The Art of Cidermaking

This is one of my favorite farm and garden related books. The author, Paul Correnty, gives a short history on cider, cider making and various types of apples and their attributes. The book is written in such a humorous, friendly way that you can't help wishing you knew him. There are recipes at the back of the book for the more advanced cider maker and the author makes suggestions about keeping costs down.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print! We heard from someone at Jasper's Homebrew and Winemaking in Nashua, NH that the Brewers Association owns the copyright and won't put out another edition and won't let the author do it either. This is a huge injustice to all cider makers of the world and a great disservice to the homesteading/do-it-yourself movement. So, get your pen and paper out and write to demand republication of this great book. Better yet, ask that they release the rights to the author so he can update and publish it on his own, not to mention receive well-deserved royalties from the sales.

Here's the address:

Brewers Association
P.O. Box 1679
Boulder, CO 80306

To email them, use this address: info@brewersassociation.org

The Association of Brewers lists 3 other cider books (Cider, by Proulx & Nichols, Cider, Hard & Sweet, by Ben Watson and Real Cider Making on a Small Scale, by Michael Pooley and John Lomax) but nothing about this book. Why? Is it too regional? Too good? Too funny and down to earth?

Oh, well. You'll have to settle for another book. I'm not suggesting they are inferior, it's just that I really like this one. There are a few used copies of The Art of Cidermaking through Amazon but prices start at $65.92. As a frugal Yankee, I cannot endorse that kind of spending. It is a paperback after all. You'll do better to buy one of the others,take the rest of the money and buy a carboy, yeast and some cider, and start brewing.

November 22, 2008

The Art of Cidermaking