It is fairly straightforward to make cider or perry from your own apples or pears and there are many online guides showing you how to do it. Unfortunately, many of them “over simplify” the process or take a “natural” approach, which is absolutely fine if you are prepared to gamble with the results, but not much use if you are hoping to produce consistent, repeatable, drinkable results.
In essence, many guides suggest that all you need to do is:
Gather your apples or pears.
Crush and press them to extract the juice.
Leave them to ferment using the natural yeast.
Bottle when fermentation has finished.
Leave to clear, or drink cloudy as per your personal preference.
Whilst this is more or less accurate, not all apples or pears are actually suitable for cider and perry making, not all have sufficient levels of sugar or acidity and, depending when you pick/gather the apples or pears, you may or not have any natural yeast present to undertake the fermentation. Using the method above gives you a 50/50 chance of obtaining fermentation and a less than 50% chance of obtaining anything that is either a) drinkable or b) repeatable.
Whilst requiring a bit more effort, you are more likely to obtain better results if you use the following method:
Gather your apples or pears.
Crush and press them to extract the juice. Depending on how ripe your fruit is and how enthusiastically you press it, you will only get 50-70% of their weight as juice, so you will need around around 10-14lb of fruit per gallon of juice.
Check the sugar content with a hydrometer and add extra sugar, if required, to obtain a start gravity of 1050-1055. This will produce about 5.5% alcohol in your finished cider or perry.
Check the acidity with a pH strip. You should aim for a pH level of 3.4-3.6, so you may need to add Citric Acid to increase the acidity or Precipitated Chalk to lower it.
Add 1 crushed Campden Tablet per gallon of juice and leave for 24 hours to kill off any natural yeast that may be present.
Add Cider Yeast and leave to ferment (some people also add yeast nutrient to encourage a more rapid ferment, but this is optional).
After 4-7 days, when the initial fermentation has abated, strain the juice into a clean demijohn or bucket and leave to ferment out.
Once fermentation has finished, syphon the juice into a clean demijohn or bucket and either add 1 crushed Campden Tablet per gallon and leave to clear (if you want still cider/perry) or bottle in a suitable bottle and add ½ teaspoon of sugar per pint and leave to clear (if you want to have fizzy cider/perry) .
Cider and Perry will normally take 2-6 weeks for the initial fermentation, depending upon the initial sugar content and the temperature in which it is fermented. It should then be stored and matured for 3-6 months to obtain the best results. A superb guide to all of the intricacies of cider and perry making can be found in the Pooley and Lomax book, "Real Cider Making on a Small Scale"
Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England, particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire, parts of South Wales and France, especially Normandy and Anjou, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
A perry cider usually has dry, tannin components as well as high acidity. However, the residual sugars take the bite off and give it a gentle mouthfeel. Since it is made with pears and not apples, it can't really be compared to a cider made with apples. It has a taste profile of its own.
Add ¼ teaspoon (~1 gram) dry yeast per gallon of juice by sprinkling across the surface of the juice. After a few minutes, gently swirl to mix. Attach filled fermentation lock (with light sanitizer solution, clean water, or vodka) with stopper to jug(s).
Leave the bottles around room temperature for 1-2 weeks for the added sugar to ferment and carbonate the cider. After that, refrigerate and drink when ready! I hope you enjoy this 1-gallon perry recipe!
Pears. Let's start with the main and really only (Depending on your preference) ingredient, Pears! In my experience it typically takes about 12-18lbs of Pears to produce 1 gallon of juice. So if you're looking to get about 5 gallons of juice you will need 70 to 80 pounds of pears.
If we add an excessive number of yeast, the fermentation process will be robust and energetic, and this may result in an excessively active fermentation. It is possible for this to result in blocked airlocks, blow-offs, bursting bottles, or a fermenter that has ruptured.
Do not stir. Add the lid loosely to the fermenter or attach an airlock (partially filled with water) and seal the lid. Primary fermentation should begin in 24-36 hours and should finish in 5-9 days. After the fermentation slows down, you should rack the cider into a clean carboy and attach a stopper and an airlock.
The fermentation time will depend on the room temperature and the initial starting gravity. 5 to 14 days is just a guide. The slower the fermentation the better the cider will taste. It is really important not to exceed 27°C.
Basic Method. The most basic bottle conditioning method simply consists in letting the cider ferment to dryness, and when it's ready to bottle, some sugar is added so that the fermentation of this sugar inside the hermetically closed bottle will produce the desired sparkle within a few weeks.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Carey Rath, I am a faithful, funny, vast, joyous, lively, brave, glamorous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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