Apple Cider Trees
Forum Archives
Darren
Posted: Jan-11-2009 at 10:23am
Hi
I am new to the forum and this is my first question!
I would like to begin brewing my own cider. Could anyone recommend a good apple tree?
I have enough space in my garden for 2 trees. We live in West Yorkshire.
Many thanks, Sam
greenmann
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Jan-11-2009 at 6:19pm
well, I can't be of a whole lot of help, except to say that you may want to do some rather extensive research on what kind of cider you want (dry or sweet). I know that will be so tough, to have to taste different kinds of cider and decide what you like, lol.
There is a whole class of "cider apples" traditionally used either alone or in conjunction with sweeter apples to produce hard ciders. There are quite a few nw breweries working with these apples and different kinds of hard cider, though most of what I found in a quick google search was repetitive hornblowing without a lot of detailed information about what specific varieties are being used. I would guess this is in part, because those that have a recipe they like, are being very careful not to divulge their secrets, lol.
Here is a short but I thought rather interesting article that may help at least point you to breweries to check out different kinds of cider to help you decide what you are looking for;
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nwgardens/202874_goodtoeat09.html
Hopefully the link will stay active long enough for it to be useful, lol.
Green Man Gardens
gary
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Jan-12-2009 at 3:56am
Chris Smith, the author of the article above, is also a home cider maker. He has done some articles on varieties that he uses. I'll link them tomorrow.
What Longitude is your West Yorkshire? The varieties we use here 122W may be a little hard to find if you live where I think.
Gary
gary
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Jan-12-2009 at 3:59am
Here is a recent article:
"Turning apple crop into juicy goodness"
Gary
silver_ creek
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Jan-12-2009 at 7:06am
Chris Smith's article is a good one, but the cider information is about sweet cider, not hard (other than his kudos to NW hard cider makers). Brian is right, a good hard cider needs to have at least some of its fruit from 'cider' varieties. The key is to have some apples in the blend that are bitter (have tannin). Living in the UK, you should have a wealth of local resources and information on cider varieties that will do well for you. Here is a good website to start with- Wittenham Hill Cider
Around here, a cultivar called Kingston Black is usually the first recommendation for hard cider. It is mildly bittersweet (mild enough to cook with if you don't make cider). In our own orchard, we have planted a variety of cider apples, some of them so bitter that cider is their only purpose. As these trees mature and give us more fruit, our cider is becoming more and more complex. With space for only two trees, I would plant Ashmead's Kernal, an antique russet that has a complex, aromatic flavor (also important in good hard cider, and you can eat this one) and a mild bittersweet like Kingston Black.
Terry M.
Darren
Posted: Jan-12-2009 at 11:15am
Hi Greenmann
Many thanks for your advice. I live in the UK (told you I was new to the forum lol!)
Sorry for any inconvenience and thanks agian
Samantha
Darren
Posts: 4
Posted: Jan-12-2009 at 11:18am
Hi Gary
Many thanks for the advice. We live in the UK.
Happy gardening
Samantha
Darren
Posts: 4
Posted: Jan-12-2009 at 11:23am
Hi there
Many thanks for your advice. It was very helpfull.
Happy gardening
Kind regards
gary
Location: Washington, Puget Sound Corridor
Posted: Jan-15-2009 at 3:58am
I was pretty sure that you were in the UTC time zone but didn't know that there was a county in the UK by that name until I googled it because we have so many locations here named after UK locations.
I need to increase my knowledge of the home country I guess. I did have a great (times 3) grandfather that came to Canada from York in the late 18th century. I doubt that was a specific location but rather the region.
Glad to see you on Rainyside. Your Thompson and Morgan are one of my seed sources because of the similarity of our climates and your tradition of growing food year round rather than going fallow in October.
Gary
Veggie girl
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: May-06-2009 at 12:43pm
www.treesofantiquity.com This is a link to Trees of Antiquity, who sell fruit trees. Great fruit tree info, including cider apple varieties.

Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton