Homemade

Guide to Homemade Wine, Beer, Cider & Mead

Alcoholic beverages; commonly beer and wines and made at home. Most often brews are made from brewing kits purchased at shops specialized in spirits. Cheap Draft features homebrew recipes, equipment requirements, and best practices needed to deliver the perfect batch!

Whereas cider may be still (draught) or sparkling, true perry is a sparkling drink - that is, it is not made as a still or draught perry, though I can think of no reason for not making it as still perry if this suits the individual operator. The fact that it is ’still’ will mean that, strictly speaking, it will not be perry because it is not sparkling; after all, champagne would not be champagne without its sparkle. Nevertheless, those with an abundance of pears should try their hand at making perry either sparkling or still - as it suits them. But do take note of all I have had to say about sparkling cider in the chapter on cider making.

Perry may be made in exactly the same way as cider. Dessert pears are not needed. A mixture of pears; some sweet, some lacking juice and on the dry side, some cooking pears and in fact some of those little hard ones that children love to get their teeth into may all go in together. But where only one variety is available, a few from an outside source should be obtained and added, otherwise the perry will lack character. Where additional pears are not obtainable, a few crab-apples will do nicely-say one pound to every ten pounds of pears.

A dry sparkling or merely a dry still pear wine or perry low in alcohol - say 8-9% by volume is a nice drink.

Pears usually contain enough tannin, therefore none need be added - so put the tea-pot away. Acid will be needed; this should be added at the rate of a quarter ounce to the gallon of juice obtained. Where some water has been used to make a bit more of the juice, a little more acid should be added because in diluting the juice you will reduce the acid content.

The most common fault in an amateur’s cider is acidity. This is because most apples contain more acid than is needed for pleasant cider. Diluting the juice to lessen the acidity before fermentation usually results in a poorly-flavored cider. Balancing the acidity using acidemetric apparatus, is almost certainly beyond the scope of beginners because not only is expensive apparatus needed, but also some laboratory experience.

However, if a cider turns out too acid, some of the acid may be removed quite simply by anyone. The only risk is that of removing too much. Even this can be rectified, but this involves adding more acid. Better to proceed with caution and to get the lessacid cider you are after at first or second attempt. Now let us suppose a cider is only a little too acid. Removing a little acid is quite simple. Take a quart of the cider (a quart of each gallon); take a little of this quart and dissolve in this by stirring about a quarter ounce of precipitated chalk - from any chemist for a few coppers. When dissolved, stir this into the quart. Leave until the sample is clear again and then siphon the clear cider off the chalk deposit. Having done this, return the treated cider to the bulk. The acid will have been removed from the quart by the chalk, and this completely acid-free cider going into the bulk should be enough to reduce the acidity of the rest of it. If it is found that not enough acid has been removed, repeat the process, but with less chalk this time. If by accident, too much acid is removed so that you have a flat almost insipid cider, the remedy is to add either citric acid from a chemist or lemon juice.

On the skins of apples there are various strains of yeast and some bacteria. These get into the juice when it is in the process of being pressed from the apples. These yeasts and bacteria can start souring ferments and turn the alcohol into acetic acid vinegar. Boiling the juice will produce a cider that will never clear - though it will destroy the troublesome yeast and bacteria. Therefore, we must destroy the yeast and bacteria without boiling. Here again, Campden fruit-preserving tablets do the job for us.

Having expressed the juice, one Campden tablet per gallon is crushed and dissolved in a little warm water and stirred into the juice. Two may be used to make sure there will be no souring ferments, but if two are used, the juice should be stirred vigorously after one hour and then again after ten minutes. This will liberate much of the gas so that the yeast added to ferment the juice is not also killed as it is put in.

The gas produced by the Campden tablets is known as sulphur-dioxide or 5.02, This method of destroying unwanted yeast and bacteria is used extensively by both commercial and amateur wine makers.

All bottles and stoppers must be washed in a solution of sulphur dioxide made up by dissolving 2 oz. sodium metabisulphite in half a gallon of warm water. Half a pint of this is poured into the first bottle, then into the next and next and so on. When a dozen have been done this half pint is discarded. The bottles are then rinsed with boiled water that has cooled; they are then ready to receive the cider. Jars for draught cider are treated in the same fashion. The bulk of the sterilizing solution may be kept for further use. Best to use a glass-stoppered or rubberstoppered bottle for this. Plenty of chemists will let you have one for about a shilling.

Where there is no means of separating the JUICe from the pulp, it will be found that quite good cider may be made from fermenting the pulp. There will be some loss of juice if this is done because some will inevitably be left in the pulp.

The process is simplicity itself. One merely proceeds to produce the pulp as directed above, and instead of pressing out the juice, the whole lot is fermented. Sugar is dissolved in as little water as possible. This is boiled together and added to the pulp. The pulp is then measured and treated with Campden tablets as already directed. The yeast is then added and fermentation allowed to proceed for seven-eight days. After this, the cider is strained free of apple particles. The pulp should be allowed to drain. While this is draining, a sheet of polythene should be spread over the surface of the pulp and down round the sides of the vessel receiving the drippings. This should be tied in place with thin string or kept in place with strong elastic to prevent airborne diseases reaching it. Leave for two or three hours. Then put the strained cider into jars and fit fermentation lock. Do not squeeze the pulp too much.

One variety of apple alone will not make for a balanced cider. The chances are that it will lack flavour, body, and in fact, most of the characteristics of a good cider. Almost any sort of garden apple may be used but do use some sweet, a few sharp and, if possible a few dry sorts of apple, or some pears not over-loaded with juice. It would not be sensible to recommend any particular blend of apples simply because one will have to use those available; only those living in cider-growing areas will have the true cider apple at his disposal and he will already have someone at his elbow to tell him how best to handle them.

To select the right type of apple for the job would involve knowledge of the acid, sugar and tannin content of each variety, and hardly any amateur is likely to have such knowledge at his disposal. If he had, he would not necessarily know how to utilize it.

So, at first attempt, chances will have to be taken on just how the final cider comes up to hopes and expectations. But with a little experience gained in making a few lots, any operator should be able to learn how to blend the apples he has available in order to make the cider he is after. Alternatively, he can make several different sorts in small quantities and then blend them to get an improved produce as wine makers blend their elderberry, damson and plum wines. You would be surprised (if you are not already a wine maker), just how this making of small lots of varied, yet similar wines and then blending them makes for some really top-class products. This does not mean that the individual wines are not in themselves top-class products. It is merely that in a poor season one of these wines might disappoint. It is at times like this when blending with other wines will make that disappointing wine into something quite remarkable.

And so it is with ciders. Small lots may be improved by blending with each other, but a large amount of one sort if it is not up to expectations has to be drunk as it is. So use of your common sense will bring you very close indeed to making the cider you like at first attempt - even if it does mean blending two or three lots made with different sorts of different mixtures of varieties of apples.

Sugar

White household sugar is quite suitable, but very good results are obtained when golden syrup is used. Try this, for many people find this gives some character and flavor to a cider made from unsuitable apples. Demerara sugar should not be used; nor should other brown sugars. Either white sugar, which adds nothing but sweetness, or golden syrup, which adds both color and some little flavor, are the best to use.
If golden syrup is used, more will have to be used to raise the gravity to the required level. Stir in a little at a time, taking the readings after each addition until the required reading is obtained. Pound for pound, there is less sugar in syrup than in dry sugar itself, this is the reason for using more syrup than sugar.

