Keeving, casking and racking
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Rose Grant
Dec 8, 2009, 2:32:28 PM12/8/09
to cider-w...@googlegroups.com
I am enjoying a leisurely winding down period between the end of cider
making and Christmas. It is a time of gentle pottering in the
ciderhouse finishing off the smaller jobs and cleaning up all the
equipment that was used for the main production. St. Em's racks have
been pressure washed and her cloths have gone to the laundry. The last
traces of juice stickiness have been mopped from the floor and the
furniture, restoring the ciderhouse as nice place to be in once again.
Each day has begun with a peep under the lids of the two keeving tubs
to view the gradual build up of the pectin gel. This final batch has
gone well, with solid layers building up just below the surface in each
tub. The big drop to seasonal temperatures has done the trick in
delaying fermentation. Not a single bubble had appeared in the 10 days
since pressing! Yesterday I decided not to chance things any longer and
racked the juice from below the gel. Experience has taught me that it
is not necessary to wait for a brown cap to appear on the surface. So
long as the gel is well formed, the risk of losing the keeve is
lessened by an earlier racking of the juice. On this occasion the keeve
proved to be almost too successful. Only 130 litres of the original 180
litres of juice were left after racking from the gel. It was satisfying
to see that the act of racking very soon kick started the fermentation.
It must have been even more of a close run thing than I had thought.
The juice had been a blend of Dabinett and Brown Snouts, with a
smattering of Bramleys for pH reduction. Normally I use Porter's
Perfection to achieve balance, but I could not get any this year
because they had failed to crop. However, as usual I filled a glass
with the juice during the racking, just to see what it was like. It is
always a pleasure to see the clear golden product of keeving and to
enjoy its beautiful flavour. It is something that never fails to amaze
me. When compared with the soup like juice of normal cider at this
early stage, it is as though a minor miracle has occurred. I was just
as thrilled this year. Even without my beloved Porters, the juice
tasted very promising. Following the failure of the earlier 400 litres
of Dabinett & Ashmeads to keeve, I am very pleased that this latest
batch has worked. I will still be able to supply some bottles of the
special product next year, albeit of limited quantity.
Of course the failed keeve will not be wasted. I will keep it as a
special dry cider, apart from the main blend. Actually it has allowed
me to try something else that has been dear to my heart for some time,
a wine barrel cider. Being a great fan of Heck's Port Wine of
Glastonbury, allegedly matured in Port barrels, I've been dying to get
a red wine barrel and have a go myself. The Dabinett/Ashmeads I now had
at hand seemed to be a good candidate for the experiment. All I needed
was the wine barrel.
I'd met up with Martin Inwood during the summer when we had each
supplied some of our cider to a local sports club event. We
subsequently exchanged visits, with Martin kindly helping me with my
own cidermaking on two occasions. In due course it was a pleasure for
me to be able to go and admire the first class job he had made of
building a huge oak beamed twin screw press in his garden. At the same
time I was much impressed with his fine array of french oak wine
barrels. A few weeks ago Martin went to buy some more of these and
thoughtfully added an extra one to his load, in case I would like to
have one. His timing was perfect! I now have a hogshead of 'wine cider'
gently bubbling at the top of the stairs in the ciderhouse. It is an
exciting experiment to run alongside the main production. Can't wait to
taste it!
The main blend is still out in the big 6000 litre mixing tank, having
now fermented down to about 1005. I've been rather worried about the
cracks in the concrete block base that supports it. Every day I
nervously see how far I can push my finger into one of the cracks as a
way of gauging any further movement. I also check the verticality of
the tank with a spirit level. So far so good. It may even have settled
down safely enough, since there has been no detectable movement for
some time. Nonetheless it will be a relief to get the cider back to the
IBCs in the tank room. Looking at the weather forecast, I've decided to
make use of the high pressure this Thursday to do the big racking job.
Then with the blend safely beginning its winter sleep in the IBCs, I
will also be better able to get to sleep at night!
It will soon be time for the CO2 blanketing of the IBCs. Here I've had
some really good fortune. Instead of making do with Soda Stream
cylinders, I now have a proper pub cylinder, that should last for
years. I had tried to buy one from BOC but they weren't interested in
even talking to a miniscule business like mine. Word got round amongst
my friends who go to our Local and the Landlord has very kindly given
me a newly filled cylinder from his beer cellar! I have fitted a
regulator and pressure gauge ( only £5 on Ebay), plus a Halfords
replacement tyre pump hose, so all is ready for action.
