Ingredients
- About 8–10kg ripe pears
- Up to 250g brewing sugar
- 10 drops Harris Pectinaze
- 1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
- 1 Campden tablet
- 1 sachet Gervin GV3 yeast
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Equipment
- Fruit mill or Pulpmaster
- Fruit press
- 10-litre fermentation bucket with lid
- 5-litre glass demijohn
- Bored demijohn bung and airlock
- Hydrometer and trial jar
- Syphon tubing
- No-rinse sanitiser
- About nine or ten pressure-rated 500ml cider or beer bottles
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Pulpmaster
4.5 Litre Fruit Press
10 Litre Fermentation Bucket
5 Litre Glass Demijohn
Demijohn Bung
Bubbler Airlock
Wine & Beer Hydrometer
Plastic Trial Jar
Syphon Tubing
No-Rinse Sanitiser
500ml PET Bottles
Preparation
Choose pears that will press well
Use ripe, aromatic pears that have developed good flavour but are not collapsing into mush. Traditional perry pears are excellent where available, but ripe dessert pears such as Conference, Comice or Williams/Bartlett can also make a clean, delicate pear cider. A mixture of varieties usually gives more character.
Wash the fruit and remove leaves, stalks, rotten areas and any heavily damaged sections. Sound skins and cores can go through a fruit mill and press; there is no need to peel every pear. Process the fruit promptly once it has been crushed.
Before you begin
Sanitise after cleaning
Cleaning removes dirt. Sanitising reduces unwanted microbes. Do both, and follow the sanitiser label exactly.
Measure before adding sugar
Fresh pear juice can already contain enough natural sugar for cider strength. Take the hydrometer reading first.
Use pressure-rated bottles
Only beer, cider, swing-top or suitable PET bottles should be used for bottle-conditioned sparkling pear cider.
How to Make Pear Cider (Perry)
Clean and sanitise the equipment
Clean the mill or Pulpmaster and fruit press thoroughly. Sanitise the fermentation bucket, lid, spoon, hydrometer, trial jar, syphon, demijohn, bung and airlock, plus anything else that will contact the pressed juice.
Sort and wash the pears
Discard mouldy, rotten or already-fermenting fruit. Wash the sound pears and remove leaves, stalks and badly damaged sections.
Mill or pulp the fruit
Crush the pears into a coarse pulp with a clean fruit mill or Pulpmaster. Do not turn them into a smooth purée; a coarse pulp presses more effectively.
Press about five litres of juice
Transfer the pear pulp to the fruit press and press steadily. Aim to collect about 5 litres of juice. This gives enough volume for normal sediment and racking losses while still leaving roughly 4.5 litres to bottle.
Take the original gravity
Mix the juice gently, bring a sample close to the hydrometer's calibration temperature and take a reading. For a balanced table-strength pear cider, aim for an OG of 1.045–1.055. Record the reading.
Add sugar only if the gravity is low
If the juice is already within the target range, add no sugar. If it is below 1.045 and you want a 5–7% cider, dissolve 25g brewing sugar in a small amount of hot juice or water, cool it, mix it through and retest. Repeat only as required. Do not strengthen good pear juice simply to use up the packet.
Add the Campden tablet
Crush one Campden tablet, stir it thoroughly into the approximately 5 litres of fresh juice and fit the sanitised lid. Leave the juice covered for 12 hours.
Add the Pectinaze
After 12 hours, add 10 drops of Harris Pectinaze and stir gently. Replace the lid and leave for a further 12 hours. Pear juice is naturally rich in pectin, so this step helps later clearing.
Add nutrient and yeast
About 24 hours after the Campden tablet was added, stir in one teaspoon of yeast nutrient. Prepare the Gervin GV3 according to the sachet instructions and use the full sachet.
Ferment at 16–20°C
Fit the lid and airlock and keep the bucket out of direct sunlight at around 16–20°C. Unlike a whole-fruit wine, there is no fruit cap to push down and no need for daily stirring.
Start checking gravity after the vigorous stage
Once obvious fermentation has slowed, commonly after five to seven days, take a hydrometer reading. Repeat every few days rather than relying on airlock bubbles.
Confirm fermentation has finished
Take two hydrometer readings at least 48 hours apart. Fermentation is finished only when they are identical. Pear cider can finish around 0.995–1.005 and may sit a little above 1.000 because pears contain unfermentable sorbitol, so stability matters more than chasing one exact number.
Rack into the demijohn
Syphon the fermented cider into a sanitised 5-litre glass demijohn, leaving the heavy sediment behind. Avoid splashing, minimise headspace and fit the sanitised bung and airlock.
