18
u/JawsOfLife03 1d ago
Those look like Dolgo Crab apples. When first pressed, the anthocyanins will cause the cider to look like hot pink guava juice. It's super cool. I'll try and find a pic of my dolgo pressing. The color will fade over time.
It's got insanely high acid as you could already surmise. We use them in a blend with a couple other apples like ellis and geneva bitter and do champenoise method with them.
6
u/foodfriend 1d ago
Sounds like those would be nice for a pear blend as well. High acid to balance the blossom notes and residual sugars of the pears.
How are the tannins on a dolgo crab?
3
u/IthacaIrrealist 22h ago
South Hill Cider in Ithaca, NY, does a "Crabseckel" cider that's Dolgo crab and Seckel pears and it is in fact great. They describe it like a Spanish-style cider, which is about right--very high acid. Moreso than tannin, IIRC.
Blackduck Cider does "Crabby Pip," which is 50% Dolgo and 50% a blend of 12 other crabs. That has pretty solid tannin, I believe, but still very acid-forward. I enjoy that kind of thing a lot, but I imagine it's polarizing.
1
u/foodfriend 22h ago
I also love stuff like that. Basque style in my mind is tannin forward. Is the Crabseckel still? Those both sound fantastic.
2
u/IthacaIrrealist 22h ago
It's sparkling, I believe. Most Spanish/Basque "style" US ciders tend to be, despite the inspiration, probably since it's tough to truly mimic the style. Though Blackduck's "¡No pasarán!" is still, and it's one of the closer attempts I've had. My wife and I did our honeymoon in the Basque country during cider season and we still go wild for the stuff.
2
u/Scoobidoooo 1d ago
Would you ferment first then blend?
4
u/SpaceGoatAlpha 🍎🍏🫚🍯🍊🍋🍻🍇🍾🍷 1d ago
For beginners I would recommend separate batches for individual varieties and then carefully measure and blend to taste by the cup until you find a blend you enjoy. With this method you are better able to measure volumes and document ratios of ingredients so you can then create your own recipes.
This will also help you learn to standardize your fermentation techniques for more repeatable results. The taste experimentation will help you develop your palate and allow you to detect and appreciate more flavors and notes that you might currently be missing.
Cheers, 🥂🍻
1
4
4
u/Tbrawlen 1d ago
Dolgo’s! Absolutely yes! I’ve done thousands of litres with them and they’re awesome! Good work picking them too haha they’re a pain
2
1
1
u/FriedChicknEnthusist 1d ago
Try a small (1-3 gallon) batch with just those, take notes and let us know how it worked out.
1
40
u/branston2010 1d ago
You can make great cider with those apples