Brews Report: Perry: The Other Cider

Originally published in the November/December 2001 issue of Zymurgy magazine

by Bob Capshew

“Wine made of the juice of Peares called in English Perry, is soluble, purgeth those that are not accustomed to drinke thereof; notwithstanding it is as wholesome a drinke being taken in small quantity as wine; it comforteth and warmeth the stomake, and causeth good digestion.” ~ From John Gerald’s The Herball or Generall Historie of Plants, London, 1597.

Fermented pear juice, simply known as perry, is an ancient fermented beverage with a history that is often overshadowed by its more popular cousin, apple cider. Although pears and apples are both members of the pomme family, there are many important differences.

History

Wild pears (Pyrus communis) were indigenous to Central Europe and Northern Asia. Through centuries of cultivation, modern pears evolved from wild pears. The Greek botanist, Theophrastus (circa 372 – 287 b.c.) distinguished between wild and cultivated pears. The ﬁrst reference to the use of pears for fermentation was by Pliny the Elder (23-79 a.d.) who noted that the Falerion pear made good wine.

The Romans supposedly introduced pears into the British Isles. Country tales say that where wild English pears grow, there was once a Roman villa. Old pear trees are often found among monasteries and churches. Monks from Worcestershire were reportedly great perry makers. Unlike the pagan worship of the apple, there are no religious pear ceremonies which suggests that the pear might have been introduced to England in early Christian times.

The Warden pear, grown in the reign of Henry VIII (1207-1272), was used for perry and as a preservative. This pear was praised for the “austere” flavor before tastes changed to the modern fondness for sweetness. The Warden pear was recommended in The Booke of Husbandry (London, 1523).

The French writer, Jean de la Ruelle, named the cultivar “Bon Chretien” which later became known as the “Williams” pear in England and “Bartlett”in North America. Jean de La Quintinye wrote a masterpiece on fruit gardening in 1690 which was translated into several languages. His love of pears was shown by his plans for a 500-tree pear orchard.

Perry became a substitute for wine during the seventeenth and eighteenth century wars with France. John Evelyn promoted English cider and perries in his 1664 book titled Pomona.

European writers encouraged the cultivation of pears for fermented beverages. Abbe Rozier devoted 51 pages to pears and perry compared to 45 pages on apples and cider in his 1809 agricultural dictionary.

Thomas Andrew Knight, a famous English fruit breeder, wrote Pomona Hereforednsis: Containing Coloured Engravings of Old Cider and Perry Fruits of Herefordshire in 1811.

Perry Pears

Pear trees may be broadly divided into culinary and perry pears. Culinary or eating pears comprise almost all modern production. Perry pears are pears grown speciﬁcally for crushing and fermenting into perry. The cultivation of perry pears has been a distinctly English tradition.

In many ways, perry pears bear more resemblance to wild pears than modern dessert pears. True perry pears are small, gritty, sour and astringent. There is a high proportion of skin and core. Perry pears grow many shapes including acute turbinate, obtuse turbinate, round, oblate and elliptical shapes in addition to the stereotypical pyri- form shape with the large rounded bottom, which we associate as pear-shaped.

Perry pears are described by over 200 names for roughly 100 varieties. The appar- ent alcoholic strength of perry is noted by names such as Merrylegs, Mumblehead, Lumberskull and Drunkers. Varieties of perry pears have changed little over the centuries with some types still popular after 300 years.

Perry pear trees have been known to live two to three hundred years. Some of the perry pear trees planted in 1702 at Hellens manor house are still alive. The longevity of perry pears is captured by the English saying:

He who plants Pears Plants for his heirs.

The longevity of perry pears is sometimes offset by a ﬁfty-year wait to achieve full production from standard trees. This long wait is reduced in modern times by using dwarﬁng rootstocks.

In addition to longevity, perry pear trees can be incredible producers and mas- sive in size. A tree in 1790 produced five to seven tons per year near the River Wye. Another tree near River Severn in Gloucestershire was known as the “Westbury Tree” and covered nearly two acres.

Perry pears can grow in poor soil as illustrated by the Bare-land (a.k.a. Bar- land) perry pear. The highly acclaimed Tayton Squash pear grows on the heaviest soil. “Perry may be produced to great profit and advantage on many a soil that will scarcely give back the labour spent on for other purposes.” according to Hogg and Bull in Apple and Pear as Vintage Fruits published in 1886.

Perry pears thrive with plenty of rain and sunshine found in the English West Midlands counties of Worcester, Gloucester and Herefordshire. In 1575, Queen Elizabeth I granted the city of Worcester the right to use three pears in their coat of arms. The perry tradition in this area continues with the Three Counties Showground that houses the national collection of 75 varieties of perry pears near Malvern.

The trees were traditionally planted in pastures used for grazing in England. The interplanting of hops with young perry pear trees was also practiced in Kent to produce hops while waiting for the pears to mature. The hops would be removed after the trees were full grown.

Other countries were content to use culinary pears for perry. According to Hogg and Bull, pears were not often planted in Normandy during the late eighteenth century since the French had their cider and calvados. German pears were used mostly for distillation to produce schnapps. American production was primarily confined to New England. Colonial American recipes noted that perry should be made from “…the best pears for this purpose are such as are least fit for eating, and the redder they are the better.”