Rose
making and Christmas. It is a time of gentle pottering in the
ciderhouse finishing off the smaller jobs and cleaning up all the
equipment that was used for the main production. St. Em's racks have
been pressure washed and her cloths have gone to the laundry. The last
traces of juice stickiness have been mopped from the floor and the
furniture, restoring the ciderhouse as nice place to be in once again.
Each day has begun with a peep under the lids of the two keeving tubs
to view the gradual build up of the pectin gel. This final batch has
gone well, with solid layers building up just below the surface in each
tub. The big drop to seasonal temperatures has done the trick in
delaying fermentation. Not a single bubble had appeared in the 10 days
since pressing! Yesterday I decided not to chance things any longer and
racked the juice from below the gel. Experience has taught me that it
is not necessary to wait for a brown cap to appear on the surface. So
long as the gel is well formed, the risk of losing the keeve is
lessened by an earlier racking of the juice. On this occasion the keeve
proved to be almost too successful. Only 130 litres of the original 180
litres of juice were left after racking from the gel. It was satisfying
to see that the act of racking very soon kick started the fermentation.
It must have been even more of a close run thing than I had thought.
The juice had been a blend of Dabinett and Brown Snouts, with a
smattering of Bramleys for pH reduction. Normally I use Porter's
Perfection to achieve balance, but I could not get any this year
because they had failed to crop. However, as usual I filled a glass
with the juice during the racking, just to see what it was like. It is
always a pleasure to see the clear golden product of keeving and to
enjoy its beautiful flavour. It is something that never fails to amaze
me. When compared with the soup like juice of normal cider at this
early stage, it is as though a minor miracle has occurred. I was just
as thrilled this year. Even without my beloved Porters, the juice
tasted very promising. Following the failure of the earlier 400 litres
of Dabinett & Ashmeads to keeve, I am very pleased that this latest
batch has worked. I will still be able to supply some bottles of the
special product next year, albeit of limited quantity.
Of course the failed keeve will not be wasted. I will keep it as a
special dry cider, apart from the main blend. Actually it has allowed
me to try something else that has been dear to my heart for some time,
a wine barrel cider. Being a great fan of Heck's Port Wine of
Glastonbury, allegedly matured in Port barrels, I've been dying to get
a red wine barrel and have a go myself. The Dabinett/Ashmeads I now had
at hand seemed to be a good candidate for the experiment. All I needed
was the wine barrel.
I'd met up with Martin Inwood during the summer when we had each
supplied some of our cider to a local sports club event. We
subsequently exchanged visits, with Martin kindly helping me with my
own cidermaking on two occasions. In due course it was a pleasure for
me to be able to go and admire the first class job he had made of
building a huge oak beamed twin screw press in his garden. At the same
time I was much impressed with his fine array of french oak wine
barrels. A few weeks ago Martin went to buy some more of these and
thoughtfully added an extra one to his load, in case I would like to
have one. His timing was perfect! I now have a hogshead of 'wine cider'
gently bubbling at the top of the stairs in the ciderhouse. It is an
exciting experiment to run alongside the main production. Can't wait to
taste it!
The main blend is still out in the big 6000 litre mixing tank, having
now fermented down to about 1005. I've been rather worried about the
cracks in the concrete block base that supports it. Every day I
nervously see how far I can push my finger into one of the cracks as a
way of gauging any further movement. I also check the verticality of
the tank with a spirit level. So far so good. It may even have settled
down safely enough, since there has been no detectable movement for
some time. Nonetheless it will be a relief to get the cider back to the
IBCs in the tank room. Looking at the weather forecast, I've decided to
make use of the high pressure this Thursday to do the big racking job.
Then with the blend safely beginning its winter sleep in the IBCs, I
will also be better able to get to sleep at night!
It will soon be time for the CO2 blanketing of the IBCs. Here I've had
some really good fortune. Instead of making do with Soda Stream
cylinders, I now have a proper pub cylinder, that should last for
years. I had tried to buy one from BOC but they weren't interested in
even talking to a miniscule business like mine. Word got round amongst
my friends who go to our Local and the Landlord has very kindly given
me a newly filled cylinder from his beer cellar! I have fitted a
regulator and pressure gauge ( only £5 on Ebay), plus a Halfords
replacement tyre pump hose, so all is ready for action.
