# Cider apples near sydney?



## agentorange (4/2/13)

Hi all,

It's apple season, and I'm thinking I want to take a crack at my first cider. I've seen recipes floating around that use juice from woolies, but I'm aiming for something more like a french/normandy cider if I can manage it. So does anyone know if you can get fresh-pressed juice in/near sydney that's good for cider? Preferably unfiltered/unpasteurised/whatever. Just apples, pressed.

Been reading up about different apple types, etc. I just don't want to drive up to bilpin to discover all I can get is golden delicious and generic apple juice.

cheers


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## Phoney (4/2/13)

Try Cedar creek orchard. They're out past Camden: http://www.cedarcreekorchards.com.au

Give them a call and ask what day they they are crushing for juice. From my experience they do it about once a week (during the week). So you take a sickie, then rock up with a sanitised cube and they'll fill it for I think about $1.20 a litre of whatever varieties of apples you want, straight from the press.

Last time I got 50/50 granny smith / pink lady. 

Before you make the trip out there, it might be worth your while asking on AHB if anyone else wants a cube filled & is willing to chuck in for petrol money... *hint hint*


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## manticle (4/2/13)

In the buy and sell forum is a thread by Greg L offering fresh juice from his orchard. He is in Bathurst.
Not pink ladies etc.

Let me know how you go making normandy/breton style from the juice. I'm currently experimenting with dregs from commercial cidre and apfelwein bottles to see if I can get similar characters. I'd link you to the thread but using a phone and it's a pain. Thread is called 'fresh pressed juice' and it's recent. He makes wine and cidrr and I believe has some cider apple trees.


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## Greg.L (5/2/13)

phoneyhuh said:


> Try Cedar creek orchard. They're out past Camden: http://www.cedarcreekorchards.com.au
> 
> Give them a call and ask what day they they are crushing for juice. From my experience they do it about once a week (during the week). So you take a sickie, then rock up with a sanitised cube and they'll fill it for I think about $1.20 a litre of whatever varieties of apples you want, straight from the press.
> 
> ...



$1.50/litre is a good price for fresh pressed, I can't compete against that. I will have Sweet Alford cider apples in march, I also have crabapple juice which adds tannin, flavour and body. My apples are fully tree ripened, which is very important when making cider because you get more flavour if the apples are allowed to ripen, commercial apples are picked much sooner. I also have some pears, they have unfermental sugars which add a little sweetness.


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## Airgead (5/2/13)

I go to a pick your own orchard in Bilpin (Bilpin Springs). They don't do cider apples as such but they do have some varieties that make great cider. I use about 20% Granny Smith and 80% Braeburn/Pink Lady with some home grown crabs.

Best of all he lets me have the seconds for free.

Cheers
Dave


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## mikec (5/2/13)

phoneyhuh said:


> Try Cedar creek orchard. They're out past Camden: http://www.cedarcreekorchards.com.au
> 
> Give them a call and ask what day they they are crushing for juice. From my experience they do it about once a week (during the week). So you take a sickie, then rock up with a sanitised cube and they'll fill it for I think about $1.20 a litre of whatever varieties of apples you want, straight from the press.
> 
> ...


You can buy Cedar Creek juice at Harris Farm. This is the juice I use for cider.


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## Greg.L (5/2/13)

I think it is worth mentioning that at this time of year, any fresh pressed juice of grannysmith, pink lady etc will be fruit from cold store. The fruit respires in storage so the acidity gets quite low, you would need to add some malic acid if you use this sort of juice, unless they acidify it for you.


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## Phoney (5/2/13)

mikec said:


> You can buy Cedar Creek juice at Harris Farm. This is the juice I use for cider.


Yes,but $4.50 for a 2L bottle, and it's been filtered & pasteurized. 

That said; I've fermented two ciders identically - one from Aldi apple juice and one from fresh pressed apples from the orchard, and IMO the difference was negligible. 

I would actually be keen to try with cider apples to see if it makes a difference.


