THE LAMBOURN VALLEY CIDER COMPANY Real cider from the Royal County The Malt House, Great Shefford, HUNGERFORD, Berkshire RG17 7ED Tel: 01488 648441 E-mail: pyrus@lambournvalleycider.co.uk EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Following our decision to give up cider making, the above equipment is for sale, either as one lot or in separate packages. It comprises a mill, press, fermentation vessels, tubs, polybarrels and ancillary equipment - everything that is required for small-scale cider making - except the fruit! Offers for all or part of the equipment must be made in writing to the above address, but priority will be given to offers for the whole as one lot. The equipment can be inspected at our premises BY APPOINTMENT from Monday 30th August 2016. Payment to be made either by (in order of preference) cash, bank transfer, PayPal or certified cheque. Buyers are responsible for removing their purchases. Details of the various items are as follows:
(A) THE MILL An Italian-made stainless steel trumpet mill, purchased third-hand in 2005. Originally imported by Vigo Ltd <http:// www.vigoltd.com/>, who still hold spares if required. Powered by 13-amp mains electricity, with an emergency cut-out. Has a total height of 142cms and occupies a floor area of 1 metre square. The trumpet is 65cms in diameter Mills fruit to just the right consistency and is easy to clean.
(B) THE PRESS Not a dedicated cider press but a winemaker s basket press, used for many years by the monks of Douai Abbey, near Newbury, where they used to make cider and beer as well as wine. Having been lying unused and neglected for some years, it was purchased in 2005 in a poor condition and extensively renovated. The metal parts were repainted with an acid-resistant paint; the wooden staves received several coats of marine varnish; the iron bolts were replaced with stainless steel ones; and the old semicircular pressure plates were replaced by new beechwood ones. The painting and re-varnishing were repeated in June 2016. The basket is 45cms tall with an internal diameter of 60cms, giving it a theoretical capacity of 300 litres of pomace. It has never been operated at more than half full, but even so can produce 25-30 litres of juice at a time, depending on the fruit.
The ratchet operates at two gearings, and winds and unwinds using the same pulling operation thanks to the use of reversible metal billets. There is also a supply of wooden blocks to pack between the ratchet and the pressure plates. The press requires cloths to prevent the pulp from squeezing out - we have successfully used fine mesh plastic greenhouse shading (not supplied). Initially this press was used for small runs of single-varietal fruit and perry pears, but latterly it has been used for the whole of our reduced production. In Autumn 2015 I pressed nearly 900 litres of juice virtually single-handed with this equipment. (C) TROUGHS These two troughs (left) are the result of cutting in half a 225 litre barrel which had contained i mp o r t e d brandy. They are ideal for washing fruit or holding pomace overnight for maceration. (D) TUBS These two tubs with lids (right) each have a capacity of about 50 litres and can be used for holding pomace or even for primary fermentation.
(E) FERMENTATION VESSELS We have 4 of these vessels for sale, although only 3 are shown here. They originally came from Italy holding juice concentrates of various flavours and have a capacity of 235 litres. They have been used for cider and perry fermentation and storage for over 20 years, so any odour of orange or blackcurrant has completely disappeared! The tight-fitting lids are held down by the screw tops, making the vessels airtight. With the lids screwed down each vessel stands 115cms tall and has a maximum diameter of 55 cms They are easy to clean and light in weight, making them easy to manoeuvre.
(F) POLYBARRELS These 5 polybarrels, with a nominal capacity of 5 gallons, are old but in good condition, with good taps and caps and not subject to leaking. With the current requirement for cider in bag-in-boxes, these containers have been used mostly for storage in the past few years. (G) & (H) JERRYCANS We have 12 of these 5 litre, food-grade polypropylene containers for sale in two lots. Some are unused, some have been used but all are clean and undamaged. Each lot indicated by the letters A to H will be sold complete and not broken up, i.e., if you want the polybarrels, for instance, you must have all 5. As mentioned earlier, priority will be given to offers for the whole consignment in one lot. I look forward to receiving your offers. ROY BAILEY Proprietor