Sparkling Dry Cider

• 10 lbs Tom Putts (sharp apples)
• 5 lbs crabapples (bitter sweet apples)
• 5 lbs James Grieve (sweet apples)

Extract juice. Put aside 4 fl oz to which you must add champagne yeast and 1 tsp of sugar. Put this in a warm place for 2 days. To the main body of the juice add 1 crushed campden tablet. Leave covered for 48 hours. Check the pH and OG. Adjust as necessary. Add pectolase if wanted. Add yeast starter. Rack after 2 weeks. Test the gravity. Ferment until the gravity reached 1005. Bottle with 1/2 tsp. sugar per pint. Leave to mature.

Although this recipe is for sparkling cider the degree of carbonation is low. The carbonation level is about the maximum which you will come across in a true English cider but is almost flat when compared to a Normandy cider. If you want it carbonated to French levels then the cider must be bottled in Champagne bottles and treated exactly as you would a Champagne style wine. Consult a good wine making guide for details on how to do this.

Back to the cider and perry recipes page.