dw message > view profile >
Jan 12, 2009
at 08:09 PM

Completely agree. I dont understand how the bland watery additive-fuelled rubbish even managed to become mainstream anyway.... theyre repulsive! Most pubs I visit in the Cider counties (i.e. Kent, Herefordshire etc.) never have any local real cider on tap, and its completely diabolical.

I'd like to see CAMRA take their campaign further and try to get the whole nation more aware of what theyre drinking, because I've run into to so many "cider fans" that think Strongbow is the best.....sigh.....

morrisalex message > view profile >
Jan 12, 2009
at 10:40 PM

Definately agree with your blog. Not only have we been sold to on mass by the marketing guru's through the supermarkets, but the pub chains have finished the job. Keep pushing the local produce route, but let's make sure it encompasses local beverages. I can't believe how hard it is to get a local cider in your local pub, even as a guest option.

wawoom message > view profile >
Jan 13, 2009
at 06:07 AM

At least you can buy cider somewhere locally but I do agree what happened to good old fashioned real cider. Here in Australia we have only just had our first cider competition. Believe it or not Aussie growers are searching the world for heritage apples from England. Just to blow your mind - the winner of this competition was a pear cider. Now how old is that recipe? Good luck with people awareness. I am hoping to visit our nearest cider makers (some 7hours drive) in the near future. I hope Hugh can help you with the awareness.

Ovengloves message > view profile >
Jan 13, 2009
at 09:53 AM

Nice blog, I agree, it's annoying, I've over the last few years really got into cider, and living in the south west has given me a bit of an advantage, we seem to have a great selection of different ciders. I get really annoyed when you go to a pub ask for a cider and thy only have strongbow or magners on offer. Bath is really good for cider, Can you suggest any medium/ medium sweet ciders worth trying?

little mark message > view profile >
Jan 13, 2009
at 05:26 PM

Down your neck of the woods Janets Jungle Juice from Westcroft Cider is an award-winning medium/sweet cider. Hecks of Street are also worth a visit, they have a large range of single variety ciders and perries, excellent quality and something for everyone.

http://www.burnham-on-sea.co.uk/west_croft_cider/index.html
http://www.hecksfarmhousecider.co.uk/

Cheers, Mark

privatehire message > view profile >
Jan 13, 2009
at 09:42 PM

people are like sheep...just follow the crowd. TV tells them what to drink and people drink it.

selfheal message > view profile >
Jan 15, 2009
at 01:26 AM

i once tried some janets jungle juice but it wasnt a good experience! im afraid it tasted rather like washing up liquid, but it might just have been dodgey pump in the pub!

Im quite a fan of westons ciders which luckily most of my local pubs serve on tap.

When i moved to dorset 2 1/2 years ago i was not a cider fan, and could only handle half a pint at a time- i put this down to only ever being exposed to the dishwater brands as discussed in this blog. By the time i had been here a year i could handle 7 pints of the 'proper stuff' which isnt bad going for a girl ;)

Im privalidged to live very close to the Square and Compass- the campaign for real ales Cider pub of the year! I have never been to a pub so spectaular as the S&C. If anyone ever has the chance to go there i recomend you have a try of charlies home brewed 'Sat down beCider'!

Braveheart message > view profile >
Jan 15, 2009
at 01:34 AM

I live in south western Ontario Canada and we make hard cider ourselves with used bourbon barrels and 40 gallons of spy apple juice. There is usually about a gallon of bourbon in the cask when we get it and then we keep it at about 48f and start drinking out of the cask in Jan (it goes in the barell around Nov). It is exceptional by about feb, when after 2 pints your lips don't work and your legs feel great! It keeps getting good until about early march when we need to freeze it as it is starting to turn. It is an exceptional drink and from our backyards. By about June the frozen stuff is gone and we start to make plans for next fall's product - life is good!
Kevin

Treehugger message > view profile >
Jan 15, 2009
at 08:19 AM

I totally agree with this. Hubby and I made 16 gallons of cider in our kitchen last autumn. (It was a sticky, messy job!) We had a big goup of our friends round on New Years Eve for a tasting of the first bottle of said cider. These friends are HUGE fans of the sickly chemical ciders now fashionable in pubs across Britain. When they tasted our beautiful organic cider, however, their minds were completely changed and they recognised the distinct difference in taste.

We now have to work our way through approximately 150 bottles of the stuff over the next few months!

It's a tough job.........

Real Cider message > view profile >
Jan 15, 2009
at 10:31 AM

Thanks for all the insights and suggestions so far.

Local, small scale and home made cider seem to hold the most promise, whereas campaigning against supermarkets, national advertising and pub chains is always going to be an uphill struggle, because at the end of the day it's a fight armed only with human passion against money and power.

On the other hand the idea of a sheep like, submissive culture which is controlled by a small number of powerful media is beginning to break down. People can now find alternatives to the main channels by making increasingly sophisticated choices about what we view or read or listen to, and when and where we do so. People with less mainstream interests can find each other more easily through forum enabled websites and blogs such as here, regardless of physical location. I like to think that will go some way to even up the balance eventually.

