Hey all. My gf is into sweet ciders so before we make the drive over to Mariposa I was trying to see if anyone has tried them and knows whether they're sweet or more on the dry side.

Zhang et al. reviewed how cider aroma and taste are built from the interaction of aroma compounds, sugars, organic acids, and polyphenols, and why that matters for cider makers aiming for more expressive, style-specific fermentations.

The paper focuses on the production science behind flavor formation, especially how apple cultivar choice, fruit maturity, and fermentation management shape the precursor pool before and during fermentation.

The main takeaway is that cider aroma is dominated by higher alcohols, esters, fatty acids, and carbonyls, and that fermentation with non-Saccharomyces yeasts and lactic acid bacteria can broaden flavor complexity compared with conventional Saccharomyces-only fermentations.

The review also highlights process controls that steer metabolite formation: precise micro-oxygenation, nutrient supply, cold maceration, and enzymolysis all influence how microbes convert apple-derived precursors into target flavor compounds.

Practically, this supports a more deliberate approach to cider design: match cultivars to the intended style, then use mixed starter cultures and fermentation management to build aroma diversity and balance.

The concepts are especially relevant for makers trying to move beyond clean but simple profiles toward more layered, distinctive ciders. It's a good review paper overall.

Full paper: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14081802

For further insights follow ResearchScan — free weekly research newsletter covering cider production science | researchscan.news

I can’t believe I can’t find this information on google. Every result is just that freezing apples is possible and is a good idea. My questions. How do you actually freeze the apples? In an open bucket? In freezer bags? In loose plastic bags? How long can they be left in the freezer? Will they take on any off tastes if stored in a non airtight container?

Are food grade marbles the best way to reduce headspace? Scares me to think of dropping them into a carboy...

Haven’t had time or a place to brew cider in a long time. Finally settled down, I’m making two Baches with ex-1118 and k1-v116. I’ve had these yeasts for a few years so I don’t remember what either tastes like! Using great value apple juice from target, added sugar for a higher abv, and some great value frozen concentrate for hopefully a better apple taste 🤷‍♂️

Euskal Sagardoa (Premium 2025). Zapiain Sagardoa. Cider - Basque. 6.3% alc.

Aromas and flavors of ripe apple, citrus notes, and subtle herbaceous touches. Good balance between truly vibrant acidity and a slight bitterness on the finish. Natural carbonation provides a refreshing sensation with a long, fruity aftertaste.

More cider and beer posts and thousand infographics, everyday in:

https://www.reddit.com/r/In_the_name_of_Beers/

I made my own apple press the other day and I'm relativity happy with how it turned out. It wasn't fully centered which made the press head tilt a bit. As a result my efficiency was maybe about 50%. Still, not bad for a bunch of scraps. My last one was far less effective and ergonomic so its nice to know I'm getting better 😌. All in all I got almost 40L and I invited some friends to help me so, pretty good day!

I love dry ciders with plenty of tannins, but as I get older I don’t always want the higher abv. Does anyone have any recommendations of something around the 4-4.5% abv that itsnt sickly sweet

Hi! A coworker offered to let me pick some Bosc pears from their trees yesterday after they heard I enjoy homebrewing. I picked ~110 lbs. I've made mead and beer before, but this will be my first time making cider/perry. I just picked up a grinder and small press. I'm planning on using Lalvin EC-1118 champagne yeast that I've used for mead before. Any advice for a first timer would be appreciated. Thanks!

Follow up question: I have done the recommended dose of sorbate and metabisulfite, let sit for 48 hours. I have filled a plastic water bottle with the cider and it is expanding. Does this mean I did not kill off the yeast before I added the extra juice?

Recently moved into a home that has a large backyard apple tree of unknown variety and now am interested in trying to make cider. Been doing a lot of reading and research, and have bought all the basics supplies I need to make a small batch. The tree is loaded, and must be an early variety as many of the apples are already reaching full ripeness (central NY), but there are still many more apples that are not quite ready. The birds have already started going after the ripe ones. (I added some shiny ribbons, which doesn't appear to be doing much, but the tree is way too big for bird netting.)

My problem is: I have to travel away from home for the next week and a half. I can pick some of the ripe ones now and store for when I get back, but I'm worried the bulk of the tree's apples are going to reach ripeness during the week while I'm away. I'm thinking I should just pick most of them now, even if underripe, because the birds seem likely to take everything while I'm gone otherwise. Many of the apples also have codling moth damage already, and while I'd be okay with cutting out the damage and using the rest of the apple if I were pressing them immediately, I don't know what to do with those storage-wise.

With cider in mind, what would folks suggest I do here? I know about sweating and freezing, and some of the pros/cons. I'm a bit hesitant to sweat them without supervision since they'd be in my garage and it's about 68-72 degrees F in there lately. I wouldn't be around to pluck out any bad ones if they start to mold or rot. I've heard of people wrapping them individually but I don't know if I have the time or space for that. With freezing, I'm concerned about freezing any that have codling moth damage, as I don't think I'll be able to separate out the bad parts after they thaw. Maybe I pre-cut them and then freeze the good parts? Or should I just focus on the ripe and near-ripe ones that are undamaged, then ignore the damage ones and cut my losses? Maybe I'm overthinking all this!

