Copied graphic from my friend and fellow cider maker Tim Whale of Tutts Clump Cider in England, as I is an excellent summary of the differences between Real Cider and Commercial Cider. Sadly the latter tends to copy the image of the former for advertising. Please seek out the ‘real deal’ of harvest driven cider. I could go on and mention orchard management pesticides herbicides behind the apples. I could mention concentrates. There are a lot of small cider makers here in Aotearoa/NZ and are the world making a glorious range of ciders for you to enjoy. #cider

I don't see much chatter about GLINTCAP ("Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition") on forums anywhere, but it's a major cider competition in the Midwestern USA (Michigan), and I know there are many Canadians and people from other countries who enter it as well, both commercial and homebrewers alike.  For me, it's been a long time coming... I've been wanting to enter it for more than 10 years, but always missed the deadline or didn't have a cider on hand... but finally this year, I remembered and it worked out, and I finally entered.

https://michiganciders.com/glintcap/

Registration for this year just ended a few days ago, so if you're interested, you'll have to wait until next spring, but keep it in mind.  But anyway.... 

Wondering.... have any of you all entered this in the past, or this year?  What have been your experiences from GLINTCAP?  Won any awards?  Any bad experiences?  Anyone judged it before?  I figure after I retire, I'll make a trip out of it and go over and judge, it's not too terribly far from here (Wisconsin to Michigan... just a huge pesky Lake in the way!).

I always liked to think I make a pretty decent cider, but have always wondered how it would stand up to the tastebuds of true cider geeks.  If they tear it to shreds I'll be a little sad but I really do want to know the truth.  And if they like it as I do then it will feel like validation, like everything I thought I knew was true.  So, this year, I will finally find out.

I hope to hear from several of you.  Even if you haven't entered before, maybe turn this thread into a discussion about how your ciders have done in various competitions, I think that would be interesting to discuss as well.  Tips and tricks for getting good results in competitions?!

Cheers!

Yarlington Mill cider apples being washed and processed. Lovely dark juice after scratting and pressing. pH 4.2 and SG 1.042. Not bad considering the summer. Given the high pH we mixed in some Royal Wilding and Bramley Seeking juice and achieved a pH of 3.5 It was great this year to be working in our new poundhouse as it rained all day. #cider #apples #poundhouse

A small but important piece of memorabilia. I have a first day cover letter and mugs but this is the first poster of the ‘73 Hereford Cider festival I have found. In great condition thankfully. #cider #history #Hereford

I made my first batch of cider last fall. it's a mix of 2 kinds of crabapples. here's to the 6 month mark after priming and bottling. Absolutely fantastic! I'll definitely be quadrupling my batch this coming fall, I cant wait!

cheers! 🍻

But some quality organic wines and blended them with funky home fermented cider. Now bottle carbonation for a few months!

El Fusu. Sidra Crespo. Cider - Traditional / Apfelwein. 6% alc.

Delicious Asturian cider. Intense aroma of fermented apple with herbaceous and citrus nuances. On the palate, it stands out for its powerful character, vibrant acidity, and deep apple fruit notes. Dry finish with a subtle and elegant bitter aftertaste. Absolutely awesome.

More cider and beer posts and thousand infographics, everyday in:

https://www.reddit.com/r/In\_the\_name\_of\_Beers/

Pear cider from my own trees. Mix of Bosch pears and Fuji, Granny Smith. Pink Lady, red delicious apples. As expected a little high on pH and low on tannin so I corrected after primary. Been aging since October in secondary. Hoping it was worth the wait!

looks like. mold, right?

Peat’s Cider Social is a Big Lebowski-esque bowling alley in Stevensville Michigan like 20 miles north of New Buffalo.

It feels like walking into 1978 but clean, friendly, and brand new. Holy shit. Also, it’s a hard cidery??? And they make the best hard cider I’ve ever had in my life.

Try the huntsman and the knave. This place abides hard.

We grow our apples on M793 for standard trees so we can graze Shropshire sheep underneath. ( they are excluded for 8 weeks before harvest)

This season is late but about a third of apples have fallen now. These are picked on the sward and then tarps placed.

The rest are brought down by hand and a panking pole from a tripod apple picking ladder. (invest in one, they save accidents!) The SG Is a little low at 1.045 and the pH high at 4.2 so we will add in some Royal Wilding to bring the acid to around 3.5 #cider #apples

This is my second batch of home made cider, I used 4ish gallons of apple juice, 1 gallon of cherry juice, 5 fresh lemons, 1 cup of incredibly strong black tea and 4 or 5 cans of apple concentrate. After it fermented to 1.004, I added 4 pounds of frozen great value brand cherries. The finished product is full bodied and fruity, leaving a sour note and a thick mouth feel. Its so much different and so much better then my previous version. What should I do next?

I had some local apple cider in my fridge that I forgot about and noticed it starting to ferment so I removed the cap to release the pressure and threw on a folded paper towel since I don’t have an airlock and forgot about it in the fridge again (lol). It smells fine I think? Maybe a tiny bit vinegar-y? I’m a little scared to taste it tho.

Not really sure where to go from here…should I toss it? Or is there something I can do with this?

In the Wairarapa I note several of my cider cultivars are less acidic than in the UK so I need to add malic acid. I prefer to do this with nature acid from Bramleys. The Bramley's Seedling is a cooker renowned for its large size, acidity tangy flavour, and light, fluffy texture when cooked. Originally a Nottinghamshire seedling planted from a pip by Mary Ann Brailsford in Nottinghamshire around 1809–1810 but named after a subsequent owner of the house, Mr. Bramley, who permitted a local nurseryman to sell it in the 1850s. In the shops it is always green but leave it on the tree it turns quite red. These 3 pictures are from harvesting them yesterday from a large tree to add acid to my Yarlington Mill juice. #apple #cider #acidity #Bramley