Water

Many people find sugar additions difficult, or they fear that adding water will reduce the flavor of the cider. They therefore overheat the juice to dissolve the sugar, and thus dissolve or make active pectin in the apple, and as every wine maker knows pectin causes cloudiness difficult to remove. So let me make it clear that the use of a little water will not reduce to any appreciable extent the flavor of the cider provided the amount used is the absolute minimum needed to dissolve the sugar, this being about one pint to two pounds of sugar.

Put the sugar in the water and bring slowly to the boil, stirring frequently to avoid sticking to the bottom of the saucepan or burning. When sugar is dissolved, cool the resulting syrup and then stir into the apple juice. The procedure after this is the same as already stated.

Method

The apples should be washed in water, and even if a press is available, they will first have to be pulp. This is best done if they are put in an open tub and pounded with the end of a stout pole. Mincing small quantities is a good means of extracting the juice. Large quantities are a problem, but if you know a friendly butcher, he might be willing to mince them for you with his much larger machine.

Modern domestic fruit juice machines are ideal for small amounts of ordinary fruit, but are not suitable for apples or pears. One can overcome to some extent the problem of pressing to get the maximum juice by fermenting the pulp-pounded apple. This method of making cider is described separately.

When using a press, put in only small amounts of pounded apple at a time otherwise you’ll not be able to screw down properly. Directions are supplied with the different presses and because each is used in a slightly different way and the directions will vary with each press; for this reason I cannot give here general purpose instructions to cover each one. Minced apple may be strained through a strong coarse cloth and wrung out, that is, when all juice that will drip out has done so, two people may twist the cloth in opposite directions while the part containing the pulp is held over the vessel catching the juice.

Having produced all the juice you can, strain a sample as free as possible of particles of apple pulp and take the reading using a specific gravity hydrometer reading from 1.000 to 1.100 - the same as that used for home brewing. From this reading you will be able to see how much sugar the juice contains .and calculate how much to add to raise the gravity to give the amount of alcohol you want to make.

Having done this, the sugar is added (or syrup if this is being used). Dry sugar will have to be dissolved in a little of the juice warmed until the sugar is dissolved. Do not make juice hot otherwise a clearing problem may crop up later on.

Where only a gallon or so is being made and therefore comparatively little sugar being added, this may be dissolved in a little hot water - say half a pint and then added to the juice. This half pint is not likely to reduce the flavor of the juice to any great extent, but because it will reduce slightly the hydrometer reading, another ounce per gallon of juice should be added.

The type of vessel used for fermentation purposes will depend on the amount of cider being made. If ten or so gallons are being made an open barrel will be needed. But if it’s just a gallon or two a two-gallon polythene pail will be ideal - these hold a little over two gallons.

Having produced the juice and added the sugar, the amount you have should be assessed as accurately as possible or measured, for it is at this stage where we must destroy the yeast and bacteria in the juice.

To each gallon crush and dissolve one Campden fruit preserving tablet. Dissolve this in about an egg-cupful of warm water and stir into the bulk. Leave for a few hours, stir vigorously and then add your yeast. This adding of Campden tablets may be carried out before adding the sugar if you wish.

It is now time to add the yeast. A good all-purpose wine yeast is quite suitable, but when these are used, fermentation is rather slower than when one of the vigorous yeasts in granulated form is used. The granulated yeasts do not settle and stick hard to the bottom of bottles as wine yeasts do. But this is not important where a draught cider is being made. Dried wine yeast in tablet form may be started off as a nucleus as directed for reclaiming yeasts from commercial beers. The tablet is put into a small amount of water in which some sugar has been dissolved by boiling. When cool, the tablet is put in; in a few days the yeast will be fermenting. This should be prepared three or four days in advance of preparing the juice. Dried yeast in granulated form may be added as it is, as this usually starts fermenting within a few hours, whereas wine yeasts take several days to get going, and it is important not to leave the juice inactive for this period. Fermentation will be seen as frothing on the surface. After about ten days, the cider is transferred to gallon or two-gallon jars - according to the amount being made. Fermentation locks are then fitted. The use of these is included in the chapter on beer making.

When the lock has been fitted the cider is kept in a warm place until all fermentation has ceased.

This will be draught cider of an alcoholic content according to the amount of sugar used. It will also be dry.

Sweetening this or making it into a sparkling cider has been described in Cider Varieties.

Cider does not improve greatly on keeping. But it should be kept for three months at least. After six months there is never an improvement.

Not quite so easy to make as other sorts; the difference being the same as making draught and gaseous beers. In making sparkling cider one must make a dry cider first and then prime this with sugar as directed under Priming. The bottles for sparkling cider must be the strong screw-stoppered sort. If these are used, the draught, dry cider may be made into sparkling cider quite readily. But as most people want their cider crystal-clear the problem of removing the inevitable yeast deposit that will form in each bottle after priming will arise. As in beer making, if a good sedimentary yeast is used, this will stick to the bottom of the bottles so that all but a little of the cider may be poured off clear. I do not know who first said this, but he was absolutely right when saying: ‘The English drink with their eyes rather than their palate; they will drink anything provided it is crystal clear.’ How true, and how much time and trouble they would save themselves if they were content to drink ciders and other alcoholic drinks with just a haze in them. They will drink fruit juices as cloudy as a muddy puddle, but just because it has been seen to be crystal clear, it now seems that wines, cider, and the pale-colored beers must also be crystal clear. The faint yeast haze found in these drinks sometimes does not mar the flavor, only the appearance. If you cannot tolerate the idea of a yeast deposit in your bottles of cider, you may remove it, but this is not as easy as it sounds; though after some experience it can be done quite effectively.

The primed cider is put into bottles, the stoppers are screwed home and the bottles stood in a cardboard crate upside down. This allows for the yeast to settle on the stoppers of the bottles. A gentle twist from day to day will assist the yeast to slide down the necks so that when the renewed fermentation has ceased after about a week - longer in some cases - all the yeast has settled to about a quarter-inch-thick deposit on the stoppers. The bottles are then held upside down over the sink, the stopper of each is given a twist in the open direction and then back again at once. This action allows the gas to squirt out the deposit. You won’t do it first time, but if you are patient, you will learn to do it with practice.

Freezing is another method, but few have the facility, so there is little point in including details here.

This is the easiest to make because if just enough sugar is added to make the amount of alcohol required, the cider will turn out dry when all the sugar has been used up in producing the necessary alcohol. Therefore, all you need do is to allow fermentation to go on until it ceases and the cider becomes clear. It may then be siphoned off the deposit into bottles or into jars and used as draught cider.

Medium Dry, Medium Sweet or Sweet Cider

These are not really any more difficult to make than dry cider, but it must be borne in mind that to add more sugar at the outset in the hope of leaving some unfermented to sweeten the cider will only result in this extra sugar being converted to alcohol so that the cider becomes a high alcohol dry cider or rather dry apple wine.

As will be seen by those who have read the chapter on mead making (p. 124), up to two and a half pounds of sugar per gallon will be fermented out by the yeast - and this amount will produce 14% of alcohol by volume; much too much for cider. Therefore, the only way to make a medium dry, medium sweet or sweet cider is to add just enough sugar to give the alcohol required and to finish with a dry cider and then sweeten it to taste. But because this sweetening will give rise to further fermentation, we must preserve the cider, or in other words, we must destroy the yeast so that further fermentation cannot take place.