Rose
Bittersweet
Dec 9, 2009, 2:24:21 PM12/9/09
to Cider Workshop
Hello Rose - glad to hear you finally managed to get a good keeve this
warm autumn.
I'm at a very similar stage with my IBCs (which I'm using for the
first time this year) - and had been wondering how to cope with the
fact that you can't fill them up to the brim. Your CO2 solution sounds
like a corker. May I ask a few more details?
I understand the cylinder, regulator, gauge and hose - but how are you
actually injecting the gas? Is it via a tyre valve fitting somehow
attached through the lid of the IBC? And how do you let out excess CO2
to make sure the blanket has forced out all that atmosphere? Is that
some kind of pressure relief valve?
Many thanks.....
warm autumn.
I'm at a very similar stage with my IBCs (which I'm using for the
first time this year) - and had been wondering how to cope with the
fact that you can't fill them up to the brim. Your CO2 solution sounds
like a corker. May I ask a few more details?
I understand the cylinder, regulator, gauge and hose - but how are you
actually injecting the gas? Is it via a tyre valve fitting somehow
attached through the lid of the IBC? And how do you let out excess CO2
to make sure the blanket has forced out all that atmosphere? Is that
some kind of pressure relief valve?
Many thanks.....
Rose
Dec 10, 2009, 4:07:51 PM12/10/09
to Cider Workshop
Hello Neil,
Yes I did get a bit excited to see all that gel. though a mere nothing
compared with your mega 1000 litre keeve! Like you,I was taken aback
by the great loss of volume after defecation. Since my posting about
it, I have removed still more gel that formed as a cap on top of the
racked juice. The juice left is now down to 120 litres from the
original 180. Wasteful but worth it!
My CO2 blanketing method is very basic. You will have noted that the
two humps in the top of an IBC are either side of the filler cap which
is mounted on the central lower lying area of the top. It is always
good practice to fill a tank containing cider right up to the neck.
When this is done in the case of an IBC, it means that the two humps
that still contain air are isolated from each other by the cider that
bridges the central area of the tank top. This means that it is
necessary to have two CO2 inlet valves, one in each hump.
Tyre valves are a simple and cheap means of doing this and may be
purchased from a tyre fitting workshop ( Surprisingly, Halfords do not
stock them ). I drilled 15 mm diameter holes in the top of each hump
and then pushed the valves up into these from the inside of the tank,
in the same way that the valves are normally push fitted from the
inside of a tubeless wheel rim.
It is a good idea is to hold a plastic cup up against the inside of
the tank to catch the swarf in the area being drilled. It is a bit
tricky having one arm and hand inside the tank holding the cup, whilst
holding the drill steady on the outside with your other hand, but it
saves a difficult cleaning job afterwards. Also do not drill the holes
through the welded seam in the middle of the humps. The wall thickness
varies considerably along the seams and this could make it difficult
to seat the valves. I drilled the holes 2 inches away to one side of
the seam to avoid this problem.
When injecting the CO2 give a 10 second burst into each valve. This
causes the airlock fitted to the tank cap to bubble furiously, which
shows that the air in the hump is being replaced with CO2.
Hope this is helpful,
Rose
Yes I did get a bit excited to see all that gel. though a mere nothing
compared with your mega 1000 litre keeve! Like you,I was taken aback
by the great loss of volume after defecation. Since my posting about
it, I have removed still more gel that formed as a cap on top of the
racked juice. The juice left is now down to 120 litres from the
original 180. Wasteful but worth it!
My CO2 blanketing method is very basic. You will have noted that the
two humps in the top of an IBC are either side of the filler cap which
is mounted on the central lower lying area of the top. It is always
good practice to fill a tank containing cider right up to the neck.
When this is done in the case of an IBC, it means that the two humps
that still contain air are isolated from each other by the cider that
bridges the central area of the tank top. This means that it is
necessary to have two CO2 inlet valves, one in each hump.
Tyre valves are a simple and cheap means of doing this and may be
purchased from a tyre fitting workshop ( Surprisingly, Halfords do not
stock them ). I drilled 15 mm diameter holes in the top of each hump
and then pushed the valves up into these from the inside of the tank,
in the same way that the valves are normally push fitted from the
inside of a tubeless wheel rim.