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## manticle (5/2/13)

manticle said:


> In the buy and sell forum is a thread by Greg L offering fresh juice from his orchard. He is in Bathurst.
> Not pink ladies etc.
> 
> Let me know how you go making normandy/breton style from the juice. I'm currently experimenting with dregs from commercial cidre and apfelwein bottles to see if I can get similar characters. I'd link you to the thread but using a phone and it's a pain. Thread is called 'fresh pressed juice' and it's recent. He makes wine and cidrr and I believe has some cider apple trees.



http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/70406-fresh-pressed-apple-juice/

I'm surprised Greg didn't link it himself.

I'll happily accept 20 L of fresh pressed juice as payment for spruiking you Greg. Tell the courier it's fine to leave on my front doorstep - I'll get it when I get home.


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## agentorange (5/2/13)

Thanks for the replies guys. This is super helpful! Greg, I would love to be able to get juice from you, but bathurst is probably too far for me to go. Although, to be honest, the varieties you mention are kind of tempting. Maybe when I've got a few ciders under my belt, I'll make the trek.

I called the cedar creek orchards, and they're usually pressing tuesday morning. Need to check monday to be sure. Sounds like they have a blend of gala and granny smith in at the moment, which isn't ideal, but may do. Maybe the 4-teabag cuppa trick would do to up the tannins a bit. Think I'll shoot down there next week an fill a couple of my carboys, and give it whirl.

cheers
chris


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## agentorange (5/2/13)

Ahhh. Took a while to post the last one. Extra thanks for the tips on the acidity. Will investigate adding malic acid. Maybe I'll play with some variety so I can compare side-by-side. This is my first experiment with cider, so I'm sort of learning as I go.

cheers
chris


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## manticle (5/2/13)

I add tannic acid to mine (well tannic and malic) About 5g in 20-25 L at the beginning of ferment seems to do the trick although if using fresh, you may want to measure your pH before chucking in a dose.

I gave up trying to use fresh apples because I have no scratter or press and could not buy anything other than eating apples so I try and give the cider character by using the acids and by playing with dregs from commercial french ciders.


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## mikec (5/2/13)

phoneyhuh said:


> Yes,but $4.50 for a 2L bottle, and it's been filtered & pasteurized.
> 
> That said; I've fermented two ciders identically - one from Aldi apple juice and one from fresh pressed apples from the orchard, and IMO the difference was negligible.
> 
> I would actually be keen to try with cider apples to see if it makes a difference.


I've tried many varieties of juice and this one is by far the best.
It's $4 for 2L, so $2 a litre. 20L batch is $40.
Compare that to $30 for 20L from the farm, plus fuel and half a day's driving.


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## Phoney (5/2/13)

manticle said:


> I add tannic acid to mine (well tannic and malic) About 5g in 20-25 L at the beginning of ferment seems to do the trick although if using fresh, you may want to measure your pH before chucking in a dose.
> 
> I gave up trying to use fresh apples because I have no scratter or press and could not buy anything other than eating apples so I try and give the cider character by using the acids and by playing with dregs from commercial french ciders.


Has it been worth it? 

I found WY4766 finishes very dry, im not sure that I'd want my cider to be any more acidic.


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## Greg.L (5/2/13)

agentorange said:


> Thanks for the replies guys. This is super helpful! Greg, I would love to be able to get juice from you, but bathurst is probably too far for me to go. Although, to be honest, the varieties you mention are kind of tempting. Maybe when I've got a few ciders under my belt, I'll make the trek.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well I don't have spare juice every year. You don't just get the juice if you come to my place, also a day out in the country, you'r welcome to spend a bit of time here, it's a nice bit of country.


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## manticle (5/2/13)

It has given the cider a complexity that straight juice doesn't. I'm a fan of dry cider.

The dregs I've done only once on a full batch and that was after fermentation but the cider developed a distinct and pleasing funky edge so I now have 3 juice bottles fermented with just dregs - very slow going but aromas are pleasing and promising. Just experimenting to see which commercial gives best results before attempting a full batch.


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