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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M
@barmas.bsky.social
1.1K followers 440 following 3.9K posts
Maker of Kertelreiter cider & perry. Planter of orchards. Pear freak, wannabe pomologist, cider historian, homebrewer, former beer blogger. Editor at Cider Review. ACA Certified Pommelier. Irish in Germany. Owned by a border collie.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 3h
Off to Walldürn, as an old chap asked for help identifying the pears on a meadow orchard project they planted some years ago. They were told to remove the labels, as sometimes newly planted trees get stolen, but they never made a map of what is where! But at least there’s a list.
A photo of a typed up list of pear varieties planted at this project meadow orchard.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 3h
Yeah, I saw someone suggest they were used in ale, but I have never seen any actual reference to that. I’ve planted a couple trees, Elsbeere they’re called here.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 4h
Hahaa, I’m sorry 😄
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 4h
You’ll all be pleased to know I just made 5 more vids 😜
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 4h
Ah, right, I think I recall you mentioning whitty pear before! I’ve seen reports of them being sold in medieval London markets, so ised to be more common in Britain maybe. Eric Bordelet has pressed them on their own too, but fantastically expensive, so I can’t afford to buy a bottle 😄
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 4h
I’m keeping an eye on the time in future, I just don’t know when to shut up when it comes to fruit 😁
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 5h
Yesterday I made a 3:50 long vid about Speierling/Sorbs and their historical use in Apfelwein, which I didn’t realise was too long for Bluesky 😁 But I had made a first take that was interrupted by a tractor arriving, and that’s under the 3 minute limit, so fuck it, here you go 😄
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 18h
And one 60L batch of apple/pear mix had 9kg of these whole, frozen wild plums from last year. As we had no apples last year I kinda had to wait 😄 The look rather like Bullace, but I don’t know if you get them here in Germany.
Small round plums defrosting.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 18h
Earlier today. Pomace from two of the pressings, Jeremias Runde and Karcherbirne, were put into buckets with lids and will be taken to a research station to sow out to develop new rootstocks. The rest will be picked up by a farmer friend to be fed to his very cute highland cattle.
Two buckets of spent apple pomace. 8 tubs of spent pomace from pressing apples and pears.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 18h
Made a nice vid about Speierling, but didn’t realise Bluesky has a 3 min limit. Oh well.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
Introducing Jeremias Runde pears.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
First pressing today is a rather rare pear, local to an area outside Heilbronn. Jeremias Runde. It’s a dessert pear, not something I would usually bother pressing single variety, but I have to say, it has something. Lovely spice, ok acids, no tannin, of course. Was only pressing for the pips, but 😋
Two red pears and a glass of very clear fresh pressed juice
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
Think I need EarPods in 😁
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
Pressing area more or less ready, time for breakfast to keep me going. About 850kg planned to press today.
Our front yard with a fruit mill, a fruit press, and crates and crates of apples and pears
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
What an autumn morning walk with me and Anu is typically like.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
It’s a nice autumn morning. We have a long day of pressing ahead of us, and I’m trying to plan exactly what we should press or leave for another week. Doing this part-time means we press in weekly slots, and while some fruit could benefit from a little longer, it might be that a week is too long.
A misty autumn morning. The landscape is shrouded in a grey mist and the Sun struggles to shine through, but it will make it as the most clear is later today.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
That was my greatest fear!
barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
Hahahaa, now that’s a problem I thankfully don’t have. 😆
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
Hah, That’s a shit load of work too!

Pressing last weekend was fucking awful, but tomorrow promises to be a fine day.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
I have not been drinking of late, have not been feeling 100%, but as I’m preparing for a long day of pressing tomorrow, I reckoned I should remind myself why we do this work. Some small fermenters cleaned and ready, meanwhile my wife was sorting and washing fruit so I can start early.
Three 60L and two 120L plastic fermenters.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 1d
Six weeks ago I opened a bottle of this just before Rossfest. It had only been bottled a few weeks previously, was still actively bottle conditioning and stank like cabbage farts. It, or at least this bottle, has resolved itself really nicely. Clean, biscuity bottle conditioned Goldparmäne.
A glass of sparkling golden cider.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 2d
bb-8 from star wars is standing on top of a soccer ball in the desert .
Alt: bb-8 from star wars.
media.tenor.com
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 2d
There’s my wife under the “Helden Tree”, a Karcherbirne, picking away. She won’t let me help. Our absolute favourite tree, because look at it, it’s magnificent, and these pears make probably the best perry I’ve made.
A 14m tall pear tree and a person crouched under it, picking pears off the ground. This was supposed to be an off year, but it has broken the cycle we’ve observed since 2020. A green pear, bulging around the middle, with small brown lenticels.
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 3d
“A Steampunk Mr. Tayto” is the best comment I’ve seen on it. 😆
‘A steampunk Mr Tayto’: why Irish critics hate Netflix’s House of Guinness
While US and UK reviewers have praised the series, in Ireland it has faced a barrage of withering put-downs
www.theguardian.com
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barmas.bsky.social
Barry M @barmas.bsky.social · 3d
But she’s pretty happy looking for mice in the fields now
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