The Discovery of Fermentation

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Having only known the basics, I was partially blind to fermentation in 2013. It was simply a word and its meaning was void of any visuals and significance. My first year at Blue Bee Cider brought me into an unknown world, one with shadows that became less haunting the more information I learned. I witnessed my first fermentation in 2013 and it opened my eyes to cider, fermentation, and the captivating lives of yeast.

The knowledge that within a container of juice is a world invisible to the naked eye, one alive and willing to transform itself, baffled me in the beginning and amazes me each and every time. The day after pressing, the juice is motionless – a liquid that was pressed out of carefully selected and cared for apples. I’ll taste it, exercising my palate to break down the juice’s acidity, sweetness, and perceptible tannins. A sample is taken to the lab and I’ll use sophisticated equipment to get proper measurements. After learning as much information as I can and prepping the juice for fermentation, the focus shifts to the yeast.

Yeasts are as varied as apples, each one unique and worthy of exploration. Some yeasts are more neutral than others, allowing the apple varietal to express itself without interference. Other yeasts will enhance esters, producing fruity and floral characteristics. Some will improve mouthfeel, soften tannins, and others will produce tasting notes specific to what we are looking for in the finished product.

I’ll carefully rehydrate the yeast, providing it with the nutrients it will need to begin multiplying in the juice. I want nothing more than to have happy yeast cells that are strong, well-fed, and ready to be introduced into a welcoming, balanced environment. The cidermaker is a facilitator, an entrusted guardian of juice and yeast cells, responsible for their harmony. Successful products stem from this harmony, the aroma and taste of the cider is initially determined by what happens during fermentation.

After the yeast cells have multiplied, the wonder and magic of fermentation begins. The once motionless juice becomes cloudy and slowly begins to dance, tiny bubbles of CO2 rise to the top of the surface. I’ve spent several dazed and mesmerized minutes staring at those bubbles, observing the movement of the juice, imagining the microscopic work the yeast undertake with all of their might. I cannot help but marvel at the juice and the transformation it undergoes to become cider. The juice is forever changed, never allowed to be juice again. The process of fermentation is a rapid representation of the changes we make as human beings. Over time we become someone different, we transform into the people we presently are, something new built upon the past. The finished cider is connected to the juice it came from, the yeast cells that took residence and created its final form, the vessel that housed the journey, and the hands and eyes that watched over in awe.

-Manuel Garcia