In late May through early June of 2017, ten cider makers from Washington and Oregon had the opportunity to visit cideries in Normandy, Brittany, and the English West Country, to learn about keeving . Keeving, at it’s most basic definition, is a traditional method of fermentation that is used to produce sparkling semi-dry and sweet ciders without back-sweetening. The cideries visited ranged vastly in size and production volume, as did each cider maker’s methods and personal ethos as to how a keeved cider is best produced. Certain aspects of attaining a keeve however, do not vary by producer or region, and are absolutely essential to the process. Here you will find the technical notes and personal observations of the Northwest cider makers who made the trip, as well as the universal aspects of a successful keeve.
Here are the basics of Keeving and the French production methods we have gleaned so far in our trip to France and England. By David Takush, 2 Towns Ciderhouse We have found that only approximately half of the producers actually try to achieve a ‘chapeau brun’ -the ‘brown hat’ that forms at the top of… Read more »
While many of the cideries we visited in France and England were integrated working farms that raised cows and sheep, they did seem to be legitimate cider production facilities, with all the amenities you would expect at an artisan winery. Wilkins cider seemed to be quite a different story in that most of the operation… Read more »
Heck’s cider in Somerset, U.K. has produced traditional farmhouse cider and perry for six generations. Their long history was evident by the large wall filled with award plaques and newspaper articles of their journey. Andrew Heck was a warm and welcoming host, though not one to speak at length. Their cidery has a retail shop… Read more »
Our host, Martin, showed us around his cider facility in England. His cidery was much younger than most, if not all, of the others we had seen, and thus carried less of a traditional air to it. Pilton Cider, created in 2009, produces about 50,000 L of cider a year. He, like us, took on… Read more »
Tom was in town for the Royal Bath and West Show, so while we weren’t able to visit his farm and cidery as a group, he graciously agreed to come to our hotel and talk with us for an afternoon to discuss the mysteriously fickle art of keeving. What is keeving? A sub 5.5% ABV… Read more »
1 Route de Plas an Dans, 29500Ergué Gaberic, FRPhone: 02 98 59 63 45http://www.chateau-lezergue.com/ Cidermaker/Guide: Joseph (co-owner) Fruit: Uses multiple varieties of traditional French cider apples including Kermerrien, Marie-Ménard, Prat-Yeod, Douce-Moen, Kroc’hen Ki and Douce-Coêtligné. Orchard: 35 HA owned/operated by cidery, accounting for approximately 1/3 of total volume used (remaining grown under contract). Harvest practice:… Read more »
