If you’ve never heard of it, experimental archaeology is when a bunch of academics roll up their sleeves and try to reproduce something in order to understand how it was built or what it meant to build it. For example, trying to build a pyramid in order to see what makes sense or what theories are an epic fail. The practice can extend to matters of everyday life as well. And it’s my excuse for my now dwindling gallon jug of hard apple cider.
Making cider from my own apples has been on my list for awhile now but I still don’t have an official grinder or press. Luckily I didn’t have that many leftover apples either! What I did have I quartered, ground up in the Cuisinart and then pressed through a small hand cranked juice press. I ended up with a little under 1 gallon of dark brown cloudy juice - like what gets sold in the refrigerator section of the grocery store as unfiltered ( I did strain it!) It didn’t look anything like hard cider I’d ever seen at that stage but I stuck it in a gallon fermenter with an airlock on top and put it in the mudroom - no additives, no yeast, no sugar - just juice and waited to see what would happen.
At first it made foam, that looked like a good sign but not particularly alcoholic, not like the first stages of wine making. Then gradually it started to burp bubbles up through the air lock and as it did so, the sediment started settling to the bottom. The liquid got clearer and clearer until it looked like tea. I confess to a few small samples along the way but not too much as I didn’t want to lower the volume and allow too much air in.
When it was completely clear I put the whole thing in the refrigerator, minus the airlock which wouldn’t fit (don’t worry I used a loose bottle stopper to prevent any explosions) and began to consume. It’s very interesting and very light. I can see why medieval peasants would drink it like water. You could definitely go about a full day’s work without impairment but a nice buzz, which lets face it wouldn’t be such a bad thing in medieval Europe. (I’m by no means implying anyone should drive, use heavy machinery or make financial decisions in this state, just that it’s a very different feeling than consuming comparable amounts of beer or wine.)
The flavor isn’t very apply nor is it very carbonated, just a mild sizzle and rather on the dry side. I was mostly just glad it didn’t turn to vinegar but I am relieved that the natural yeasts of Short Meadow are prepared to make a decent brew. I’m already looking forward to next Autumn!
