Cider apple

Lore & Background

In 1903, Professor B.T.P. Barker of the Long Ashton Research Station in Bristol, England, established an analytical classification system for cider apples based on percentages of tannin and malic acid in pressed juice. The system divides apples into four categories and includes a three-level classification of tannin: 'full' for pronounced tannins, 'mild' for light tannins, and 'medium'. Tannins are further sometimes categorised as 'hard' (bitter) or 'soft' (astringent). British cidermakers normally blend juice from multiple categories to achieve balanced flavour and consistent quality.

While traditional ciders used whatever apples were available locally, the blend of sugar, acid, and tannin required for a successful cider is difficult to achieve from any single cultivar, with the possible exception of some bittersharps. As bittersharps are rare, a common modern approach uses a range of bittersweet varieties with some sharps, or a cooking apple such as Bramley, to balance acidity. Sharps keep the cider's pH below 3.8 to prevent spoilage; sweets provide adequate sugar for fermentation to the proper alcohol content.

Reader's Guide

Cider apples are notable for their role in defining regional cider styles. In the UK, two broad styles emerged: an acidic, light-bodied style from eastern England using surplus dessert and cooking apples, and a tannic, full-bodied style from the West Country and Three Counties using specific cider apple cultivars. Within these, regional variations exist: Devon ciders were often made largely from sweets and included 'keeved' or 'matched' ciders with a naturally sweet finish; Somerset ciders tended to be stronger and more tannic, often using bittersweet 'Jersey' apples; Gloucestershire favoured bittersharps for strong ciders with higher acidity and tannins.

In France and Spain, an intermediate category called acidulée or acidulada classifies semi-tart apples with low tannin content. In the United States, most ciders are made from culled dessert apples (sweets and sharps) because high-tannin cultivars are not readily available; there is no systematic classification of North American apple cultivars for cider-making. Only a very small number of apple varieties are considered capable of making a good single-variety cider, designated as having 'vintage' quality—a term introduced by Robert Hogg in 1888 and popularised by Barker, referring to the cultivar's ability to produce complex and interesting flavours, not in the winemaking sense.

Did You Know?

• Only a few apple varieties, such as Kingston Black and Yarlington Mill, are considered capable of making good single-variety cider.