156: Not all lees are gross

Lees: When should we love them and when should we leave them? And what the heck is “lees” anyways?

The main chat in this episode begins around 10 minutes in and features Curt Sherrer presenting his workshop titled “All Lees Are Not Gross”. This was recorded at the 24th Annual Franklin County CiderDays in November of 2018.

Why rack off the lees?

• Curt proposes that there are more advantages for aging the cider on the lees then removing the lees.
• Sur Lie is leaving the lees in the vessel that you are conditioning the cider in is called:
• What to expect from barrel aging and leaving the cider on the lees is the smell of H2S which smells like rotten eggs.

Curt recommends:

• Using your nose and taste buds to keep track of what is going on when leaving the aging cider on the lees.
• Taste every part of the fermentation
• Instead of automatically dumping your lees our of the bottle - save your lees
  • add to your next cider
  • cook with the lees
  • make bread with lees

The process for either barrel or carboy:

• After the rigours fermentation, stir lees for usually the next 6 weeks - sometimes 3 times per week. This technique is called Bâtonnage.
• Use your nose and taste buds to decider upon the schedule best suited for your cider. Perhaps you will stir more often or not.
• Lees can rest upon the bottom of your vessel for up to year for further.

This presentation will “lees” you with lots of food for thought and decisions to make for you own cider. Not a cider maker? - then seek out maker who do produce cider sur lie and see if you like this more wine like production.

I do and as such post this taping I began my own oak barrel sur lie cider.

Stay tuned!

Mentions in this Chat

• CiderCon2019 - February 5-8, 2018
• Gift giving links mentioned in this chat go to http://ciderchat.com/resources/
• Listen to episode 020: Curt Sherrer | Millstone Cellars
• FEDCO - Tree Catalog
• Listen to John Bunker episodes:
  • 16: John Bunker | Super Chilly Farm, ME
  • 028: John Bunker | Apple Identification

Please Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving!

Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts.

• Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts.
• Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast
• Twitter @ciderchat
• Instagram: @ciderchatciderville
• Cider Chat FaceBook Page
• Cider Chat YouTube

Ask for the following ciders - By supporting these cidermakers, you in turn help Cider Chat

1. Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14
2. Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35
3. Oliver’s Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29
4. Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60
5. The Cider Project aka EthicCider- California
6. Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56
7. Cider Summit : listen to Alan Shapiro founder of this cider fest on episode 75.
8. Ramborn Cider Co. Luxembourg.
9. Big Fish Cider Co. Virginia
10. Tanuki Cider Co. Santa Cruz California episode 103
11. Ross on Wye Cider and Perry, UK
12. Process and Analytical NMR Services - John Edwards provides analytics of cider - stay tuned for his Chemical Fingerprints workshop coming up on Cider Chat
13. Ironbark Ciderworks, Claremont, California

Join the #ciderGoingUP Campaign today! 

Haven't downloaded this chat yet? Here is is again.