Tanks

Stainless Steel Tank with Foaming Fresh Apple Cider

Branch Out Cider has a goal of 500 gallons of apple wine from beautiful apples supplied by the neighbors of  our Community Orchard. We are well on our way thanks to the generous tree owners of Northern Colorado.

Well, it turns out that apple wine needs to the ferment and age in stainless steel.  Traditionally, our predecessors used wooden casks because they were readily available.   Unfortunately, wood is like a sponge and runs the risk of spoilage collecting in the pores of the wood.  Also, their is no attributable flavor addition like whiskey from using oak casks.

Today, the ciderist will use stainless or high-grade plastic tanks.  Cider is naturally acidic and will have adverse flavors from copper (unlike our brewers in town).  We’ve chosen stainless steel because, well…….look at that beauty in the picture. The photo depicts 80 gallons of fresh cider in our Italian tanks from a recent press.  The stainless is super easy to clean and prep.  These units have a lid that is held in place by a inflatable gasket that locks the lid against the sidewalls.

Well, only the best tanks for our neighborhood apples.  Thanks to all that have contributed so far.

— Aaron

Did you know that over 80% of all apple juice consumed in the United States comes from another country?  Branch Out Cider is dedicated to breaking our dependence on foreign apples.

The Apple Independence blog is our chance to share this endeavor in urban agriculture with you.  We’ll post stories about how we’re collaborating with apple tree owners to create apple wine from their local apples.  Maybe, you’d like to submit “Your Story” idea?