Cider
Friday night, chez bsag, is Cider Night.
I’ve enjoyed cider since I was at University, but only Real Cider: Blackthorn, Woodpecker, and to some extent the trendy arriviste Magners are just fizzy, sweet, alcoholic drinks with no subtlety or depth of flavour. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t guess that they were made out of apples.
According to a lot of recent articles, cider is enjoying something of a revival, with sales increasing, mostly — it seems — driven by former alcopops drinkers who have grown up a bit. Hardly a recommendation. Magners seems to have saturation coverage in advertising at the moment, with enticing looking glasses of golden liquid, full to the brim with ice, and dripping condensation. Ice is just going to make your cider watery, and seems to be part of a current marketing obsession with frigidly cold drinks. No, if you’re curious about cider, try the real thing.
Real cider1 (which CAMRA is doing a good job of promoting), is made from real pressed apple juice, not imported concentrate. Some are still fermented using the yeasts found naturally on the skins of the apples, but most commercial operations of a reasonable size add carefully blended yeast mixtures these days for consistency of the product. Some are still and cloudy (often called Scrumpy in the West Country), and some are clear and sparkling. Traditionally, ciders are made from a carefully selected blend of apples (both eating apples and cider apples), and they therefore have a very wide range of qualities from sharp and dry, through bitter, to sweet and aromatic. Despite liking traditional ciders, I’m also a fan of Thatcher’s single variety ciders (Katy, Spartan and Cox are particularly good). They have a modern, clean taste, but are full of very subtle, distinctive flavours.
Many of my friends seem to have developed a violent aversion to cider as teenagers2, having got appallingly drunk for the first time on it, and then suffering the mother of all hangovers the next day. It’s easy to do, because cider has such a high alcohol content, but you need to take it easy and not swig down pints of the stuff. For some reason (I can’t think how), I never developed an aversion, despite drinking some very rough cider at University in Bristol. We used to have Cheese and Scrumpy parties which consisted of:
- Chunks of cheap cheddar and French sticks from Sainsbury’s, hacked about with whatever sharpish implement we had to hand, because no-one ever remembered to bring a knife
- Scrumpy. This was bought locally in gallon plastic containers disturbingly similar to the containers of anti-freeze that you buy from garages. The scrumpy was invariably a radioactive orange colour, called something like “Olde Sheep-Shaggers”, and the container featured an amusing cartoon of a humorously sozzled sheep and a winking yokel raising a glass.
The more I think of it, the more of a mystery my lack of Acquired Cider Aversion becomes.
Terry Pratchett mentions a drink called ‘Scumble’ in several of his books, which is obviously supposed to be scrumpy. He writes:
“I can speak with authority, having lived a short walking — to get there, at least, although it seemed to take longer coming back — distance from a real cider house.
- You are unlikely to buy scrumpy anywhere but from a farm or a pub in a cider area.
- It won’t fizz. It slumps in the glass, and is a grey-orange colour.
- The very best scrumpy is (or at least, was) made on farms where a lot of the metalwork around the press was lead; the acid apple juice on the lead gave the resultant drink a kick which lasted for the rest of your life.
- While a lot of the stories about stuff being put in ‘to give it body’ are probably apocryphal, apparently it wasn’t uncommon to put a piece of beef in the stuff to give it ‘strength’.
- I certainly recall a case of a female tourist having to have an ambulance called out after two pints of scrumpy.
- We used to drink almost a pint, topped off with half an inch of lemonade; this was known as ‘cider and gas’ and was popular in our part of the Mendips. Two pints was the max. I recall that as we went back across the fields someone who is now a professor of medieval history fell down a disused mineshaft and still carried on singing.”
I’m certainly not condoning excessive alcohol consumption in any way, but if you have never tried proper cider, give it a go. At its best, it’s a very minimally mucked-about-with natural product, with a long and rich history. I saw a wonderful TV programme about the people who work in the Wye Valley a couple of nights ago, and it featured a cider maker, still producing cider in the old way. They still grow a huge variety of old apple varieties, Wassail in the orchards in January (you sensed mostly because it was an excuse to have a big bonfire, make a lot of noise, sing and drink cider, but still), and bring beehives in to the orchard to pollinate the trees (and make apple blossom honey) in the spring. Not a bad life.
