Bittersweet cider apples contain high tannins and sugars while buffering the acidic nature of many dessert varieties. These are the apples in a proper cider blend that provide structure along with a certain breadth of aromas & flavors. I'm really just coming to appreciate this grouping of cider varieties as I move from what I jokingly call my "battery-acid fermentations" to the perfected cider that
Claude Jolicouer crafts in Quebec. My goal here is to generate discussion about the harvest timing of the bittersweets in different regions, year-to-year productivity, and other grower observations.
Dabinett is possibly the best and most reliable workhorse bittersweet, according to Ben Watson, author of
Cider, Hard and Sweet, especially noted for its tannic base. There are lots of other bitters, many of them somewhat earlier than Dabinett, such as Yarlington Mill, Chisel Jersey, Ellis Bitter, Somerset Redstreak, and Medaille d’Or. I'll post composite web descriptions here to orient folks to cultivar particulars. Images courtesy of
Keeper's Nursery.
Dabinett Thought to be a seedling from the 19th century of Chisel Jersey, originating in Middle Lambrook, Somerset, England, where William Dabinett found it growing in a hedge as a wilding. A full bittersweet but with soft astringency and a full body. Tree is weak in growth, but self-pollinating and precocious in cropping. Dabinett can be used to produce a single-varietal full-bodied medium-dry cider in its own right.
Yarlington Mill A favourite with traditional cider makers because if its outstanding taste. Originates from deepest Somerset but is found growing throughout the cider makers' kingdom. Well-sized apples, red and yellow in colour, will drop when ready to harvest. The juice is slow to ferment, producing a rich, red, medium cider. Tree somewhat biennial; spur bearing; quite winter hardy.
Chisel Jersey In old English,
chesil means
pebble so expect small hard orbs from this very old variety originating in central Somerset. Fruit is round-conic and red-striped with a brownish-pink blush. It has good sugar content and slow to medium fermentation, with medium acidity, very astringent, harsh and high in tannins. Produces strong, rich, full-bodied, colorful cider that's best blended with other apples. Spreading tree may require encouragement to develop a strong central leader. Definite late bloomer.
Ellis Bitter Thought to have arisen in the nineteenth century in Newton St Cyres in Devon on a farm belonging to Mr. Ellis. Apples are large, conical shaped with a bold orange-red flush and red stripes. Flowers late-midseason; self-sterile. A vigorous tip-bearing tree with a bienniel tendency. Fruit tends to drop as it ripens and has a short storage life.
Somerset Redstreak The Redstreak (as the apple was later to become known) became celebrated as the finest cider apple variety in England in the late 1800s, so much so that cider made from these bittersweet apples changed hands at extraordinarily high prices. Flesh is sweet, juicy, white and astringent with a rather wooly texture. Cider will have soft tannins and is probably best blended with sharper varieties. The tree tends toward biennial bearing but is reliable in its cycle.
Medaille d'Or A seedling grown by Monsieur Goddard of Boisguillaume, Rouen, France back in the 1800's. Introduced into England in 1884 by the Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club where it was embraced for its outstanding cider qualities. It produces a sweet, astringent juice high in tannins and converts into a cider with high alcohol content and a strong, fruity flavor. Fruit is orange and yellow in color with a brown russet coating, especially on the sun-exposed side. One report states it contains 18.6% sugar, which ferments to 9% alcohol, but another report indicates 238 grams of sugar giving 14 to 15 per cent alcohol. Tree is vigorous , bearing its fruits in clusters.
This focused bit of [hard] cider fun highlights a valuable group of apples. I'm looking forward to tracking grower perpsective on these bittersweets --and other varieties in this grouping as well -- so each of us can get a sense of the "right ones" for our locale. A few basic comments about your
bittersweet of choice is all it takes!
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/10/2016 02:45PM by Michael Phillips.