Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0881504823
Manufacturer: Countryman Press
Average Customer Review: 
(From 6 total reviews)
List Price: $14.95
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com:
Slack-My-Girdle. Never has a fruit been better named. It’s an apple, in this case, favored in Devonshire, England, by apple cider makers. A few pints of their good cider and you may want to slack your girdle, too. Crack the cover of Ben Watson’s Cider, Hard and Sweet and you may find yourself planting apple trees against the day you too can fill your basement with jugs of fermenting apple juice. You would be following in a long, long tradition.
Watson’s history of cider starts with the apple itself in the Tien-Shan mountains of far off Kazakstan. Alma-Ata, formerly the Kazak capital, translates as “father of apples.” There have been a number of apple-centric books published of late, all of them echoing similar historic details. Watson distinguishes himself by focusing on the place of cider–the alcoholic beverage–in human history, particularly American history. “In 1726,” the author tells us, “it was reported that a single village near Boston, consisting of about 40 families, put up nearly 10,000 barrels of cider. One historian stated that in the year 1767 a per capita average of 1.14 barrels of cider were consumed in Massachusetts.” That’d be 35 gallons per person!
The arrival of breweries and brewers with German and eastern European immigration in the late 1800s, the codling moth, the exodus from farm to city of the majority American population, Prohibition, bad winters–all these factors and more led to the decline of cider making in America. A few farmers continued in the tradition; everyone else made and sold apple juice and called it cider. The tradition hung on in Britain and Europe, however, and new American cider makers are taking advantage of this living body of knowledge, planting European cider apples and trying some of the old varieties still available in this country. A book such as Cider will encourage the movement.
Watson gives clear instructions to get the cider enthusiast started, and then fills in with the kind of details that push the beginner deeper into the subject, deeper into the skills and legacy. A valuable resource for anyone interested in giving cider making a go, Cider, Hard and Sweet will be just as useful to anyone who has discovered the delicious world of cider, and wants to know more. –Schuyler Ingle
Book Description:
Drinking fresh, or “sweet,” cider in the fall is an American tradition. And recent years have seen the resurgence of “hard” (alcoholic) cider–once the drink of choice in England and the Americas–after decades of obscurity. Now this delightful, fizzy drink is turning up again in American farmer’s markets and in bars and restaurants as a refreshing alternative to handcrafted beer. What’s more, this elegantly simple beverage is so easy to make that producing good homemade cider, both hard and sweet, is well within the reach of the enthusiast. In Cider, Hard and Sweet, Ben Watson explores the cultural and historical roots of cider. He introduces us to the different styles of cider–including draft, farmhouse, French, New England, and sparkling, as well as apple wine, applejack, and cider vinegar–and gives complete instructions on how to make them at home with a minimum of time and equipment. In addition, there are tips on evaluating homemade ciders, instructions for hosting a cider tasting, and recipes for cooking and baking with cider. This book is sure to interest not only apple aficionados, but anyone who appreciates good food and drink and the cultural traditions that surround and inform them.
Customer Reviews
Made me thirsty by J. Cornett
I found this book to be a very entertaining and fact-filled introduction to Cider making (and drinking). I am an experienced home brewer, and the information contained in this book was sufficient to “get me started” with brewing cider. However, I think that it is NOT sufficient if you have little or no background in brewing. That being said, if you are looking for a book about brewing cider, this would make an excellent choice if you also buy a beginner-level book about homebrewing as a companion.
And if you are just interested in apples, cider enjoyment, and a good dose of apple history, this is definitely a well-written and enjoyable book.
good book by Matthew J. Bartlett
I’ve been making hard cider for a couple years now, this book helped me understand how to make tweaks to it and how to recognize what causes certain tastes. It also goes over additives to put in the cider to give it different tastes. The book gives a beginers outlook on making cider in general, however as far as basics to hard cider this book is very general. All and all a good read, and well worth it’s money
Good information, but you’ll need more for hard cider by
As far as selecting apples, and actually creating cider from them, this book is abount as detailed as it gets. The tables in in that describe US and EU apple types as well as their traits is worth the price alone.
However, if you’re looking to make hard (alcoholic) cider the book only takes you half way. Anyone looking to do hard cider should buy a seperate homebrew book that goes into detail about the brew process. Combine it with the information from this book and you’ll have some great hard cider.
Awesome book! by Scott Smith
This is a wonderful, inspiring book like few I have read recently. It opens a huge world that I never imagined existed. Cider isn’t just the jugs in the grocery store and the 6-pack in the liquor store, its an important part of human and American history. The author has put a lot of time in researching this book, and is thick with fascinating information such as cider-only apple varieties, cider tasting terms, French vs English cider, etc etc etc.
The book does describe cider making, but that is not the main focus of the book. Still, any self-respecting cider maker should have a copy.
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