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This
document is a discussion of the varieties of apples
which are or have been used for the production of
cider. For details on how to make cider, please
consult the cider making
guide; for a history of cider making and apple
growing in the UK, please consult the apple and cider history guide.
Disclaimer.
This document is for information only. The contents
are as accurate as I can make them but no liability
is accepted.
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Apple
Types
Cider quality inevitably depends on the type of
apple used. Cider is traditionally made with one
third each of sweet, bittersweet,
and sharp apples. The principle characteristics
of cider apples which contribute to this classification
are the content of phenolic compounds (tannins)
and the acidity. Bittersweet apples contain more
than 0.2% (w/v) of tannins and less than 0.45% (w/v)
acidity (calculated as malic acid). Sharp apples
have less than 0.2% (w/v) tannins and greater than
0.45% (w/v) acidity; a subgroup of this classification,
bittersharps, have the same range of acidity but
have a tannin content of greater than 0.2% (w/v).
Sweet apples have less than 0.2% (w/v) tannins and
less than 0.45% (w/v) acid.
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Apple
Varieties
There are a great many varieties of apple which you
can use for cider making, most of them now very rare.
Many exist only in abandoned orchards or people's
backgardens where they go largely unnoticed. However,
the National Fruit Trials preserve examples of all
of these varieties. There are probably only ten or
so varieties of apples widely grown for cider making.
If you do have access to examples of the rarer varieties
mentioned in the lists, then do try making cider with
them, different apples give distinctively different
ciders; and also, don't forget to post your recipe
to the Real Cider and Perry recipes page!
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Apple
According to Type
You will see from the lists that there
are far fewer varieties of bitterweet apples than
of any other type, however, if you are making single
variety apple cider, these are the apples you would
use to achieve the best cider. Most modern cider makers
making cider in the traditional manner will use one
or more varieties of bittersweet apples.
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Apples
According to Variety
These lists are taken straight from
The Fruit Manual, 5th edition, 1884 by Dr.
Robert Hogg who was the Vice-President and Secretary
of the The Royal Horticultural Society. Dr. Hogg also
wrote the Herefordshire Pomona and was responsible
for identifying and preserving the majority of British
apples. His contributions to apple growing and the
revival of the cider industry cannot be underestimated.
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