What kind of cider do you want to make?
It also might be easier just post what you have access to and then whittle that down. The majority of commercially grown apples aren't considered premium cider apples. With that said, I also believe you can make an enjoyable cider from almost any commercial variety (usually need a blend though).
More on the tart side is what I'd like. My first one with neighborhood fruit turned out so good, but obviously still a few months away for that.
The local wholesaler currently has (from their latest posting a week ago) :
`12/3 RED DEL (USA)`
`RED WA XF 88 (USA)`
`12/3 GOLD (3338300081)(USA)`
`GOLD USXF 80-88 (USA)`
`12/3 GRANNY (USA)`
`GRANNY USXF 56-72 (USA)`
`COSMIC CRISP USXF 48 40# (USA)`
`12/3 FUJI (3338308713) (USA)`
`FUJI FCY 88/LGR (IND) (USA)`
`WAXF EVERCRISP PREMIUM 72 (USA)`
`GALA WA XF 80-88 (USA)`
`12/3 GALA WAXF 3338300741(USA)`
`HONEYCRISP WAXF 72 (CMI)(USA)`
`HONEYCRISP USXF 72 (USA)`
`12/3 PINK LADY (USA)`
`PINK LADY USXF 80/LGR (USA)`
`SUGAR BEE USXF 72 (USA)`
I imagine that I want to stay away from the red "delicious" crap, and probably want some Granny smith ones for the tart, but not really sure what else specifically makes a good cider apple.
I am fermenting my first cider!! 2 weeks in - ~ 1 gallon in one fermenter and 3/4 gallon in another (4 an 3 litres for me in Australia, so conversions are so-so). My pressing is all ‘ground-collected’ gala apples. The ferment is now a lovely cloudy honey colour, frothing merrily. When fermentation completes (no more bubbler activity), I’ll transfer to a 2nd fermenter and allow much less ullage (is that a good idea?).
The cider is all ‘gala’. What flavour can I expect?
A lot of these are what people would call 'dessert' or 'culinary' apples that are not going to be good for cider - way too sweet (this includes Granny Smiths). While you're right that varieties like these are likely to be available year round, bittersharp varieties that make for the backbone of good, well-balanced ciders are not. But I would start by looking around to see what kinds of cider apples are used in the PNW and go from there to see if you can find some.
edit: WSU's extension service has a helpful page [here](https://extension.wsu.edu/maritimefruit/apple-varieties-for-cooking-baking-cider/)
I try to stay informed of varietal composition. It does change with region, growing and storage practices.
The TA of Gala should be close to 4 g/L (as malic). While not quite enough to qualify as a sharp I don’t know any cidermakers who would call that low. RD has a lot of sports and some are indeed low acid (below about 3 g/L)
I’ve never know Kingston Black to be high sugar. WSU has it at 13.3 BRIX which is pretty close to average. I’ve gotten KB to 15-16 BRIX with sweating but that’s a trick you can play with many varieties. IMO above 15 BRIX is “ high sugar”.
It’s an interesting conversation…,and I think it’s worth having the disagreement to try and reach a consensus on what low/med/high actually mean….for the sake of communication.
Any of these can work for ciders as a single varietal but you might want to get some Malic Acid. A lot of them are not acidic enough on their own and more inclined to produce off-flavors. You will want your pH to be somewhere between 3.1-3.7.
Personally I would go for the cosmic crisp or the honeycrisp. They are well balanced and have some strong apple characteristics in the flavor that don’t strip out easily. A lot of wholesalers only sell by the bin- so be prepared to have a minimum of around 900lbs.
Check out Scott labs or Entartis to buy some starter tannin kits if you want to create more complexity.
How did you filter it?
Apples are a seasonal thing if you want them cheap and in bulk (unless you are a large company who can buy even larger bulk numbers).
So you probably need to wait until August-September time for apple season. Then search for apples. People will give them away if they have them in their gardens
An inline filter.
I found a place to get apples wholesale. I can process a lot, and have sufficient room to do a few larger batches, I just wanted to know if one were deliberately getting apples, what kinds should I steer towards or away from.
I'm not waiting until fall
O\_O.
Have you ever been to an apple wholesaler? Apples are stored at controlled temperature and humidity for up to a year.
The apples we buy here don't come from Chile. Lots of other fruit does earlier in the year, but the apples are still Washington apples.
Sounds like you should just keep harvesting from the neighborhood, would be great if you found some roadside crabs to throw in the cider they may be small but they pack a punch in flavor that store bought apples can’t provide
What kind of cider do you want to make? It also might be easier just post what you have access to and then whittle that down. The majority of commercially grown apples aren't considered premium cider apples. With that said, I also believe you can make an enjoyable cider from almost any commercial variety (usually need a blend though).