Using Campden fruit preserving tablets for this is the easiest way out of the problem. Having made the dry cider with the amount of alcohol required this will result automatically when the right amount of sugar has been used - so much in the juice and so much added - the amount of cider must be measured after sweetening to taste. To each gallon, crush and dissolve two Campden tablets in a little warmed cider and then stir this into the bulk. Bung down and keep in a cool place. This should be enough to prevent further fermentation, but if after a week or two, the bung blows out of the jar, similar treatment with a further tablet per gallon will be necessary. Keeping in a cool place is a great help in preventing further fermentation. This is because yeast likes warmth - indeed, it must have warmth to ferment well. But a cool atmosphere, the amount of alcohol present in the cider, together with the preserving qualities of the Campden tablets is usually sufficient to prevent further yeast growth.

Like wine and beer making, cider making is on the increase to such an extent that there are now available small cider presses for home operators. Since this can be used also for crushing and pressing large amounts of fruit for making wines it would soon pay for itself. I believe one firm of home wine and home brew supplies, retails an ‘assemble it yourself press’ for about $358.

Where it is planned to make large amounts of cider a press will be an essential, but where just an occasional gallon is to be made, a press - though useful - is not essential. Most home operators ‘knock up’ quite a nice drop of cider without a press and do it very often, merely by making small amounts - two or three gallons frequently - instead of twenty or so. Any apples may be made into a cider of sorts, but for true cider, only true cider apples are suitable and these do not grow in all districts. And, as with wines, the quality of the cider depends on the quality of the apples used. Since weather, soil, situation, the amount of rain or sunshine during the growing and harvesting affects the quality of the apple - mainly in sugar and acid content - it follows that cider made in one year will be better than in another, depending on the weather. Skill and knowledge which can only come from experience will assist amateur cider makers to blend apples and to make allowances for deficiencies of one sort or another. But all this need not bother beginners who will not be so fastidious as to insist on the very best at the first attempt. They will know better than to expect to be able to make a cider to satisfy connoisseurs the first time and will be satisfied with jolly good second-class or ‘everyday’ sort of cider.

Whether cider making is going to be an attractive proposition will depend on whether cider is the favorite drink of the operator or not. There is little point in someone making cider just because this book explains how to do it unless he knows in advance that he likes cider. Not everybody does; I like it sometimes as a long refreshing drink, but I prefer a good commercial or home produced beer. In winter, I drink a lot of my own wines.

As a child I remember the traveling cider press that clanked to a standstill at the gate of my grandfather’s cottage, and I can vaguely recall the urgency with which every local child was commandeered to help collect the apples. And I remember helping him with the pressing, though I cannot remember exactly how it was done. Then there was the transporting of the juice to the converted pig-sty he used for making the juice of the apple into the drink of the countryman. Some pretty good cider came out of that unlikely building, according to stories my late father told me - stories about men with reputations for having cast-iron intestines being flattened by just a couple of pints of ‘old Dad’s’ concoctions.

The principle of cider making today is the same as in my grandfather’s day and is, in fact, the same as it always has been. Cider making can be traced back to before the Norman conquest of this country. Before the first “World War, cider was made in almost every country cottage; every farmer made it for his laborers and in almost all ‘gentleman’s houses’ those nearly forgotten places where the illiterate sons and daughters of the working classes were employed for a pittance, and who, incidentally, had to appear, or actually were, grateful for the opportunity - beer was made on quite a large scale.

When I was very young, one heard of the generosity of the ‘gentry’ who might concede to their under-paid employees drinking half a pint of the cider or beer they had spent hours of sweat-labor to produce for their master. I recall hearing of how one young lad - obviously a budding scoundrel- had drunk the accumulated drips from a barrel of beer. He was dismissed on the spot with the loss of his ten shillings - one month’s wages. And according to remarks at the time, this ‘young criminal’ was fortunate indeed in having such a generous master, for he had lain himself open to a month in jail. But I suspect he escaped this, for the master feared he might be dubbed as mean if he had handed the lad over to the police. Such were the good old days and like a lot of other things from the past, you can keep ‘em. But not beer and cider; we’ll have as much of these as we can make.

There are over twenty million gallons of cider made in factories in this country and probably as much made in odd lots by home operators every year; quite an intoxicating thought. God knows how many apples are needed for that lot!

If cider making were not worthwhile for the amateur, production of commercial cider would double. This may be the reason for the commercial producers making such a variety of splendid ciders and advertising their goods on such a large scale they are doubtless trying to capture the market for that other twenty million gallons. They won’t do it, for not only can the amateur make a worthwhile cider, he can do it for half the price of commercially produced cider. If he grows apples, the cost is reduced by half again - he has only sugar to buy.

Those who live in cider-apple growing districts will know this well enough as those who live in cherry growing areas know well enough, so there is no point in attempting to bring the fact home to them. Those who live in such areas, would do well to find a grower and arrange for buying some of the crop annually. In some areas, growers will express the juice from an amateur cider-maker’s apples for him. In others, a commercial cider producer will often sell juice expressed from the firm’s cider apples to enable an amateur to make his cider with readily expressed juice.
All this being as it may it is not intended to explain how to make cider from readily expressed juice from a commercial press. Anyone with this God-sent facility at his elbow will also have neighbors with a relative working at the cider factory who will be able to tell him more about using the particular juice from the type of apple used than I could hope to. Each firm has a method to suit its particular apple, its retail trade and the people of the areas in which its products are mainly sold. And these will be a lot different to the next factory perhaps at the other end of the county or country.

My aim is to show the novice cider-maker how to use whatever types of apples are available to him. In this way he will make cider - not an imitation of some commercial product - but one peculiar to his particular needs. Furthermore, if he grows apples, he will be able to make a type or variety of cider quite unique. It will still be cider, but far and away different from the commercial product.

There is far too much of trying to ape the commercially produced these days. Wine makers, try to make wine (and do, incidentally) almost identical to commercial products. It’s the same now with beer and will, I expect, be the same later on with cider. But I hope not. And I hope copying the commercial will soon die a natural death.

A number of people will ask why I have said this when obviously if we can make wines and beers as good as commercial products it is a good thing. Up to a point it is a good thing and I for one have copied commercial methods and made wines identical to world-famous commercial products. But in doing so, we forget, or just overlook the fact that in making wines from ingredients found in the field and hedgerow we are making something quite unique compared with commercial products. Our ‘country wines’ while still being basically country wines are now so much like commercial products that they are no longer what they used to be country wines. They are better wines in every respect; higher in alcohol, of perfect clarity, full-bodied most of them, of good bouquet and splendid flavor. But I still feel that there is nothing to compare with the unusualness of the old country wines as I remember them as a youngster. And surely it was this unusualness that made country wines so different from the products we have turned them into. Anybody can go into the nearest pub and buy cider, but he will not be able to buy cider like the stuff he can make himself any more than a true country wine maker could buy a bottle of cowslip wine. So there it is. Copy the commercial and make something you can buy almost anywhere or stick to making something that cannot be bought anywhere or at any price.

Before making cider it should be borne in mind that to make it too strong is to make apple wine. Such would not be drinkable by the pint or half pint, but only by the wine glass. Cider is usually about 8%-9% of alcohol by volume, or around 14-15 degrees proof spirit, and this is plenty. A medium strength wine is only a little above this, so don’t spoil your cider and perhaps temper by making it stronger than this.

