Very good book and well written! I followed the instruction and was able to make my own organic cider! If you know a little bit about beer brewing and have done it before, this book will give you some good info on how to make cider:)
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A very comprehensive guide to cider making
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If you are going to make your own cider this is a good book to get started with. It gives you the easy,simple methods or more advanced methods. A very good guide book for all levels of cider production.
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A broad review of everything to do with cider in north America. A lot of facts and detail, but a bit daunting as a guide to someone beginning to make cider. JW
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For the amount of money I paid, yes it was worth, to read it and have it Yes it is easy to understand and take advantage of the knowledge I liked it
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Useful
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This is a very good source of information. The content is complete, well organized and practical and, most importantly, Annie Proulx's writing makes it so enjoyable to read. It would be great if all craft books were written by award-wining writers. Get one for yourself now.
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Ottime descrizioni e spiegazioni. Utili e dettagliate le illustrazioni. Consigli preziosi sulla lavorazione delle mele e la produzione del sidro.
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This book has most of the information you would need. A detailed plan to build your own press is included, but so are pointers on obtaining the services of a local orchard's press. Advice is given in selecting apples to grow, rootstock considerations, planting and soil fertility, while also suggesting that others might have some worthwhile advice, like local growers or nurserymen. (I personally suggest, for northern growers, St. Lawrence Nurseries.) Descriptions for classic American apples used in cider are geared toward the cider-maker or grower, and since many of these cannot be grown succesfully in Canada, there are apple recommendations for cider-making in Canadian Provinces. Mention is made of European cider apples, but since these are hard to come by (another suggestion for a source of trees is Cummins Nursery - they also have a smart range of dwarfing rootstock options,) why not grow some of your own cider varieties from seed? A good description and illustration of grafting is given, which can be a good way to replicate trees that you've found to be useful in cider-making. I find in this book, possibly because it is a 3rd edition and written by a pair of authors, that different perspectives are explored: As a cider-maker, do you blend and press your apples all together, or, can you achieve greater control by making individual presses and blending them at bottling? All options are explored. Instructions for making apple cider vinegar are here. There are also, for historical purposes, descriptions of how apple brandy and applejack are made, as well as some great-sounding recipes utilizing cider. Results of a tasting-panel sampling of several commercial hard ciders is shown, along with an introduction to having your own sampling, or taking individual tasting notes of ciders. A few sections could use a mild editing by a horticulturist; an example being about pruning: they say to make pruning cuts flush to the trunk, but actually it is best to leave that small projection where the branch is flaring out (the collar), else it doesn't heal quickly. But it would also be a mistake to leave too much stub. This is why I said at the beginning, that this book provides most of the information you need. Other sources might be University Extension bulletins or a good book on growing apples organically, which makes sense for cider-making, not requiring picture-perfect apples. Of course, there are probably dozens more known apple varieties that would make fine cider that the size of this book just didn't allow to be described. Another book I've read mentions that 'King David' makes a great hard cider all by itself. Sixty varieties are described in "The Best Apples To Buy And Grow", which I've also reviewed, and might be a good companion book to Cider.
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Great informative book!
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I haven't finished it yet, but so far it has been a very comprehensive source on all things cider. After making two 5 gallon kit batches, I bout some unpasteurized cider online for $11.99/gal. I needed 6 to make the liquid yeast starter and do a 2-stage fermentation. It was preservative free and arrived frozen with ice packs so it turned out great. Much better than Cider House or Mangrove Jacks. While there's no substitute for hands on learning from a pro, this book takes you from how to make the best out of expensive kits, brew great cider from an orchard's blend, what kind of cider you can use from any grocery store (absorbic acid is the only acceptable preservative, not potassium sorbate or benzoate - they kill yeast,) all the way to growing cider and eating apple trees and using a crusher and press to make a batch from scratch. And he has a chapter on yeast harvesting, so once your trees bear fruit (3-4 years,) all you'll have to pay for is gas or electricity and some yeast nutrient! My local brew shop, Alternative Beverage - www.ebrew.com - has an annual cider day where one can learn all things cider and get cider juice for $5/gallon. Even less if you bring your own buckets like me. Anyway, buy this book if your interested in brewing cider and don't waste your $ on Amazon! Go to Walmart or your local farmers market and look for a cider blend that's preferably unpasteurized and preservative-free, but a pasteurized cider with only absorbic acid will work fine. Try making a gallon batch first with some dry cider, wine or ale yeast like SafAle US-04. Open the packet and weigh it out. Then use 1/4 of it. I like to use a 2 gallon bucket for 1 week, then rack to a 1 gallon jug for 10 days. I usually keg mine and use a BeerGun to bottle, but bottle priming produces the exact same results. I'm a purist so I make my yeast starters with a 1:1 cider to water ratio & a tsp. of yeast nutrient. But it's up to you. If your trying to clone a Redd's Apple Ale, use WLP001 or US-05 ale yeast instead. It's all a matter of perspective
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