Bittersweet Cider Apples
A bittersweet apple is low in acid (under 0.45%) and high in tannin (over 0.2%), and it gives cider body and a dry, grippy finish. These are the apples behind Normandy and West Country cider.
- Binet Rouge: a Normandy bittersweet with 1.5 g/L acid and 0.21% tannin (Long Ashton) and 14.2 Brix in Michigan. It took near -40F in Corvallis, Montana and bounced back. Zone 3, and it blooms very late.
- Brown Snout: 2.4 g/L acid and 0.24% tannin (Long Ashton). Zone 4.
- Ellis Bitter: 2.0 g/L acid and 0.24% tannin (Long Ashton). Zone 4.
True bittersweets are scarce in zone 3. If your winters are colder than that, crabs like Trail and Hewe's bring tannin with their acid, and russets bring body, so you can get close. Our French and English style blends show how, and which apples make good cider explains the classes. See also all cider apple trees and fruit for hard cider.
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