Perry

Made annually from the pears picked off the tree out back, this recipe for a dry perry represents how I do it at home.

Newfoundland Cider shares this recipe for one of their small-batch perries, which undergoes a natural fermentation, ages on oak, and gets a final touch of Cascade and Centennial hops.

Perry is hard to find and hard to make, and neither the fruit nor the wildlife is likely to cooperate. Yet that challenge—along with perry’s distinctive character—is a big part of what makes it worth pursuing.

With more than 1,000 cideries in North America—most quite small—it can be hard to know where to start. Here are five tips from the pros.