Let the cider clear
Leave the demijohn somewhere cool and dark for around 2–6 weeks. Pear cider can retain pectin haze for longer than apple cider; time and Pectinaze are usually more useful than repeated unnecessary racking.
Check gravity again before packaging
Before any bottling, take another hydrometer reading and compare it with the previous stable result. If the gravity has moved, wait. Do not prime or bottle an actively fermenting cider.
Taste the dry cider
Taste a small sample once it is stable and reasonably clear. Dessert pears can make a soft, low-acid drink. If it tastes genuinely flat, a small measured adjustment with malic acid can help, but add it cautiously and taste between additions rather than using a fixed dose.
Choose still or sparkling
Decide how you want to package the batch. Still pear cider needs no priming sugar. Sparkling pear cider needs a measured priming addition and bottles designed to hold pressure.
Measure the volume you are actually bottling
After racking losses, measure or estimate the packaged volume rather than assuming the full five litres remains. The priming figure below is based on 4.5 litres and should be scaled down if you have less.
Sanitise the bottling equipment
Once the cider is confirmed stable, clean and sanitise the bottles, caps or closures, syphon and any bottling vessel. Keep pressure-rated sparkling-cider bottles separate from ordinary still-wine bottles so there is no chance of using the wrong container.
Bottle it still
For still pear cider, add no priming sugar. Sanitise the bottles and closures, syphon the stable cider gently into them and seal. Store cool and dark.
Prime for a moderate sparkle
For about 4.5 litres of stable pear cider, dissolve approximately 25g brewing sugar in a small amount of boiling water, cool it, then mix it very gently and evenly through the cider without splashing. Scale the sugar proportionally if your actual bottling volume is lower. Fill and seal pressure-rated bottles immediately.
Condition and mature
For sparkling cider, keep the bottles around 18–20°C for roughly 2–3 weeks to carbonate, then move them somewhere cooler. Suitable PET bottles should gradually become firm as pressure develops. Pear cider is drinkable young, but another 1–3 months of cool conditioning usually gives a more rounded result.
Beginner's pear cider timeline
| Approximate time | What to do | What decides the next step |
|---|---|---|
| Brew day | Wash, mill and press the pears; measure OG and add Campden | Collect about 5 litres of clean pressed juice |
| 12 hours later | Add Pectinaze | Leave covered for another 12 hours |
| About 24 hours | Add nutrient and GV3 yeast | Campden has had time to dissipate |
| Days 2–7 | Allow active fermentation | Keep around 16–20°C |
| Weeks 1–4 | Check the hydrometer until readings are stable | Two identical readings at least 48 hours apart |
| Following 2–6 weeks | Rack and allow the cider to clear | Stable gravity and acceptable clarity |
| Bottling day | Bottle still, or prime a measured volume for sparkle | Fermentation is definitely complete |
| Next 2–3 weeks | Condition sparkling bottles warm | Carbonation develops in pressure-rated bottles |
| Months 1–3+ | Store cool and mature | Flavour becomes rounder with time |
The calendar is only a guide. The hydrometer decides when fermentation has finished, and sparkling cider should never be bottled until the gravity is stable.
Final bottling checklist
- The hydrometer reading is unchanged across at least 48 hours.
- The cider has been racked away from heavy sediment.
- The bottling volume has been measured or estimated accurately.
- Any priming sugar has been calculated for that actual volume.
- Only pressure-rated bottles are being used for sparkling cider.
- No extra fermentable sugar has been added for sweetness.
Common Problems
The juice turned brown
Pear juice oxidises quickly. Work promptly once the fruit is milled, add the Campden tablet soon after pressing and minimise splashing after fermentation begins. Some golden-brown colour is normal.
The cider stays cloudy
Pears contain plenty of pectin. Use Pectinaze at the start, avoid excessive pulp in the fermenter, rack away from heavy sediment and allow several weeks for clearing.
The final gravity is above 1.000
This does not automatically mean the fermentation is stuck. Pears contain sorbitol that normal yeast does not fully ferment. Two identical readings at least 48 hours apart are more important than one target finishing number.
The cider tastes flat
Sweet dessert pears can be low in acid and tannin. A blend of pear varieties gives better structure. If the finished cider is genuinely flat, adjust cautiously with measured malic acid rather than adding a large fixed dose.
The sparkling cider is still flat
Give bottle-conditioned cider enough time around 18–20°C before chilling it. If the bottles were primed correctly and fermentation was healthy, carbonation may simply need another week or two. Do not add random extra sugar to sealed bottles.