The safest means of making sure of not making it too strong is to use a hydrometer. The use of this is explained in the beer-making section. After the juice has been strained from the pulp, and water, if any is used, has been added, the reading is taken using the same kind of hydrometer as that used for beer making. The Specific Gravity and Alcohol Table, is quite suitable for cider. It will be seen from this that a reading of 1.070 will produce a cider of 9.2% of alcohol by volume - approximately 140 proof. This is plenty for cider. Anything stronger would be too strong. Indeed, a reading of 1.060 should be enough. If you want to make just a little drop of something stronger, take a look at the Specific Gravity and Alcohol Table in the chapter on mead making. This covers a wider range because mead is wine, which is, naturally a stronger drink.

It is unlikely that apple juice will contain enough sugar to make the amount of alcohol required, therefore, some will have to be added. Now, suppose you take the reading of the juice and it registers 1.040. You decide you want more alcohol than this figure will give you; all you have to do is to add sugar to give the reading you want which in turn will give the amount of alcohol you require. This will be readily seen by consulting the table already mentioned. Let us suppose you want to raise the gravity by twenty degrees on the hydrometer, all you have to do is to bear in mind that 2% ounces of sugar will raise the gravity of a gallon of juice by five degrees, 5 ounces being needed for 2 gallons, 10 ounces for 4 gallons and so on. Therefore, if you want to raise the gravity by twenty degrees in one gallon, you merely calculate thus: 2% ounces of sugar will raise it by five degrees, so to raise it by twenty, you must add four times 2% ounces - 9 ounces per gallon.

It will be seen then that a cider of any strength may be made merely by increasing the amount of sugar. But as already explained, over-strong ciders should not be the aim of anybody simply because, like beers, cider is for drinking in larger quantities than wines.

The variety of uses for cider in these hors d’oeuvres gives a good introduction to the remarkable versatility of cider in the kitchen. Fresh cider provides the sweetness in Sweet and Sour Plum Wings and a flavorful cooking liquid for Grilled Sausages. semi-dry cider not only balances the vinegar} but gives a subtle apple flavor to an otherwise very traditional Pickled Herring. The addition of dry hard cider to Chicken Liver Pate brings all of the natural flavors in this recipe to their fullest.

Grilled Sausages

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 Polish sausages (or other mildly spiced sausages) cut into ½-inch slices
• ½ teaspoon ground sage
• ½ cup fresh sweet cider

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausage slices and brown lightly on all sides. Stir the sage into the cider and then pour the liquid into the pan. Stir the sausage to cover with liquid and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes} stirring occasionally.

Cool and serve with cooked mustard sauce} following.

Serves 12

Mustard Sauce

• ½ cup dry sweet mustard
• ½ cup cider vinegar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Dash salt
• 1 cup mayonnaise

Place the mustard and vinegar in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, stir well, close and let the mixture stand overnight. Combine the mustard mixture, egg, sugar and salt in the top of a double boiler and cook over medium-high heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Cool the sauce completely and then stir in the mayonnaise.

Makes 2 cups

Once you have discovered the pleasure of fresh and bottled cider by the glass) it is simply a matter of time and curiosity until the satisfaction and enjoyment of cooking with cider becomes apparent. Whether fresh and very sweet or fully fermented and bone dry) cider is one of the most versatile liquids a cook can use. Since most recipes require the addition of some liquid during the cooking process) cider can be used in preparing an entire meal from the first course through dessert.

Cider is an important part of the regional cuisines of France and England. It is an essential element of such classic recipes as tripe a la mode de Caen from Normandy and Devon pork pie, for example. More important) though) is the general use of cider in a wide variety of meat, fowl and seafood dishes. Cider gives its own zest and flavor to many foods that are more often prepared with wine.

In order to simplify the use of cider in the kitchen, we have written recipes for three categories of cider - fresh sweet) semi-dry) or dry hard. Fresh sweet cider is recently pressed, not effervescent, and full of apple flavor. Semi-dry cider is bubbly, mildly alcoholic and fruity, but still fairly sweet. Most of the sweeter bottled ciders fall into the semi-dry category. Dry hard cider is bone dry, relatively alcoholic, not effervescent and rarely fruity when naturally fermented. Only the driest bottled ciders should be considered in this category for cooking.

Sweetness is the primary consideration for successful use of cider in cooking. The natural sugar in fresh cider averages 12 percent, which translates to two cups per gallon or four to six teaspoons per cup. Almost all bottled ciders have some sweetener added during blending. The sweetness of the cider on hand must be consistent with the desired sweetness of cider in a recipe or good food and good cider can be turned into a most unsatisfactory experiment.

Balance in the cider between sweetness and acid is also important to the cook. Most well-made cider, whether fresh or bottled, is high in acid. The sharpness of cider works to enhance the natural flavors in many foods.

Fruitiness is the third quality to consider for the most effective use of cider in the kitchen. Fresh cider often retains an apple flavor throughout the different stages of fermentation. Some bottled ciders also boast a distinctive fruitiness, which to American palates is somewhat bitter and even sour. However, many ciders, both fresh and bottled, have little apple flavor, which is a great advantage when adding cider to yeast breads, for example.

There are several different ways to prepare cider for use in the kitchen. American pioneers, especially the early colonists in New England, often boiled the fresh cider until it became a substance similar to maple syrup. Boiled cider was used to sweeten a great variety of desserts and beverages. It was the essential ingredient in a colonial favorite called boiled cider pie and a major addition to such regional specialities as Boston baked beans.

Since many hours of cooking were required to reach the [roper degree of thickness, boiled cider usually lost much of its natural apple flavor and became somewhat molasses-like from prolonged exposure to heat. A more satisfactory method of concentrating cider today is by freezing.

Fresh cider is mostly water, which means that most of the sugar, acid and flavor is contained in a relatively small amount of liquid. To obtain that concentrate, remove three cups of cider from a gallon of cider and freeze the rest overnight. When the cider is thoroughly fro-

zen} the jug can be opened and placed upside-down in a large bowl. The concentrate will thaw before the water in the cider, and most of it will be in the first five cups of melted liquid. It can be used to make several delicious desserts or can be mixed and blended with other beverages. Cider can be stored for several months in the freezer. Just be sure to thaw it completely and to shake before using so that the concentrate is blended back into the liquid.

Fresh cider can also be pasteurized to maintain a desired level of sweetness, although pasteurization is an inexact science, and results will vary depending on the cleanliness of the cider} the storage temperature, and the length of storage desired. Pour the cider into a sauce pan and heat to from 170 to 175 degrees for thirty seconds to a minute. Pour the hot cider into a bottle, cap} and invert the bottle so that every part of the container has been heated to destroy most of the organisms. Cider may be preserved at higher temperatures} but the flavor will suffer correspondingly.

Ideally, those who are just learning to cook with cider should keep a variety of bottled ciders and fresh ciders at different stages on hand. Fresh cider should be checked regularly so that the cook knows about how much sweetness, flavor and acid the cider contains. A supply of fresh cider gives the cook convenient control over the important characteristics in a fermenting gallon of fresh cider. Cider that has become too dry} for example, can be sweetened by simply adding a small amount of fresh cider.

Fresh cider not only allows the cook to control the quality and characteristics that are most important for cooking, but is generally much less expensive than bottled cider. But whether you cook with cider that is naturally fermented, or processed and bottled, we hope that you will find the results as tasty and worthwhile as we have.

Bottled cider, with its pleasant effervescence and mild alcoholic content, is now widely available in major cities throughout North America as we had anticipated when that first tasting was organized last fall. Americans are greeting bottled cider with the same enthusiasm that has been shown for fresh cider during the past ten years. Cider is now a feature in many wine shops and restaurants) as well as in stores that specialize in wholesome foods.

