Virtual Tour
Fermentation
The primary fermentation takes place in 22,000 to 26,000 litre stainless steel tanks, specially made in the optimum shape for the fermentation of our cider. The outside of the tanks are unpolished but the insides are polished stainless steel. After the tanks have been filled with raw juice, yeast and yeast nutrient is added to start the fermentation process. We use different yeasts for different products. Careful testing is done to make sure the right acidity and sugar levels are present to guarantee the quality of the finished product.
Because we ferment our juice only once a year, at harvest time, we must plan carefully. In commercial cideries, where they use concentrates, they can simply make more whenever they need it. We make all of our cider for the coming year when the fruit ripens. Therefore, from time to time we run out of some of our products and loyal drinkers have to wait until the next vintage is ready. This is where nature controls the cidermaker.
The first stage of fermentation takes six to twelve weeks, depending on the temperature and other conditions. Fermentation is active at first, and then begins to slow. The juice settles and clears itself naturally. We do not heat the cider or add any chemicals to force the fermentation or the clearing of the ‘must’, as we feel this will compromise the product. True craft ciders are fermented slowly at atmospheric conditions to gently bring out the full body and flavour.
When the fermentation has slowed and cleared, the cider is pumped out of the tank through a racking valve. The valve is slightly above the bottom of the tank so that the sediment at the bottom of the tank (called the lees) is left behind. The amount of time the cider is left on its lees has a very definite effect on the final flavour of the cider. The lees itself, which is made up of mostly dead yeast cells and apple solids, is later used as compost.
The primary fermentation tank is then cleaned and the cider is pumped back to continue to mature. This can take from three or four months for some of our Draft cider to as long as two full years for our Scrumpy or Cyser!
Fermentation is an anaerobic activity, and therefore the tanks must be kept as full as possible to reduce the amount of air inside. If air is allowed to enter the cider, the fermentation process can be contaminated, the cider may become oxidized, and the cider may be lost. As you proceed into the bottling room, you will pass by a number of tanks ranging in size from 500 to 5000 gallons. The different sizes allow us to store the product with as little oxygen exposure as possible as we remove cider from the larger tanks for bottling.