1 For North Americans, I mean what you call ‘Hard Cider’. That, incidentally, is a really disappointing linguistic difference for a cider lover if you’re not aware of it: me, spluttering, “But that’s just apple juice!” Logically, you should also have ‘wine’ (grape juice) and ‘hard wine’ (wine). ↑
2 Something I call ACA: Acquired Cider Aversion. ↑
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Glad to see someone else appreciating Thatchers too – especially the drier ones – really refreshing.
Somehow cider just makes me giggle, even after a pint. Bit embarrassing really!
And in the Caribbean they do have something called ‘hard wine’, which I didn’t have the guts to try – might be a bit like those dodgy tonic wines they seem to love in Glasgow.
On that generalisation I think I’ll leave….
by birchscrub @ 15/06/2007 5:09 pm • Permalink •
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Amusingly I didn't start drinking until after getting married (no, not because), so back in the day while all my friends were getting pissed on cider I was warming my 7-up..
In the States here the Cider Jack brand used to have the best plain, readily-available variety and then sold a seasonal item called Spiced Cider that had mulling spices added - very tasty, my wife loved it. Then they stopped selling the spiced one. Typical. They did the same with their iced tea - very unusual flavor but I loved it.
BTW, I just found this: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/105
Damien
by Damien McKenna @ 15/06/2007 5:29 pm • Permalink •
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who has managed to avoid ACA. It seems almost all my contemporaries are sufferers. I expect I managed to avoid it by either being a wuss and generally only drinking to excess, not well beyond excess and round the bend. The other possibility was the frankly bizarre routine I developed of alternating pints of cider and Guiness. On a long evening with favourable conditions I could drink 2 of each. Very rare that I fancy Guiness these days, so maybe I have AGA instead?
Can you recommend a supplier for Thatcher's - I'd love to try but haven't seen it in my local booze-purchasing establishments.
Jon
by Jon H @ 16/06/2007 1:27 am • Permalink •
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I went on holiday to Herefordshire (and we only lived up the road in Birmingham at the time!) some years back. Great holiday. We stayed near Bishops Frome. Prior to that I was not at all interested in cider, but on that trip I discovered what a wonderful product cider can be. Discoveries for me were:
Dunkertons - really wonderful, organic cider. They make a wide range: medium, dry, still, sparkling and from different apples too I believe. Black Fox is worth a try, its very distinctive. The Premium Organic is also very good. Dunkertons also do a wonderful, though hard to get Perry. It is totally delicious, and it's not Babycham!
Westons are a bit more commercial than Dunkertons, but they are hardly a Bulmers. They also make fine ciders and are much easier to find than Dunkertons.
Frome Valley (now Henney's) also make some nice ciders. I don't think they are of the same quality as the above two, but they are nice easy drinking ciders - or perky cider as a good friend of mine would describe them.
The above are all Herefordshire companies, but of course Somerset, Kent and Suffolk all have excellent proper ciders too, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire in particularly still make good perries too.
Hmm cider;)
by Soapbox @ 16/06/2007 11:29 am • Permalink •
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Its nice to find a fellow cider drinker! I find it rare to find others!
I used to drink pretty much any cider, but lately gone off Strongbow and Blackthorn and have been drinking Bulmers and Magners, but I think my favourite is a local brewed cider called Black Rat!
by Adam Dempsey @ 16/06/2007 12:07 pm • Permalink •
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birchscrub: Yay! Another Thatchers fan! Hard wine sounds a bit frightening...
Damien McKenna: I have actually made mulled cider in the winter, and it's quite nice, but I'm not sure I'd like it cold. That site slightly baffles me: lots of people giving detailed (and what's more bizarre, positive) tasting notes on Woodpecker cider?
