Pear Cider Recipe Please?

[manticle]

I have a grape crusher and have used it to crush apples but the apples were cut up a bit first. I'd guess pears would be similar, depending on ripeness.

Traditional cidermaking 'scrats' the apples before crushing.

 

[alfadog]

Sounds good. Wife just wants pear though, I might be able to convince her though of this one.

Just tell her it is pear cider

 

[the_new_darren]

How much liquid do you get from an average pear?

tnd

 

[manticle]

Again I can only really answer in terms of apples. I have used pears as part of my process but maybe in a ratio of 10:1 appleear?

Depends a lot on the ripeness etc of the fruit and the process you use to juice it. If pressing, you can expect more than if using a benchtop juicer. I have got ~15L from 30 kg of apples and 10 kg of pears using a bench top with the fruit scratted and crushed first.

I would expect another 5-10 L if I had pressed them properly instead.

 

[the_new_darren]

Do you filter the juice?

tnd

 

[manticle]

No.

If using fresh fruit rather than store bought juice, I let the juice sit for 24-48 hours until it forms a crust. I then rack from under the crust and then pitch an active starter (starter using store bought preservative free juice) into the soft cider.

Helps clarification - based on both my reading and experience. I believe the french cidermaking term for the crust is 'chapeau brun' or brown cap.

 

[Greg.L]

Normal yield for apples or pears is 50% - 70%. (L/kg). You can build a simple rack and cloth press quite cheaply, there are lots of plans on the internet. Milling (scratting) is the problem, I use a garden mulcher which does the job well.

If you mill then press you don't have to filter and you won't get a crust. Chapeau brun is a term used in keeving which is only possible at low temperatures, you won't normally see it in Australia. The crust you are seeing must be just due to your processing if you see it before you pitch yeast. Chapeau brun would take around a week (or more) to form, at 10C or lower.

There are special pear varieties called perry pears used for fermenting, they produce a drink with tannins but there aren't many perry trees in Australia.

 

[manticle]

Hi greg,

I have used a grape crusher to scrat before followed by a bench top juicer (very inefficient way of getting juice out) I have also just cut apples up into smaller portions before juicing. I have never pressed.

After leaving the juice for about 48 hours at temperatures that vary between 4 degrees and 14 degrees (I usually do cider during autumn and winter) I have a pronounced formation on top of the juice that very closely resembles the image on this page:

chapeau brun

To be honest, I make cider more often from store bought juice because the bench top is a massive pain and inefficient. I have a small fruit press I am yet to use - next autumn I'll have a crack.

 

[Greg.L]

"Since the temperature is low, no significant yeast fermentation takes place in the first few days, but the natural pectin esterase enzymes in the apple juice slowly change the pectin to pectic acid. This forms a gel as it cross-links with the natural calcium in the juice and a 'brown cap' (the 'chapeau brun') rises slowly to the surface, as it picks up gas bubbles from the early stages of a very slow fermentation conducted by yeasts trapped in the gel."

" incipient fermentation is required to start within a few days since the cap must be buoyed up by trapped gas bubbles. In practice I have found that by applying sulphite at half the recommended level for the pH (see table), sufficient wild yeast growth occurs to raise the cap in a reasonable time (about a week)."

-Andrew Lea

A very slow process. Andrew's side-on captures the process well

 

[manticle]

A slow process that might be hastened by slightly warmer temps and no sulphites?

Otherwise what is the brown crust I get? (which is, as I said, identical to the image from that page when viewed from the top - I don't do my cider in glass so I can't compare the other image).

 

[Greg.L]

Warmer temperatures mean it doesn't happen at all. The brown cap that always forms is just the co2 from yeast carrying impurities to the top. It happens whenever you use fresh pressed juice because it hasn't been clarified. The French call this "chapeau blanc" which is a bit confusing. The essential difference is that the chapeau blanc is frothy while the chapeau brun is gelatinous. You need an sg of at least 1.053 for the juice to be dense enough to form chapeau brun.

 

[manticle]

Interesting.

Cheers.

Jean-Yves Jacob suggests 8-14 degrees (with proper clarification needing around 5- 8 days).

 

[_HOME_BREW_WALLACE_]

More importantly, where does one buy pear juice as cheaply as apple juice?

Goomba

Golden Circle Outlet store in capalaba sells it, in 2L cans (the type you have to open with a can opener). Dunno what the price is, but it must be cheap. Swmbo brought home 4 tins of the stuff!

 

[psytramp]

Great info, cheers!!

 

[jameson]

Hi all looking to maybe have a crack at the Apple pear berri cider. Thinking this doesn't take long to mature? I was talking to a mate at brew club and he was saying he does the odd bottle with us05 slurry would this give it a clean clear result or better to go with cider yeast? Looking to do this as a emergency keg filler if beer stock gets low which is probly inevitable as I seem to be getting my thirst on in the run up to Christmas.
Thanks Jameson

 

[TartanSpecial]

I've got a apple pear cider on the go now. 5x 2.4L Berri Apple, 4x 2.4L Berri Apple Pear, 250g LDME, yeast nutrient and wyeast 4766 cider. Has an extra bottle of Apple Pear over the last batch. Was well received by they cider drinkers in that there was some sweetness but was still relatively dry and refreshing. Just far too simple to make.

Hi, new to the site and keen to try this recipe.
Just wanted to ask how long the fermentation will take and what the expected alcohol level will be for this recipe?
Can you use a starter yeast or dry yeast and add it straight into a room temperatured apple juice as i am struggling to find the Wyeast you mentioned?
Thanks