01-10-2011, 21:45
Traditional cider making starts with the picking of the apples. These are left to mature for a week and then tipped into a "scratcher" which crushes the apples. In more modern plants the apples are reduced to a pulp in a grater type mill made of stainless steel. The apple pulp is known as the pomace or pommy
Next the pulp must be crushed to extract the juice. This is done in a cider press. Several types of press are used. The traditional type is a rack and cloth press (sometimes known as a pack press). In this type of press a sheet of sisal or hessian is placed across the bottom of a square frame above a trough. A layer of pomace, 4-5 inches deep, is poured onto the hessian. The hessian is folded over the pomace, completely enclosing it. Another sheet of hessian is placed on top of the first and the process repeated until the layers fill the frame. The cider press is then racked down onto the layers and the juice runs into the trough. The pomace is pressed until it is solid and no more juice runs out. The press is then racked up, the layers of pomace are broken up by hand, and the whole lot is re-pressed. In modern plants mechano- hydraulically operated plate presses are used. The pressed pomace is either dried in hot air to 12% moisture and used for manufacture of pectin, or it is directly sold on for cattle feed.
The freshly pressed juice may be fermented straight away. In some commercial operations it is concentrated and stored for later conversion to cider, in which case it is extensively treated to pasturise it and to remove pectin. The fresh juice may be fermented in one of two different ways. Traditionally the juice is run into a wooden pipe (a barrel which can contain 120 gallons) or smaller wooden barrels, and the bung of the barrel is removed. No yeast is added, traditional cider making relies on wild yeasts. The fermentation starts in 1-2 days and continues for several weeks, during which time the barrel is topped up with more cider. When fermentation is over, the bung is replaced and the cider matured for 5-6 months.
Next the pulp must be crushed to extract the juice. This is done in a cider press. Several types of press are used. The traditional type is a rack and cloth press (sometimes known as a pack press). In this type of press a sheet of sisal or hessian is placed across the bottom of a square frame above a trough. A layer of pomace, 4-5 inches deep, is poured onto the hessian. The hessian is folded over the pomace, completely enclosing it. Another sheet of hessian is placed on top of the first and the process repeated until the layers fill the frame. The cider press is then racked down onto the layers and the juice runs into the trough. The pomace is pressed until it is solid and no more juice runs out. The press is then racked up, the layers of pomace are broken up by hand, and the whole lot is re-pressed. In modern plants mechano- hydraulically operated plate presses are used. The pressed pomace is either dried in hot air to 12% moisture and used for manufacture of pectin, or it is directly sold on for cattle feed.
The freshly pressed juice may be fermented straight away. In some commercial operations it is concentrated and stored for later conversion to cider, in which case it is extensively treated to pasturise it and to remove pectin. The fresh juice may be fermented in one of two different ways. Traditionally the juice is run into a wooden pipe (a barrel which can contain 120 gallons) or smaller wooden barrels, and the bung of the barrel is removed. No yeast is added, traditional cider making relies on wild yeasts. The fermentation starts in 1-2 days and continues for several weeks, during which time the barrel is topped up with more cider. When fermentation is over, the bung is replaced and the cider matured for 5-6 months.
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