crab apple mash

sashurlow · 01-14-2011, 05:08 PM

I just got done bottling my first batch of cider and I must say its quite simple tasting. I've heard that crab apples help with adding flavor to cider, but I have only limited crab apples locally. So my question...
I can collect, grind and pasturize the crab apples and store them. When I brew I would just add the mash to the fermentor to maximize the flavor of the crab apples (pressing leaves a lot of cider behind in left over mash). The mash would get filtered out when I move it to the secondary.
I there any reason this would not work???
Scott

**CidahMastah** · 01-14-2011, 06:04 PM

Why not press the crab apples, put the juice in bottles (ocean spray) and leave some head space, freeze. This would be the best way, in my opinion. cider keeps forever in the freezer. Just mark it "crab apple"

Few suggestions:
1. add some fresh cider or crab apple juice to your cider to give back some of the body. Malic acid for tartness if you need it.

2. You could add grape tanin to your cider to improve body.

3. Newells groundhog clone - if you like woodchuck cider

**dinnerstick** · 01-15-2011, 01:15 PM

agreed,, adding mashed crabapples into the primary sounds like a mess, i don't think they are going to behave in there especially when you are trying to rack off the liquid

**Yooper** · 01-15-2011, 01:19 PM

My best wine is a crabapple wine. (Recipe is posted, if you want to see it). I freeze all the apples first, and then when they thaw they are easy to smash up. I put them still frozen in a sanitized mesh bag in the sanitized primary, and add the rest of the ingredients (including campden tablets!)

When the mashed mess thaws, I use a bit spoon and stir all during primary. After primary is over in about five days, I lift out the mesh bag and squeeze the pulp to extract the rest of the juice.

It works pretty well, and it's worth the work!

**CidahMastah** · 01-15-2011, 02:34 PM

Yooper I only have one small crab apple tree - gives me about 20 crab apples, so not enough to make wine. Once I find some people witn crab apples they don't want I will be all over them, and back for your recipe!

I think Next year I am going to do a gallon batch with cider plus frfesh cider

sashurlow · 01-15-2011, 03:17 PM

The reason I want to avoid freezing is because I have limited freezer space. Canning makes more sense.
Speaking of which, is there any reason why adding jam would not work? I'm thinking about concentrating the crabs and canning them. However, if you boil apples, the pectin will congeal and solidify. I realize I could always can the juice.
The reason I want to add the mash is to maximize a limited supply.
Scott

**CidahMastah** · 01-15-2011, 03:45 PM

gotcha - you could can it, but you will compromise the fresh flavors. Remember, when you can you heat, and the apple flavor changes, as you said the pectin will bind, i.e. cloudy cider. To me cloudy cider wouldn't be a reason not to. However the cooked flavor is different than fresh, and for me I would prefer to freeze. Freezing preserves the fresh apple flavor better - IMO

Time to get that monster chest freezer you have been dreaming of

**Yooper** · 01-15-2011, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CidahMastah

Yooper I only have one small crab apple tree - gives me about 20 crab apples, so not enough to make wine. Once I find some people witn crab apples they don't want I will be all over them, and back for your recipe!

I think Next year I am going to do a gallon batch with cider plus frfesh cider

We did the crabapple wine two years ago with a combination of crabapples (it was a very bad year for our fruit trees!) and windfall apples from various places we found. It was a very good wine, and we have been really happy with it. A combination of apples, cider, crabapples, juice, etc, can be a very good cider or wine!

**CidahMastah** · 01-16-2011, 12:31 PM

I had a ton of apples this year (northern spy, red delicious, mac) - and our pears were a bumper crop, but we ate and gave away. I didn't even notice I had that crab apple tree, so I was thrilled to see a bunch of little fruits set.

Another cool thing is, there is a wild orchard on my neighbors property, I am going to get permission to go on it, low density fruit, but probably over acre or so of dense, old apple trees.

All that plus planting 22 apple trees in the spring will keep me busy! I reserved a bunch of english cider apple trees (kingston black, yalorington mill, etc.). A few years until I get to try english styled cider making

truckjohn · 01-18-2011, 03:25 PM

Personally, my own experience is that if you want to make vinegar - ferment on the pomace.... If you want to make apple cider - press out the juice and ferment the juice only.

I had to learn the hard way - when you are doing something that has been done for thousands of years - do it the old way.... There is a good reason grape wine is made on the pomace and apple cider is not.... If fermenting apple cider on the pomace was reliable - that is how we would be doing it....

On to making the juice - grate the crabs as you would for cider, then press it out.... For small quantities if you don't have a press (Less than 10-gallons)... you can hand wring out the pulp about 2-cups at a time through a paint strainer bag. The key is to grate it up with a food processor grater blade or a juicer rather than "Grinding" it in something like a meat grinder.

Thanks