Cider Tasting #1
Upcoming Cider Events
• August 30th 2015 – Cider Balancing and Blending Workshop @ The
Homebrewer
• September 19th 2015 – Cider Fest L.A. (Volunteer or Tickets for 25% Off)
• (TBD) October 2015 – Cider Workshop
NOTE: Please follow-up after this presentation on QUAFF list to let me know the
good, bad, and ugly.
This input will help me and QUAFF to always bring you and San Diego the best!
Cider Fest LA
• Cider Houses – Ireland, England, Local CA, Spanish Sidra, Canada, New
England, Ice Ciders, and Cysers.
• Meaderies – Golden Coast (Frank), Hi-Wheel, SF Mead Co, and Moonlight.
• Breweries – The Bruery, Eagle Rock, Monkish, Noble, Phantom Carriage,
and MacLeod Ale
• Volunteers Needed
• Tickets for 25% OFF
CiderFestLA.com
Info and Tickets
How About Them Apples?
Exploring Craft CiderBrian Trout
QUAFF at Karl Strauss
Tuesday, August 25th 2015
Who Am I? Why Should I Speak?Silver Medal for Sour Ales - 2015 NHC Final Round
Gold Medal for Belgian and French Ales - Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing XVII (MCAB)
Bronze Medal for Stong Ale - MCAB XVII
First Place for Sour Ales - 2015 NHC First Round
Second Place for Spice Herb Vegertable - 2015 NHC First Round
Second Place for Dark Lagers - 2015 NHC First Round
“Muchas Grazias” Pro Collaboration Blending & Cellarwork Mike Hess Brewing - 2015
“Sir Maxwell Mild” 3 Different Ways Pro Brew Home Brew Co. - 2015
Mike Hess Brewing 4th Anniversary VIP Cask Collaboration - 2014 (Pro Brew Cask Project) “Muchas Grazias”
Homebrewer Of The Year - 2011/2012 & 2014 QuAFF
Brewing Machine (Most Winning Brewer) - 2014 & 2015 America’s Finest City Homebrew (AFC) Competition
Best of Show Mead/Cider - 2013 & 2015 AFC
Gold for Dark Lager - 2015 AFC
Gold for Other Mead - 2015 AFC
Silver for Sour Ale - 2015 AFC
Bronze for Spice, Herb & Vegetable - 2015 AFC
Bronze for European Amber Lager- 2015 AFC
Bronze for Strong Ale - 2015 AFC
Silver Best of Show for Saison - 2014 Society of Barley Engineers Homebrew Competition (SBEHC)
Gold for Belgian and French - 2014 SBEHC
Silver for Bock - 2014 SBEHC
Gold for Strong Ale and Old Ale - 2014 Mayfaire • Gold for Bock - 2014 Mayfaire
Gold for Cider - 2014 Mayfaire
Silver for Cider - 2014 Mayfaire
Bronze for Mead - 2014 Mayfaire
First Place Regional - 2014 AHA NHC
Gold for Belgian & French Ale - 2014 AFC
Gold for Strong Ale - 2014 AFC
Gold for Amber Hybrid Beer - 2014 AFC
Gold for Bock Lager - 2014 AFC
Silver for Standard Cider & Perry - 2014 AFC
Bronze for European Amber Lager - 2014 AFC
Gold for Standard Cider & Perry - 2013 AFC
Gold for Specialty Cider & Perry - 2013 AFC
Bronze for English Brown Ale- 2013 AFC
Bronze for Spice, Herb, & Vegetable - 2013 AFC
Silver for English Brown Ale - MCAB XV
Gold for English Brown Ale - 2012 AFC
Bronze for Bock Lager- 2012 AFC
Third Place for Milk Stout in Stout Competiotion - Oktoberfest V University City 2013
First Place for Spice, Herb, & Vegetable - 2013 AHA National Homebrew Competition (NHC) First Round
First Place for Standard Cider & Perry - 2013 AHA NHC First Round
Second Place for Specialty Cider & Perry - 2013 AHA NHC First Round
Third Place for European Amber Lager - 2013 AHA NHC First Round
Third Place for Stout - 2012 San Diego County Fair
Forth Place for Amber Hybrid - 2012 San Diego County Fair
Brooks Dry Cider
• Medium Sweetness – It says Dry.-1.010fg
• Petilant
• 6.0% ABV
• Common American with English Influence
• Bouquet? Flavor? Appearance?
Mouthfeel? Anything unique?
Born in California but raised in England,
Brooks Dry is a west coast interpretation
of the drier ciders popular overseas. This
isn’t a sweet alcopop you’ll often find in the
US but a well-crafted, perfectly balanced
cider. We only use 100% apple juice (no
juice concentrates or essences here)
fermented in Napa with champagne yeast.
