Achieving a perfect balance of flavors and maintaining consistent quality are paramount in cidermaking. It’s a delicate process that requires meticulous attention to detail, particularly in the management of cold space and glycol systems.
The careful control and monitoring of temperature throughout production and storage areas are crucial for preserving the freshness and integrity of the product. That, along with glycol management, plays an indispensable role in upholding a high cider standard, underscoring the significance of careful oversight.
Two Story Chimney Ciderworks’ cold room at its tasting room uses CoolBots on four seperate mini splits.
“The mini splits are residential A/C units and the CoolBots manipulate them to have them stay on longer and cool our space to 35 degrees,” explained Cidermaker Tommy Evans. “We found using regular Mitsubishi units the best.”
Evans added that they have a local HVAC company that can maintain and repair them if needed with even same-day service because parts are readily available, and they are much less expensive than commercial refrigeration both to buy and run.
READ MORE: Cider Corner: The DIY Aspects of Craft Cider
Golden State Cider’s production process does not require a cold room, so they use commercial stand-up freezers and refrigerators to maintain temperature control for specific on-hand ingredients used in the cellar.
The apple juice used is pressed just days before and kept very cold in jacketed tanks until the need to ferment, explained Breanne Heuss, the company’s Director of Marketing.
The Golden State production team feels strongly that preventative maintenance is the best way to reduce downtime, potential product loss, and dollars spent.
“The team has an annual and quarterly punch list for our glycol chiller that is reviewed by our team with a vendor that specializes in that type of equipment,” Heuss said. “It is best practice to complete any major service in the spring, before the peak demand of the summer months.
“It is also recommended to regularly inspect the level and concentration in your glycol system, as well as the plumbing for any leaks.”
Fortunately, Heuss said, in the very rare case when they have faced a challenge with the glycol system or loss of power, it has not resulted in spoilage.
“We have had to postpone packaging,” Heuss said, “but the outage was not severe enough to have made an impact on the products.”
Be the first to comment