Cider 1 of 4

getting started with cider, 1st of 4 short clips. As usual, I don't have a script and so fumble my words occasionally, don't worry.

there are three stages to making cider (or hard cider as the Americans call the drink you get when all the natural fruit sugar in apple juice turns to alcohol)

step 1-crush the apples into a pulp. I use a centrifugal mill to do this. This one cost around £600 from http://www.vigoltd.com (a useful source of equipment and books). Crushed apple is called pomace

stage 2 is to press the juice from the pomace, I use a rack and cloth press, again from Vigo. This is a fairly simple piece of equipment and if you have skills and time but little money you can make one from timber and a car jack and a few other bits, plans can be found on the ukcider Google group archives

the third stage is to ferment the juice so that the sugar is turned to alcohol by yeast. Here there is some controversy and plenty of scope for differences of opinion and also for things to go wrong, particularly due to the wrong kind of micro-organism and careless storage. Before starting to make cider I suggest you read a book-the best in my view is Proulx and Nichols (obtainable from Vigo)

you can rely on the natural yeast on the apples, but this is risky unless you add sulphite, which kills bad bugs but leaves the yeast. I sulphite minimally to kill spoilage organisms-sulphite kills them but leaves the yeast alone, apparently(half a Campden tablet per gallon) and also use a Champagne yeast culture.

there is plenty on the web about cider making, the best technical site is Andrew Lea's Wittenham hill cider site, http://www.cider.org.uk there are plenty of links from there. Andrew is a regular contributor to the ukcider group's discussions and used to work at the Long Ashton cider research centre before government cuts (boo!) closed that excellent facility.

Cider, like wine, will only be as good as the quality of fruit that goes into it and the care which goes into the procesig and storage of the product-it is easy to make bad cider. I don't have time or inclination to enter into discussions about cider making discussion, try looking at the archives of the ukcider Google group and links to get an idea of the range of opinions on cider.

Finally, cider uses FAR less energy in its production than beer, and also requires orchards, which are beautiful. Many 'waste' apples can make good cider, so its a very 'green' drink. From diswcusisons at farmer's markets and elsewhere, it is clear that every year endless tons of fruit from nbackyard and roadside apple trees is wasted when it could be made into apple juice, cider or other products such as apple syrup, which is every bit as good as maple syrup. The equipment does cost money, but surely allotment societies or enlightened neighbours could club together and invest in a communal cider press?