only good use for them. However, we should really be thinking of apples as Bitters, Sharps, and Sweets or a combination of these like Bittersweets and Bittersharps. The … Continue reading Cider Fundamentals: Blending Common Apples to Make Cider
When people ask if their hard cider can go bad, they are often worried that it might spoil or turn into something that would make them ill. Usually, the cider in question is often sitting in a bucket and has a crust of white or even a moldy film or layer on top of it. … Continue reading Cider Question: Can hard cider go bad?
Many cider recipes call for the addition of yeast nutrient when adding yeast. Do you really need to add yeast nutrient to make cider? The short answer is no but, as you might expect, there are always details and nuances involved when answering most questions about cider. The need for yeast nutrient is usually a … Continue reading Cider Question: Do I need to use yeast nutrient?
I don’t have classic cider apples growing around me. I have found some wonderful American heirloom varieties but, even those aren’t considered true cider apples. Most people have access to a wonderful range of cooking apples like Granny Smith and Bramley or eating apples like Red Delicious, Fuji, and Gala. Unless you live in certain … Continue reading Cider Question: Can I use culinary and eating apples to make cider?
Things happen and you aren’t always able to process all the apples you need to fill your fermenter. For example, not all apples ripen at the same time. In fact, a single tree may take weeks to ripen all the apples on it. Maybe your grinder or press broke or you picked more apples than … Continue reading Cider Question: How can I delay processing my apples?
If you are like me, you are interested in trying different apples but more importantly, you’re interested in cheap apples. Those may come from a backyard or roadside tree or even from an orchard. Often, they are damaged either from insects or weather, like hail. This inevitably leads to this week’s Cider Question about whether … Continue reading Cider Question: Can I use apples with worm holes?
What is the right temperature to drink a cider? Should it be cold, chilled, warm, or even hot? Yes, you already know my answer, which is that it will depend! Hard cider is not a simple product. In fact, because it’s a relatively young and overlooked beverage in most places around the world, I propose … Continue reading Drinking Cider: Temperature Effect
Understanding pH to Make Better Cider Have you ever thought about what pH really means and why it might be important to cider making? Well you should. It is one of the key measurements that can help you make better hard cider. It’s also one if the easiest to measure since inexpensive and reasonably accurate … Continue reading Cider Words: pH
Proanthocyanidins Characteristics Besides providing hard cider with organoleptic benefits, like bitterness and astringency, phenolic compounds can provide valuable health benefits. The old adage of an apple a day keeps the doctor away has a lot of truth to it. Many studies have shown the healthful benefits derived from the moderate consumption of red wine. These … Continue reading Cider and Health – Proanthocyanidins
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
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