All ciders) both bottled and fresh) not only originate from the same natural source but share certain other characteristics as well. As you learn to identify and appreciate these qualities) you will not only find great enjoyment in tasting different kinds of cider - both imported and domestic - but will develop a palate for cider that will guide you reliably in future buying.

Some of the qualities that are usually sought in good wine are also descriptive of bottled cider. For example: flavor) body) and balance between acid and sugar. Many basic elements of good wine are found in most ciders) even though cider is generally blended for uniformity and) unlike wine) does not improve with bottle age. Although the elements of character) style and substance are rarely as complex or sophisticated in cider as they are in wine) their existence gives a basis for comparison among ciders as well as a terminology familiar to wine lovers who have turned their interest to cider.

A comparative tasting of bottled ciders is both an enjoyable and instructive experience. There need be no mandatory protocol with respect to number of participants or varieties of cider. Scoring tended to be somewhat arbitrary and superfluous in our experience at several tastings last year. It is more helpful to simply make notes with certain specific characteristics in mind and then record an overall general impression. Discussion among tasters proved to be very helpful as well.

The most easily identified characteristic of bottled cider is the belance between sweetness and acidity. In certain parts of Canada) bottled cider is likely to be minimally sweet because much Canadian cider is produced in Ontario and Quebec, where the French influence affects cider. In the United States) however) most bottled cider - especially that imported from western Canada) England and France - is moderately to markedly sweet. The drier varieties are noticeably absent in most retail outlets in the U.S. in part because those ciders are in great demand in their countries of origin and there is little available for export; also) the marketing specialists at the large European cider-makers assume that Coca-Cola-weaned residents of the U.S. prefer sweet drinks. As a result, the cider that you may have enjoyed on a trip to France, for example, may be quite different than the cider sold underthe same label at your local wine shop in the U.S.

The sweetness of bottled cider should be balanced with some acidity, and often is, especially in the more carefully made labels. The bitterness of tannin, present in the English apples grown and pressed strictly for cider, provides another aspect of balance in certain imported ciders as well.

Flavor or fruitiness is very desirable in bottled cider. This quality varies considerably from ciders with distinct apple character to those with absolutely no hint of any natural origin whatsoever. As an aspect of flavor, the aftertaste of any cider should always be smooth and pleasant. Any rough, chemical or oxidized flavor is simply unacceptable.

Color and aroma give important indications of the care with which the cider was made. Good bottled cider ranges in color from light amber to pale straw. Browning is undesirable because it indicates that oxidation occurred during crushing and pressing. Well-made cider has a definite, usually faint, aroma of fruit. Any foul or off-odors are the result of careless production.

Body is a measure of the blending process that most ciders undergo.

Some ciders are blended by mixing together ciders produced from different batches of apples. This results in a product with a pleasant, full body. A less than satisfying product - with a too-thin body - can and often does result in cider to which excess water has been added before bottling.

Effervescence is characteristic of many bottled ciders. The bubbliness in most ciders is created just before or during bottling by artificial carbonation and is noted on the label with the wine terms petillsm, mousseux or sparkling. Bottle-fermented cider made in the manner and style of champagne boasts natural carbonation.

As we tasted and compared bottled ciders at several different sessions, we looked for some balance, pleasant flavor, good color, and fragrant aroma. Full body and moderate effervescence were also desirable. As notes were made and discussion flourished around the table, though, the most useful rating came under the heading of overall impression. The best descriptions of certain ciders became more poetic than analytical.

Although there was never any unanimous agreement on a single favorite, nearly every taster left the gathering with a preference, as well as a label or two to be avoided in the future. Cider seems to fall into several different styles, some of which were more attractive to certain tasters than others. Interestingly, a cider’s style is often a clue to its nationality. In general, the French ciders are light and very fruity, moderately effervescent and somewhat sweet. The English ciders are often full in body and flavor and are well-balanced. Canadian cider tends to be lighter and often sweeter than the cider from Europe. Although there are several brands of domestic cider sold in the United States, we were only able to locate one for our tastings. That bottle-fermented cider was particularly dry, fruity and flavorful, and was greatly enjoyed by all of its tasters.

The other major cider-producing country of Europe is France. Much of the cider made at cider mills throughout the countryside in Normandy is turned into Calvados, the fiery brandy that is traditionally consumed after rich rrieals as a digestive aid. Calvados is relatively unknown outside of France, especially in comparison to the brandies made from grapes, Cognac and Armagnac. It is available in America in small quantities and is eagerly sought by connoisseurs who especially value its fruity aroma and faint apple aftertaste.

Under French law, only the apple brandy made in particular areas of Normandy can be labelled and sold as Calvados. It must be slowly aged in oak casks and approved, batch by batch, by a licensed tasting panel.

Calvados is not only an excellent sipping liqueur, but very useful in the kitchen as well. A Norman version of the traditional Burgundian coq au vin takes on a lively fruitiness with the addition of Calvados to the preparation. Another classic use for Calvados is in a light and frothy dessert souffle.

We had some firsthand experience with Calvados and Normandy cider several years ago} and like most American travellers to France} we came home in search of those “liquid apples” with little success. Fortunately, cider and Calvados are now more readily available and the nostalgic traveller can relive fond memories in the kitchen at home, as we have done.

We had spent two extraordinary weeks in Paris as the guests of an American friend who had been living in the city for several years. She was eager to show us France as few tourists have an opportunity to experience it. We spent the mornings of our days at national monuments like the Louvre and Notre Dame, and then met for lunch at a different brasserie or cafe every day, and a second establishment for dinner, until we had covered virtually every quarter of the city.

This gastronomical tour took us far beyond the culinary boundaries of Paris and even of the country itself. Parisian immigrants from all over the world seemed to bring the best of their native cuisine to their adopted city, and the local markets responded remarkably with the necessary ingredients. In discovering Paris with our palates, we also tasted the cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, Spain, Lebanon, Syria and even Russia and China.

Our hostess suggested that we spend our last weekend in France in a small seaside village in Normandy called Honfleur. She knew a small dockside pension in this community of fishermen and sailors that would serve us the very best Norman treatment of the daily catch. And then it was only a matter of climbing a small flight of stairs to a bed overlooking the harbor.

Perhaps more than in any other single region of France, the delectable cuisine of Normandy has evolved from foods grown and gathered locally. Norman cattle are grown not only for their well-marbled, tender meat, but also for some of the most flavorful, richest cream in Europe. One result of the abundance of cream is a corresponding abundance of cream sauces in many regional specialities.

Apples, cider and Calvados are also essential in the Norman preparation of food. Cider is used freely in sauces and poaching liquids. Calvados is also used with a liberal hand in the kitchen and is served routinely at the close of a large meal. We went to Normandy that weekend with great expectations of delicious cuisine and were treated to cider, Calvados, fresh cream and fresh fish in a manner and quantity that far exceeded our hopes.

Several hundred fishing boats were moored securely in Honfleur’s harbor on the afternoon we arrived. Their day’s work was completed, if in fact they had ventured out at all. Fishermen often sat out the cold, rainy January days in local cafes. We parked our car on the main street which ran along the harbor and got out to explore on foot. There was laughter drifting into the street from the closest cafe and we decided to investigate.

The bar was lined with friendly faces who spoke as little English as we did French. It didn’t seem to matter much to anyone though, as we ordered two of the small glasses filled with Calvados that almost everyone else was drinking. While most of the patrons sipped slowly on their drinks, one brave soul opened his mouth as wide as he could, tilted his head back and tossed the entire contents of the glass into his throat with one graceful motion. As he swallowed and drew a deep breath, a cheer went up from his companions and the woman behind the bar leaned over to fill his glass again.

