Product Description

This new practical book on the craft of cidermaking explores traditional and modern approaches including a set of scaled plans for building an inexpensive robust cider press. Also included are instructions for apple pressing, step-by-step brewing and pasteurisation and cider-based food recipes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2336 in Books
• Published on: 1999-04-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Customer Reviews

A very useful book
Real cidermaking is an excellent book for a newcomer to cider making. I bought it last year and followed what it said, and this year we are drinking lovely dry sparkling cider from our two apple trees. It was our first time ever trying to make cider, and the results are truly fantastic.

It is very much geared to the home cider maker who has tree with a lot of apples and wants to use them.

It usefully tells you why you should do something - eg sterilising properly - and what happens when you don't. This type of approach ensures that you don't cut corners because you know the consequences of doing so.

By and large the book is clear but I found that because you are making cider from real apples, and not using a kit, it pays to read it several times before trying to make cider. We found that for two trees-worth of apples, it took us a whole day just to press the apples, so it's not something you can do in an afternoon - you need to plan ahead.

It also has a useful diagram of how to make a cider press, which I intend to follow this year.

I recommend this book whole heartedly, and I would also recommend that anyone attempting to make cider should try to get two presses, and this is the time consuming part.

The book mentions pounding up apples in a bucket (much to the annoyance, it seems, of another reviewer), but we were lucky enough to borrow a scratter and this does make pulping the apples much easier. That said, they aren't cheap - around £200 or so. I recommend trying to borrow and press and scratter if you are making the first time.

But back to the book - it's a great guide.

The only book you will need to make successful cider at home.
I have been making approx 20 gallons per year of cider for the last three years,using only windfall cookers, eaters and crabs. I have produced superb cider with virtually no waste. This is entirely thanks to this book.
I always keep this book to hand, as a reference, whether pressing, fermenting,racking or bottling.
This book is the perfect balance between craft and science. Crushing apples with a timber post in a bucket, is not as suggested elsewhere, a hippy style communal event- but is in fact an entirely practical (and cheap) method of preparing apples for pressing.
I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone contemplating making their own cider. In fact I would not recommend starting without it

Get brewing...
The book was great, it provides all the details you'd need to make your own cider as a complete beginner. From making your own apple press through to possible problems with brewing and storing, everthing needed to get brewing your own is there. I was drinking my first 11% ABV within 2 months.
It's a practical guide obviously written by someone who appreciates the reasons why you'd want to brew your own booze!!!
If you want to get into cider brewing this is a very good start.