Discovery and Bramleys for cider

[Ron Bell]

I'm thinking of using Discovery and Bramley apples for a cider brew - but have suddenly realised that the seasons do not overlap. Discovery is over by mid-October whereas Bramleys are not in season until November. But I've seen several cider recipes that say Discoveries and Bramleys are good together. How is this reconciled? Do you use over-ripe Discoveries or under-ripe Bramleys?

 

[Dutto]

Er ... neither?

In the good old days my Granny would pick the apples when they were ripe and then wrap them individually in newspaper before putting them into a set of bedroom drawers that were kept solely for the purpose.

In the following Spring, it was a great treat for us grandkids to be told "Nip upstairs and get yourself an apple." ...

... and the apples tasted magnificent, despite their wizened and wrinkly appearance.

The same method could be used to keep the Discoveries for the couple of months required but, with modern freezer technology, freezing the extracted juice would possibly be a better option.