It’s crisp and light with a mighty good bite.
Crap Cider vs. Craft CiderMarketing $$$$ vs. Craft
• We’ve heard, “I don’t like cider.” “Cider is a girls’ drink.” “Cider is too sweet.”
• Crap Cider Cloyingly Sweet - 24grams of sugar per serving? 2 apples in every bottle?
• Flabby. Dull. Lifeless. Or one cider with many kinds due to flavorings.
• Craft Cider Connects us with History. - England, Spain, France, Colonist, Pioneers.
• Extremely food friendly. Burgers, Seafood, Steak, BBQ, Eggs, Cheese, Charcuterie.
• Crisp & Refreshing, Complex and Nuanced. Acids, Tannins, Funk, and Salinity &
Minerals?
• Gluten-Free
• It tends to get you schnockered quicker. Alcohol % is often very deceptive.
• Fermentation is usually long, slow, and cool. Wild fermentations. MLF.
Cider Tasting #2
History - Cider Is Wine• Origin of the apple - valleys and rugged
foothills of Tien Shan Mountains NW
China and Kirghizstan. AlmaAta means
“Father of Apples”.
• Wild apples were depicted Paleolithic
cave art 35,000 – 8,000 B.C.E. Asia and
Europe.
• Carbonized remains of apples were
found Anatolia 6,500 B.C.E. and
Neolithic lake settlement Switzerland
and Italy 2,000 – 1,600 B.C.E.
• “Ova ad malum” Roman.
• Approx.1304 seventy-four out of eighty parishes in West
Sussex were paying tithes in cider.
• 1902 France producing around 647 million gallons
“commercially.”
• Farm to Factory = Industrial Revolution. “Devonshire
Colic” Lead + Acid
• George Washington, John Adams, Johnny “Appleseed”
Chapman, Harrison & Tyler
• Temperance, Cider Palsy, Brutal Winters, Prohibition
Cider – A Drink Rich In History
2012 – 90%, 2013 – 89%, 2014 – 72%. Still in it’s craft revival. Craft Beer – around 18%
Cider – A Drink Rich In HistorySomerset Wassail
Wassail comes from the old Anglo
Saxon ‘wes hal’ – to be whole in good
health.
Queen is chosen over apple
cakes and mulled cider.
Drinking, eating, singing, and dancing
Queen dips a piece of toast on a
pitchfork into cider and places the
oldest tree. Then pours the rest of
her mulled cider around the tree
Guns are fired into top branches
and noise is made.
Sea Cider - Pippins
Pippins is a “sharp” style cider, thanks to the Yellow Newton Pippin
apples we use and cool fermentation from champagne yeast. Off-dry
and chapitalized to 9.5%, it is an example of a New England style of
cider that was meant to be as strong and robust as North America’s
pioneers. Pippins features pineapple and confectionary notes, and is
incredibly food friendly. It fits just about every occasion and its crisp
bite will pair perfectly with everything from steak and salad to spicy
curries. Certified Organic by PACS 16-259 9.5 % alc./vol.
•Dry Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Sweet - 1.004fg
Tasting Notes:
•Appearance: Effervescent, warm straw in colour, clear, bright.
•Aromas, flavours: Citrus, apple, pear, lemongrass, pineapple,
confectionary.
•Acid/sweetness: Intense acidity, balanced by slight residual
sweetness.
•Mouthfeel: Crisp, sharp to the tongue.
Suggested Food Pairings: Truth be told, Pippins pairs well with
pretty much everything! But as it is a bold cider, it matches well with
bold, intense flavours, such as strong cheeses, BBQ, Thai or
Indian cuisine, pulled pork and spicy foods.
What Is Chaptalized Mean?
French chemist Jean-Antoine Chaptal
Adding Sugar to Must
Pre-Fermentation
Doesn’t add Sweetness
Increases Fermentable
Sugars
Cider Tasting #3
What Makes A Cider Apple?
• Apples we usually eat are dessert apples. Not used very much in cider making.
• A small percentage of dessert varieties are sometimes added to the cider blend.
• Cider Apples are not very good for eating. AKA “Spitters”
• The fermented hard cider tastes a great deal different from the fresh pressed cider or
must. (Does wine taste like fresh grapes? Do we snack on wine grapes?)
• Blending varieties of cider apples is utilized to achieve finished hard cider goal.
• There now over 12,000 varieties of apples! This does not include wild and heirlooms.
• Many of the heirloom and vintage varieties of cider apples are very difficult to find.
• Artisan Cider makers know by taste of cider apples what ratio to use to achieve final hard
cider desired.
