chevalcider
Well-Known Member
Why is it that my small experimental batch of cider turned out to be my best ever?! I had 20 gallons of fresh pressed cider fermenting when I decided to try a small batch from a tree I've never harvested from before. I happened to see this tree over the course of the summer every time I passed by it and decided to stop by and ask if I could pick some fruit off of it. I actually gathered three grocery bags full off of the ground and took them home to press and ferment. With a one week old baby in the house I really didn't have time to do more than that. I almost lost the batch to infection a few times. It was fermenting in an old stainless steel milking machine bucket and I'd covered it in aluminum foil...well, the foil ripped a little and those little fruit flies happened to get in. I racked and sulphited heavily. After about two months in secondary I noticed some funny stuff on top. Another sulphite treatment and some more age and then off to the bottles. Now I open the bottles for sampling and I must say that this is the best cider I have made to date. It is an unknown apple variety as of yet. I think that it is an apple-crab. When I gathered the apples they were all mealy and not pleasant to eat. I know now that I am going to talk to the owners next year and ask to pick the apples. Most are happy to allow apples to ripen to my satisfaction if they know I will clean up all of the fallen fruit as well. I don't necessarily use the fallen fruit but I do make a practice of cleaning it up for the owners when I pick their apples.