Other Fruits

Cider Apples!

At Hocking Hills Orchard, here at the Four Seasons Cabins, we grow many different varieties of Apples, Pears, Grapes and other fruit.

Cider quality and flavor depends on the type of apple used. Cider is traditionally made with a blend of sharp, bittersharp, bittersweet and sweet apples. The principle characteristics of cider apples which contribute to this classification are the content of phenolic compounds (tannins) and the acidity.

When the Long Ashton Research Station was founded to work on cider in 1903, its first director was Professor BTP Barker. To try and impose some order on the then-prevailing chaos of nomenclature, he rapidly established a simple analytical classification of cider apples as follows:

Barker's Classification of Cider Apples (LARS 1903)

Classification	Acid (%)	Tannin (%)
Sharp	>0.45	<0.2
Bittersharp	>0.45	>0.2
Bittersweet	< 0.45	>0.2
Sweet	<0.45	<0.2

Apple varieties

• Amere de Berthecourt

(France).

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• Binet Violet

(Seine Inferieure, France) Small to medium size fruit. Skin is brick red over green. Ripens in October.

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• Brown's Apple

(South Devon, England, UK) Classed as "very sharp". Medium to large flat fruit, skin is dull red over green.

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• Bulmer's Norman

(Normandy, France) Classed as "bittersweet". Medium to large conical fruit. Skin yellow-green, smooth and waxy, blush rare, russet in stem basin. Flesh white, sweet astringent. Ripens in October.

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• Chisel Jersey

Classed as "bittersweet". Medium size fruit is green with red flush. Used to make cider of full body, good flavor and aroma.

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• Dabinette

(Somerset, England, UK) Classed as "bittersweet". Small to medium greenish yellow fruit covered with red blush. Flesh greenish-white, slightly crisp, sweet astringent. Produces a sweet, astringent juice and a bittersweet cider.

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• Domaines

Classed as "bitter", ripens in October.

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• Fillbarrel

Classed as "bittersharp", ripens in late October.

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• Foxwhelp

(early 1600's Gloucestershire, England, UK) Classed as "bittersharp". Medium to large size fruit. Skin is light yellow with pale red stripes on sunny side, rough. Flesh is yellow, coarse and juicy. Flavor is unique and acid. One of the few varieties that can be used as a "single apple variety" cider.

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• Gilpin

(1700's Virginia, USA) Classed as "sweet". Medium size fruit, solid red skin. Coarse, crisp flesh. Ripens in October.

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• Kingston Black

(1900 Somerset, UK) Classed as "bittersharp". Small to medium size fruit. Skin dark mahogany or deep crimson. Juice plentiful and of a dark tawny red color. Flavor moderately sweet and acid with a strong astringment after taste. Ripens in late October.

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• Muscadet de Dieppe

(1750 France) Classed as "bittersweet". Small to medium size fruit with orange red skin. One of the very few apple varieties that will make excellent hard cider without blending. Ripens in mid September.

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• Stoke Red

(Somerset, England, UK) Classed as "bittersharp". Small, flattened spherical fruit. Smooth, slightly waxy, sometimes dry skin, dark red with slight stripe. Flesh white and slightly reddened, soft, very juicy, usually some astringency. Ripens in October.

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• Sweet Coppin

(Devon, England, UK) Classed as "sweet". Medium to large, conical fruit. Dry, yellow to yellowish-green skin with slight blush. Flesh white, soft, no astringency. Ripens in September.

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• Wickson

(1944 California, USA) Classed as "sweet". Newtown Pippin x Esopus Spitzenberg cross. Small to medium size fruit. Skin 70-90% red, striped. Shape round-conic, flesh firm. Flavor sweet, up to 25% sugar, with acid tang. An Albert Etter introduction. Ripens in mid October.

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• Yarlington Mill

(Yarlington, North Cadbury, Somerset, England, UK) Classed as "bittersweet". Medium size, conical fruit. Lightly striped dark red skin, smooth, slightly waxy, yellow. Flesh white, reddish below skin, slightly crisp with some astringency. Ripens in October.

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