Apple Season!

I am psyched! Going to the press this Saturday, gonna press our apples from the tree. I usually end up buying a bushel of 'cider apples' though anyways cause you need several bushels to get an optimum yield at the press we go to.

I can't wait. Last year's cider turned out great, reminds me of Champagne but less carbonated. Light and sparkly.

So now is the time to make Cider folks!!

Well I went with about between 8 and 9 bu and came back with....35 gallons!

I plan on fermenting 11 for hard cider, 5 will be used fresh for a party, a few fresh now, and the rest for vinegar.

wow, 35 gals? That's sick. I'm scheming on 5 from the local cooperative, but it's like $7/gal.

You bastid.

My English Cider Yeast should arrive today along with the campden tabs and pectic enzyme...and the cider should be in my hands as of wednesday.

To make me even more of a bastid...

I got over 2 bu from my tree. The rest cost me $22. The pressing (including the 12 extra jugs cause I underestimated @ $.50 per, so $6 ) was $22. Then again the guy is really great and mainly does it for the historical value. He does press an average of 300 gallons on the days he's open though. It in itself is a very cool experience!

44/35 =$1.25

If I had brought my last carboy, it would have been $1.08 per gal. That's kind of why I started the thread. Search out places that will press the apples. Shoot you can even find people who have the trees as decorations if you are so inclined. Many folks will let you pick the apples simply because they won't have to clean up the mess!

Course, now I need to plant about 10 cider apple trees. Then it would be really awesome. The funny thing is I was almost wanting the cider to stop flowing! Hehe. I had estimated tops I'd get 25 lol. But the thing is you get higher yields with more bushels at once. When I looked in the tank and asked him the volume, he told me 75 gallons. It was about half full, I think I started to sweat at that point lol.

I got 6 gallons this year with my own trees and press. Having only just started buying equipment this year, I don't have the winery space for more than a single 5 gallon batch this year. I plan on getting a couple larger fermenters and some oak barrels for next year though, as I could've just kept going. I wound up with a little over 100 pounds (eh, 2.5'ish bu...), and had to stop picking...

I've got 5 trees on my property, and we found 3 others right near me. I plan on planting a few more trees next spring, and a few more the next year, and wind up with a good couple dozen trees on my property down the road. Anyone that wants to make the trip to northern Maine in a few years, I'll have the apples and the press ready...

Yeah I was originally thinking about making a press until our friends took us out to the one they go to as a family tradition. Man I tell you what, that place is teeming with yeast. By Sunday it had begun fermentation! Yowzas. It also does have to do with the fact that it is WAY warmer than usual right now (yesterday hit 90 I think). So the long and short of it is...I now have 16 gallons fermenting (plus 4 for vinegar). Good Lord. :fro:.

I am doing it thusly, #1 Campden ~36 hrs then I pitched Montrachet wine yeast, #2 Campden ~36 hrs then I pitched S-33 (iirc), and #3 is au natural. I want to see what the results are. OG was pretty good, about 1.048, so I didn't monkey with it. The ferment room is hovering a little high (cause of the weather) at about 67 °F, so hopefully the weather will turn soon.

On 9-17, I started my 5 gallons (with an OG of 1.042), with Cote de Blancs, and it's already done fermenting and starting to clear. I'll rack on 10-15, and put it into my cellar for 3 months (cellar temps are 45-55 year round).

The only thing that held me back from doing more this year was a lack of equipment. Oh well, next year I'll have more fermenting space... :rockin:

P.S. It is nice having a 5 gallon batch cost only 50 cents for the packet of yeast...