Types Of ApplesDESSERT / TABLE
Sweet and have some tartness to be sprightly and not cloying on the palate.
Fuji
Red Delicious
Pink Lady
Gala
Types Of ApplesCULINARY / COOKING
Usually higher in acid and/or less sugar than dessert apples. Flesh will cook down into a soft, pulpy puree. Applesauce, Pies, ApfelStrudel, etc.
Cameo
Granny Smith
Rome Beauty
Northern Spy
Types Of ApplesSWEET
Low Tannin and Low Acid
Egremont Russet
Lord Lambourne
Orleans Reinette
Sweet Coppin
Types Of ApplesBITTERSWEET
High Tannin and Low Acid
Bulmers Norman
Dabinett
Medailledor
Yarlington Mill
Types Of ApplesSHARP
Low Tannin and High Acid
Bramley
Crimson King
Frederick
Grenadier
Types Of ApplesBITTERSHARP
High Tannin and High Acid
Broxwood Foxwhelp
Skyrmes
Stokes Red
Kingston Black
CIDER APPLES
CIDER APPLES
Fine Fat
Hard
Soft
101 Cider House
Super Dry, Local, Living
Probiotic, No Sulfites,
Unfiltered, Unpastuerized,
Natural Carbonated, Wild
Fermented, Raw. – 0.995fg
<0.1 Gram of Sugar.
101 Cider House – I.P.C.
• Bouquet?
Flavor?
Appearance?
Mouthfeel?
Uniqueness?
Hopped Cider
Simcoe, Nelson,
Centennial and
Loaded with Citra Dry
Hops.
Cider Tasting #4
Making Cider
Harvest
Making Cider
Sweating
Making Cider
Milling
Making Cider
Milling
Making Cider
Pressing
Making Cider
DIY or Die Trying (Note: Please do not die trying.)
Making Cider
DIY or Die Trying (Note: Please do not die trying.)
Cider Making – Wild Yeast
• Yeast is everywhere! Apple skins do have wild yeast on them and will ferment.
• Skins may take a while to start and can allow many variables and can infect a batch with an undesirable
character. “Fermentation Roulette.”
• Let’s look to those awesome sour ales of Belgium. Note: “Yeast” used to be referred to as “God Is
Good” prior to Louis Pasteur.
• House Character in Cider? Solera Method.
• Inoculation from pressing equipment. Wooden pressing stacks. Cheeses.
• Cheeses used to be built-up from straw and horse hair. Now canvas, burlap, cheese cloth, linen, and
other fabric is used.
Cider Making – Wild Yeast
Riestra Sidra Natural
• Bouquet?
Flavor?
Appearance?
Mouthfeel?
Uniqueness?
Cider Tasting #5
Cider - Resources
Cider: Hard & Sweet by Ben Watson
The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm
Craft Cider Making by Andrew Lea
The Orchard Artisans by Dave Carpenter
from Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine (April-May 2015)
Various Craft Cider Makers both Home and Pro
Sea Cider - Prohibition
Crafted with home-grown heritage apples, Rumrunner’s apples are
hand-pressed using our traditional rack and cloth press, slowly
fermented with Champagne yeast, then aged in rum-soaked bourbon
barrels (Screech Barrels)for a minimum of six months. Aromas of
brown sugar and rum show the complexity of this semi-dry sparkling
cider. Delicious cold, or mulled and heated with butter, Rumrunner
pairs well with steak, Caribbean and Moroccan food, and is perfect for
marinades, barbecue sauces and cocktails! Certified
Organic by PACS 16-259
12.5 % alc./vol.
•Dry Ó Ó Ó Ó Ó Sweet
Tasting Notes:
•Appearance: Rich mahogany, gently effervescent.
•Aromas, flavours: Molasses, apple butter, rum.
•Acid/sweetness: Semi-dry, good acid balance.
•Mouthfeel: Smooth, long finish.
Suggested Food Pairings:
Pears, walnuts, duck, pork, blue cheeses, aged cheddar, salty cured
meats, braised meat dishes.
Screech?
How About Them Apples?
Exploring Craft Cider
Thank You
• George and Molly – The Homebrewer
Resource Center
• Chris Banker – Cider For Slackers
Presentation and NHC 2013 Cider
Seminar and in QUAFF Archives
• Stan Sisson – Zen Homebrewer of
Party Ciders and Julian Ciderworks
• Half Pint Ciders – Craft Cider
Distribution for all the good stuff
• And all of you. – CHEERS!
Show of Hands Vote: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5?
How About Them Apples? - Q & A
Craft Ciders in San Diego County
Half Pint Cider
San Diego County