I’ve looked at this a bit and discussed with a couple of people. Surprisingly, several people in the U.S. are actively looking for a callery pear large enough and with the right fruit characteristics to make perry. What do you think? Do we need an entire new generation of pears derived from callery to make the best perry? or are there varieties already available that are adequate to do the job.
I know where a callery hybrid is growing on the side of the road that makes ropes of 1 inch diameter fruits. Every limb is loaded every year. Would a tree with this level of production have potential for making perry?
If we stick with old threads, we may not get to read things such as on this website.
And I might not get to post lists like this list of perry pear varieties. Zealous Wick sounds like it needs to meet Arlingham Squash.
Arlingham Squash
Barland
Barnet
Bartestree Squash
Beetroot Clows Top
Beetroot Wick Court Alex
Beetroot Wick Court Ella
Beetroot Wick Court Eric
Bergamy
Berllanderi Green
Berllanderi Red
Betty Prosser
Bird Pear
Blakeney Red
Blood Pear
Boy Pear
Brandy
Brinarl
Brown Bess
Bunch
Burgundy
Butt
Butter Pear
Buttersend Pear
Cannock
Capel Hir Early
Catillac
Catillac
Catillac
Chapman’s Orange
Christmas Pear
Ciphrous
Claret
Clusters
Coppy
Cowslip
Cygnet
Darell Wick
Dead Boy
Dead Dog
Dua
Ducksbarn
Early Blunt Red
Early Griffin
Early Hay Pear
Early St Brides
Ellis’ Coppy
Felix
Flakey Bark
Gennet (Laurel)
Gin
Green Horse
Green Longdon
Green Olive
Green Roller
Gregg’s Pit
Gwehelog
Gwehelog Red
Hampton Rough
Harley Gum
Hartpury Green
Hastings
Hawkes Hill
Hellen’s Green
Hendre Huffcap
High Pear
Hillend Green
Holme Lacy Pear
Holmer
Honeydew
Island Gennet
Jenkin’s Red
Judge Amphlett
Knapper
Littlecross Huffcap
Littleton Late Treacle
Lullam
Lumber
Merrylegs
Moorcroft
Moorcroft
Nailer
New Meadow
Newbridge
Old Pear
Oldfield
Oldfield
Packhorse
Painted Lady
Parsonage
Penny Pear
Pine
Pint
Potato Pear
Queen’s Wick View
Red Longdon
Red Pear
Rock
Rock (Wick Court form)
Sack
Seckle
Snake Pole
Speart Pear
Stanton Wick
Staunton Squash
Strawberry Pear
Swan Egg
Sweet Huffcap
Taynton Squash Early
Taynton Squash Late
Teddington Green
Teegar
Tettenhall Dick
Thorn
Thurston’s Red
Tirley Brown
Tumper
Turner’s Barn
Water Lugg
Welsh Gin
White Bache
White Longdon
Whiteheads Crab
Wick Crab
Wick Early Browning
Wick Early Clutterbuck
Wick Early Godsell
Wick Early Martin
Wick Early Pickering
Wick Early Vick
Winnal’s Longdon
Workman Wick
Yate Wick
Yellow Huffcap
Zealous Wick
Lots of good information on the older threads as well. Always add new information just suggesting we build on to what we know works. The problem in my area is callery were added to the invasive list. I dont disagree with your good intentions.
I don’t have a good grasp of what flavors go into making a good perry. Since it is fermented, a relatively high sugar level would seem to be needed. Given a need for a certain amount of tartness, acids and tannins would be useful. It seems like crossing Seckel with a hopped up callery such as the tree I found near Scottsboro Alabama might give something useful. Sugar would come from Seckel, tart tannin from the callery hybrid.
Just out of curiosity, why? I haven’t really looked into what it takes to make perry–I kindof just assumed it was like making cider but with perry pears instead of apples. I have two perry pear trees, Hendres Huffcap and Butt, but they’re both still really small. The Hendres might be a year or two away from producing any fruit, and the Butt even longer.
If you don’t want something that needs a lot of sugar left over. I highly recommend just using dessert pears. I made perry commercially for 8 years and Bartlett performed great, although with my fermenting techniques (barrel fermented, no temperature control, spontaneous ferment, malolactic ferment) things can go awry very quickly in the August heat. Hitting the ripeness just right was always a bit tricky as well, needed them just at the edge of yellow or pressing was a pain. Comice always performed nicely as well, but we usually didn’t have enough left over fruit to make very much.
Never was a fan of tannin in my perries, it was always my smooth buttery, Chardonnay esque product, with the ciders having a little bit more edge to them.
By the way, got some Clara Frijs and Magness scions from you this year to graft over those previously mentioned Bartletts and they’re growing great. The Claras look like they will actually have a good amount of flowers on them next year even. I don’t make booze commercially anymore, but maybe I’ll whip up a home batch from those someday.
I’m sure you could make a pear wine / cider without too much extra work. Trying to replicate a Euro stile perry in the US would be an uphill battle. Perry pears are slow to produce and problematic to grow. Pears turn into sludge that is a little harder to press then apples. I think they have to let the pressed pulp oxidize overnight and producing a traditional perry is a little more complicated than apple cider. There is a NAFEX interview with a Perry producer that says you have to be a bit of a masochist to want to make perry.
I have seen YouTube videos about using a steam juicer to easily make fruit juice. I have also read recommendations for steam juicers from members on the forum.
It would seem to me that using a steam juicer could avoid the gummy type of sludge problems that juicing pears with a press creates.
Perhaps someone who has used a steamer on pears could comment on how well it works.
If anyone wants to press pears regardless of ripeness, just add rice hulls to the press and mix them in. Straw works somewhat as well, but rice hulls are much better.
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