Apples
5 Things to Consider before Using Ground-Harvested Apples for Cider
By Bri Valliere, Fermentability Consulting & Education While the fruit this time of year begins to disappear from tree branches, there still may be plenty on the ground. Before you pluck up those apples and throw them into the press, you should know some of the basics of turning these ground-dwellers into your favorite drink.…
Read MoreSpring 2020 Apple Crop Conditions
Written by Greg Peck, Assistant Professor of Horticulture, Cornell University Gee whiz, 2020, you really have it in for us! In the midst of a global pandemic in mid-May apple growers throughout the Midwest and Eastern US endured several nights of potentially damaging cold temperatures. At our research farms in Ithaca and Lansing, NY we…
Read MoreCiderCon® Seminar: Orcharding in the West
About 6 months ago, Jake Mann of Five Mile Orchard in California called me. He shared that what he loved most about CiderCon® hadn’t happened in a few years, and he wondered if it might be able to return? I didn’t need convincing. I missed it too, and this was a chance for American Cider…
Read MoreTest Driving a Cider Lexicon
The American Cider Association introduced our first cider style guide in 2017. Our ultimate target audience was consumers. How can we help consumers find a cider they like and come back to the category again and again, and how can we advance this goal by training beverage professionals, the folks that interface between the producer…
Read MoreThe Gravensteins of Sonoma County
“What can I get for you?” I ask the next customer at the bar. “I don’t know. Do you have any cider made with Gravenstein apples?”, comes the reply. “All the ciders on our menu have some Gravenstein in them. What sort of cider do you like?” That’s a typical beginning conversation at the Craft…
Read More