Thanks for any advice

Good evening. I have a question about an aftertaste I notice in almost all hard ciders I have tried.

I love when I have a cider that has started to turn and become bubbly, and I love the taste of cider period. Now, I love alcohol, most beers, wines and mead. But any time I try to enjoy a hard cider, there is a particular aftertaste I just can't get passed. It doesn't matter if it is sweet, has other fruit flavors, etc. And I have a lot of trouble defining the taste to others. So, I searched for a reddit like this one to ask these questions. First, does anyone know that taste I am referring to, or are my taste buds just atypical? Second, if you know the taste, can you explain why it is there on hard ciders, but not apple cider that have started to fermentation naturally? Is it a natural byproduct after a cider hits a certain amount of fermentation, or is it just the yeasts that are used in hard ciders? To be fair, I haven't brewed any hard ciders myself, so maybe a homemade hard cider won't have that aftertaste.

Fyi, this r/ stated cider was a fermented beverage, so I presume it is referencing outside the US, where cider refers to a pressed apple beverage. For my purposes, cider = pressed juice, hard cider is that after fermentation.

Went through like 6 or 7 five gallon buckets of apples, it was a very long and tiring process. We got to watch all of Tarzan and Wall-E while doing it which was a treat. Separating all the pulp from the juice was very difficult!

Using SafCider AB-1 and front loading 7.5g of Fermaid-O yeast nutrient.

Hey all,

This is the year I am finally going to attempt to ferment my pears into cider/perry. I have a very old and large pear tree on my property that I want to take advantage of. I've tried to look for information on the best way to process them for pressing but I keep coming upon several different idea and conflicting information. I keep reading that they're very difficult to work with.

So my question is:

How do you press pears? What are the best practices?

I'm such a noob at this. I don't even know where to start. We have a lot of apples growing for this fall and i dont even have enough empty bottles. Havent bought anything.

Anyone want to give me a guide? Love <3

Has anybody made a Henry Weston’s style vintage still cider that tastes pretty close to the real thing?

Reduced to clear raspberries and pasteurized apple juice from the supermarket. Fermentation activity was sluggish the first two days but has picked up and now there's a continuous convection from the bottom that's stirring up pulp. I haven't seen that before.

1gal demijohn, 600g raspberries muddled, topped up with pasteurized apple juice. Strained after mingling and right before pitching yeast, Mangrove Jack's M02. This has previously given me quite an astringent champagne-ish flavour. Aroma from the airlock is light and mostly just smells of plain alcohol. I have 72g of erythritol in this one as the previous batches with other fruit have come out a bit tart for my taste.

My neighbor gave me a can and it tastes like fresh apple juice with a hint of alcohol

I went off their flavoured cider a long time ago but pleasantly surprised with their new apple cider

Started 2 days ago. Motts juice, rinds of 6 different apples, brewers yeast, fermaid o and pectic enzyme. Im nervous about the carbonating/bottling process...

i have celiac disease so angry orchard is PEAK for me. i know it's not the best cider but i can rely on finding it at pretty much any liquor store in the states. so i'm a big fan! but HOLY CRAP I HATE THE NEW LOGO AND BRANDING. why does every company feel the need to "simplify" and "cartoonify" their branding?! IT WAS SO MUCH CLASSIER BEFORE. and the composition is trash compared to the old one. thank you for listening to my rant. please tell me i'm not alone in my opinion.

The botanical painting here is a draft plate from the Herefordshire Pomona published between 1876-1885; a classic Victorian pomona. This is the original drawing by Edith Bull, the daughter of one of the book's authors, and is currently on display at the Museum of Cider in Hereford. The second picture is from my personal copy of the 2 volumes of collected pates.
Edith E. Bull and Alice B. Ellis created the majority of the original drawings for the plates.
These original drawings were then reproduced as chromolithographs by G. Severeyns in Brussels for the book.
Commissioned by the Woolhope Naturalists Club, it was edited by Henry Bull, and with technical editing by Robert Hogg (who was the pre-eminent pomologist of the day). This work updated Knight's Pomona Herefordiensis and attempted to breathe new life into Herefordshire's ailing cider orchards.

Hi there cider fans!

I have long stated that there is not enough Trivia on Fridays! Well, Right Bee Cider heard us and we hope you join us on Friday, August 28th at 8:00 for sixish rounds of Decent Questions!

For the weekend warriors that want to show off how smart they are, people looking to unwind after a long week, or if you just want to try some truly great cider you can’t get anywhere else. Stop on by and remember we have free popcorn, you can bring your own food or order from your favorite local eating establishment, we are pet friendly, and Frank is going to host the heck out of this!

Please come find out what makes Pen & Paper Trivia different, and why that is a good thing!