A PET bottle has become extremely hard
Move the bottles somewhere cold and handle them carefully. Excess pressure can result from bottling before fermentation was complete or from too much priming sugar. Keep suspect bottles chilled and do not warm them again.
FAQs
Is pear cider the same as perry?
Traditionally, an alcoholic drink made by fermenting pear juice is called perry. “Pear cider” is also widely understood by home brewers and shoppers, so this recipe uses both terms.
Which pears are best for pear cider?
True perry pears can provide excellent acidity, tannin and aroma, but ripe dessert pears can also make a good home-brewed pear cider. A mixture of aromatic sweet pears with some sharper or more tannic fruit generally gives more depth.
How many pears do I need?
Plan on roughly 8–10kg, but do not treat that as a guaranteed conversion. Pear variety, ripeness, crusher and press efficiency all affect yield. The practical target is about 5 litres of pressed juice.
Do I need to peel and core the pears?
No. Wash the fruit well and remove leaves, stalks, rot and badly damaged sections. Sound skins and cores can normally be milled and pressed.
Can I use supermarket pears?
Yes. Let hard pears ripen until aromatic but still firm enough to mill and press. Very soft collapsing fruit can be difficult to press cleanly.
Can I use frozen pears?
You can, but thawed pears become very soft and pressing can be messy. Fresh ripe fruit is easier for a first batch. If freezing fruit, thaw it hygienically and retain all released juice.
Do I need to add sugar?
Not automatically. Measure the pressed juice first. If it is already around 1.045–1.055, add no sugar before fermentation. Only adjust a low reading if you deliberately want to raise the potential alcohol.
What starting gravity should pear cider have?
This recipe aims for 1.045–1.055, which normally gives a table-strength pear cider of roughly 5–7% ABV depending on the final gravity.
Why use Pectinaze in pear cider?
Pear juice contains plenty of pectin and can remain hazy for a long time. Pectinaze helps break pectin down, improving juice handling and later clarification.
Why use a Campden tablet?
A Campden tablet is used before the cultured yeast to help suppress unwanted wild microbes and reduce oxidation. This recipe then waits about 24 hours before the yeast is added.
Why use Gervin GV3?
Gervin GV3 is a clean, neutral fermenting strain that the product is specifically suitable for traditional cider as well as sparkling wines. It is a good fit when you want the pear character to remain the focus.
Can I use a cider yeast instead?
Yes. A dedicated cider yeast such as Mangrove Jack's M02 can also work well when available. Follow that yeast's own temperature and pitching instructions.
Does pear cider need malic acid?
Not every batch does. Perry pears may already have plenty of acidity, while some dessert pears can taste very soft. Ferment and taste the actual cider first, then use malic acid only in small measured additions if it genuinely needs more brightness.
Why can finished pear cider stay above 1.000?
Pears naturally contain sorbitol, which ordinary brewing yeast does not fully ferment. A dry pear cider can therefore finish around or a little above 1.000. Stable hydrometer readings matter more than forcing the cider to reach an arbitrary number.
How long does pear cider take to ferment?
Primary fermentation is often largely complete within two to four weeks, but the hydrometer decides. Look for identical readings at least 48 hours apart before racking or bottling.
How strong will this pear cider be?
An OG of 1.045–1.055 normally produces roughly 5–7% ABV, depending on the actual final gravity.
How do I make it sparkling?
After fermentation is completely stable, around 25g of brewing sugar for 4.5 litres gives a moderate bottle-conditioned sparkle. Dissolve and cool it first, mix gently through the full batch and use pressure-rated bottles only. Scale the sugar to the volume actually being bottled.
Can I use ordinary wine bottles?
Not for bottle-conditioned sparkling cider. Use pressure-rated beer, cider, swing-top or suitable PET bottles. Ordinary still-wine bottles are not designed for this carbonation pressure.
Can I make sweet sparkling pear cider?
Do not simply add ordinary sugar for sweetness and then seal the bottles, because the yeast can ferment it and create excessive pressure. For a beginner batch, ferment dry and prime only the measured amount, use an appropriate non-fermentable sweetener, or sweeten in the glass.
How long should pear cider condition?
Sparkling bottles usually need around two to three weeks warm to carbonate. The flavour normally becomes rounder after another one to three months stored somewhere cool.
Is there an easier pear cider kit option?
Yes. If you want pear cider without milling and pressing fresh fruit, see the On The Rocks Pear Cider Kit.
