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**kornkob** · 10-20-2005, 07:41 PM

As with many things, the US and the UK has some mild divergence in language over time on the subject of names for specific types of apple beverages.

In the US what is commonly referred to as 'apple juice' is filtered and clairified apple cider. Apple juice in the US tends to be a golden color, similar to that of tequila or a flat, clear ale. Apple cider tends to be a brownish red color and will often contain pulp that will settle out over time.

Hard cider, in the US, is cider that has been allowed to ferment, thereby acquiring significant alcohol content.

So in the US one makes cider by pressing apples and collecting the runoff. Then you can take this cider and process it one of 2 ways: clairify and filter to get apple juice or ferment and get hard cider.

**Orfy** · 10-20-2005, 08:55 PM

We just have apple juice and unfiltered apple juice with bits in.

It just threw me, I've been drinking Cider for 20 years and had never heard of "Hard Cider".

Have you guys heard of Scrumpy Cider or Perry?

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~gunning/scrumpy/#intro

**kornkob** · 10-20-2005, 09:46 PM

To my knowledge there is no ubiquitous American term for 'naturally fermented' hard cider.

I've not heard of pear based ciders here.

hadn't heard of it except for Archer's Orchard-- right?

Punn · 10-20-2005, 10:30 PM

as for the main question, it is easy. I did mine this way

5 gallons of apple cider (pasturized or unpasturized) your choice. There are two schools of though on pasturized and unpasturized. Anyway. I did 5 gallons pasturized.

Add that to your sanitary fermenter, pitch in chapange yeast. lets sit for 10 days. move to secondary for 2-3 weeks. prime and bottle. wait 2 more weeks, chill and enjoy

david_42 · 10-20-2005, 10:49 PM

It's as simple as Punn says, just be certain there are no preservatives in the juice.

By the way, do not over chill! If hard cider freezes, the resulting liquid (apple jack) is considered a distilled product and is illegal to make at home.

**Walker** · 10-21-2005, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kornkob

I've not heard of pear based ciders here.

I can't remember the brand (the wife thinks it's Hornsby's, but I don't) but we were able to buy pear cider in some bars in San Jose, CA.

-walker

ScottT · 10-21-2005, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orfy

We just have apple juice and unfiltered apple juice with bits in.

It just threw me, I've been drinking Cider for 20 years and had never heard of "Hard Cider".

Have you guys heard of Scrumpy Cider or Perry?

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~gunning/scrumpy/#intro

Yes, I have had Scrumpy and too much of it.

We used to do pub crawl road trips when I was there. We'd charter a bus to take us to a location that had some good pubs and we'd make our way to each of them. One evening, I walked into this pub with my mates and to my surprise, there were wooden casks in stillage behind the bar. Beer engines were on the bar. I drank my fill of scrumpy poured straight from the cask. Cloudy and mighty tasty but it packed one hell of a kick.

It was a rough bus ride back to the base that night.

david_42 · 10-21-2005, 02:32 AM

I suspect there is no perry in WI, because pears don't grow there.

**Walker** · 10-21-2005, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walker

I can't remember the brand (the wife thinks it's Hornsby's, but I don't) but we were able to buy pear cider in some bars in San Jose, CA.

It turns out that brand name of that pear cider I had is "Woodchuck". My friends in CA love the stuff and always have it in their fridge, so I called them and asked. You can get it at some pretty large chain grocery stores in CA, and I *think* I might have seen in here in North Carolina at a grocery store, but I'll have to pay more attention to that end of the beer aisle next time I'm in there.

-walker

**kornkob** · 10-21-2005, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david_42

I suspect there is no perry in WI, because pears don't grow there.

While pears aren't a staple of Wisconsin orchards, they do grow here. I recall from childhood climbing the neigbor's fence to 'liberate' pears from their back yard.

But yes-- Wisconsin trends toward apples and cranberries in farming of fruits. Hmmm---- wonder what cranberry hard cider would be like.