Perry Vinegar

Chef: Wyatt Brege

Yield: 1 gallon

Ingredients:

  • 5 lbs Pears, very ripe
  • 1/2 gal Water

Directions:

  1. Wash, then dice the pears and place in a sanitized glass vessel (stems and seeds are fine)
  2. Smoosh with a potato masher or wooden pestle
  3. Add water to one inch below the rim of the vessel. Cover with a thin cloth secured with a rubber band and leave in a stable, dark place
  4. Check on carbonation and water level daily for 2-4 weeks, as the liquid transforms into perry (pear cider)
  5. Strain the cider after carbonation has ceased. Use a 36"x36" flour cloth to press the remaining cider out of the mash. Discard the mash, and transfer the liquid to a clean vessel, topping off with water to 1 gallon
  6. Ferment for 6-12 weeks. A pellical will form within the first 1-2 weeks, which can be saved for use in kombucha (this is the “SCOBY”)
  7. Vinegar: you can pasteurize the vinegar by boiling it. You can remove the sedimentation by carefully tipping the vessel into another so as to not disturb it. This trub is fantastic for homemade bread.

Notes:

  • This recipe is for a farmhouse style perry, using the natural yeast present on the skins of the pears, and is ideal when a storm knocks a bunch of pears off the tree.

  • This can attract fruit flies—be mindful of the location and climate you are fermenting in, especially during the vinegar formation phase. You can mitigate some of this with a carboy and airlock system found at home brew stores.

  • To speed up this recipe:

    • blitz the pears with a blender
    • add up to 1 Cup granulated sugar
    • add a champagne yeast packet during the cider formation phase
    • add 1-2 Cups of live-culture apple cider vinegar at the vinegar phase

  • I recommend only doing the last two steps if these components are available to you. They are the laziest but most efficient production boosts. The second option, adding sugar, is ideal if you’re planning on pickling with the vinegar.