2021 apples and juice results?

[scott.campion]

Just pressed apples, and got 1.040 specific gravity, relative to 1.050 last year from pretty much the same trees. Curious if others are getting similar results.

We're in upstate NY (Delaware County). Picked about 65 bushels of apples, yielding 200 gallons of juice. We were testing periodically as we pressed and the SG was consistently 1.040 despite the mix changing. Last year we were a month later in picking, but were definitely late for our area and missed most of the crop. This year we had a little bit of under-ripe fruit but for the most part seemed about right, and already had tons of apples down.

 

[scott.campion]

...had a TON of rain this summer and have heard that can bring down sugar content. Anyone back that up?

 

[NoLemonNoMelon]

I think that month makes a difference; did you sweat your apples after picking?

 

[scott.campion]

Only about a week (same as last year). Also we ground one day and pressed the next (last year we did it right away).

 

[ncguire]

I think a month is a lot of potential ripening time and waiting would have yielded better quality juice. You want the apples ripe, maybe even a little beyond ripe (but not rotting) for best results. So it's a trade off. Pick sooner and get more apples, or lose some apples as they drop but have better juice.

Plus, if you had lots of rain, that means the apples have more water in them and the sugar and flavor is a bit diluted. Sweating should help. The idea is that they may develop a little more sugars ripening off the tree (though additional tree ripening if possible is always better). Some of that water may evaporate out as they sweat as well, helping make the juice more concentrated. After sweating for a while the apples will also be softer and yield more juice, which may help counteract some of the loss in yield from water loss.

 

[NoLemonNoMelon]

I’m over in Chautauqua county and have had a SG of 1.046 last year and the year before. This year I will be sweating longer and pressing later than usual. I’m hoping to get a couple of points higher.

 

[JimRausch]

Downeast Maine. Very rainy all summer. A bumper crop of apples and pears this year. This past Saturday I pressed about 175 lbs of mixed apples and pears yielding 7 gallons. SG was 1.045. I did sweat them for 3 weeks.

 

[Yooper]

No apples (or other tree fruit) this year in the UP. Late frosts, mostly, but then no rain at all ruined the crops.

 

[Chalkyt]

My sympathies, Yooper. We had the "triple whammy" last year... what looked like biennial cropping (i.e. not many flowers), big frosts, and drought. So, no apples, apricots, etc but the cherries survived. I ended up making cider with juice (Pink Lady and Granny Smith)from an orchard in Victoria (state south of us). It worked O.K. but not as good as picking, scratting and pressing your own!

However this year we were over-run with fruit, so there is always "next year"!

 

[madscientist451]

Last year we were a month later in picking, but were definitely late for our area and missed most of the crop. This year we had a little bit of under-ripe fruit but for the most part seemed about right, and already had tons of apples down.

A local orchard used to let me pick up all the down fruit I wanted for free. Here in the US, fruit on the ground is considered trash, but in Europe, using downed fruit is just what they do. A cidermaker said in a blog or a video (can't remember who) "I don't pick apples, I PICK UP apples" Even with downed fruit I always sweat the apples for at least a month. I also prefer later ripening varieties and usually make cider in late October all the way to December.

 

[Chalkyt]

Hmm! I like that..."I don't pick apples, I PICK UP apples" it incorporates a bit of "natural sweating".

 

[AzOr]

Anyone pressing their own should get a refractometer. They’re inexpensive (I think I paid $15 on Amazon a couple of years ago). I prefer the dual scale that measures in brix and specific gravity.

This way you can take a weekly gravity reading while they are sweating.

OG readings in the 040’s seems really low. After sweating mine are usually in the high 050’s. Last year I had 100lbs that were 1.069. I think they were winesaps. I watered the must down to 1.060
Even my bitters were in the low 050 range.