Cider bulk buy 2016

Today we picked up our order of fresh cold pressed cider from Frank E’s in Vanessa. Four members of the True Grist Homebrew Club met at Frank E’s with vehicles full of buckets, carboys, and kegs.

The first task was fitting in all the cider containers! This is only one vehicle, there were four total.
The first task was fitting in all the cider containers! This is only one vehicle, there were four total.

We received a blend of 6 different apple varieties. From highest percentage to lowest, our blend had Northern Spy, Royal Gala, Red court, Honeycrisp, Spartan, and Ambrosia apples. Approximately 2 bins of apples total were used to fill our cider order.

Two bins of apples were required to meet the cider demands of our club. That's a lot of apples.
Two bins of apples were required to meet the cider demands of our club. That’s a lot of apples.

The juice had been pressed the day previous for us, so we were not present for that part of the process. The employees at Frank E’s were busy pulling apart and cleaning the pressing equipment while were there.

Pressing equipment surrounds us while we fill one carboy after another.
Pressing equipment surrounds us while we fill one carboy after another.

Our cider had been UV filtered for us in order to prevent C. botulinum, E. coli, and other unwanted microbes. The cider was UV filtered and held in stainless steel tanks, which we filled from directly.

Ian, owner of Frank E's, filling some carboys as Wade looks on.
Ian, owner of Frank E’s, filling some carboys as Wade looks on.
Swish and empty containers of no rinse sanitizer, fill with cider, repeat.
Swish and empty containers of no rinse sanitizer, fill with cider, repeat.

After about an hour’s work of filling and organizing, and another hour drive back to Waterloo and Guelph, the cider is ready for members to pick it up and ferment. We look forward to a meeting in the future where we can share the product of all of our different approaches to cider making.

Our cider had a specific gravity of approximately 1.051
Our cider had a specific gravity of approximately 1.051
A portion of the club's cider haul, ready to be picked up in Waterloo.
A portion of the club’s cider haul, ready to be picked up in Waterloo.