Down yer we call it Zider me dear (Ciders in general)

Member Name: goosey

Product:	Ciders in general
Date:	02/10/09 (152 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Alcoholic

Disadvantages: Alcoholic

No doubt many of you will understand what I mean when I say; once a child has asked a question, the answer you supply will generate even more questions, in rapid succession - something like :
"Mummy, why is daddy's chin prickly?"
"Because he hasn't shaved this morning and his whiskers have grown."
"Will I grow whiskers like daddy?"
"No, poppet."
"Why?"
"Only men grow whiskers, not ladies and little girls."
"Why?"
Because daddy is a man and has hormones to make his whiskers grow."
"What's hawmomes?"
"Hormones are..er..umm..tsch.Oh dear, look at the time! No more questions now, hurry up and finish your breakfast, else we will be late for play school and Mrs Miteknow will be cross."

What has this to do with cider, you ask.

Well, I bought a bottle of Churchwards Devon Pear Cider a few weeks ago, a beautiful amber liquid; enjoyable it was too, but then my childlike inquisitive nature kicked in, when I asked myself - What is pear cider and how does it differ from ordinary cider? Is it flavoured with, or made from,pear? What is the difference between cider and apple wine? Isnt there a cider vinegar? and cider Brandy?

My questions tumbled about like autumnal leaves in the wind.
This sent me on an interesting trail of discovery as I trolled (or was it staggered) through hundreds of pages from the internet and books. I shall endeavour to condense all the information, by eliminating much of the less interesting chemical terminology.

=====CIDER====

Q: What is cider?
A: Cider, by definition, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice.

Q: How is it made?
A: To make traditional English cider, called REAL CIDER; special cider apples, grown mainly in the West Country, are pulped, freshly pressed and put through two, almost simultaneous, fermentation processes.

Q: Why is it called REAL cider?
A: Because absolutely nothing extra is added to the juices. No sweeteners, sugars, cultured yeasts, enzymes, artificial colourings or concentrates. Nor is it filtered or pasteurised.
Even so, there are two official categories of real cider.
Category 'A,' is as described above and category 'B;' which is essentially the same as 'A'except that it may contain some concentrate as well as freshly pressed cider apple juice.

Q: So, if there are real ciders, are there false ciders?
A: No; not false, as such. The difference is in the production and contents. More commonly, ciders,other than real ciders, are made from imported concentrates; the final product will contain artificial colourings, sweeteners and preservatives and will have been filtered and pasteurised.

Q: How is cider made?
A: Real cider is made from freshly picked cider apples, which have been left for a week or so to mature, they are then ground into a pomace in a stainless steel, scratcher-mill, the process is termed 'scratting.' The pomace is then transferred straight from the scratter-mill into a cider press - in layers, built by sandwiching the pulp, or pomace between successive layers of hessian, although traditionally, sweet straw or hair-cloths were placed between the layers of pomace, alternated with ash wood racks. About 12 layers are then subjected to increasing pressures until all the juice (called 'must') is extracted from the pulp, by which time the pomace is solid. The juice is then strained in a coarse-haired sieve and poured into vats or casks.

The juices are fermented slowly at lower than usual fermentation temperatures, to prevent the loss of delicate aromas.
Before fermentaion is complete, the juice is siphoned into a fresh vat, leaving debris such as expired yeast cells, behind. Each vat is filled completely to exclude air, which contain acetic bacteria. Small amounts of carbon dioxide are generated from the continuing fermentation process.

Interestingly, the pressed pulp (pomace) can be processed to produce pectin or sold as winter feed for farm animals.

Q: But if no yeasts are added, how does fermentation occur?
A: Wild yeasts are naturally occuring in the skins of the fruit, this converts the sugars into ethanol, the second fermentation process is carried out by the natural occuring lactic acid bacteria in the juice, to produce Lactic acid and carbon dioxide.

Q: Are all the other types of cider made by the same fermentation process?
A: Yes, well certainly very similar.

Q: What then, makes them different from each other?
A: With Pear Cider, the pears are left to mature for a few weeks after picking, before they are crushed. The pear pomace is then allowed to stand for a further 24 hours before pressing, this delay reduces the tannin content and the end product is much clearer.

With Cider Vinegar, the apple juices are processed in the traditional manner, but are then placed in an open vat, where airborne acetic bacteria converts the cider to acetic acid - vinegar.

Q: How does Apple Wine differ from cider?
A: Apple wine is made by the fermentation of sweet, dessert apples, which contain more sugar than the cider variety, and will therefore yield a higher alcohol content than traditional ciders.

Q: How is Cider Brandy made?
A: Cider Brandy is made from cider apples, but the longer fermentation process of three months, takes place in large oak vats, after which it is distilled and the clear spirit kept in oak barrels where it is left for several years to mature, mellow and gain colour from the oak. The alcohol content is very high - 42%vol.

Q: What is Scrumpy?
A: Oooh Arrrrr. True Scrumpy is the traditional rough cider, brewed mainly in the West Country. It is produced from cider apples that have fallen from the trees; the apples are ground. Sometimes they are fermented without being pressed, so are effectively fermented whole. This produces a more bitter tasting drink because of the tannins. The liquid is often a murky tan colour with a very distinctive smell, not one I personally find pleasant.

Alcoholic contents of ciders:

Most ciders have an alcohol content between 3% and 8%vol
Cider Wines will be higher,in the region of 9% to 12%vol
Cider Brandies contain an enormous 42%vol
Cider vinegar does not contain alcohol.

One final interesting snippet of information gleaned, which may be of some use to people with diabetes, is that according to a small study, carried out in America, scientists have found that when people with diabetes consumed 2 tablespoons of Cider vinegar at bedtime, their morning fasting blood sugar levels were reduced by about 2 to 6 percent.
More research needs to be done before it becomes fact - methinks.

A word of caution to beer drinkers who might want to sup cider. There is a saying:
~~~~~Beer on cider makes a good rider,
~~~~~Cider on beer will make you feel queer.
In other words, if you have already had a pint or two of beer, DO NOT drink cider.

Summary:
My alcohol induced inquisitiveness has revealed to me a few interesting facts about cider.
Q: What shall I try next? - Any suggestions?

Summary: Cider comes in many forms, but still has the tastes of apples.