With encouragement and help from other enthusiasts online, the idea of setting up a small cider making venture in a kitchen or garage is not so daunting. A page on the ukcider wiki with plans for a home made cider press has been viewed over 100,000 times and people regularly turn up who copied that press one or two years ago and are now enjoying their own 100% pure juice cider. Some of them will go on start producing enough real cider to supply friends and neighbours, and maybe a few local pubs.

At present in the UK there is an incentive which allows small scale cider makers to produce up to 7,000 litres of cider a year before having to deal with excise duty. That's a very useful addition to a portfolio of income streams coming from cottage industries.

The pubs are under pressure during this recession with closures every day, so any landlord who has a little bit of freedom to negotiate supplies from a local cider maker will build up a regular clientele of delighted customers as well as making a good premium which should give them an advantage over the pub chains.

bloomin_towni e message > view profile >
Jan 15, 2009
at 05:30 PM

If anyone requires a cider taster I could be persuaded.

Rupert Bear message > view profile >
Jan 16, 2009
at 12:48 PM

I entirely agree with you. Maybe cider should be a protected name- or does that relate to place name ie parma ham?

Teatime message > view profile >
Jan 16, 2009
at 02:15 PM

I use to buy a gallon of scrumpy from Rich's in HIghbridge for £2.50. Many years ago. When I was down the Kings Road one day...also a long time ago, I remember going to a pub and saw the same scrumpy for £3.00 per pint. Oh the city life!

Real Cider message > view profile >
Jan 18, 2009
at 09:26 AM

I really don't think they should be allowed to call it cider unless at *least* the main ingredient is apple juice.

All other food and drink items in the EU have to be properly labelled with ingredients lists but somehow the alcohol industry manages to get away with being granted an exception, which is wrong.

Just because something which is consumed contains alcohol shouldn't mean that they can add anything else without telling us what's in it. Wine is another good example where we are being deliberately kept uninformed of the full ingredients which would be quite shocking in some cases.

toddie message > view profile >
Jan 22, 2009
at 01:30 PM

I have to agree, most shop purchased mainstream ‘cider’ ( I use the term very loosely) is appalling to taste & doesn’t even come close to the delights of a true cider regardless of whether that be home made, locally sourced or a label researched & honest brand. But then what do you expect when a large proportion of the population aren’t actually that clued up (on the subject) or in fact offered an alternative by the pubs/shops?

I mean if the marketing professionals ‘slight of hand’ can convince millions of ‘followers’ that McCrapo’s “happy meal’ is indeed a joyful event, then convincing these same folk that the likes of Magners & Strongbow are an present experience is just a walk in the park!

I for one have voted with my feet & now only ever drink my own brew (it really is a simple thing to do yourself!) or that I’ve done a little research on & know to be a decent honest drop. Unfortunately since you can’t really make a difference on your own, I’ve ended giving away almost half of what I make to my mates, family & friends in the attempt to educate some pallets & try to change the taste buds of the masses!

Whilst I would much rather enjoy a few more pints of my own brew myself (if the truth be told), I’m very pleased to report that more and more of these lucky recipients are getting the point & avoiding the slurder that’s being toted around as the real thing!

huxter09 message > view profile >
Jan 25, 2009
at 05:46 AM

The same occurs in Australia , which has been written here .I drink a bit of cider but from cider makers in an apple growing area near us .Fairly traditional hand pressed cider but it is expensive given the labour costs .

You can't normally drink the commercial fizz sold as cider .Yet in our hot summers ,about the only thing it has going for it is ,that unlike lager ,you can drink fizzy pop cider when its not really cold !

But as the earlier writer from Oz has said ,some Australians are growing heirloom types .I'm one of them .I've planted a mix of Bulmer's Norman ,Improved Foxwhelp and Yarlington Mill apple trees to complement my eating apples which now include Court Pendu Plat ,Stayman's Winesap and Hubbartson's Nonesuch .Don't you love the names of the old apple types .We have rejuvenated and replanted our home orchard to try and supply most of our fruit needs when we retire .

Anyway a couple of years on ,I'll be pressing my own cider .Maybe someone here will have some tips for me .

Karen and Steve message > view profile >
Jan 26, 2009
at 10:33 PM

I was very interested and excited to read all your views and ideas on cider making and more importantly ridding our pubs of that vile, mass produced, flavourless liquid we are subjected to. A worthy campaign I would be delighted to support.

Having just made our own cider press and after hours of fun chopping, mashing and pressing we now have a substantial amount of this promising apple drink to make a delicious brew. We have experimented with adding honey and sugar and have found this to have great promise of an interesting and unique cider.

