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Ok fellas, this year I'd like to make perry and don't have any solid connections on a pear juice supply. So before I start calling every fucking orchard in Nova Scotia, does anyone have a connection or solid lead?
Seems last year someone may have said that Boat Farms was a reliable source?

Some of the apple u-picks have pears as well. I grabbed a few baskets of pears from Noggins at the farmer's market last fall to make a very small batch.

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Re: apple cider
by Dirt Chicken » Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:06 am

Have you tried talking to Boats Farm? They produce apple and pear cider and are local. In the past I have bought 23L buckets full for $18. Contact Brian Boates bb@xcoiuntry.tv or phone:
902.678.7301 or 902.678.0771

I got cider from Foote Farms a wile ago.

They can press anything,

Sandy

there's a pear tree on the east side of hollis st., near morris.

JohnnyMac wrote:Ok fellas, this year I'd like to make perry...

A little late for gay pride week....

mr x wrote:

JohnnyMac wrote:Ok fellas, this year I'd like to make perry...

A little late for gay pride week....

Bastard!

Perhaps Noble Grape can order some?

Or I suppose you want fresh pear juice.

NG has canned Pear concentrate, bottom shelf near the sugar candi. but I came across the card for Boates farm, it says they specialize in : Apple, Pear & sweet cider/vinegars.

FYI - Here's the response from Brian at Boates Farm;

Hi John, we have not started to press pears yet. i would suggest waiting a bit as you will want fairly ripe pears to get a decent sugar content for the Perry. we make an apple/pear sweet cider and generally press on Thursdays. we can take off some straight pear for you when we do that, you may want to consider adding some apple as generally our pears (north American) are considered to not have enough acid to make a tasty perry per european standards. Actual Perry Pears are quite astringent. where are you located, we attend the Historic Farmers market in Halifax and can deliver the product there if you bring us containers ahead of time. we are starting Aug 25th at the market. last years price was .75/L but i am planning a slight increase.

JohnnyMac wrote:FYI - Here's the response from Brian at Boates Farm;

Hi John, we have not started to press pears yet. i would suggest waiting a bit as you will want fairly ripe pears to get a decent sugar content for the Perry. we make an apple/pear sweet cider and generally press on Thursdays. we can take off some straight pear for you when we do that, you may want to consider adding some apple as generally our pears (north American) are considered to not have enough acid to make a tasty perry per european standards. Actual Perry Pears are quite astringent. where are you located, we attend the Historic Farmers market in Halifax and can deliver the product there if you bring us containers ahead of time. we are starting Aug 25th at the market. last years price was .75/L but i am planning a slight increase.

Awesome! Let us know the details*, I'd love to try a Perry and a Cider this year.


*IE, should we call/reserve in advance? Discount for a hectolitre split between 4 guys?

I would love to try a perry. I bet you could hit it with a wine acid blend to crisp it up, or use some lemons if your all natural.

I'd be in for some as well.

I've been back and forth with Brian Boates and as he said in his response, I'm gonna wait a couple of weeks until the pears ripen up a bit more so they are at their highest sugar content. He's going to let me know when they are at their peak.

Depending on the timing, I might run down and pick up at the farm so the juice will be at it's freshest. Seems like a few are interested so I don't mind muling or maybe a few of us could do a roadtrip....

Either way, I'll post back when Brian gives the green light on peak ripeness.

I'm in for some perry as well!! I was thinking about this a few weeks ago, not sure if Brian would cut us a deal on any quantity or not. But its wishful thinking

Spoke with Brain and the first ripe pears will be ready to press this week. He does his pressings on Thursdays and can do any ratio we want, 100% pear or whatever pear/apple blend ratio, in any quantity up to 200L per pressing. Based on his experience and surfing the web, I'm gonna go with 80% pear / 20% apple.

As mentioned before, two ways to get the juice; drive to the farm on Thursdays to pickup in person or drop containers to him at the Farmers Market (he's set up in the old market (brewery) in the main atrium) on Saturday and he'll bring them back the following Saturday. I'd prefer to pickup at the farm but will be out of town this week so will either drop buckets down on Saturday or wait until next week.

He asked for a heads up on what kind of total quantities we're thinking so I told him I would let him know based on what you guys have to say. From the quantities on this thread, it won't be an issue, he just wanted to make sure he prepares accordingly.

JM: Do you know approximate pricing? Same price whether we pick it up at the farm or in Halifax? If we decide to drop by on a Thursday, is there a preferred time?

For those who have no idea where Boate's is (like me), it's in Woodsville, 120km from Halifax.*
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*I think, this is based on their 12-year old website with a map that is upside down and backwards. http://www.boatvin.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The price is still at .75/L and is the same whether it's pick up at the farm or muled to the market.

For pickup, I'm told that any time after lunch on Thursdays will work but I'm thinking that it would be best to drop Brain an email to verify time and the mix ratio you want. His email is: bb@xcountry.tv

He quoted me at $1.00 a L! How'd everyone find the pear juice? I'm going to pick some up Thursday.

Yes, I was quoted $1/litre too (and so was JohnnyMac, I don't think he's been around to update the above post).
LD and I picked up 23L each on Saturday (dropped our buckets the weekend previous), the gravity of 80/20 pear/apple was 1.040. I did not bump it up with dextrose, but I believe the other two guys have. Fermenting away nicely with US-05.

Sorry guys, meant to post a follow up here a while back but have been living on the road.

As Chris said, this year's price per litre was bumped to $1 instead of last year's $.75. That price applies to everyone but is still the same price if picked up at the farm or muled to the market.

I picked up 23l of the 80/20 mix a couple of weeks ago and fucking remembered to take a gravity reading after the yeast was pitched but would think that I'd have to be close to Chris's gravity. I didn't add any sugar or use any campden tablets, just the juice blend and yeast. I used US-04 and have since racked it to secondary. Smells and tastes great but still pretty murky. Gonna leave it for a few weeks to clear up.

Just got my 23L on Friday, smells great! Its bubbling away with some Nottingham yeast and a little brown sugar... thinking of adding some honey into secondary!

Two friends and I obtained 15 gallons of pear/apple juice from Boates farm last month. He charged $1/L, which we thought was a great price. We dropped clean pails to him at the old Brewery market on Saturday, and fetched them the next week. Boates makes delicious apple cider, though I've yet to try the Perry. It's still in the Secondary - I might keg it in a week or so. -Doug

I tried my first bottle of this on Saturday and it tasted and smelled great

Had some of mine last night. I did not bump up the gravity, and this was the excess that wouldn't fit in the keg so it was flat. It was ... ok. I'm hoping the carbonation helps. We will see. EZ likes it, which is most important.