It is a good idea is to hold a plastic cup up against the inside of
the tank to catch the swarf in the area being drilled. It is a bit
tricky having one arm and hand inside the tank holding the cup, whilst
holding the drill steady on the outside with your other hand, but it
saves a difficult cleaning job afterwards. Also do not drill the holes
through the welded seam in the middle of the humps. The wall thickness
varies considerably along the seams and this could make it difficult
to seat the valves. I drilled the holes 2 inches away to one side of
the seam to avoid this problem.
When injecting the CO2 give a 10 second burst into each valve. This
causes the airlock fitted to the tank cap to bubble furiously, which
shows that the air in the hump is being replaced with CO2.
Hope this is helpful,
Rose
James Fidell
Dec 11, 2009, 4:26:46 AM12/11/09
to cider-w...@googlegroups.com
Rose wrote:
> Yes I did get a bit excited to see all that gel. though a mere nothing
> compared with your mega 1000 litre keeve! Like you,I was taken aback
> by the great loss of volume after defecation.
Is that *really* what the process is called? If so, there's clearly
> Yes I did get a bit excited to see all that gel. though a mere nothing
> compared with your mega 1000 litre keeve! Like you,I was taken aback
> by the great loss of volume after defecation.
an additional meaning for the word of which I was blissfully unaware.
I shall have to check the dictionary and attempt to bring the word into
more frequent use in my conversation :)
James
learning something every day
Andrew Lea
Dec 11, 2009, 5:22:45 AM12/11/09
to cider-w...@googlegroups.com
recent years. It's a straight borrowing from the term used in France.
Traditional English terms used in the 18th century in relation to keeved
cider included 'purging' or 'cleansing'. The most picturesque, because
it describes it exactly, is the 'flying lees' to describe what we
nowadays call (again borrowed directly from French) the 'chapeau brun'.
Andrew
--
Wittenham Hill Cider Page
http://www.cider.org.uk
Nick Bradstock
Dec 11, 2009, 5:38:52 AM12/11/09
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Presumably we use the more delicate French term 'chapeau brun' to avoid
saying 'brown hat' with all its associated connections when used
pejoratively (at least it would be considered pejorative by my father's
generation)....
Best wishes
Nick
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saying 'brown hat' with all its associated connections when used
pejoratively (at least it would be considered pejorative by my father's
generation)....
Best wishes
Nick
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Rose
Dec 11, 2009, 1:26:20 PM12/11/09
to Cider Workshop
Sorry James,
I did not mean to be indelicate! Being an avid reader of anything to
do with keeving, perhaps I have read too many English translations of
French literature on the subject. Maybe the French are not as prissy
as us in their use of words. Defecation does seem to succinctly
describe the conglomeration and subsequent removal of the unwanted
pectin compounds. I think it came 'naturally' to mind after having
dealt with the great mass of brown stuff from my recent keeve!
Rose
I did not mean to be indelicate! Being an avid reader of anything to
do with keeving, perhaps I have read too many English translations of
French literature on the subject. Maybe the French are not as prissy
as us in their use of words. Defecation does seem to succinctly
describe the conglomeration and subsequent removal of the unwanted
pectin compounds. I think it came 'naturally' to mind after having
dealt with the great mass of brown stuff from my recent keeve!
Rose
James Fidell
Dec 14, 2009, 6:45:31 AM12/14/09
to cider-w...@googlegroups.com
Rose wrote:
> Sorry James,
>
> I did not mean to be indelicate! Being an avid reader of anything to
> do with keeving, perhaps I have read too many English translations of
> French literature on the subject. Maybe the French are not as prissy
> as us in their use of words. Defecation does seem to succinctly
> describe the conglomeration and subsequent removal of the unwanted
> pectin compounds. I think it came 'naturally' to mind after having
> dealt with the great mass of brown stuff from my recent keeve!
Judging by my dictionary definition it's a perfectly accurate way to use
> Sorry James,
>
> I did not mean to be indelicate! Being an avid reader of anything to
> do with keeving, perhaps I have read too many English translations of
> French literature on the subject. Maybe the French are not as prissy
> as us in their use of words. Defecation does seem to succinctly
> describe the conglomeration and subsequent removal of the unwanted
> pectin compounds. I think it came 'naturally' to mind after having
> dealt with the great mass of brown stuff from my recent keeve!
the word. If anything I'm pleased you did use it as until you did I was
completely unaware that it had any meaning other than the one most
people are probably familiar with.
I shall now tell people that cider-making is also an educational thing
to do :)
James
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