Should I blend Macintosh apples?

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Pivovar_Koucky

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Hey everyone,

I got my hands on a whole lot of apples. The guy said that they were macintosh. I'm going to press a bunch of them for cider. I am wondering if anyone with any experience at blending apples for hard cider has any input. I think that the apples taste great as they are. A good combination of sweet and sour. I have no idea how they will taste after fermentation, however. I am curious what people think about the need to blend these apples with other types. I know that the "best" ciders are blended from different types of apples to get a desired flavor profile.

So, I guess my question is this. Does anyone with experience pressing apples for hard cider think that I need to, or ought to, blend these mac's with any other varieties? If so, what varieties would you suggest and in what amounts.

FYI, I have probably have about 4-5 five gallon buckets full of apples. I know that this will go down after crushing/pressing and after SWMBO picks out all the good ones for eating/pie making.
 
Tart apples make better cider, so I'd be much inclined to mix the Macs with something else. Or you could make a batch using the sweet apples and one using the tarts and mix post-ferment.
 
Macs are good aroma apples. I've had good results mixing them with Cortland or Gala for sweetness and Jonathans or Winsaps for some tartness. Stayman, Pink Lady and Northern Spy go good with just about anything. You can get good cider apples at the store, but you will pay a lot for them. If you call around to orchards, you can get #2 cider apples for $6 to $10 a bushel.
 
im not sure how it happens but macs seem to have no flavor and a good nose when fermented dry. seems that way with most apples for me but i have access to no true cider apples. if i was you i would spend a lot of time hunting for crab apples - they are truly made for blending with cider in my opinion. if your lucky enough to find some sweet crabs to blend with some tart crabs to mix with your macs as a base you should end up with a good cider.

as for your grannys. i always mix some in my cider but never more than 5-10% as they can make you pucker more than most would like. aging them for a long time before pressing would help with this and yield more juice and sugars.

and get those macs pressed fast they just dont seem to sit long without spoiling.

5-10% grannys 10-25%crabs depending if your lucky enough to score sweet ones, then use your macs as a base, blend to taste post fermentation.

try hard to find another base to mix with your macs.
 
I actually mixed a little Macintosh juice into some cider I was bottling. I am using it as a prime of sorts. It actually tastes quite good. Adds a nice "nose" to it.
 
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