Jon H: Cider and Guinness? That is bizarre
. We get our Thatchers' from Sainsbury's and we used to get it from Tesco when that was our local supermarket, so it seems to be fairly widely available, but it might be regional, I suppose. Not all places stock the whole range, but you usually get a fairly decent selection. Perhaps you could order online from either of those supermarkets if your local store doesn't stock it?
Soapbox: I love Dunkertons too (though can't get hold of it very often), and Westons isn't bad at all. If you get any real cider on tap at a pub, it's often Westons. I'm also partial to the Frome Valley Dry, but I note from their website that they also make an Apple Blossom cider, which sounds wonderful. I've never seen that. As you say, other counties make great cider too, as does Normandy. In fact, I had some Normandy cider last night, and it was lovely - caramelised apple flavour with a floral note.
Adam Dempsey: I think I've had Black Rat - it's great.
Just to make all of you jealous (well, those of you who don't live in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Somerset, Kent, Suffolk or Normandy), we're going to the Hereford Beer Festival in July, at which excellent local Herefordshire/Worcestershire cider and perry is promised. I'm really looking forward to it.
by bsag @ 16/06/2007 4:35 pm • Permalink •
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Someone I know tried brewing cider at home a few years back; so, as an experiment, and having heard rumours about pieces of steak and so on, he put a piece of chicken breast in one batch. That batch ended up with a noticeably smoother taste than the rest of the brew.
by Forest Pines @ 17/06/2007 4:49 pm • Permalink •
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If you take cider, freeze it, thaw it under controlled conditions, the alcohol will thaw before the water, and you end up with something akin to Calvados........
I never said that.
by Jonathan Briggs @ 17/06/2007 7:25 pm • Permalink •
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I am a huge fan of Woodchuck cider which is, sadly, available in the U.S. but not Canada. I've bartered illustration work for Woodchuck cider.
It's a very light cider, but I don't drink alcohol that often and tend to fall asleep after a glass of wine (I envy those who become more entertaining when they're tipsy; I just become more unconscious).
But now you've made me curious to try some other types...
by Inkygirl @ 19/06/2007 5:41 pm • Permalink •
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Jonathan: I'm curious...what kind of controlled conditions? Sounds intriguing.
by Inkygirl @ 19/06/2007 5:43 pm • Permalink •
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Slowly, wait until you have a matrix of ice, then throw that away, and keep the melted liquid - I'm not sure about the legality of this method (or even if it works, though my adventurous friend swears it does), certainly, were you to distil the cider, you would have to put it in bond and pay tax on it!
by Jonathan Briggs @ 19/06/2007 5:50 pm • Permalink •
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Jonathan, only if you tell the government about it, if you make it and consume it yourself (or with friends) what difference does it make, it's not like you're selling it or anything?
by Damien McKenna @ 19/06/2007 6:45 pm • Permalink •
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Thanks kindly, Jonathan. You're obviously a fellow of experience when it comes to cider.
by Inkygirl @ 20/06/2007 5:11 pm • Permalink •
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I suspect it would taste foul - most of the flavour will be in the water that you are throwing out. But then some calvados tastes pretty rough for starters....
by birchscrub @ 20/06/2007 5:50 pm • Permalink •
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And I've beet never taste cider.... just in some coctails, and I can't find it...
by Lin @ 22/06/2007 12:43 pm • Permalink •
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There is Real Cider in Britain? We only get Strongbow etc. Probably because the cider that's sold here (Belgium) is mainly French (and should be drunk cold). It's great to drink with crêpes salées. I bet they're also great with British cider.
by Frances @ 05/07/2007 9:21 am • Permalink •
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cider! real ale! me == fan. and longtime CAMRA member.
i heartily suggest you try Westons Vintage Special Reserve Cider. it's absolutely delicious, full-bodied yet refreshing. and lightly lethal...
by Saltation @ 05/07/2007 7:09 pm • Permalink •
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Have to say that I think Woodchuck is absolute crap. It's so watery and weedy you'd think a dozen ice cubes had melted in it. Yuk. Will never make the same mistake again. Avoid!!
by brit in NYC @ 29/11/2007 1:33 am • Permalink •
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