So in true community spirit I would like to ask if anyone has any other tips/ideas for adding those final ingredients to make our cider..a great one.

petesworld message > view profile >
Jan 27, 2009
at 12:13 PM

hiya was going to give cider making a go this year have made a press from an old wooden barrel and the screw from an old stool seems to work very well is there any tips you can give me please . choice of apples etc we do have a very old eating apple tree that old they are vertually edable ,

Jer message > view profile >
Jan 27, 2009
at 08:35 PM

can't agree more!!! i'm glad to say that for the last three years now we have been making our own "cyder" about 200 gallons or so which keeps us pretty well topped up throughout the year!! all the equipment we use must be getting on for at least 100 years old but it works beutifly!!But also we have a few good pubs which sell a pretty good pint of rough when we're running low! but it still winds me up abit when if we do go to another pub and you ask for a pint of cider and all they can offer you is a tiny bottle of woodpecker or a pint strongbow!! or if i've not decided to leave by then and i decide to go for an ale (preferably localish) only to be told they've got johnsmiths or tetely's well i'm already half way out the door!!!!

Karen and Steve message > view profile >
Jan 28, 2009
at 06:57 PM

In answer to your question about type of apples etc. Your trees apples will be fine to use I'm sure..you also need to add some cookers and/or crab apples for their acidity. A blend of unripe apples and even slightly battered ones, cookers, crab and any others you can get your hands on will be fine...the addition of Japonica quinces are also popular in cider making although I have not tried that yet. It's always good to know the names of your apples then you know what works and what doesn't.

The great thing about cider making is that you are using the apples you would not be delighting your fruit bowl with...therefore the issue of waste being truly 'in the bin'.

As you will see from my earlier comment I am a novice in this field too and welcome any advice from you old school cider makers...c'mon share the love!!

Ricky Carlisle message > view profile >
Jan 30, 2009
at 10:24 PM

I was on excercise a couple of years ago which had been deemed alcohol free. I don't know if it counts as Cider, but we crushed 60 apples under foot in a plastic bag to retain the juices which were then put in an air tight container with a non-return valve, added 2x bags of sugar from the cook house, water and yeast, and left it to ferment. All I can say is it got us pretty drunk and as far as I know it was the best home brew I'd drunk in a good while.

jenhwilliams message > view profile >
Feb 04, 2009
at 01:46 PM

I so agree with this! Real cider is the only way to go. I look on in horror when in a Pub and fab real ales and ciders available and they go for those wishy washy weak fizzy apples juices. But worse than that they serve them with ice!!! So it is even more watered down than when they start! I will be making my own apple joice / cider (however it turns out!) as I have a huge area to forage and collect apples by the sides of the roads that people just leave and ignore! I cannot wait now for the late summer / autumn season to start for apple picking! Bring on Real Cider!!!!

zaccety message > view profile >
Feb 05, 2009
at 02:16 PM

I think you're all being a bit unfair!! Personally I prefer the light and crispy fresh taste of a strongbow, or even bulmers (at a push!!!). Who wants to drink that horrid dark nonsense!?!? It just gives you a bad tummy (and I should know!!) And anyway, they don't make real cider strong enough, I mean there's nothing to touch diamond white for strenght AND taste!!!

Cider Em message > view profile >
Feb 05, 2009
at 04:14 PM

Hey, thanks for raising the subject of real cider, nothing can beat it , thats for sure! at the end of the year I will be running a cider making course here at river cottage, so if any of you are interested, please go on to the main river cottage web site and look under events and courses, and click on cider making to register your interest, should be a really good day!

bramley81 message > view profile >
Feb 05, 2009
at 07:09 PM

I agree to a certain extent, but I feel that real cider doesn't get the backing and marketing that it should. Also if magners are making huge sales then can cider producers produce a simmilar real cider? People also need to back it aswell as help it to become widely available.

maxlowry message > view profile >
Feb 10, 2009
at 01:35 AM

I make my own cider at home from pure home-pressed apple juice. I've only been going at it a couple of years and now have managed to produce a very high quality product. The cr@p that zaccety admits to drinking is made from at best, concentrated juice with added sugar and water, along with a whole host of other additives. Those products are designed for people who like an depthless, easy drink that they can get at any outlet. If you like good cider then you can't go wrong with Westons' products. Their range caters for all palets. My favourite is Old Rosey. Strong, cloudy and with a slight fizz. My advice is stay clear of the ones mentioned by zaccety search out a real, quality product!

BuzzMoo message > view profile >
Feb 12, 2009
at 04:26 AM

I've never been big on cider, for the reasons that everyone is complaining about it - the best we could do here in Australia was Strongbow - or so I thought! I don't know what real home made cider tastes like but the pear cider from Little Creatures brewery was not in any way objectionable.

I've started brewing my own beer and have idly been considering cider.. i'll keep an eye on this thread!

realcider message > view profile >
Dec 21, 2009
at 03:44 PM

We have written two articles which we hope you will find useful:

How to find real cider - www.real-cider.co.uk/how-to-find-real-cider/ and
5 ways to spot a great real cider - www.real-cider.co.uk/discover-a-great-real-cider/

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Feb 08, 2010
at 06:32 AM

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