105: Tom Oliver on Making Perry | UK

105: Tom Oliver on Making Perry | UK

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist November 29, 2017 Duration: 1:13:05

Reserve you spot today for the Totally Cider Tour to the UK! We will be visiting Tom Oliver an award winning cidermaker and this week's guest on Cider Chat. This cider tour begins in Bristol, UK on April 25, 2018, then after that evening's dinner at The Stable for the "Ultimate Cider" dinner we head out to tour around Somerset and then Herefordshire through May 2nd. Sign up for a trip of a lifetime and come along with Ria, the host of Cider Chat and fellow cider travels.

This week's chat was recorded during Tom's presentation at CiderDays 2017.

Making Perry tips from Tom

  • No surprise that Tom says you are reliant upon the fruit
  • Don't work with culinary pears or apples
  • All about minimum intervention
  • Ferments with wild yeast - does not pitch yeast.
  • Doesn't use sulfite prior to fermentation
  • No yeast nutrient
  • Use a little bit of SO2 - about 80 ppm

Tom's favorite Pear varieties for making Perry, hopefully from old trees

More pears mentions in this chat:

  • Coppy
  • Rock
  • Gin
  • Oldfield
  • Christmas Pear
  • Cypress Pear
  • Ferret Custard
  • Cows slip
  • Dead Boy

Go to this UK link to find out more about Perry Pears

The Challenge of Perry Pears:

  • They all ripen at different times
  • They don't come off the tree
  • They engage in bletting
  • If the pear is brown in side is it bad or rotten - no it is not - it is fermenting.

Blet - means overripe pear...it is fermenting

Rot - is decomposing.

  • And Tom does use pears that are bletting from the inside out - "It is how far you will let it go. (blet).
  • Tom washes the pears beforehand and referenced Mike Beck and how he uses saline solution to wash the pears in because pears sink, unlike apples that float.
  • Maceration - leaving the pears to break down the sugars before you press them
    • Tom does at least 24 hours to 48 hours for a pressing.

Contact for Oliver's Cider and Perry

Ask for the following 9 #ciderGoingUP Campaign sponsors - By supporting these cider makers, 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

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.

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Follow on twitter @ciderchat


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

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