Any one make alcohol from pears?

[steff bugielski]

I am wondering if i can make an Apple Jack of sorts with pears?
Got any ideas or recipes?

[TurnerHill]

Well, I'm not making it and can't help with a recipe.

But Domfront Calvados, which is largely pear, is outstanding.

So it is possible.

[Auric]

I have made a spiced pear wine jelly that's outstanding! I simply shredded the pears, whole, and tossed them into a large pickle jar with water and sugar. I let them ferment for about 3 weeks, then strained the mixture and made jelly, after adding some cinnamon. But I didn't try to drink the wine...

[longshot38]

you can make a mead from pear, just subsitute the water with pear juice and make as normal. this from of mead is called perry, you could make it with apple juice as well, called cister (sp?)

hope this helps

dean

[cowcreekgeeks]

Originally Posted by TurnerHill

Well, I'm not making it and can't help with a recipe.

But Domfront Calvados, which is largely pear, is outstanding.

So it is possible.

Have you ever been to the Normandy region of France? They make a drink made by mixing calvados and fresh apple cider then aging it for a year or two in oak. It is called Pommeau de Normandie and it is OUTSTANDING! Excellent with a Romeo y Julieta.

[Mike in Ohio]

You can make a pear (hard) cider just like you make an apple cider. I haven't made pear cider before but plan on doing so this year as we have gone from 1 tree bearing fruit to 4 trees bearing fruit and have an abundance.

As far as a "Recipe", I'm going to make it like I make my apple cider.

1) Pick the pears and let them soften up a little.
2) Run them through the chopper on the cider press and press. Collect the liquid in 6 gallon food grade buckets.
3) cover the bucket(s) with cheesecloth and do the primary fermentation. I prefer natural yeasts. Some people prefer using specific yeasts (for example a champagne yeast).
4) At the appropriate time - determined by mystical incantations - siphon off into carboy(s) and put a cork with a fermentation lock on.
5) Use a hygrometer at intervals to see if fermentation is continuing.
6) siphon off into bottles
7) Taste test as much as needed (and much is needed). PErhaps repeat step 6 and possibly filter - as appropriate.
8) freeze off some of the production to up the alcohol content
9) Drink pear cider as desired.

A few additional notes:

1) I will try a second pressing similar to what I do with apple cider by adding back water to the pressings and letting steep for a bit. With apples this produces Ciderkin which is a traditional colonial drink. I'm not sure how it will turn out with pears.

2) A brewer i know mentioned about "hopping" cider as well as mead. I may have to explore this seeing as I have hops that I am just about to harvest.

3) The mix of pears I will be personally trying is primarily Bartlett with Bosc and Red Anjou. The only reason for this mix (about 60%/20%/20%) is that's what I have available from my trees.

4) Truly digressing - I had a wonderful (hard) apple cider yesterday evening that is made soley from Granny Smith Apples..... going to have to see if I can duplicate this.

Basically I have substituted "pear" for "apple".

[TurnerHill]

Originally Posted by cowcreekgeeks

Have you ever been to the Normandy region of France? They make a drink made by mixing calvados and fresh apple cider then aging it for a year or two in oak. It is called Pommeau de Normandie and it is OUTSTANDING! Excellent with a Romeo y Julieta.

I have, and I agree.

You can actuallly buy Pommeau de Normandie in bottles in the US now. I bought some at the New Hampshire state liquor store last year.

Try it with duck confit.

[Shrek]

I made 20 gallon batchs of sparkling pear wine using this recipe from www.jackkeller.net in 2000, 2001 and 2007. Only change I did was to bottle it a bit young to effervesce it.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request203.asp


Out of the bottles I binned only two of 2001 bottling moldy corked and went bad and considering that they were 7 years old when I opened them it wasn't a big surprise as light wines generally have a shorter bottle life than dark wines .

One thing I do when bottling all my home wines is to add one large oak chip to the bottle when I cork it and put it in the wine bin.

I figured adding a oak chip to the bottle sort of keeps the wine aging on oak and leeches more tannin into the wine. I dont know if it really makes a difference or not, but my friends think the oak chip is a conversation piece like a tequila worm at least.

[Paquebot]

Originally Posted by Mike in Ohio

8) freeze off some of the production to up the alcohol content

Perry can be frozen down to 50% alcohol if you wish but it may not be sipping quality. Problem is that one would need a lot of it since perry would only be around 4% to start with. But if it's made into wine, results are quicker. Last winter I was working with 25 gallons of a combination pear and apple wine from 2007. Wine was around 10% when started. Wine was put outside in 5-gallons pails. Each pail was reduced down to one gallon by scooping off the ice. Ended with pear-apple brandy at 50%. Just put a good shot into a glass of Mountain Dew!

Martin

[Le Petit Norman]

Originally Posted by cowcreekgeeks

Have you ever been to the Normandy region of France? They make a drink made by mixing calvados and fresh apple cider then aging it for a year or two in oak. It is called Pommeau de Normandie and it is OUTSTANDING! Excellent with a Romeo y Julieta.

Oh boy I can find any pommeau in Minnesotta and I am from Normandie !!!

By the way you can try other beverage made like the pommeau called Pinneau de Charente (cognac and grape juice) Floc de Gascogne (armagnac and grape juice) and there is more.

Calvados from Domfront is a blend of 30 % pear juice and 70 % apple juice

Have fun guys I love Hard Apple Cider, this was home made from my grand pa orchard in France in my Familly ....

[coup]

there was a thread on here once about easy apple wind..it was easy and it was good,,very good..........it would work with your pears.......

[steff bugielski]

OK
So it is in the carboy and still percolating.
Is there any way to tell what the alcohol content is?

[mdharris68]

I read an article the other day while reading the newsletter that I get from EC Kraus. www.eckraus.com

Check out thier website and you will find what you are looking for. Look under making high alchohol wines, it explains using a hydrometer to check the percentage.

[Old John]

Originally Posted by steff bugielski

OK
So it is in the carboy and still percolating.
Is there any way to tell what the alcohol content is?

The easiest way at home is to use a winemaking hydrometer to check specific gravity, befor you start fermenting......It'll give you the potential alcohol.
Then check it again after fermenting and average the two measurements out.

[ldc]

When I was a kid in NJ, we had a prolific pear tree. Friends would come from NYC and take back (clean) garbage cans of these pears, and make killer alcohol! I was a kid, so not allowed to taste it, alas, nor do I know what system was used...love Pinneau de Charents as an adult, tho.! ldc

[Shrek]

Originally Posted by steff bugielski

OK
So it is in the carboy and still percolating.
Is there any way to tell what the alcohol content is?

You should use a hydrometer to check the specific gravity and project potential alcohol of the must before fermentation begins, but generally use of wine yeast variants will yield alcohol of 8 to 14 percent per volume.

[NE Agrarian]

I currently have a batch of pear wine going, as well as some hard cider and some kit wines as well. As Mentioned above, Jack Kellers website is an incredible source for winemaking directions and recipes. You may be able to find an applejack type recipe with pears there. Another site you might check is www.winepress.us

Very informative site with a great member forum where you can get most any wine/beer/mead making question answered.