Almost ready
15 11 2006As it’s been 20 days since we bottled the cider and a month since we bottled the stout, it was time to crack open the sample bottles and see how things were progressing.
Both have come along well and, while needing another six to eight weeks to be at their best, were very drinkeable even now.
The cider is a little sweet for my taste, but I wanted a batch ready for Christmas. I also wanted some cider that I could share with the Other Half and visitors with less robust tastebuds than mine.
The next batches of cider will be substantially more dry, and without the fizz. In other words, proper scrumpy!
The stout is a very chocolate colour, with a full and creamy head, and a strong smell of hops. The OH says the flavour is full and rich, with a creamy sweetness and a nice dash of malt. (I can’t stand beers and ales!)
The cider has cleared well, has a rich, golden colour and is lightly aerated from its bottle conditioning. As I used a cider yeast, it hasn’t fully fermented out leaving the flavour slightly sweet but pleasantly appley with a hint of lemon at the back of the palate. To be frank, it’s a bit girley!
I’ll have some stout thanks,looks perfect,yum,purely medicinal of course, cider looks good too! Must be good stuff if you’r calling bottles “bootles” see above!
It’s made in Scotland so it gives you a Scottish accent!
I’ll have the cider thanks, but I’m sure Pete would prefer the stout! It looks fantastic, mate, and I don’t care if it comes in bottles or bootles!
Bootles of cider eh Stonehead! Did you type this missive before or after the tasting and how much time did the tasting take?
Sounds very interesting and well done from HY.
Please explain “scrumpy” to us down-under types.
No contest with cider…scrumpy Jack is the one to drink!
Scrumpy is made entirely from apples using traditional cider making methods.
The juice is extracted from the apples grown on site or locally, then fermented naturally, preferably with nothing else being added but the yeast.
The scrumpy is then left to mature in a keg and after a couple of months is ready to be drunk.
Scrumpy is nothing like the so-called “cider” sold in pubs, which is usually made from cheap concentrated apple juice, sugar, water, and a variety of chemicals.
This sort of “cider” is then pasteurised, carbonated and expensively marketed to gullible people with no taste buds.
In other words, it’s crud!
So, like a lot of other things that we do, we make our own cider in limited amounts, enjoy it in moderation and appreciate all the effort that has gone into producing it - from planting the tree right through to enjoying a glass of scrumpy several years later…