More on the tart side is what I'd like. My first one with neighborhood fruit turned out so good, but obviously still a few months away for that. The local wholesaler currently has (from their latest posting a week ago) : `12/3 RED DEL (USA)` `RED WA XF 88 (USA)` `12/3 GOLD (3338300081)(USA)` `GOLD USXF 80-88 (USA)` `12/3 GRANNY (USA)` `GRANNY USXF 56-72 (USA)` `COSMIC CRISP USXF 48 40# (USA)` `12/3 FUJI (3338308713) (USA)` `FUJI FCY 88/LGR (IND) (USA)` `WAXF EVERCRISP PREMIUM 72 (USA)` `GALA WA XF 80-88 (USA)` `12/3 GALA WAXF 3338300741(USA)` `HONEYCRISP WAXF 72 (CMI)(USA)` `HONEYCRISP USXF 72 (USA)` `12/3 PINK LADY (USA)` `PINK LADY USXF 80/LGR (USA)` `SUGAR BEE USXF 72 (USA)` I imagine that I want to stay away from the red "delicious" crap, and probably want some Granny smith ones for the tart, but not really sure what else specifically makes a good cider apple.
Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Gala can make some banger ciders. I would not recommend any of them as single variety though.
I am fermenting my first cider!! 2 weeks in - ~ 1 gallon in one fermenter and 3/4 gallon in another (4 an 3 litres for me in Australia, so conversions are so-so). My pressing is all ‘ground-collected’ gala apples. The ferment is now a lovely cloudy honey colour, frothing merrily. When fermentation completes (no more bubbler activity), I’ll transfer to a 2nd fermenter and allow much less ullage (is that a good idea?). The cider is all ‘gala’. What flavour can I expect?
A lot of these are what people would call 'dessert' or 'culinary' apples that are not going to be good for cider - way too sweet (this includes Granny Smiths). While you're right that varieties like these are likely to be available year round, bittersharp varieties that make for the backbone of good, well-balanced ciders are not. But I would start by looking around to see what kinds of cider apples are used in the PNW and go from there to see if you can find some. edit: WSU's extension service has a helpful page [here](https://extension.wsu.edu/maritimefruit/apple-varieties-for-cooking-baking-cider/)
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Most of the well know cider apples are actually low to medium acid. Dessert apples are typical med-high acid.
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I try to stay informed of varietal composition. It does change with region, growing and storage practices. The TA of Gala should be close to 4 g/L (as malic). While not quite enough to qualify as a sharp I don’t know any cidermakers who would call that low. RD has a lot of sports and some are indeed low acid (below about 3 g/L) I’ve never know Kingston Black to be high sugar. WSU has it at 13.3 BRIX which is pretty close to average. I’ve gotten KB to 15-16 BRIX with sweating but that’s a trick you can play with many varieties. IMO above 15 BRIX is “ high sugar”. It’s an interesting conversation…,and I think it’s worth having the disagreement to try and reach a consensus on what low/med/high actually mean….for the sake of communication.
> this includes Granny Smiths I find granny smiths work great.
Yeah - and they make bracingly *tart* cider, not sweet...
Dry certainly, but not overly tart in my experience.
None of those varieties have a problem with being too sweet.
Any of these can work for ciders as a single varietal but you might want to get some Malic Acid. A lot of them are not acidic enough on their own and more inclined to produce off-flavors. You will want your pH to be somewhere between 3.1-3.7. Personally I would go for the cosmic crisp or the honeycrisp. They are well balanced and have some strong apple characteristics in the flavor that don’t strip out easily. A lot of wholesalers only sell by the bin- so be prepared to have a minimum of around 900lbs. Check out Scott labs or Entartis to buy some starter tannin kits if you want to create more complexity.
Straight Granny makes a pretty good single apple cider. Maybe add in 10% pink lady or something for the aromatics.
I don't have anything helpful for you but only a question. Did you buy a press and grinder? Or rent?
Yes, I bought both, and learned how much work it was :)
How did you filter it? Apples are a seasonal thing if you want them cheap and in bulk (unless you are a large company who can buy even larger bulk numbers). So you probably need to wait until August-September time for apple season. Then search for apples. People will give them away if they have them in their gardens
An inline filter. I found a place to get apples wholesale. I can process a lot, and have sufficient room to do a few larger batches, I just wanted to know if one were deliberately getting apples, what kinds should I steer towards or away from. I'm not waiting until fall
You'll have to buy apples from the Southern Hemisphere (think Chile) because as the above comment said, **apples are a seasonal thing**
Apples keep for months even with environmental control
O\_O. Have you ever been to an apple wholesaler? Apples are stored at controlled temperature and humidity for up to a year. The apples we buy here don't come from Chile. Lots of other fruit does earlier in the year, but the apples are still Washington apples.
I don't think a lot of people realize that a 'CA' on an apple box stands for Controlled Atmosphere, not California.
Your cider sounds great! Can you share how much you backsweetened it? What was your final gravity going into the keg?
Sounds like you should just keep harvesting from the neighborhood, would be great if you found some roadside crabs to throw in the cider they may be small but they pack a punch in flavor that store bought apples can’t provide
I found that honeycrisp does not like to clear at all