We finished our drinks and headed into the street in search of the pension. It was dark and our dinner reservation was for 6:30. A very small sign above the door of a narrow, four-story building identified it as our destination and a friendly large woman greeted us at the door. She spoke no English, she declared immediately in French, and understood very little. Our French got us upstairs to our room and aware of her admonition to be prompt for dinner.

Although our friend in Paris had advised us of the quantity of food we would be served at every course we were still unprepared for the largesse and culinary extravagance that was set before us. There were a dozen other diners, mostly local residents who ate regularly at this “simple” restaurant. The owner remained in the dining area through much of the meal, assisting the two young men who were serving and making sure that all of the diners were thoroughly satisfied.

Shortly after we were seated, a large pitcher of cider and two glasses were placed on the table. This was customary in restaurants throughout the region, we were told. The light, fruity cider was an excellent accompaniment to the entire meal, especially the poached sole served with a rich and flavorful cream sauce and the veal chops baked in a delicious and slightly piquant brown sauce. Both entrees were prepared, we learned later, with cider-based sauces, and Calvados was added to the sauce for the veal.
After the entrees we were offered a glass of Calvados, which is the traditional method in Normandy for dividing a long meal into two more moderate repasts. The trou normand, or Norman hole, is intended not only to interrupt the progress of the meat but to create a hole in the stomach so that the diners can continue to eat even more.

We left Honfleur after two more days of glorious feasting and returned to Paris to catch a flight home. It had been a magical two weeks, given almost entirely to eating and drinking and making new discoveries. Of all the new discoveries, none was more memorable than cider.

One evening last fall, nearly a dozen of us sat around a large table, well supplied with wine glasses, scoresheets and pens, and spent several hours systematically tasting the alcoholic contents of one tall thin bottle after another. An unexpected visitor would probably have thought that we were tasting wine. But although the bottles had been purchased from local wine shops, they were filled with cider. We were tasting a variety of locally available bottled ciders, most of which had been imported from England, Canada and France.

We were all somewhat knowledgeable about wine, which gave us some preliminary understanding of the ciders. It was apparent that although bottled cider and wine share certain similar characteristics, cider has its own distinct charm.

The evening passed quickly as each taster worked intently to judge and evaluate the different ciders. Finally the scoresheets, which had been filled with cryptic notes and numbers, were handed in for tally. As we said goodnight, someone predicted that bottled cider would become as popular in America as it is in England and France.

The production and enjoyment of cider is a centuries-old tradition throughout the apple-growing regions of France, England, Spain and other countries of western Europe. It is a tradition steeped in folklore and custom, and it has spawned nearly as many stories and legends as enthusiasts for one of the world’s oldest beverages.

In England it is said that Joseph of Arimathea came to Glastonbury in Somerset to found a center of Christianity in the years following the death of Christ. Glastonbury was known in Arthurian times as Avalon, which means the isle of apples. Joseph was said to have eaten apples at Glastonbury and then spat the seeds into Somerset. Cider-apple trees sprang from the ground as a result and created the vast orchards that grow today in Hereford, Somerset and Devon.

English villagers in Somerset still practice the traditional ritual of apple wassailing, which is supposed to ensure a bountiful crop. On January 6, Twelfth Night, they gather around the largest tree in the orchard, drink to its health, and pour cider over its roots. Then everyone joins hands and dances around the tree while some blast shotguns in the air to scare evil spirits away. Pieces of cider-soaked bread are tied to the tree’s branches as an offering to robins, the good spirits of the tree.

There are nearly 300 different varieties of cider apples growing in England today, some of which are descendants of ancient trees first planted by the Romans. Most have picturesque names like Slack-MyGirdle, Lady’s Finger, Cats’ Heads, and Sheep’s Nose. Their juice produces the bittersweet flavor characteristic of English cider. These apples are sour, bitter and coarse by the standards for most table or eating apples, but they are the absolutely essential raw material for proper English cider.

Thee juice from those apples is so essential to cider that H.P. Bulmer Ltd., the largest producer by volume of cider in the world, exports it in concentrated form to its plants in other countries, including a large operation located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia, which was opened in 1969.

Thee concentrate is shipped halfway around the world and reconstituted and blended with fresh juice from apples grown in Tasmania and other parts of Australia. A typical batch of cider from Bulmer! Australia is 40 percent from apple concentrate pressed at the orchards near the main plant in Hereford, England. The blended juice is inoculated with a special wine yeast which has been isolated and kept pure for almost a hundred years.

Then the cider ferments for several weeks in huge 10,000 and 20,000 gallon tanks which, following Herefordshire tradition at the original cider works, are named for towns or people involved in the long history of the firm. The large tanks are called Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Koala, Kanza and Credenhill and the smaller ones are labelled Patrick, James Cook and David, for example.

Each tank ferments at a slightly different rate which is controlled by the surrounding temperature as the tanks are not refrigerated. Once fermentation is completed, the cider is allowed to settle and siphoned off to rest. After some days it goes into a centrifuge for clarification and then is passed through a diatomaceous-earth filter and finally through a filter of special paper. 111en the cider is ready for blending.

The cider is blended with water to create an alcohol content that depends on the label under which it will be sold. Carbonation also varies according to the label and is done as the cider is bottled. The bottles are filled at the rate of eight hundred gallons an hour and are pasteurized briefly before they are labeled and put into cases for shipping.

The original Bulmer cider works in Hereford began operation in 1888. Four thousand gallons of cider were made that year in a rented warehouse by Percy Bulmer, an enterprising twenty-year-old. His brother soon joined the successful business and by 1911, the Bulmers were granted a Royal Warrant, making them the official cidermakers for the British royal family.

Cider making in Hereford usually begins by mid- September and goes full tilt through October and November. The cider works uses apples from its thousands of acres of orchards, and buys still more from independent local growers. The apples are shaken from the trees and delivered to the cider mill where they are washed several times, ground to a fine pulp and pressed. The juice is stored in settling vats and then pumped into other vats for fermentation, which usually takes about three or four weeks. The storage vats, named for countries, planets, and even birds, store 15 million gallons of cider at one time. The largest tank is named Strongbow and holds 1,650,000 gallons of cider.

It is a fifteen-minute drive from the Vashon Island ferry dock to the 250-acre farm called Wax Orchards. Seattle is just a short ferry ride away, but the island’s remaining forests and well-fenced pastures have an air of timeless tranquility that belies their urban proximity. It is a perfect setting for the largest fresh cider mill in the Pacific Northwest.

Cider is only the most recent product of Wax Orchards, an enterprise that began in 1929 when August and Johanna Wax came to the island from a farming community just south of Seattle with a mind to raise pie cherries. They bought a large tract of land that had been logged once, cleared away the second-growth timber and logging debris, and planted Montmorency cherry trees. They enjoyed decades of successful cherry harvests and planted several acres of peach trees as well. The next logical addition to the orchardists’ acreage was apples. Another thirty acres went into apple trees of many different varieties.

The Waxes discovered that unlike cherries and peaches, which brought a good return, their apples found little or no market as table fruit. Rainy western Washington simply would not produce the picture-book fruit grown just across the Cascade Mountains in the irrigated orchards of the Yakima Valley. They could barely meet expenses with their Gravenstein, Golden Delicious, and Stayman apples, which were juicy and delicious, but small and irregular by eastern Washington standards.

Cider seemed to be an obvious use for the unsold apples and a large old wine press was put into use. Neighbors and friends were the first customers, but as the word spread, demand for the cider far outstripped the supply.

