Category Archive

Episode 29 – Applejack

Kevin01.2012Apple Wine, Applejack, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine11 Comments

Applejack is a hard liquor of 20-30% abv that can only be made when it’s extremely cold out. For that, it is special to me. Its flavours and smells cannot be created in warmer climates – perhaps why the Normands don’t do applejack despite their apple-booze culture…they simply can’t. It’s extra special due to the fact that distilling booze to make spirits is … Read More

Maybe Apple Wine CAN Improve With Age

Kevin12.2011Apple Wine, Apples, Cider, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine1 Comment

A few weeks ago I was chatting with a friend about apple-booze-making, something near and dear to my heart, and I learned that he had out-produced me in volume this past year. And I made a lot. It was immediately clear to me that we would have to get together to do a tasting of our products to check them … Read More

I’m So Over You, 2011 Apple Crush.

Kevin10.2011Apple Wine, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine7 Comments

There has been an inverse relationship between my activity with food and my number of posts lately – ie, I’ve been so busy harvesting and processing fruit and veg that there’s really not much time left to write. But I believe I’ve turned a corner. Apple crush is over. Last year I crushed and pressed about 1000 lbs of urban … Read More

I bring to you, ‘The Fermentation Channel’

Kevin10.2011Apple Wine, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Kevin TV, Wine7 Comments

Normandy, Part 2: Apple Booze

Kevin09.2011Apple Wine, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, Fruit from the Yard, Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton, Wine1 Comment

[Part 1 is here]. Over lunch yesterday it came up that some of the calvados I was tasting in Normandy was 40 years or older, the oldest specific vintage being a 1969 Dupont. That would be very unusual in the wine world, and highlighted one of the fantastic things about spirits vs. wine: shelf stability. Opening a bottle of 1969 … Read More

Normandy, Part 1: How They Do Things

Kevin09.2011Apple Wine, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, Fruit from the Yard, Wine, Wine Making, Wine Vinegar7 Comments

I’m back. Not surprisingly, Normandy was quite the beautiful adventure. I was there to educate my palate, learn some methodology in cider and calvados production, and most importantly to glean from their centuries-old apple food culture. I live in a place of copious amounts of largely wasted urban apples, with a brand-newly emerging scene surrounding how to save them and … Read More

Apple Blossom

Kevin05.2011Apple Wine, Apples, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine10 Comments

Apple blossom. It’s become a time of year that gets me excited for things to come, and wanting to slow time down to be able to enjoy the beauty of it all. I suppose this is simply an outcome of being more connected to my food – seasonal treasures like this simply make life more enjoyable. I now understand why … Read More

Apple Wine 2010 Vintage Update

Kevin02.2011Apple Wine, Apples, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine5 Comments

Turns out an apple wine updates is overdue. I made apple wine from 5 different trees this year. We had actually harvested from 7, but two were held for a time in the not-yet-very-cold-cellar and those apples were a mess in the crush/press stage – just wouldn’t release their juice for some reason. Of the 5 batches, 1 was outstanding, … Read More

Rack-Fest

Kevin10.2010Apple Wine, From the Cellar, Wine, Wine Making13 Comments

Okay. So I underestimated the work involved in making this volume of wine. Yesterday things needed racking, and wow did it add up to a lot of work – I started around 1, took a break to feed the family and bathe the kids, then back to racking, finishing at about 8pm. I learned, through the tedium of this task, … Read More

2010 Apple Wine Vintage Shows its Face

Kevin10.2010Apple Wine, Apples, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine, Wine Making8 Comments

Oh, happiness. I’ve been keeping a loose eye on the bubbling of my apple wine carboys [a not-so-modest 9 carboys, or ~20 cases. I’m sharing with folks, honest], but hadn’t noticed them dropping clear until today. What does that mean? The yeast is done doing its thing – and no longer is creating turbulence in the solution. What does that … Read More

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