UK apple juicing contest - "The Battle of Brogdale"

[Onslowsdry]

Brogdale Cider Festival, 23rd and 24th August 2014, is hosting a demonstration of the traditional pulp and press, and novel juice and strain methods of obtaining fresh apple juice . This will take the form of a contest between these two alternative methods in a “fair test” trial. It promises to be educational, instructive and, most of all, fun. The pulp and press team will be led by Peter Eveleigh of Hardwood Crafts. Peter, a bespoke scratter and press maker, and his co-worker, Andrew, will be equipped with an electric mill, and two manual presses – a 32 litre barrel press and a 50 litre rack and cloth press, all of his own fabrication. At approximately half the capital outlay, Nevin Stewart, and one other, will put two high performance juicers to the juice and strain task, see: and juice and strain blog. Each team will have a 100kg of washed apples and one hour in which to do their best work. Yield of juice produced in a given time, and other key measures, will be recorded.

 

[Onslowsdry]

A post by the projects editor of Make: magazine, USA, before and after the event, accurately describes the contest format and outcomes, see: http://makezine.com/2014/08/22/cider-makers-battle-its-on-like-diddy-kong/

 

[Airgead]

novel juice and strain methods of obtaining fresh apple juice .

I still fail to see what's particularly novel about running fruit through a juicer and sieving out the pulp. That's what most small scale cider makes have been doing or years. I do around 100kg of apples each years that way and have done so for years. Novelty factor pretty low.

Mind you... I'm scaling up to 1000kg and am investing in a proper scratter and press.

 

[Onslowsdry]

Synchronous versus stepwise is a novel aspect of the method.

 

[Airgead]

Synchronous versus stepwise is a novel aspect of the method.

Which means?

If it means what I think it means where you put the strainer between the juicer and the fermenter instead of juicing the lot then straining.... again nahhh. I don't think anyone who uses a juicer hasn't figured that one out. If it doesn't mean that then please explain.

 

[Onslowsdry]

You've got it.

 

[Airgead]

So again. I struggle to understand what's particularly novel about bunging a strainer between the juicer and your fermenter. Except perhaps someone finding it interesting enough to base a whole blog on. Unless you guys get some kickback from juicer sales I just don't get what the fuss is about.

Mind you... you are English and the English even find cricket interesting so that may explain it.

 

[Onslowsdry]

Ah, my address is misleading you - I'm Scottish! No worries. I've lived more of my life in Guildford than I have in Scotland - let's face it, the weather's better.

I'm fully retired and juice and strain is my hobby. it has been/continues to be great fun taking the method to the world. The juicer companies are not interested, but magazine editors are. It has even received semi-official recognition here in the UK, see: http://reid.wrap.org.uk/item.php?id=404 There are an awful lot of garden apples that simply go to waste. Wider adoption of J&S may change that, and encourage a lot of new people to learn about the joys of cider making.

 

[Airgead]

I suppose it beats trainspotting or badger watching as a way to spend your retirement...

I suppose the UK is a lot more traditional than we are here so the thought of making cider without a "traditional' press may be a radical idea. I suspect that out here everyone has always been doing it and is a bit puzzled that its even a thing.

 

[Dave70]

Rockin duo, tossing bog rolls, slamming your face into a bowl of pudding, falconry (with an owl) and archery. And cider.
That festivals got it all !!

 

[Onslowsdry]

Airgead - I'm interested to learn more about Australians' use-of-juicers culture in cider making. How prevalent is it? Which machines are favoured? Have you come across any published articles which look at the pros and cons vs other methods? You observe correctly that here in the UK pulp and press dominates the cider making scene. For beginners. using juicers just seems so much more accessible to me.

 

[manticle]

Entry level for us although definitely some juicers are better than others.

Here there are concentrated goop kit cider makers, people who use storebought juice and yeast and those who use whole apples (and blends). I've done all three - good blends of quality storebought have been the best result for least effort but if I was to go for fresh apples, a decent juicer would be my pick. That or fresh juice from a pro cider maker.
Unfortunately cider apples are less prevalent here so much of the easily purchased apples are eating apples. I've made some nice ciders but not one I rate above henneys or some of the breton/normandy.

 

[Airgead]

I burned out a couple of cheap juicers but then bought a semi industrial screw press model. Its not one of those high speed centrifugal jobbies that you use. It uses a slow speed screw to press the juice from the pulp rather than just shred the lot at high speed. Supposedly it preserves natural enzymes and yada yada... hippy crap. It gives me amazing extraction though with a nearly dry pulp at the end and little pulp in the juice.

The downside is that you need to chop the apples before feeding them in which is a huge pain. This year though my innovation was to pulp the apples in a bucket using a drill and one of those metal paint stirer things. Then I just poured the pulp into the juicer. Worked like a charm but I did get way more pulp into the juice that way. Next year I'll strain the juice on the way to the fermenter to remove that.

Actually... hopefully... next year I'll have my license and will be processing 1000kg or so in a nice new pneumatic press that a welder mate of mine is knocking up for me.

Juicers are fine up to a few hundred kilos but I'd hate to do a commercial batch that way. I figure a decent press will get through large quantities faster and with less effort. I'm figuring in something that will press maybe 1-200kg at a time.

 

[Onslowsdry]

I find myself regarded as somewhat of a heretic when it comes to promoting juicer-use for cider-making here in the UK. It is very refreshing indeed to meet others who have had a positive juicer experience, and who speak favourably, of this approach.

My fellow heretics of Scillonian Road will be getting together shortly to process this year's crop into fresh clear apple juice, and thence into cider. Unfortunately, the crop is very light this year so we may have to go scrumping. That said, the Royal Horticultural Society up the road from us at Wisley Garden has invited we retired cider makers to demonstrate juice and strain at their Taste of Autumn festival in mid October. The plan is to go head-to-head with an entry level hand cranked scratter and press. If nothing else, it promises to be good fun and there will be apples aplenty to be juiced - payment in kind i call it!

 

[Airgead]

I partner up with a local grower (well... sort of local.. about 2 hours away). He gives me as many windfalls and seconds as I need for free as it saves him throwing them out. I give him cider and jam. Everyone is happy.

 

[TimT]

(well... sort of local.. about 2 hours away)

Airgead, you should know that here in Aus that's virtually in your backyard.