Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Pears - how ripe?  (Read 4902 times)

Offline gmac

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2165
  • London, Ontario
Pears - how ripe?
« on: August 22, 2013, 09:42:57 pm »
How ripe (soft) do I want to let pears get before juicing them for pear cider ? 

And any yeast recommendations? 

Offline kramerog

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2262
    • My LinkedIn page
Re: Pears - how ripe?
« Reply #1 on: August 22, 2013, 09:55:28 pm »
Having done zero perrys this advice might not mean a lot....  try Lalvin Narbonne. http://www.lalvinyeast.com/71B.asp.  It is very popular among mead makers.

Offline stlaleman

  • Assistant Brewer
  • ***
  • Posts: 179
    • Penrose Picobrewery
Re: Pears - how ripe?
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2013, 02:59:53 am »
Having had some good luck with perries, here is my two cents. Don't let the pears get too soft, it will become harder to extract juice from the pulp. The yeast I like best is Wyeast cider yeast.

Offline Jimmy K

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3643
  • Delaware
Re: Pears - how ripe?
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2013, 04:27:34 am »
Regular pears are usually pressed slightly under ripe. Too soft and you'll be pressing puree.  You could mix some apples in for structure.  For yeast, colder the better. You used lager yeast for cider last year right? I think that would work. I've got 9 gallons of Asian pear cider at 55F with premier cuvee.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.
AHA Member since 2006
BJCP Certified: B0958

Offline gmac

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2165
  • London, Ontario
Re: Pears - how ripe?
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2013, 04:52:20 am »
Regular pears are usually pressed slightly under ripe. Too soft and you'll be pressing puree.  You could mix some apples in for structure.  For yeast, colder the better. You used lager yeast for cider last year right? I think that would work. I've got 9 gallons of Asian pear cider at 55F with premier cuvee.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4
I had great luck with a lager yeast although I would have to look up my notes to remember which one. Scored 40.
How do you prevent it from getting too dry?  My apple ciders all seem to get incredibly dry and then I back sweeten with apple juice concentrate and a bit of sugar. But they don't make pear concentrate anywhere I've seen.

Offline Jimmy K

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3643
  • Delaware
Re: Pears - how ripe?
« Reply #5 on: August 23, 2013, 05:24:17 am »
Pears are great. They contain sorbitol, a non fermentable sugar alcohol, so the Perry will never dry out as much as cider. It gets dry, but not bone dry.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Delmarva United Homebrewers - President by inverse coup - former president ousted himself.
AHA Member since 2006
BJCP Certified: B0958

Offline denny

  • Administrator
  • Retired with too much time on my hands
  • *****
  • Posts: 27070
  • Noti OR [1991.4, 287.6deg] AR
    • Dennybrew
Re: Pears - how ripe?
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2013, 09:48:39 am »
How ripe (soft) do I want to let pears get before juicing them for pear cider ? 

And any yeast recommendations?

Based on my experience, you don't want them soft at all.  Totally gummed up my press.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

www.dennybrew.com

The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline bluesman

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8825
  • Delaware
Re: Pears - how ripe?
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2013, 10:33:04 am »
Regular pears are usually pressed slightly under ripe. Too soft and you'll be pressing puree.  You could mix some apples in for structure.  For yeast, colder the better. You used lager yeast for cider last year right? I think that would work. I've got 9 gallons of Asian pear cider at 55F with premier cuvee.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4
I had great luck with a lager yeast although I would have to look up my notes to remember which one. Scored 40.
How do you prevent it from getting too dry?  My apple ciders all seem to get incredibly dry and then I back sweeten with apple juice concentrate and a bit of sugar. But they don't make pear concentrate anywhere I've seen.

You can back sweeten (accordingly) with some juice after fermentation is complete. Just make sure to add some sodium metabisulfate before you add the juice. Dose a sample of the perry with some juice (to your liking), then scale it up on the full batch.
Ron Price