Then in 1970, the family got an unexpected prod from nature when a severe hailstorm damaged most of that season’s apples. Faced with a bruised apple crop that could only be saved by making cider, and a press which produced only a few gallonsat a time, the cidermakers decided to mechanize the process. A simple fifteen-ton press and a mill for grinding the apples were built to increase production capability. Almost 8,000 U.S. gallons of cider were pressed and sold that year. Not a single good apple grown at Wax Orchards has escaped the cider jug since.

Visitors to Wax Orchards park their cars next to the comfortable two-story farmhouse and walk a few hundred feet out to the cannery building where, on almost any day of the week, cider making is in progress.

Five or six people are hard at work in an 11,000-square-foot cement block building which was constructed as a cannery for the cherries and peaches. The workers are warmly dressed in order to remain comfortable in the unheated structure.

The roar of the machinery makes conversation almost impossible even at the opposite end of the cannery. A strong fruity smell of apples pervades the air. Visitors are advised to wear boots because on pressing days the concrete floor of the cannery is usually wet. Both the cold and dampness can be escaped inside a small office, where a woodstove is usually burning and a pot of hot cider sits ready to be poured.

Several dozen big bins of apples sit near a large loading dock, some inside the building and others on the ground. Each bin holds half a ton of fruit. In the fall, the bins are full of apples harvested from the farm’s orchards by neighbor kids and migrant pickers. Many of these red, green and yellow apples have simply fallen, as apples will when they are fully ripened and ready for the cider press. Others have been picked up from the ground after the tree has been lightly shaken.

The full bins are hauled from the orchard on a trailer which has been especially designed to run behind a large farm tractor. The tractor can move ten bins at once and can bring much of the daily harvest to the cannery in two or three trips.

A single bin is positioned on a hydraulic lift which tilts gradually until the apples begin to spill out onto a scrubber and then into a hopper filled with water. A worker is on hand to keep an even stream of apples flowing into the bath and to see that all the apples are thorough. lywashed.

The apples are pushed toward a paddle wheel by several jets of water at the far end of the bath. The paddle wheel guides the apples onto a conveyor which moves them slowly past more jets and up to another worker. The apples are carefully inspected for spoilage, and any bad parts are removed or the whole fruit discarded if necessary. This stream of apples flows steadily under the worker’s watchful eye into a mill where it is ground to the consistency of applesauce. Fine grinding reduces oxidation and also allows the maximum amount of cider to be released from the pulp when it is pressed.
The pomace, as the ground apples are called, plops into fifty-five gallon steel drums with plastic liners. Each barrel is labeled by the variety of apple that it holds. Some of the pomace heads directly for the press and the rest is stored in a freezer for use during the weeks and months ahead. By freezing freshly ground apple pulp for later use, Wax Orchards is able to make fresh cider throughout the year.

The juice of three to six different varieties of apples is carefully blended for Wax Orchards cider. Sweet and tart apples are always combined to create a balanced and full-bodied product. The formula demands 40 to 50 percent juice from tart apples. A consistent balance is maintained throughout the year by using pomace stored in the freezer. Most cider mills do not have this capability and must make cider strictly from available apples, whose sweetness can vary substantially according to the variety and the time of year.

When enough barrels have been filled with different varieties of apple pulp, the press is put into action. The press operator stacks several oak racks and forms in a large stainless steel tray designed to hold the cider as it is pressed from the pulp. Each form is lined with a coarsely woven nylon cloth, which is laid in place carefully to keep it smooth and straight. Several buckets of pomace are poured onto the cloth, then the corners are folded and the form is removed. A rack is placed on top of the so-called cheese, another form is put in place, and the process is repeated.

When the press operator is finished there will be ten to twelve cheeses in the stack. The weight of the cheeses on top causes liquid to run freely from those on the bottom of the pile and the metal tray fills quickly with cider before the press is even started. The presser pushes the loaded stack under the press, flips a switch and 30,000 pounds of pressure are gradually applied to the apple pulp by a hydraulic system.

As the cider cascades from the pomace, a pump is started which carries the liquid through a clear plastic tube to the cooling tanks, which are located on a platform above the bottling area. As many as ninety gallons of cider will be collected from a single pressing.

The cider passes through a fine screen mesh to strain any stray pieces of pulp from the liquid and then flows into a holding tank where it is quickly chilled and stored at 33 degrees Fahrenheit. It passes through a second screen en route to a dairy-style filling machine which fills and caps quart, half-gallon and gallon plastic bottles. The jugs are stored at just above freezing until the next day when they are delivered by refrigerated truck to nearly two hundred retail and restaurant accounts in the Puget Sound area.

Variations of the activity at Wax Orchards can be found in communities across the United States. Some East Coast cider mills have been in business for several generations. Others, like Wax Orchards, have opened their doors more recently in response to the public demand for fresh cider.

All successful cider making follows several general rules, whether the press is a neighborhood gathering place or the center of a large commercial operation. When the basic rules are followed, good results are assured.

Only whole, firm and properly ripened apples should be used in the production of cider. An apple that is ready to fall from the tree will be at its peak of juiciness and natural sugar. Windfalls should be examined carefully} however. Apples that are soiled or rotten will make cider that is foul and rough.

Good cider is blended from several different types of apples. Certain varieties of apples have special characteristics that work together to make a fully balanced and flavorful Cider. Jonathan and Winesap apples} for example} are rather tart} and Gravensteins are very juicy. Others} such as Red Delicious} 20 Ounce} and Stayman, add body to the blend.

Sugar} acidity and juiciness are the important characteristics of good cider apples. Although backyard cider-makers usually press only those apples that are readily available} commercial producers often blend the earlier apples of summer} which are usually tart} with the later} sweeter varieties to blend a balanced cider.

The use of sound ripe apples of different varieties} and most important, cleanliness at every step during the process} insures good fresh cider. The fruit must be washed very thoroughly to remove the dust and residue deposited on the apples during the summer. Whether the equipment is a small hand cranked chipper and press or a large and efficient electrically powered machine} it must be scrubbed and rinsed carefully before and after it is used. A gallon of fresh sweet cider requires not only eleven to fourteen pounds of apples but several gallons of wash water as well.

Fresh cider will remain in its sweet full-bodied state for ten days to several weeks if it is stored at 38 degrees or less} which is the average temperature of a properly functioning kitchen refrigerator. The cool temperature postpones but does not prevent the natural fermentation process. Once this process begins} cider becomes a number of different beverages} tasty by the glass and amazingly useful in the kitchen.

Each jug of cider will move at its own individual rate into a semi-dry state according to its balance of sugar} acid and yeast. Yeasts that give the best flavor to fermenting cider are encouraged to grow at temperatures of 40 degrees or less. Those that give the rough and strong taste often associated with fermenting cider are discouraged by cool temperatures. While the 40•degree guideline for proper storage does not guarantee successful fermentation every time} clean cider that is carefully made and treated well will rarely just “go bad.”

Lower storage temperature not only favors the better flavored yeasts, but also slows the rate at which the natural sugar is turned into alcohol. A slower fermentation process results in smoother and more flavorful semi-dry and dry hard cider.

Fresh cider should be exposed to air as little as possible. Contact with oxygen eventually turns fermenting cider into acetic acid or vinegar, although this may not happen for three or four months. A container of fermenting cider should have its cap slightly loosened to permit carbon dioxide to escape, but care should be taken that the caps are barely rather than very loose.

