Cider, Hard and Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own

366 Pages·2013·9.3 MB·English

by  Watson

Copyright © 1999, 2009, 2013 by Benjamin Watson The Library of Congress has cataloged the
previous edition as follows: Watson, Ben, 1961– Cider, hard and sweet : history, traditions, and
making your own / Ben Watson.
— 2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-881-50819-2 (alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-581-57689-4 (e-book)
1. Cider. I. Title.
TP563.W38 2008
641.3’411—dc22
2008028918
Third edition ISBN: 978-1-58157-207-0
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in
writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages.
Title page: Cidermaking at Log Cabin Farm in Dummerston, Vermont, in the early 1900s,
courtesy of Frances Manix Illustrations on pages 64 and 77 © by Jill Shaffer Hammond
Illustration of American Beauty apple on page 107 by Amanda A. Newton (1912). U.S.
Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections,
National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705
Interior photographs by the author unless otherwise specified PHOTO CREDITS
Brenda Bailey Collins: pages 168, 175, 200. Bill Bradshaw: pages 60, 67 (top and bottom), 72,
94, 98, 99, 101, 108, 111, 130, 134, 135, 182, 194. Terence Bradshaw: pages 66, 68 (left), 90,
179, 181. Emily M. Herman: page 65. iStockphoto: © Pgiam, page 50; © instamatics, page
144. Claude Jolicoeur: page 122. © Madzia71/iStockphoto.com: page 133. Jason Martel:
page 137. Ben Polito: pages 68 (right), 177. Anne Shelton, Albemarle CiderWorks: page 120.
Charlotte Shelton, Albemarle CiderWorks: page 25. Richard Stadnik: pages 6, 33, 132, 141,
157, 186, 193. David White, Old Time Cider: page 116. Wikimedia Commons: Man Vyi, page
14; Alberto Elosegi/ARGIA.com, page 58; and pages 20, 21, 22, 59.
Book design and composition by Eugenie S. Delaney Published by The Countryman Press, P.O.
Box 748, Woodstock, VT 05091
Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110
Printed in the United States of America
In memory of Dan Chaffee (1946–2007),
Elisabeth Swain (1941–2008),
and Terry Maloney (1939–2010)

Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface to the Third Edition
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
The History of Cider
CHAPTER 2
Apple Varieties for Cider
CHAPTER 3
Sweet Cider: From Tree to Juice
CHAPTER 4
Hard Cider: From Juice to Bottle
CHAPTER 5
Cider Styles and Traditions
CHAPTER 6
Tasting and Evaluating Cider
CHAPTER 7
Perry, or Pear Cider
CHAPTER 8
Stronger Waters: Cider Vinegar and Spirits
CHAPTER 9
Cooking with Cider
CHAPTER 10
Cidermaking: Beyond the Basics
Appendix
Resources
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
M
any cidermakers and apple growers provided either material or
moral support during the course of this project. Special thanks go to
Judith and Terry Maloney of West County Winery in Colrain,
Massachusetts, and Stephen Wood and Louisa Spencer of Farnum Hill
Ciders in Lebanon, New Hampshire, for being so generous over the years
with both their time and their excellent ciders. Also to Rich Stadnik, my
friend, grafting partner, and sounding board at Pup’s Cider, Greenfield,
New Hampshire.
I am deeply indebted to two gentlemen in particular for sharing with
me their years of wisdom and experience. Dr. Andrew Lea of
Oxfordshire, England, is a food scientist who formerly worked at the
Long Ashton Research Station in Bristol. On matters biological, chemical,
and historical, his advice and insights have proved invaluable to myself
and many other cidermakers, both amateur and professional. Likewise,
my friend Tom Burford, a seventh-generation Virginia orchardist, has
been my trusted guide to the history and practice of fruit growing.
In the years since this book first appeared, I have been grateful for the
friendship and continuing support of Mike Beck, cidermaker and distiller
at Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. Johns, Michigan, and the Shelton family
of Vintage Virginia Apples and Albemarle CiderWorks in North Garden,
Virginia.
Additional thanks go to Ouida Young, Trish Wesley-Umbrell, Hannah
Proctor, Roger Swain, Brenda Bailey Collins, Nicole Leibon, Michael
Phillips, David Buchanan, Eduardo Vasquez Coto, and Jason Martel;
Homer Dunn, Alyson’s Orchard, Walpole, New Hampshire; Diane Flynt,
Foggy Ridge Cider, Dugspur, Virginia; John Bunker, Fedco Trees,
Waterville, Maine; Dick Dunn and the many generous and
knowledgeable contributors to The Cider Digest e-group, especially Gary
Awdey, Terry Bradshaw, John Howard, Claude Jolicoeur, and Bill