205: City Cidermakers at Duckchicken | London

Duckchicken makers Colleen O’Sullivan and James Mann are based in South London. Colleen is a certified Arborist  and works as a Tree Officer in London and James works in “Knowledge” at a law office in London. 

Duckchickens Colleen and James

Duckchicken is a home-based commercial cidery

Imagine row houses with a first floor apartment and a second family above. Now imagine a "rented car" pulling up to the residential street and the husband and wife team of Duckchicken pulling out crates of apples to heft into ther home and stack in their hallway. During bottling season the hallway is filled with bottles. The kitchen which is no bigger than 10 feet by 12 feet becomes the packing room and measuring room during cidermaking season.

Right outside the kitchen window, is a wooden shelving unit they built to hold 4- 300 liter IBC tanks and other cider vessels. This part of the back yard is called the “Light Well”  and is found on many row homes in London. It is the space between another house and helps to provide light into the homes. As such, it also is a very temperate place to keep cider, getting neither too hot or too cold while the bulk cider is conditioning.

Making Duckchicken in the Kitchen

Duckchicken Cider Style is “East Country”

East Country (as opposed to West Country, which is west of London and in the area of Herefordshire and Somerset, and the surrounding regions. The apples in East Country are more culinary than the classic bitter sharp and bitter sweet varieties sought by makers, but there are a number of very good varieties that Duckchicken uses.

James in the Light Well of Duckchicken, right outside the kitchen window

Duckchicken Apple Sources

You could call it "The Boss Connection" that helped them find orchards. James was referred to “Linda’s Orchard by his boss. And a second large orchard by another boss.

Husband and Wife Team cider roles

• Colleen is the lead washer
• James is the lead scratter

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DERIC is an anagram for Cider

Cidermaking Practices at Duckchicken

• They were inspired to make something they enjoy to drink, so No sugar added
• A hydro press is used for pressing
• Delivery is via a bicycle. If they have too, they will rent a car to deliver.
• During harvest season they rent a truck to bring the apples back to their home.
• Yeast?
  • 1st year they experimented - with pitching or not - made 240 liters years the first year
  • 2nd year - Pitched yeast into all cider
  • 4-300 liter tanks
  • 3rd year - the motto is “Let’s just hope for the best” as they are doing both wild and pitched yeast.

Ciders to look forward to in 2020

• Gigglejuice 7%
  • Blend of 50/50 blend of Edmond Russet and Bramley
• Easter Hill - single variety Cox’s Orange Pippin - expect it to be acidic, fruity and some sparkle

And a few blends still yet to be named so stay tuned.

Find Duckchicken Cider - go to 43 minutes in to hear a description of each location.

• The Harp - near Traflago Square
• Spartan Brewery
• Caps and Taps
• Salt House Bottles - South London
  • Joyce started by Salt House qwner with a great selection of ciders on tap -
• The Station House - north east England in Durham

The Landlord and and Landlady of The Station House in Durham

Mentions in this chat

• Jim Passed the Cider Entrance Exam
  • Read his blog on passing the BJCP

• February 9, 2020 New York International Cider Competition
• New Designs at the Cider Chat Swag Store
• January 28-31th - CiderCon 2020 Oakland California

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