Subject: Cider Digest #1448, 16 May 2008 Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 20:15:14 -0600 (MDT) From: cider-request@talisman.com Cider Digest #1448 16 May 2008 Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor Contents: Bittenfelder (Jack O Feil) Traditional Perry Pear Grafting in N. America (chris horn) Normandy trip recommendations? ("Pat Maloney") Regular or SS taps for cider kegs? (Tim Bray) Cider powder (Cheryl Barton) Send ONLY articles for the digest to cider@talisman.com. Use cider-request@talisman.com for subscribe/unsubscribe/admin requests. When subscribing, please include your name and a good address in the message body unless you're sure your mailer generates them. Archives of the Digest are available at www.talisman.com/cider ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Bittenfelder From: Jack O Feil Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 12:51:23 -0700 I grow apples commercially in North Central Washington. About ten years or so ago, one of the large local commercial nurseries sold trees on Bittenfelder rootstock, I presume for winter hardiness and possible other reasons like crown rot resistance etc. The trees performed well but not noticeably superior to Antonovka and other hardy non-dwarfing rootstocks. all that aside The Bittenfelder is used in Germany for hard cider production. Has anyone out there used this apple or know something about it like tannins,acid sugars etc. Also where a person could get trees or genetic material for grafting? Geneva doesn't list it either. Jack Feil, Wenatchee, WA ------------------------------ Subject: Traditional Perry Pear Grafting in N. America From: chris horn Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 14:21:01 -0700 This may be a heck of a stretch but is anyone else in North America playing with traditional grafting of Perry pears? By traditional I mean to use seedling rootstock, interstem with Blankey Red to 6'-6" and then put the wanted variety on there. This is my best stab at the methods of 200 years ago in the Three County region of England. Maybe I should be asking if anyone other than Bulmer's Nursery is doing it this way... I have been toying with the idea for a few years now and top worked the first trees this year. I didn't keep as good as notes as I should have but I think it was three years before the second graft. Thus I'm pretty sure I took the seeds (pulp and cores left over from canning in Sept 2004) from my Bartlett and left them in a bucket all winter. I spread the mush in the spring and covered it with an inch or two of soil. I would guess I had about 20% of the seeds put out something. The smallest/slowest trees were culled out of that bed mid summer. The following spring (March 2005) I grafted some of them with Blankey Red, some with Pound (a baking pear known for large trees) and some I left to grow as is. Over the last two years, the Blankeys tend to have done the best with the Pound trees very close to the same level of growth and nice straight trunks but the Blankeys are a bit straighter. The seedlings do ok for straight trunks for the first few feet, then no mater what you do, they get bushy and corkscrew like. I even tried tying them to fence posts with out real success. I top worked the Blankeys this spring (March 2008) after cutting off all growth below the second graft (whip and tongue). I have been working at keep all growth off below that point. I'm starting to get growth out of my scions. Anyone else playing with this? Am I off my rocker for playing with things that will not bear for 25 years? Thanks Chris Horn Scappoose Oregon USA 'There is no such thing as an underestimate of average intelligence' -Henry Adams ------------------------------ Subject: Normandy trip recommendations? From: "Pat Maloney" Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 10:03:18 -0700 We will be traveling to Normandy for two weeks in mid-June. While my wife works at a conference in Cabourg on the coast, I get to drive around the countryside visiting cideries! So far I am planning to visit the Domain D'Apreval Distillery near Honfleur and the Viard Cidery outside Bayeaux. These are fairly substantial operations, it seems, so I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for smaller, more personal experiences. Any place where English is spoken is most appreciated! We will also be going to the Cider Museum and Eau-de-vie/Calvados Museum in Volognes (http://www.mairie-valognes.fr/uk/museums.html) Are there any other "must-visit" places that anyone can recommend? Cheers! Pat ------------------------------ Subject: Regular or SS taps for cider kegs? From: Tim Bray Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 08:10:15 -0700 Production from my orchard has reached the point where I need larger containers to store cider. (Yay!) I have a couple of salvaged 15-gallon kegs, and am now trying to decide which kind of tap I need. All-stainless taps are available, though somewhat hard to find, and more expensive than the regular kind. (In fact I can get a used tap virtually free from another brewer.) Should I be concerned about the cider reacting with the non-stainless parts of regular taps? It's not clear to me if there is any brass in contact with the product, or if the contact parts are all chrome-plated. I'm pretty sure I should avoid brass contact with cider. Thanks, Tim in Albion, CA enjoying this year's apple blossoms and last year's apple ciders! ------------------------------ Subject: Cider powder From: Cheryl Barton Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 16:41:03 -0400 Might "cider powder" be a mulled cider mix? I've seen several products in the grocery store that only require the addition of hot water to make mulled or spiced cider. I have no idea what the ingredients are and have never tried it, preferring one of our own ciders mulled with our favorite blend of spices. Cheryl Barton Bellwether Hard Cider ------------------------------ End of Cider Digest #1448 *************************