The first stage of natural fermentation, semi-dry, seems to be the favorite among those who appreciate fresh cider as a beverage. The cider is usually quite effervescent as a result of the fermentation process, and noticeably drier than when it was first pressed. Alcohol content is slight, usually no more than 3 percent, but the flavor and fruitiness of the cider is usually substantial.

The second, or dry hard) stage of fermentation often takes weeks of storage in cool temperatures. Dry hard cider is bone dry and 6 or 7 percent alcohol, since all of the natural sugar has been changed by the yeasts into alcohol. Dry hard cider is naturally quite clear and if stored for weeks after the fermentation is complete, it will become completely clear as the minute particles of apple pulp sink to the bottom of the jug. Some fruitiness may be evident in certain ciders at this stage, but most have virtually no apple flavor. Effervescence also disappears when full fermentation is finally reached.

Naturally fermented dry hard cider, which was served daily on country tables from colonial times until the early years of this century in the United States, is almost unknown as a table beverage today. Since naturally fully fermented cider is not a commercial product, only those who press or buy fresh cider and then commit the time and storage space for proper fermentation will be able to enjoy it at all. Those cider-makers are rewarded, however, with more than just a refreshing drink. Naturally fermented cider is exempt from the federal tax regulations which apply to large quantities of homemade wine and beer.

But even a profitable tax break isn’t really enough incentive to inspire potential retailers of naturally fermented hard cider. First of all, space-consuming refrigeration is required to prevent the cider from spoiling or fermenting too quickly. Even with proper refrigeration, the relatively low alcohol content of the beverage makes it difficult to keep for more than a short period of time.

Although it is impractical for most of us to make naturally fermented cider in great quantity, it is both effortless and most rewarding to buy a gallon or two of fresh cider, leave it in the kitchen refrigerator to ferment for a few weeks, and then put it to use, as we would wine, in the kitchen.

The sweetness of different bottled ciders varies almost as greatly as the alcohol content. Since most bottled cider has sugar added during the fermentation process to establish sufficient alcohol content to prevent spoilage) there will occasionally be some residual sugar in the finished product. More frequently though) the cider has its sweetener added in the blending process just before bottling. Some ciders are left in a dry) more natural state.

European ciders are made from particularly tart and coarse apples grown especially for cider making. These apples give a distinctively sharp and sometimes bitter taste to the cider that results. Bottled cider made in Canada and the United States begins with juice pressed from the culls of table apples. In Australia, one large cider-maker blends a concentrate pressed from English apples with locally grown apples for a milder yet definitely Old World taste.

World production of bottled cider exceeds 140 million gallons (U.S. measure) a year. Cider is the table drink of the apple-growing regions throughout western Europe. The popularity of cider there is historic and involves considerable tradition and lore. Barrels of cider sit next to barrels of stout, ale and beer in pubs throughout Devon, Somerset and Cornwall in England. A carafe of cider is often served on dinner tables in Normandy and Brittany, as wine is found elsewhere in France. Asturias on the coast of northern Spain counts cider as its significant contribution to Spanish cuisine.

While some Europeans and Canadians might sit down to meals with bottled cider, Americans are more likely to serve fresh sweet cider directly from the press. Let’s take a look at the production of fresh cider at a large cider mill in the Pacific Northwest, and then journey to France and on to Australia for a look at cider abroad.

When most of us think about apple cider, visions of crisp fall days, trees burdened with red sun-ripened fruit, and roadside stands stacked with jugs of golden liquid corne to mind. This is the cider of autumn, the drink that is traditionally served to the hordes of thirsty children who knock expectantly on neighborhood doors in search of an annual Halloween treat. For skiers and football fans, it’s hot cider with a shot of rum, to take the chill off a windy afternoon. And in reo cent years, cider has become the beverage of choice for those who favor wholesome natural food and drink.

In fact, we are probably more likely to agree on our feelings about cider than on the nature of the drink itself. Even the basic definition of fresh cider causes some disagreement. The one that we prefer is perhaps the most simple.

Fresh sweet cider is the natural liquid that is released or expressed by pressing finely chopped or ground fruit. Although apples are the most common fruit from which cider is made, pears and sweet cherries are often pressed for cider as well. That liquid is fresh cider as long as it remains in its natural state and is not sweetened, preserved, clarified or otherwise altered. As the natural fermentation process runs its course, the cider remains cider at every step of the way.

Fresh sweet cider is converted into what is commonly labeled and sold as apple juice by pasteurizing and the addition of preservatives that stop the fermentation process for a month or longer. Apple juice can also be made by pasteurizing clarified cider at 195 degrees Fahrenheit for one minute. These procedures produce a liquid with relatively long shelf life and no other significant advantages. Apple juice is a cider derivative with very little resemblance to its source in intensity or general quality of flavor. Even though some producers label apple juice as cider, especially during the fall, apple juice is simply not cider.

Fresh apple cider is always (sometimes very) sweet in taste, amber to golden in color, opaque in appearance, aromatic in odor and entirely non-alcoholic. However, this description only strictly applies to the first hours (or days when refrigerated) of the beverage’s life. Fresh ape ple cider is a lively and occasionally volatile liquid that can change many aspects of its distinctive character practically overnight.

As fresh cider is separated from the ground pulp of the apple with a machine-powered or hand-operated press, wild yeasts that are naturally present on the skin of the fruit are swept along into the liquid. These yeasts begin to change the natural sugar in the liquid into alcohol. The natural fermentation process is most often described as turning, working or hardening.

Cider ferments very rapidly and sometimes even violently at temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The process is more leisurely and the results much smoother when the temperature around the working cider is 40 degrees or less. As fermentation converts the sugar into alcohol and the solid particles slowly settle, the sweetness begins to subside and the cider appears clearer and lighter in color.

The beverage that results from the natural fermentation process is the cider of pioneer North America, produced in great quantities wherever farmers had apples. Our forefathers were proud of their cider production and they eagerly anticipated a good annual supply. The mildly alcoholic beverage was not only a pleasure to drink, but ale so a most convenient and easy means of preserving the usually bountiful apple harvest.

Even those who relish the clean refreshing taste of fresh cider often misunderstand the complexities of the beverage in its different stages of natural fermentation. The prevailing confusion, found today from coast to coast in much of the United States) is partly the result of political turmoil) as well as a decided shift in national flavor preferences.

Naturally fermented “hard” cider was a staple of life in the United States from the earliest colonial times until the mid-19th century temperance campaigns that resulted in the destruction of thousands of acres of apple orchards. By the turn of the century) hard cider had all but disappeared from the national diet. The return now of fresh sweet cider to the nation’s tables and kitchens has brought wide acceptance for the beverage in its sweet state) but many of the most enthusiastic cider lovers mistakenly consider the beverage spoiled as soon as fermentation begins. As a result) unfortunately) tasty) good cider is often thrown away.

The cider of the pioneers was not unlike what is now produced for the commercial market in Canada and Australia, as well as in England, France and other countries in Western Europe. Bottled cider is a clear and usually straw-colored liquid which is effervescent in character and often somewhat fruity in taste. Bottled ciders are, in fact) apple wines with a wide variety of alcohol content. The heady cider known as scrumpy, sold from barrels in pubs throughout Devon and Somerset in England) runs as high as 10 percent, but most bottled ciders are a more modest 3 to 6 percent alcohol.

American winemakers are beginning to show great interest in bottled cider, and those with easy access to good cider apples are making cider with great success. The size of their production keeps the market strictly local, but the popularity of bottled cider has encouraged these winemakers to keep the cider coming.