Subject: Cider Digest #1441, 9 March 2008 Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2008 11:53:21 -0600 (MDT) From: cider-request@talisman.com Cider Digest #1441 9 March 2008 Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor Contents: Re: Carbonating Perry (Roy Bailey) Stopping the fermentation before its finished ("Dwight Brown") Calvados ("Timothy") Re: Cider Digest #1440, 3 March 2008 (Claude Jolicoeur) Send ONLY articles for the digest to cider@talisman.com. Use cider-request@talisman.com for subscribe/unsubscribe/admin requests. When subscribing, please include your name and a good address in the message body unless you're sure your mailer generates them. Archives of the Digest are available at www.talisman.com/cider ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: Carbonating Perry From: Roy Bailey Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2008 20:57:21 +0000 In message , Bradley Hunter writes >I have five gallons of Perry that I made in Nov. 2006 that has been >racked a couple of times and is now brilliantly clear. Final gravity >reading is .996. > >I would like to bottle this sparkling in heavy walled Champagne bottles >that will take a crown cap. > >If this were a beer I would normally boil a pint of water with 3/4 cup >of corn sugar and add that, cooled, along with a fresh packet of >rehydrated wine yeast to ensure carbonation. > >Is this technique advisable in this situation or is a modified approach >suggested? By co-incidence I too have some 2006 perry (actually about 60 UK gallons) which I am also bottling for fermentation in Champagne bottles with crown caps, so my method might be of interest to you. I have adapted a system used for bottle conditioning beer, which has worked well for me in the past. The perry, which has been stored in 6 gallon containers, is racked off any residual yeast into a polybarrel and primed with white cane sugar. Andrew Lea has advised me to use a maximum of 20 grams per litre, so I actually used about 11. The yeast left in the container is mixed with a couple of pints of the primed perry and set aside under airlock in a warm place. Within 24 hours this is fermenting vigorously, and when ready to bottle 1 pint of this is added to the 5 UK gallon (40 pint) barrel and thoroughly mixed. This is a ratio of 2½ per cent. If you don't have any perry yeast then the wine yeast would be suitable, but I suggest that white cane sugar is better than corn syrup as it is less likely to impart any flavour that would overpower the delicate flavour of the perry. And why dissolve in water? Sugar will dissolve in the perry well enough. I started this process back in November and the earliest bottlings have been stored in a warm place. They are clear with a very thin deposit of yeast, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will supply the required sparkle. Roy. - -- Roy Bailey - Proprietor The Lambourn Valley Cider Company (Real cider from the Royal County) ------------------------------ Subject: Stopping the fermentation before its finished From: "Dwight Brown" Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 17:01:10 -0800 Can anyone tell me a good way to stop the apple cider fermenation before all the sugars are fermented? I'd like to end up with about 1 -2% natural sugar. thanks, Dwight Brown ------------------------------ Subject: Calvados From: "Timothy" Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 17:55:36 -0500 Anyone know how to make Calvados, or simple apple brandy? If you simply distill alcoholic cider you get a clear "moonshine" No flavor or color. What are the details to make a good Calvados? I searched the archives back to January 07 with limited references to the subject. Thanks, Tim ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Cider Digest #1440, 3 March 2008 From: Claude Jolicoeur Date: Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:42:42 -0500 In Cider Digest #1440, 3 March 2008 >Subject: Carbonating Perry >From: Bradley Hunter > >I have five gallons of Perry that I made in Nov. 2006 that has been >racked a couple of times and is now brilliantly clear. Final gravity >reading is .996. > >I would like to bottle this sparkling in heavy walled Champagne bottles >that will take a crown cap. > >If this were a beer I would normally boil a pint of water with 3/4 cup >of corn sugar and add that, cooled, along with a fresh packet of >rehydrated wine yeast to ensure carbonation. Brad, This is quite close to what I normally do, except that you can easily triple the sugar dosage when you use heavy Champagne bottles. The way I do it is to measure the sugar (I also use corn sugar), and add just enough water to cover it, then heat under low heat until the sugar dissolves and mix in the cider. Then I usually rehydrate only half a pack of yeast - I use Champagne yeast Lalvain EC-1118 or Redstar Prise de Mousse for example. You may consider also using plastic Champagne stoppers (that have a mushroom shape) with metal wire "muselets" as we call them in French. Good luck! Claude ------------------------------ End of Cider Digest #1441 *************************