Brown Snout

Why you should be excited

Brown Snout is an English cider apple that arrived in our orchard by mistake, but we're glad to have it.

The story of Brown Snout

We didn't originally plan to have Brown Snout in our orchard. Yet this was the first traditional cider variety we added, albeit in error.

We thought we had acquired two little Kingston Black trees from a small nursery in the Fraser Valley to kick off our planting of cider varieties. But long after we brought them home and planted them in our orchard, we noticed - when they made their first fruit -that the fruit was green russet-covered little apples with heavy brown at the end of each apple. Not exactly the deep red-coloured cider apple we'd expected of Kingston Black. We were initially perplexed.

Well, it turns out there was a mix-up on the part of the person who grafted them and -- as a result -- we've got this bittersweet cider apple in our orchard and - at least initially - not that more famous other one. So we grafted ourselves a bunch of Kingston Blacks to go along with our easy-to-identify Brown Snouts and all was good..

This variety might have arrived in our orchard by mistake, but it's a win-win outcome as far as we're concerned.

Brown Snout Facts

Its origins

Discovered in Hereford, England, mid-19th century.

Flavour, aroma, texture

A bittersweet cider apple that produces a sweet, mildly-astringent juice.

Appearance

This small apple is greenish-yellow with plenty of russet, especially at its all-brown eye-end. Hence the name.

When they’re available

Mid to late season (usually in October).

Quality for fresh eating

Don't even think about eating a cider apple.

Quality for cooking

Good for cider.

Quality for cider

Very good, with an extensive history of use in quality bittersweet ciders.

Keeping ability

Keeps for more than three weeks, while awaiting cider-making.