IN-CIDER SERIES™: INTRODUCTION TO CIDER Dan Daugherty co-founder & cidermaker, St. Vrain Cidery Overview ■ Introductions ■ Topics For This Session: 1. What is Cider? • A Brief History of Apples and Cider 2. Cidermaking Approaches • Cider Styles • Tastings (Interspersed) 3. Upcoming Sessions WHAT IS CIDER? The Short Answer: Fermented Apple Juice Cider Terms You May Have Heard: The Basics ■ “Cider” Is (for purposes of this presentation): ■ The fermented juice of apples and/or pears – Fermented pears can be either “cider” or “perry” – “Cider” can also include juice made from concentrate – Additional ingredients may be included (co-fermented or added later) ■ An often confusing term in the U.S. ■ “Hard Cider” is: ■ A U.S. term for fermented cider – A product of Prohibition and U.S. tax laws – Not a term you hear much outside of the U.S. when referencing fermented apple juice (it’s generally called “cider”) A Growing Market ■ At a 15% annual growth rate, cider will be equivalent to 2% of the beer market in 2020 (from a Cidercon 2016 presentation) ■ About 30 million cases $1 billion in cider sales in 2015 (source) ■ Cider is still very small relative to the beer market, but growing fast… Craft Beer Volume (source: Brewers Association) ■ Cider 2015: – $1 billion – 30 million cases (approx. 70 million gallons) The Basic Process ■ Basic Cidermaking Process: 1. Grow apples 2. Harvest apples 3. Grind apples 4. Press apples into juice 5. Ferment juice (naturally or with cultivated yeast) 6. Maturation – barrels, tanks, totes, etc 7. Packaging – bottles, cans, kegs 8. Serving -- bottles, cans, draft The Basic Process A (VERY) BRIEF HISTORY OF APPLES AND CIDER To Your Glass Via The Silk Road Apple Overview Malus Pumila / Malus Domestica: The Domesticated Apple ■ Member of Rosaceae family – Descended from Malus Sieversii, (Kazakhstan origin) ■ Transported west on the Silk Road ■ Requires a temperate climate (won’t fruit without enough cold winter days) ■ Extremely variable and diverse by nature but less so by human cultivation – 1,000’s of varieties, but the industry is dominated by a few dozen – Doesn’t grow true to seed – Clonally/vegetatively propagated ■ Extremely well-integrated into Western culture, with innumerable historical, folk, biblical, and mythological references The Apple – A Brief History (from Cider: Hard And Sweet, by Ben Watson) ■ M. Domestica (M. Pumila) originated from M. Sieversii ■ M. Domestica is relatively recent in its introduction to the west ■ Wild crab apples preceeded it. – M. Sylvestris – European Crab – M. Orientalis – Caucasus region – North American crabs ■ 8000 - 3500 B.C.E. apples depicted in Paleolithic cave paintings ■ 6500 B.C.E. remains of apples in human settlements The Apple – A Brief History ■ Romans brought orcharding techniques and introduced apple varieties to what is now Western Europe ■ Northern Spain (Asturius and The Basque) likely has the oldest European apple growing tradition ■ 1600’s started M. Domestica came to America with European colonists – By various chance, seedlings in America became today’s heirloom varieties ■ 1775, one out of 10 farms in New England operated a cider mill The Apple – A Brief History ■ Most seedlings are virtually inedibly tart and/or tannic, but good for cider – 1919 Prohibition - Many farmers ripped out their cider tree orchards ■ Poor quality, adulterated cider also hastened cider’s decline – 1899 - 55 million gallons – 1919 - 13 million gallons (when Prohibition was enacted) The Apple – A Brief History ■ First written reference: – 55 B.C.E., Romans invaded what is now Britain and noticed native Celts fermenting native crab apples (a different species that is wider-spread than M. Pumila) ■ 1371 Normandy - Cider had caught up with wine in sales ■ 17th century, Golden Age Of Apples in England – Significant orchard plantings in Western and Southern England and great interest in cider varieties The Apple – A Brief History ■ 1767 Massachusetts – One report stated that the per capita average of cider consumption in Massachusetts was 1.14 barrels per person per year (35 gallons) ■ Present Day U.S. – 20 gal of beer per person per year The U.S. Apple Industry ■ U.S. Apple Industry Stats (from the U.S. Apple Association): – 7,500 major producers growing 240 million bushels – $4 billion annual crop – Top 15 varieties account for 90% of production • Top Varieties: Red Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Rome, Cripps Pink/Pink Lady®, Empire • Very few cider-specific apples are available commercially in the U.S. – Primarily grown in intensive plantings – dwarf trees close together Complicating Factors 1. U.S. Excise Tax Law – Cider is a wine under U.S. tax law ■ More complex than beer (ABV, carbonation limits) • Under 7% ABV, cider has a special excise tax (lower) • At or Above 7% ABV, taxed as table wine (about 4x) • Above certain CO2 limits, cider is considered champagne (3x as much as table wine) Wine Excise and Tax Rates (source: Tax And Trade Bureau) VS. Beer Tax Rates ($.22/gal if you’re under 60k barrels, regardless of CO2 or ABV) Complicating Factors 2. Historical – Refrigeration ■ All juice naturally fermented itself before refrigeration (or pasteurization), as yeast is naturally present on the fruit – 1st refrigerated rail car patent in the U.S. was in 1867 – Prohibition ■ Resulted in the ‘re-branding’ of apple juice (‘sweet cider’) as ‘cider’ ■ Resulted in the loss of cider orchards in the U.S. CIDERMAKING APPROACHES The Old, The New, And The Odd Apple Contents ■ An apple contains: – 80% water (varies with irrigation practices and weather conditions) – 10% carbohydrate • Sugars (primarily simple sugar fructose, with some glucose) • Fiber/cellulose – 4% vitamins/minerals – 6% of: • Organic acids (primarily malic acid) • Pectin • Polyphenols – flavonoids and, to a varying degree, tannins • Very small amounts of proteins Cider Flavors And Aromas ■ Balance between elements is often a priority ■ Common flavor elements: 1. Tartness – derived from the acidity of the apples and other ingredients (e.g., tart cherry, berries) 2. Sweetness – residual or added sugar post-fermentation 3. Tannin-derived – astringency & bitterness • Astringency - Mouthfeel perception of ‘dryness’ (e.g., undiluted black tea) • Bitterness - From tannins in the fruit, from storage in oak, or from added ingredients (e.g., blueberry, black currant, powdered tannin) 4. Aromatics – often fruity or floral; sometimes earthy; others possible Apples Used In Cidermaking ■ In reality, can be any apple ■ Ideally, includes apples not commonly grown on a large scale ■ Ideally, a blend of: – Sharps (high acid, low tannin) –e.g., Granny Smith, Newtown Pippin – Sweets (low acid, low tannin) – e.g., most dessert varieties – Bittersweets (high tannin, low acid) –rare in the U.S. – Bittersharps (high tannin, high acid) –rare in the U.S. ■ Sugar levels vary within these categories i.e., a ‘sharp’ can have high sugar content Cider Apple Categories (Source: Andrew Lea) Category % Acid (TA) % Tannin Sharp >0.45 % <0.2 % Bittersharp >0.45 % >0.2 % Bittersweet <0.45 % >0.2 % Sweet <0.45 % <0.2 % Example Blend Ratio (source: Cider: Making, Using, & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider) Juice Type Percent of Juice Total Astringent [tannic] 5 - 20% Neutral Base 30 - 60% Tart 10 - 20% Aromatic 10 - 20% Cider Apple Examples (source: ciderschool (Dan’s site); various) Variety Type Acidity Sugar Content Tannin Notes Kingston English high medium high Slightly smoky Black Bittersharp (5.8 g/L) (SG 1.061) (1.9 g/L) and brandy-like Bramley's English high low low Very tart Seedling Cooking (>10 g/L) (SG 1.040) (<.5 g/L) Aromatic American high medium Cortland low (McIntosh Heirloom (7.3 g/L) (SG 1.059) variant) Porter's English very high high Apples often fuse medium Perfection Bittersharp (15 g/L) (SG 1.060) together Somerset English Low Medium high Striped Redstreak Bittersweet (1.9 g/L) (SG 1.060) (3.5 g/L) appearance Cidermaking Variations ■ Regional differences can be very large – Process, ingredients, and serving approaches ■ We’ll focus on the U.S. today ■ Using Jeff Alworth’s Three Schools Of American Cider in Cider Made Simple: 1. The Traditionalists 2. The Modernists 3. The Experimentalists 1. Traditionalists ■ Orchard-focused – ‘Great Wine Is Made In The Vineyard’ – Blending for balance • Not highly specific / variety-by-variety ■ Minimal intervention with the fermentation – Often wild-fermented with the native yeast on the fruit – Few or no additives – Products often resemble English and/or French traditional styles ■ Examples: – EZ Orchards (Salem, OR) 2. Modernists ■ Process-oriented – Control fermentation conditions – Use cultivated yeast – Use SO2 ■ Fruit-centric flavor profiles – Neutral, white wine yeasts – Targeted blends of specific apples – Produces more modern and ‘designed’ flavor-wise vs. a traditional cider ■ Examples: – Farnum Hill (Lebanon, NH) 3. Experimentalists ■ Diverse products with diverse products to match – Flavor is the goal – Tradition isn’t necessarily ignored but isn’t the priority ■ Frequent use of non-traditional ingredients – Spices, hops, tropical fruits, spirit barrel aging ■ Examples: – Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider (Portland, OR) CIDER STYLES Diverse Approaches To A Diverse Fruit Dimensions Of Variance ■ Cider can vary substantially along many lines, such as: 1. Acidity / tartness 2. Sweetness (zero residual sugars quite sweet) 3. Alcohol content (between 5-8% with typical apples) 4. Non-apple ingredients 5. Storage / maturation (barrels, steel, other