'Tis the Season... for Cider Making

By Jennie Shurtleff

In the nineteenth century, when the purity of water was often suspect, cider was viewed as a relatively safe alternative beverage. Most farmers had their own apple orchards, and most neighborhoods had a cider mill.

In many parts of the United States, fermented cider was called “hard cider” to distinguish it from unfermented cider that was known as “sweet cider.” The process used by the Shakers for making hard cider was described in an article published on November 4, 1830, in a local newspaper called Working-Man’s Gazette. This article begins by stating:

“The process in making and refining cider in order to have it good and wholesome, is so simple (though important) that many people entirely overlook it, supposing the mystery so deep, as to be entirely out of their reach; and others, perhaps, tenacious of the customs of their forefathers, shut their eyes and ears to any improvement, however propitious to their interest and comfort; such will probably be contented to smack over their ill flavored and unwholesome beverage through life.”

With that as an introduction, the article first describes the importance of sanitizing the casks in which the cider is to be stored and for pressing cider in cool weather to allow for slow fermentation. It then proceeds to describe the actual steps for making the cider. The first step was to grind the apples into a coarse pulp called pomace. This pomace was generally allowed to sit over night which increased the quantity of cider that could be made and also made the resulting cider a richer, darker color. The pomace was then gradually pressed to express the juice from the pulp, and then the juice was run through a coarse sieve (or a mat of straw that served as a strainer) before being funneled into casks and placed in a cool cellar. The cider at this point was “sweet” and unfermented. However, over time, the cider would begin to ferment as the natural yeast turned the sugar in the apples to alcohol.

The Holt Cider Mill in Woodstock. The two men in the photo are Rastus Pelton and Sam Soule. Photo courtesy of the Billings Farm Archives.

After several months of fermenting (usually around January 1), the cider would be drawn off, leaving behind the lees (a waste product that is created during the fermentation process) in the bottom of the cask. The cask was then cleaned by removing the lees, and scalding and rinsing the barrel thoroughly. Next, several pails of cider were poured back into the cleansed barrel. After which a match of brimstone (elemental sulfur) was lowered into the cask and burnt. When the brimstone had finished burning, the remnants of the match were removed, and the bung (or stopper) was replaced so that the cask could be shaken and the fumes from the brimstone mixed with the cider. The brimstone, or sulfur, acted as an antiseptic and an antioxidant, preventing oxidation and preserving the taste of the fermented cider. The process of adding cider and burning matches of brimstone was repeated until the cask was full. At which time, the bung was finally pounded in tightly. According to the 1830 article, cider made and preserved in this way would retain its pleasant taste for years.

As for the grated apple pomace used to make the cider, after being squeezed, it was sometimes soaked in water to remove the residual apple flavor. The resulting beverage, called water-cider, could be made into a low-alcoholic version of hard cider and was often given to children. The remaining pomace, tightly compacted by the squeezing, was referred to as a “cheese,” probably because it was pressed similarly to cheese. This pomace was often fed to livestock.

Because hard cider was relatively easy to make and apple trees were abundant in Vermont, hard cider became a favored drink of the masses and a bane to Woodstock’s Sons of Temperance. The “Sons” were dedicated to eliminating intoxicating beverages which they believed to be at the root of many social ills including poverty, homelessness, and domestic abuse.

In response to the efforts of the Sons of Temperance and other progressive groups, in 1844, Vermont’s Legislature banned alcohol; however, as a nod to those in favor of self regulation and giving communities control over the issue, they also passed what became known as the “local option” system which allowed each town to decide for itself whether to grant local liquor licenses for their town.

Six years later, in 1850, the Legislature modified their course when they voted to uphold prohibition throughout the State of Vermont, with exceptions for drinks like hard cider, small beer, and alcohol needed for non-recreation purposes, such as medicines. By 1853, however, the law had once again changed and this time the production and sale of all intoxicating beverages, except Communion wine and preparations made for medical purposes, were banned.

Ultimately, the passage of prohibition in Vermont did decrease the amount of alcohol that was consumed, but it did not end alcoholism as hoped. Many found ways to circumvent the law. Case in point, drinking appears to have been quite rampant in the Vondell area of West Woodstock, which was home to a group of financially-marginalized farm families. Charles Cobb, a teenage boy who was living in the area during the 1850s, referred to his neighborhood as “Rum Street.”

In this small, close-knit community, most of the neighbors had their apples ground at the mill which was located near the current Vondell Reservoir and operated by Lute Raymond and his father, Elisha. After the apples were pressed, the farmers who had brought their apples to the mill would claim their cider and store it in their individual cellars.

One local man, Oramel Churchill, often visited Charles Cobb’s house and availed himself of the cider that the Cobb family kept in their cellar. While Charles referred to the beverage as simply “cider,” it was clearly hard cider as Charles describes Oramel as being a “little tight” every time he visited the Cobbs, and after freely helping himself to the Cobb’s cider, going away even “tighter.”

While at this time it was illegal to sell hard cider for drinking, it was apparently legal to sell or trade it so that it could be used to make vinegar, which was an important ingredient used to make brines to preserve food. Perhaps a surprise to no one, the cider that Oramel purchased from the Cobbs ended up being imbibed instead of being used to make cider vinegar. The local Sons of Temperance sought to change Oramel’s derelict ways, and they identified Charles’ father as one of the sources supplying the intoxicating beverages. Despite the loophole in the law that allowed for the selling of cider to make vinegar, Charles’ father was threatened with a hefty fine of $20.00 if he persisted in supplying Oramel with the cider. To escape detection, Oramel started coming to the Cobb house through an adjacent 8-acre field, and later by hiding the empty jug that he brought to the Cobb’s house in a sack of beans.

It appears that as dedicated as the “Sons” were to their cause, Oramel’s resolve to drink was at least equally strong.

Above: Example of the types of articles published in the Woodstock newspaper called Vermont Temperance Standard.

The Woodstock History Center has transcripts of Charles Cobb’s journals that detail the colorful personalities that made up “Rum Street,” as well as events such as cider making. They also have copies of a book written by Leslie Askwith (a descendant of the Cobb family) which condenses the events from Charles Cobb’s journals into a more cohesive, readable form. The book, called Thunderstruck Fiddle: The Remarkable True Story of Charles Morris Cobb and His Hill Farm Community in 1850s Vermont, is available in the Woodstock History Center’s online shop, located at: https://www.woodstockhistorycenter.org/shop/. If you’re looking for a good read that authentically gives voice to a group of people whose history is seldom told or celebrated, this might be just the book for which you’ve been searching.