Perry Production

“Perry is the next liquor in esteem after Cyder, in the ordering of which, let not your Pears be overripe before you grind them; and with some sort of Pears the mixing of a few Crabs in the grinding is of great advantage, Making Perry equal to the Redstreak Cyder.” ~ Mortimer

Most pears are taken directly to the mill when the fruit starts falling and the rest of the pears are shaken off the tree. Sound pears must be crushed and pressed immediately after picking whereas apples are usually stacked in heaps prior to milling or crushing. Only long-keeping perry pears are stacked in heaps prior to milling. A small amount of decomposition is much easier to detect as an off taste in finished perry than in apple cider due to the more delicate taste of pears.

Most pears are low to medium in acid levels (0.2% to 0.6%), however some perry pears can have high acid levels. Apples have high levels of malic acid while pears have predominantly citric acid. Perry is also lower in soluble nitrogen and other compounds that encourage a robust fermentation.

Most pears have low tannin levels although there are a few perry pears with both high tannin and high acid levels. High tannin levels are reduced by allowing the pommace (crushed pears) to stand for 24 hours to bring down the tannin concentration. Most apple ciders improve with blending. Single-pear perries are traditionally made since the mixing of perry pears can cause unexpected cloudiness from the complex tannins.

Pears generally contain more sugar than apples. Pear juices can range from specific gravities of 1.050 to 1.090. Perry never had the mass consumption reputation as cider probably due to the higher alcohol. Traditionally, perry is consumed for special occasions, and not as a “session” type drink like apple cider. Perry also contains sorbitol, an unfermentable sugar, which gives the drink a residual sweetness and a fullness of flavor. Perry becomes naturally effervescent when aged. This sparkling characteristic allowed the unscrupulous to substitute perry for more expensive champagne.

Commercial Perries

Perry is difﬁcult to ﬁnd commercially. In the United Kingdom, Babycham is a popular drink made from pears—however, traditional English perry lovers hold the light and ﬁzzy Babycham in contempt. Some farmhouse perries are available in the UK. Get a copy of CAMRA’s Good Cider Guide for locations.

Although perries are difﬁcult to ﬁnd in the U.S. and Canadian markets, fortunately perries can be easily made with basic homebrew equipment.

Equipment

Perry making requires the same equipment as apple cider. The traditional apple grinder and press is a heavy wooden stand which costs about $450 new. The grinder has a manual flywheel that rotates a drum with teeth. Pears (or apples) are chipped by the teeth into pommace. Presses often have a screw driven shaft that pushes a board (platen) onto the cheeses of pommace. Pommace cheeses are layers of pommace wrapped in nylon, cheesecloth or some other porous material. The cheeses are stacked on top of each other and then compressed. Nylon window screen from your local hardware store makes very good cheesecloth for perry.

A more efficient system can be made if you use electricity and hydraulics. Very efficient grinders can be employed by using a new garbage disposal to grind the pears. Pears are cut into pieces (depending on the size of pears) then pushed into the disposal. A slurry of pommace with an apple sauce-like consistency gushes out into a bucket. There is no need to peel, core or destem the pears since these parts will be retained in the cheesecloth. Because the disposal is run without water there is a tendency to overheat, which will throw the circuit breaker on the disposal. After the disposal cools down you merely push the red breaker button to start again. Mounting the disposal on a small stainless steel sink gives you a place to stack the pears for grinding. A ground fault interrupt (GFI) receptacle is also a good idea since water and electricity are involved. Extra pressing power can also be obtained by using a car jack or bottle jack in a homemade press. Several plans can be found on the Internet.

If you are using whole pears you should get between two and three gallons (7.57 and 11.36 L) of juice per bushel (about 45 pounds) of pears. The yield will vary based on the efﬁciency of your grinder and press as well as the condition of the pears.

Homemade Perry

Perry can be made with any type of pear but the best is made from vintage English pears. Perry should be treated as a type of wine. Wine requires acidity, sugar and tannin for balance. Acidity may be measured with a simple titration kit found in wine making supply shops. Sugar levels are measured with the same hydrometer that you use in beer making. Tannin cannot be easily measured without a full-scale lab. When astringency is missing in the unfermented pear juice, tannin must be adjusted or the perry will taste ﬂat.

Perry – 5 gallon batch

5 gallons pear juice (19 L) with no preservatives if possible
0.5 tsp grape tannin (2.37 g)
2.5 tsp pectic enzyme (11.86 g)
2.5 tsp yeast nutrient (11.86 g)
ale yeast or Lalvin EC 1118 yeast

Measure the sugar level and add cane sugar to reach at least 1.050. Check acid level with titration test kit. If acid level is less than 0.6%, add tartaric acid to reach 0.6%. Avoid racking to encourage malolactic activity. Let perry rest over the winter if possible to encourage malolactic activity which smooths taste. Keep carboy topped up to discourage the formation of vinegar. Bottle after clearing.

Blending perry with other fruit is also highly recommended. The use of blackberries and cranberries in the secondary fermenter makes ﬂavorful perries. Use about one pound of fruit per gallon of perry. It is also useful to add a little cane sugar to encourage refermentation in the secondary.

Growing Pears

If you want to control the entire process, you should consider growing pears. Pears are relatively easy to grow and require much less care than apples. Pear trees are generally more hardy and disease resistant than apples. Pear blossoms are not as susceptible to spring frosts as apples perhaps due to the heavier nectar. Pears will thrive from zone five to eight and tolerate clay soils. The pear family consists of European and Asian types. The European types include the traditional pear-shaped fruit as well as classic English perry pears. Asian pears, often called pear-apples, are round-shaped with a crisp taste.

Standard pears grow to 30 feet although many home gardeners and commercial orchards use dwarﬁng rootstocks, which limit tree growth to one-half of the standard size. Dwarﬁng rootstocks allow for easier trimming, spraying and harvesting but produce full-sized fruit.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Perry: The Other Cider - via AHA