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Post by Richard on Jan 10, 2021 17:50:09 GMT -7
The Minuteman Forum includes some cider lovers, so I thought you might be interested in this. The above competition (the 7th annual) included 250 ciders in 25 styles, blind judging, in Oxford, Ohio. It was the largest cider competition in the Country in 2020.
The Grand National Champion...Arsenal Cider House and Wine Cellar of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Two gold and two silver medals.
A Civil War themed cidery, they make a number of styles, and also mead. I, and my daughters, have enjoyed a couple of them. You may want to give it a taste, if you come across it.
Richard/Grumpa
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Post by brokennock on Jan 10, 2021 18:23:41 GMT -7
Thank you. Boy, I would've loved to attend this event.
Does your suggested cider mill offer unfiltered hard cider?
Hmm, I guess I need to go grab a DownEast...
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Post by Richard on Jan 11, 2021 10:19:42 GMT -7
Dave,
to my knowledge, all their ciders are hard. Not sure about the unfiltered (I tried to call, but they aren't open until Wednesday).
Check their website...they are continually adding new items. And you can order on-line. I've only had a couple, but I didn't leave any sitting in the glass. Cider is not my usual drink, but I do enjoy it, and have made my own.
Richard/Grumpa
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Post by Black Hand on Jan 11, 2021 18:10:04 GMT -7
Cider...have made my own. Richard/Grumpa We're going to need some details... |
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Post by Richard on Jan 21, 2021 17:04:48 GMT -7
Nothing fancy. Just got a gallon (plastic) jug of unpasteurized cider, put raisins in it (for the yeast and sugar), screwed the cap back on, and put it in the fridge. When the jug started swelling up, I would loosen the cap and squeeze the jug slightly between my knees, to let the gas escape, then tighten the cap. Kept that up until the jug quit swelling. It tasted good, and had a kick...which met my requirements. That was before hard cider became readily available. If I was going to do it on a regular basis, I might use glass jugs, and vapor locks.
Finding unpasteurized cider can be a problem; some years ago, a bunch of yuppies gathered apples of the ground, and put them (deer, bird and whatever else droppings) in a barrel, and proceeded to crush it all to make cider. They got mightily ill, lawyers got involved, and farmers took to pasteurizing their cider to avoid lawsuits. I'm not sure if un-pasteurized cider would make good hard cider?
Of course, freezing it, and removing the ice, makes it applejack. Not something to overindulge - while the alcohol is intensified, so are the methanol, esters, aldehydes and fusel alcohols. Commercial producers have ways of reducing those, as well.
Incidentally, Laird's Distillery (applejack) dates back to 1780, and the family was making apple brandy in colonial New Jersey in 1698. Lot of history connected with it.
Richard/Grumpa
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