Pear Cider?

[Rough Jack]

Gidday

Can pears be made into a cider like apples?

We have 3 pear trees. They may not produce a hellava lot this year because I did a bit of chainsaw reducing but I am sure there will be way more than we will ever eat.

[the.fee.fairy]

The short answer is yes - its perry.

The long answer is that they can also be made into pear champagne. But i don't know how to do either.

[dibnah]

Perry is as easy to make as cider just chop up the pears then leave them over night before you press the juice. You can also mix apples and pears to make prapple cider, all great. Perry has a beautiful taste.

[Andy Hamilton]

Perry has a beautiful taste.

really not the stuff I have tasted

[Rough Jack]

Gidday

Thanks.

But by the sound of it, it may be a good idea to only do a little to see if I like it enough to make it worth while. Looks like some do and some don't.

[Andy Hamilton]

I have only tried comercial perry and it is often far too sweet. Also not a big fan of pears so I would not just take my word for it.

[dibnah]

how can you not like pears I love 'em

[the.fee.fairy]

i love the pear cider you can get in Wetherspoons - kopparberg...i knew i'd remember it!

That;s nice, its quie creamy.

There's a conference pear tree near me i might have a go at making that next year.

[Chickpea]

Shop-bought perry is disgusting, far too sweet. But then again, so is Woodpecker (popular UK brand of sweet cider). Home-made scrumpy (cider) tastes nothing whatsoever like Woodpecker, and home-made perry tastes nothing like shop-bought perry, so don't worry.

Some beginning home-brewers end up with sweet wines because of two mistakes:

1) They don't allow fermentation to finish. Fermentation turns sugar to alcohol so if you drink partly fermented wine or perry it will be weak and sweet. Ensure fermentation is complete before bottling,

2) They don't make allowances for the sweetness of the fruit. Some batches of pears are very sweet, others are sour, perhaps because of the variety, or growing conditions, or ripeness. If you add the same amount of sugar to both batches one will produce a sweet drink the other a dry drink. Use a hydrometer to find the SG of your must, and add sugar according to the SG, not just blindly following a recipe.

[Rough Jack]

Gidday

Thanks ChickPea. I'm getting keen again.

[the.fee.fairy]

so...to make pear cider, you follow the directions for apple cider, only leaving the pears overnight before pressing.

What difference does this overnight business make?
And don't the pears go brown? or does that not matter?

And...can i make it in a fermenting bucket/demijohns? Cos i don't fancy having to buy one of those brewing thingys that looks like a barrel with ahole in the top (reminds me of one of those wonderwash things...) However, should it be necessary to have a wonderwash brewer, then i am prepared to get one.

I want pear cider now...dammit!

[Rough Jack]

Gidday

Good onya mate.

[Cheezy]

Perry is great if done traditionally.

The commercial stuff is mank and believe or not is used to make Lambrini and Baby Cham!

I made a batch this year and it was great, if not a bit leathal. ( my ears went bright red and I lost the use of speech after a pint and a half!)The problem you get is if you use dessert pears. There's not enough acidity to prevent some of the wild yeasts and bacteria's present spoiling it.

In cider making you would use sulphur dioxide to kill this off, however in pears they contain a lot of tanin which can prevent the action of the sulphur dioxide and interact with it. To over come the lack of acidity you should use perry pears or you can get the pH down using malic acid just prior to fermenting. You check the acidity with home brew litmus.


This is a great site for perry:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/

and this site for the science and principles of cider making:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/andrew_lea/


Oh and it is really important to leave the crushed pears over night, as this help reduce the tanin levels (oxidisation). It is also advisable to add pectinase to help reduce pectin hazes which are often a problem.

In Summary:
1. Wash fruit
2. Crush fruit and leave over night
3. Press fruit
4. Check sugar content you need above 1055
5. Check acidity should be 3.9 to 4, adjust with malic acid if too high pH, with chalk if too low.
6. add pectinase if required.
7. Leave un sulphur dioxided if very brave, or add campden tablets, see table in cider making for number per gallon.
8. If fully sulphanated you'll need a good white wine yeast like Galvin no.4 I think from memory, but add this 24 hours after sulphanation.
9. put in air lock
10. rack off regulaly until you reach SG below 1000

And yes it is a faf and harder to make than Cider. But I believe can be better.

[Jack]

Gidday

Thanks Cheezy

[the.fee.fairy]

ta cheezy.

Right, stupid questions alert - i've made ginger and lemon wine and i'm fudging my way through with some mead at the moment.

1. how do i check the sugar content? I have a hydrometer (does that do it? I don't understan how to use it - idiots guide please).
2. The acidity - what can i get to test that?
3. Where do i get sulphur dioxide?
4. Does the pectin haze make any difference to the taste/make it vomit inducing?

Ta very muchly x