Cider Making

In 2019 we worked with the Dr. Meriam Karlsson of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Department of Agriculture to secure a USDA Specialty Crop Grant from the State Division of Agriculture. The grant funded analyzing apple juice from orchards around Alaska to determine which Alaska apples are suitable for unfermented and fermented cider production. We assisted with collecting apples from 10 different orchards in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Dr. Karlsson and A. Harper processed the samples, tabulated the data and wrote the reports.

In total 116 samples of various apple varieties from 10 orchards in Interior, South Central and on the Kenai Peninsula were collected and analyzed for °Brix and pH at UAF. Of these samples, 73 were sent out for analysis of Electrical Conductivity (EC), titratable acidity (TA, g/L), FS02 and TSO2 (free and total sulfur dioxide in mg /L), NH4 and amino (ammonium and alpha amino nitrogen content in mg/L), YAN (yeast assimilable nitrogen, mg/L), phenols (mg/L), tannins (percentage), and detection of glucan or pectin.

Dried fruit tissue from these same varieties was analyzed for phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, boron, copper and zinc.

Dr. Karlsson's final, and summary reports containing details of the work and the analytical data are included on this page. For reference, our orchard is listed as Fairbanks4.

A great reference for cider making is Claude Jolicoeur's book "The New Cider Making Handbook" published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This reference allows the apples to be classified for cider production into Sweet, Bittersweet, Bittersharp and Sharp, based on acidity and tannin content, allows assessment of their usability for cider making, and guides juice blending to produce ciders with different flavor profiles.  For those considering growing apples for cider production we heartily recommend reading this book and reviewing this data prior to varietal selection.