ON THE PISCO TRAIL DESTINATION NASHVILLE GRAPE COCKTAILS WOOD-ROASTED COFFEE

Your State-by-State
Guide to American
Craft Beer

Find out why we love

this Indiana wheat ale
on page 42!

mix it up

Bottle up a favorite fall fruit with DIY perry.

Oh, Pear!

When autumn rolls around, how does an

imbiber best preserve a fresh pears juicy, earthy
goodness? With a DIY batch of perry! The cousin
of hard apple cider, perrya longtime favorite
in Englandis moving into the U.S. mainstream
thanks to cider houses like eastern Washingtons
Snowdrift, whose recent bottlings of mthode
Champeniose-produced perry have garnered not
only acclaim from the renowned Three Counties
Cider & Perry Association, but also the attention
of drinkers coast to coast. We recently met up with
Snowdrifts co-owner and chief cidermaker Tim
Larsen for a tutorial on perry-making, and after a
trip to our local homebrew shop for supplies and
a stop by our farmers market for fresh pears, we
were ready to go. The results? Slightly sweet and
effervescent, its pear perfection in a glass.

Juice the pears and dip a litmus

strip into the juice to test for pH.
Between 3.7 to 3.9 is idealif
its above 4.0, add malic acid in
increments of a tsp. to bring it
down. Once you reach the proper
acidity, funnel the pear juice into
a glass carboy.

84 imbibemagazine.com ~ september/october 2013

8 lbs. pears, or gallon fresh

pear juice (see note)
Malic acid*
tsp. Champagne yeast*
tsp. yeast nutrient*
1 Campden tablet*
cup simple syrup (1:1)

Tools
Electric juicer
Litmus strips*
Funnel
Mortar and pestle
Measuring glass
2 glass carboys, gallon each*
Siphon hose*
Crown capper and bottle caps*
5 12-oz. brown glass bottles (empty,
sanitized beer bottles work great)
*All items are available online and at
local homebrew shops.

Story by Tracy Howard

Photos by Stuart Mullenberg

tips

Ingredients

Before beginningand this

is very importantmake sure
all of your equipment and
tools are sterilized. We use
Star San, which is available
in most homebrew shops.
Also, note that pears contain
unfermentable sugars, which
means perry tastes sweeter
than apple cider. For this
reason, most people prefer
their perry with a slight
spritz, which comes with
the secondary fermentation
of steps 5 and 6. That said, if
you prefer your perry without
the fizz, feel free to omit the
simple syrup and simply
siphon it into a clean carboy
or bottles before capping.

Makes 5 12-ounce bottles.

With a mortar and pestle (or

the back of a spoon), crush the
Campden tablet. Add the crushed
tablet to the juice (this should kill
any bacteria), cap the carboy and
give it a gentle shake. Set it aside
for 24 hours.

In a measuring glass, re-hydrate

the yeast according to the
instructions on its packet. Add
the yeast nutrient to the rehydrated yeast and stir until
its mostly dissolved. Add the
mixture to the carboy.

NOTE: Fresh pears juiced with an electronic home juicer

will offer maximum flavorheirloom varieties like Seckel
are great, otherwise try a mix of Bartlett and DAnjou.
But if you arent able to make your own juice, farm-fresh
juice is the next best thing. Store-bought juice from the
refrigerator aisle also worksjust look over the label since
pear juice often contains preservatives, which can prevent
fermentation. UV-treated or heat-pasteurized juice is
fine.

tips

Label Lingo
Perry and pear cider are not the same. Perry is made
exclusively from pears, whereas pear cider is apple cider
thats been sweetened with pear juice. And its a difference
you can taste at first sipperry is earthy and rustic with a
velvety viscosity and a slight tannic bite; pear cider, on the
other hand, is lighter-bodied and a tad sweeter.

Cap the carboy with a bung and

airlock. Place the carboy in a large
utility sink or bathtub, and check
it daily. (If you start to detect a
sulfur smell, that means your
yeast is likely stressedadd an
additional tsp. of yeast nutrient
and the smell should dissipate.)
Fermentation is finished when you
no longer see tiny bubbles rising to
the top (ours took about 2 weeks).

Siphon the perry into a clean

glass carboy, taking care to
avoid the dregs at the bottom.
Add the simple syrup to the
transferred perry. Cap and swirl
gently to combine.

Siphon the perry again from the

carboy into 5 individual 12-ounce
bottles and cap with a crown
capper. Refrigerate for at least 1
week before opening. It will keep,
refrigerated, for up to 6 months.

september/october 2013 ~ imbibemagazine.com 85