Aspalls Cider vinegar

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Aspalls Cider vinegar

�1.69

All vinegar is the result of the bacterial fermentation of alcohol to acetic acid. Vinegar brewers such as ourselves merely give the acid forming bacteria - acetobacter - a helping hand to achieve this end. To do this, we let them operate in a controlled, oxygen rich environment, and give them plenty of food. In this case, that's cyder.

The secret to making great vinegar is to feed your acetobacter with only the finest raw material. At Aspall, far from being a by-product of our drinking fermentations, cyder for vinegar making is made with the same care and attention to detail as if it were going to be used for drinking. The alcohol fermentation process is therefore exactly the same. The fruit is washed, hand graded and rinsed before being milled and pumped in to one of our 2 Bucher Guyer presses. After a 2 hour pressing, the single strength juice is fermented in a temperature controlled vessel with a controlled yeast. The finished cyder is matured before being pumped to the vinegar barn for acetification.

Cyder for vinegar is fermented from the juice of English apple varieties such as Cox, Bramley, Discovery, Worcester, Crispin, Howgate and Gala.

Much of our Aspall Cyder Vinegar is made using Frings Acetator technology. At Aspall we have the most advanced Acetator in the UK, it having been installed in the summer of 1998. However, its high efficiency is due to the fact that only the highest quality cyder is used. By using only cyder fermented from fresh apples, all the natural nutrients the acetobacter like are present. Cyder made from high strength concentrate has lost a lot of these nutrients through the concentrating process, and subsequently bacterial fermentations with this type of cyder are much slower, and the resultant vinegar is a lot less fruity and aromatic. We have tried it, but wouldn't put our name to the finished product.

Once the cyder has fermented to vinegar, it is allowed to mature for 4 months, before being filtered clear and bright. Depending on the application the vinegar is blended prior to packing. If bottled, as with all our vinegar, this is done un-pasteurised to ensure nutrient, flavour and aroma retention.