North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Douglas Woodard <dwoodard@becon.org>]

Perry is made from pears. My sole experience was with a batch I found at
the Ontario Liquor Board store in Kemptville or Merrickville about 35
years ago. I liked it very much. It seemed to have a more refined taste
(no bitterness) than the imported Bulmer's Strongbow cider of that time,
which I also liked a lot.

The modern cultivar text is "Perry Pears" by Luckwill and Pollard 
(University of Bristol/National Fruit and Cider Institute, 1963). It may 
occasionally be available used. I believe it was based on work at the 
Long Ashton Research Station, closed by Maggie Thatcher.

I see there is a U.K. book "Success with Apples and Pears to Eat and 
Drink..." by Alan Rowe (Groundnut Publishing, 2nd edition 2008).
See http://www.bookfinder.com

"The Apple and Pear as Vintage Fruits" by Hogg and Bull (1886) may also 
be of interest if you can find it in a library. Used copies start at US$705.

For perry pears in the U.S. see
<http://www.cumminsnursery.com/perry.htm>

For general information on the internet you can start at
<http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/homepage.htm>

Doug Woodard
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada



Spidra Webster wrote:
> "Microbrewery" 
> hard ciders were easy to find.  Perry is also enjoying a renaissance. 
>  I'm not certain if perry is something that ever made it to American 
> shores...  Perry is basically hard cider made from apples.  I tried some 
> while I was there but it wasn't really to my taste.  I'm more a fan of 
> the clearer ciders like Ace.  I'm not a fan of bitter tastes, which I 
> why I don't like beer.
>
> Does anyone know whether perry has a history in the US?