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Ingredients
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Fermentation Must
Yeast & Additions
Bottling & Conditioning
Method
Fermentation Must
- 1
Prepare fruit
Wash pears thoroughly. Remove stems and any bruised areas. Quarter pears; there is no need to core them. Measure roughly 6 kg of prepared fruit.
- 2
Crush and press
Crush the quartered pears using a sanitized fruit crusher or by pulsing in a sanitized food processor in small batches. Transfer crushed fruit to a sanitized press or cheesecloth-lined basket and press to extract juice. Collect juice into a sanitized fermenting bucket or carboy. Expect about 4.5–5.5 L of juice from 6 kg depending on ripeness. If the juice is very concentrated (very high specific gravity), add up to 0.5 L spring water to reach target gravity (~1.050).
- 3
Measure and adjust
Take a specific gravity reading. If gravity is under 1.040 and you want a fuller body, add up to 100 g brewing sugar dissolved in a small amount of warm water to raise gravity toward 1.050. Add acid blend (5 g) and yeast nutrient (3 g) to correct acid balance and supply nutrients for fermentation. Stir thoroughly to dissolve and incorporate additions.
- 4
Pectic enzyme and sulfite treatment
Add pectic enzyme (1 tsp) to the must to help break down pectins and clarify the perry. Crush and dissolve half a campden tablet (about 0.5 tsp) into a little water and add to the must to sanitize wild microbes. Cover the fermenter and let it rest 24 hours before pitching yeast to allow the campden to dissipate.
Yeast & Additions
- 5
Pitch yeast
After 24 hours, rehydrate the yeast if required by the manufacturer's instructions or pitch the dry packet directly into the must. Aerate the must well by vigorous stirring or shaking to provide oxygen for the yeast. Maintain temperature around 18–22°C (64–72°F).
- 6
Primary fermentation
Allow fermentation to proceed in a covered fermenter with an airlock. Fermentation should begin within 24–48 hours and be active for 5–10 days. Monitor specific gravity; once the vigorous stage slows and SG approaches 1.010–1.020, transfer (rack) the perry off the gross lees into a sanitized secondary carboy to promote clarification and complete fermentation.
- 7
Secondary fermentation and clearing
Allow the perry to finish fermentation in secondary for 2–4 weeks until SG stabilizes near 0.998–1.000 (or your desired dryness). Rack again if needed to remove sediment. Cold crash (place fermenter at 2–4°C for 48–72 hours) to further clear if possible. Optionally, stabilizing agents or finings can be used if you want a very bright perry, but keep in mind the recipe aims for a traditional bottle-conditioned perry.
Bottling & Conditioning
- 8
Prepare for bottling
When fermentation is complete and the perry is clear, sanitize bottles, caps, siphon tubing and a bottling bucket. Dissolve the priming sugar (65 g) in 150 ml boiling water, cool to room temperature, and add to the sanitized bottling bucket.
- 9
Bottle
Siphon the perry gently from the carboy into the bottling bucket on top of the priming solution, mixing evenly without introducing oxygen. Fill bottles to leaving about 2–3 cm headspace. Cap or seal bottles. This quantity of sugar is targeted to produce a moderate carbonation (around 2.3–2.6 volumes CO2) in approximately 12 x 330 ml bottles; adjust priming sugar proportionally for different bottle counts/volumes or desired carbonation.
- 10
Conditioning
Store bottles at 18–22°C (64–72°F) for 2–3 weeks to carbonate. After initial conditioning, age bottles cooler (10–15°C / 50–59°F) for at least 4–8 weeks to allow flavors to mature; longer aging (3–6 months) will develop better complexity and a smoother 'reposado' character. Chill before serving.