The Cider Maker's Manual

By: J. S. Buell

Hard apple cider brings with it the character of where it’s grown, and the personality of its grower. The history of early America is drenched with cider, and by 1767 its per capita usage in Massachusetts alone stood at over 35 gallons a year. Primarily a farmer’s drink, "every plantation owner made cider, drank cider, and bragged about his cider" wrote U.P. Hedrick in his book, A History of Horticulture in America. In the 18th century, cider was a part of everyone’s daily life, from the provisions of our Revolutionary soldiers to our elder statesmen. Of these, it was most notably at the table of John Adams, who drank a tankard every morning to settle his stomach. By 1840, cider had even become so ubiquitous that William Henry Harrison used it to win his presidential campaign over incumbent Martin Van Buren, giving it away at his rallies and on polling day. When J.S. Buell published The Cider-Maker's Manual in 1868, there was little reason to believe that anything would unseat it as this country's drink of choice. But, just a few decades into the 1900s, it would be all but forgotten. The reasons for its swift decline can be traced to a steady barrage of events culminating on January 17th, 1920, with the Volstead Act prohibiting the sale of alcoholic drinks; with one stroke of the pen the U.S. government thrust hard cider and with it, The Cider Maker’s Manual into obscurity. For nearly 60 years, cider would be kept alive in America by small farmers, many of whom resided in upstate New York and New England. Finally, an act of Congress in 1978 would mark the beginning of a home-brewing Renaissance that would yield thousands of new craft breweries. The population’s increased vigor for the creation of artisan beers brought with it a renewed desire to produce hard cider. This reprint edition confers the information J.S. Buell imparted to help today’s home cider makers in creating their very own exceptional, traditional cider.

• ISBN-13: 9781598380798

• Page Count: 186

• Book Height: 8 x Width: 0.4375 x Length: 5 inches