Jump to content


Photo
- - - - -

Crab Apples? What percentage?


  • Please log in to reply
3 replies to this topic

#1 Darterboy

Darterboy

    Frequent Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 1946 posts
  • LocationVestavia Hills, Alabama

Posted 09 October 2013 - 03:17 PM

I read once online about the ratio of sweet, bittersweet, sharp, and bittersharp for cider but I can't seem to find it anymore. Anybody have a favorite ratio? 

 

I got 8 gallons of sweet cider last month (mostly Honeycrisp, IIRC) from an orchard in North Alabama and fermented it out with S-05 to dryness. While this was going on I got Drew Beecham's cider book and and started learning (confusing myself) 'bout some cider. Alabama is not really a hotbed for cider apples but Drew says crab apples can really elevate a cider made from eating apples. So last week I put out the word that I was looking for crab apples. I scored (mostly windfallen) a 5-gallon bucket full of small, golf-ball sized greenish yellow apples that don't look like crab apples from a tree that my friend says grew wild on their property. The dark-reddish-brown juice is 1.055 but is so acidic and tannic it doesn't even taste sweet. I'm guessing this is a "bittersharp" apple?

 

There is a crab apple tree at my local Botanical Gardens that is loaded with small dark-red fruit with a prominent pointed blossom end that is what I think of as a crab apple. I called and got permission to gather as many as I want.  I'm going tomorrow.The fruit is tart and puckering but also sweet.

 

Anyhoo, I just added the gallon of juice (yes, I sulfited it) from the first tree to 4 gallons of the Honeycrisp juice I already fermented. I guess if it turns out too tannic  can balance it later with back-sweetening.

 

I'm hoping to get a gallon of juice from the crab apples and will add that to the other 4 gallons of Honeycrisp juice. 

 

Does this ratio of bittersharp:sweet sound in the ballpark for a hard cider?

 

 



#2 neddles

neddles

    No Life

  • Patron
  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • 16519 posts

Posted 09 October 2013 - 04:50 PM

Maybe someone else will chime in here too but without looking it up it sounds ballpark to me. Also, it would be useful to ask the folks at the Botanical Garden about which variety it is that you collected.



#3 Darterboy

Darterboy

    Frequent Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPipPip
  • 1946 posts
  • LocationVestavia Hills, Alabama

Posted 09 October 2013 - 05:19 PM

Maybe someone else will chime in here too but without looking it up it sounds ballpark to me. Also, it would be useful to ask the folks at the Botanical Garden about which variety it is that you collected.

 

Good thinking! I'll do that.



#4 dmtaylor

dmtaylor

    Advanced Member

  • Members
  • PipPipPip
  • 325 posts
  • LocationTwo Rivers, WI

Posted 09 October 2013 - 06:57 PM

Based on a lot of homework I did before my first few batches, I was going to say, don't use more than about 20% bittersharps or crabs.  Even that might be pushing it.  Looks like you've arrived at about the same conclusion if you're going 4:1 ratio.  Maybe for the second batch, only use a half gallon.  Or a full gallon.  It's up to you of course.  But I wouldn't go any more than that.




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users