"Craft Cider Making" - The Book

Third Edition now available from Crowood Press


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In 2008 the Good Life Press asked me if I'd like to write a cider making book.   I'd already done "Fermented Beverage Production" but that's far too technical and really pitched at mainstream producers.  So I agreed to do a craft cider making book for the hobbyist and small producer. It's based on the "Science of Cidermaking" articles on my website. They were written originally in 1992 so I've updated and expanded them considerably into a 40,000 word book. The general structure and concept remains the same though. The first edition of the book sadly has no index.  However,  I have prepared one myself which you can download and print out as two PDF sheets from here.  All you then have to do is trim off the margins, fold each sheet in the middle and paste them back to back on the inside back cover of the book.

By spring of 2010 the book had sold out. So there was a second revised printing in summer 2010. There are some minor text revisions but more importantly there is also an index included!  If you already own the first edition, you don't absolutely  have to buy a new one (though of course I might like it if you did!). You can download the index from here INDEX and you can also download the text amendments from here TEXT AMENDMENTS if you want to know what you're missing. Both are PDF files.

By 2014 the book was again running out of print.  By arrangement with Good Life I switched to a new publisher, Crowood Press, for a completely re-formatted third edition published in 2015. This has been  redesigned and all the pictures are now in colour throughout. The text has been  updated but otherwise it remains as a 45,000 word introduction to the subject.  It deals with craft cidermaking, so it doesn't tell you how to make a Magners or Strongbow clone, it doesn't tell you how to make fruit or other flavoured ciders, and it doesn't include any cider 'recipes'. It's not that kind of book. Instead it aims to teach you a good solid background in craft cidermaking techniques so that you can develop your own ciders as you wish.

Synopsis

This book is for anyone who wants to grow and to make good cider, apple juice or even cider vinegar. Whether you have a back garden with a couple of apple trees, several acres of orchard deep in the countryside, or you're just 'scrumping' apples from friends and neighbours every autumn, this book is for you. Here you can learn about the equipment you need, the techniques to use and just how they work as they do. You'll also learn what to do when things go wrong, and how to put them right! Packed with a wealth of practical experience and understanding, Craft Cidermaking is for beginners and old hands alike.  See the full contents here.

Biography

Andrew Lea is a retired food biochemist who started his career in the tea industry and then spent 13 years at the Long Ashton Research Station (the National Fruit and Cider Institute) in the 1970's and 80's where he gained his PhD for studies on apple tannins. After the closure of the Cider Section, he became Head of Beverage Research for a private food consultancy and analysis business, with many cidermakers amongst his clients.  He has been a hobby cidermaker with his own small orchard and cider press for over 20 years and has won many prizes at the Bath and West and the Hereford International Cider Competitions. Andrew is a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology.


First edition (out of print) - Black Cover and with internal colour pictures - ISBN-13: 978-1-90487-1378 

Second edition (out of print) - Red Cover and with monochrome internal pictures -  ISBN-13: 978-1-90487-1989

 Third Edition published by Crowood Press  - new cover and with full colour pictures throughout  ISBN 9781785000157


Book Contents



Back to my Contents page


Last updated 17 July 2015