BBC News - Poor pear harvest in Herefordshire for perry cider

There could be less Real Perry next year if this report comes true. Tom Oliver from Oliver's Cider and Perry is experiencing smaller crops of perry pears this year, which is bad news for perry drinkers.

via bbc.co.uk Perry comes from perry pears which are smaller and more acidic than other types. Conventional pear cider comes from a sweeter variety.

I think they'll get by using the old perry pear trees in people's gardens and farms all over Herefordshire that haven't been used for perry for years.

Mad Apple Czeck Cider

I suppose it's only a matter of time before this Mad Apple Czech cider arrives in the UK and gets added to the so called Cider Festivals that some of the local pub chains organise. I bet they do a strawberry flavoured mad apple too.  

Apple Press

Apple Press




An apple press is not intended to press whole apples, but to make apple juice out of crushed, minced or grated apples. The juice form the apple press can then be fermented to make cider.

Real Cider and Perry Bar GBBF

CIDER
Originally uploaded by ca1951rr

Real Cider and Perry Bar at the GBBF

Cider on green
Perry on yellow

Old Rascal

Old Rascal
Originally uploaded by Serigrapher

Thatchers Old Rascal at the Stockport beer and cider festival.

The old rascal of legend is a fox that used to creep out of his den at night to steal cider.

Old Rascal is a fine bittersweet cider, produced from some of Somerset’s best cider apples, Dabinett and Redstreak. Aged in our oak vats, Old Rascal is made from a traditional Thatchers’ recipe.

Its popularity as a session cider is combined with all the hallmarks of a distinctive Thatchers product full of flavour and a West Country apple bite.

Packaged in lightweight 500ml bottle, Old Rascal was reintroduced in 2008. “Old Rascal has always appealed to older, more traditional drinkers. With cider now attracting a much wider audience, we feel it’s time to introduce the Old Rascal to them too!” said Thatcher.

Old Rascal has an ABV of 4.5%

Thatchers Old Rascal Scrumpy is different, that's a draught cider also made from English apples. It's matured in oak vats to produce a full bodied farmhouse cider at 6.0% vol

Addlestones Cider

Addlestones Cider - cloudy and refreshing but with a tang to the aftertaste, possibly caused by artificial sweeteners. Not a full juice real cider.

Pictures from UK Cider Flickr group

A few pictures from the UK Cider group on Flickr

Kent Cider Co

Hand Pressed Cider Oak matured, Russet Bramley

Wilcox Cider

Homemade Cider Press

Awesome Homemade Tyneside Cider Press
Originally uploaded by m99art

Homemade cider press with apple tree in the background.

Ace Pear Cider

Pear Cider
Originally uploaded by Pirate Alice

Ace Pear Cider California

Based in Sebastopol, Calif., The California Cider Company produces Ace Perry Cider that's vegan friendly and gluten-free. The company is apparently the first in California to commercially produce the premium perry.

Zambelli Mulimix apple grinder in operation

This is a Zambelli Mulimix fruit grinder. It's a 220V (european) grinder that reduces cider apples to a good workable pulp

http://www.zambellienotech.it/eng/altri_mulimix.htm

Cider Workshop

This is the time of year a lot of people seem to be very busy in the cider workshop, getting things ready or pressing cider apples already.

Some folk like use a makeshift outdoor cider workshop by erecting a large tent, gazebo or tarp, to keep the rain off. Then you can make as much mess as you like and at least it doesn't get trampled indoors so much.

There's no real need to spend a fortune on fancy equipment, nor labour for days and days making exact fit wooden racks with countersunk stainless steel screws and all that kind of nonsense either. In fact a good old basket press with an electric drill driven screw thread can get the job done in a fraction of the time, even if it isn't up to standard according to a quaint idea of tradition. The main thing is to get the apples crushed while they're in good condition, and fill up the fermentation vessels close to the top while the natural process slowly takes its time. Resist messing about with the cider, and that's just about it from the cider workshop for another year.

Cloudy Cider at Ealing Beer Festival

@llyrj tweeted a picture of the cloudy cider

Ribadeo, Galicia, Northern Spain

Ribadeo, Galicia, Northern Spain
Originally uploaded by Andyrob

It was in Ribadeo, Galicia that we saw people in a cafe drinking cider from ceramic bowls, like they do in Britanny.

Tardes de Verano cider

Tardes de Verano
Originally uploaded by Gusilú

Unas Sidras! Number one cider?

Craft Cider

Craft cider is real cider made by people who take a pride in keeping things small scale and just a little bit amateurish, which is fair enough I suppose. Craft cider making is said to be at about the same stage as craft ale brewing was 25 years ago, so that's an unfortunate situation to be in without great prospects really if you think about it. The crafty craft cider makers are going to have to up their act if they want to be taken seriously as small business owners with a duty to provide a consistent quality product, in the form of pleasant and drinkable real full juice cider and perry, not some quaintly eccentric and accident prone concoction that come out of somebody's airing cupboard.

Three Cats Cider

Three Cats Cider from Morley, Derbyshire






Three Cats Cider

Three Cats Cider, Morley, Derbyshire

Organic

Organic
Originally uploaded by Walt Jabsco

Westons Vintage Organic Cider is a good quality cider now available in a redesigned Bag in Box it seems. My local Sainsbury ought to stock this, and they used to , but they don't now.

Skinners Brewery, Truro , Cornwall

Truro Flickr Meet_S17785
Originally uploaded by Ennor

Skinners Brewery has a shop where you can usually buy Cornish Orchards cider as well as something made specially for Skinners.

As it's St Piran's day..

How to Make Cider

Cider Making (59)
Originally uploaded by Orchard's Cider

How to Make Cider series of photos from Orchards cider uploaded to the ukcider flickr group.

Real Cider at River Cottage

Real Cider is the most popular blog on the River Cottage blogs



See interesting Real cider discussion there