The cider thread

[LittlemissC]

I'm strangely not much of a cider drinker at home, but as Glasto draws nearer I feel all twitchy and excited at the thought of my first pint of hot n' spicy, Brothers, and various types from the cider bus.

I think for me I just save my cider love for the big G, and it adds to the whole experience.

That said, I've had a few blootered times where I've forgot how damned potent the stuff is, like last year where on the Friday I'd missed the first Posh Friday meet and went to the Brothers bar until the next meet.

Few pints of Brothers + baking hot sun = me needing to go for a lie down

[MadCampingNut]

I drank 7 bottles of Brothers Pear on sat night. I woke up the next morning to stories of me constanly repeating myself when talking, rocking from side to side when sleeping and that fact i'd decided to unravel one of my shoelaces and my trainers , non of which I remember.

[gravejr]

When ever my friends order any form of 'pear cider' they get a 10 minute lecture on how 'pear cider' is an oxymoron and it's actually called perry with a good real perry easily being identifiable by the fact it'll give you the shits after a few.[/short rant]

As for the Cider bus I'm not too keen, too much tanins for my tastebuds. I preferred the sweeter stuff I found in a cider bar hidden in Shangri La. I have vague memories of this anyway.

[whateverman]

Any recommends for decent cider at Glasto? None of this re-branded Babysham stuff (although I probably will anyway ).

Edited June 6, 2011 by whateverman

[pie_and_a_pint]

Any recommends for decent cider at Glasto? None of this re-branded Babysham stuff (although I probably will anyway ).

[MrHew]

Any recommends for decent cider at Glasto? None of this re-branded Babysham stuff (although I probably will anyway ).

[snipe]

When ever my friends order any form of 'pear cider' they get a 10 minute lecture on how 'pear cider' is an oxymoron and it's actually called perry with a good real perry easily being identifiable by the fact it'll give you the shits after a few.[/short rant]

Edited June 6, 2011 by snipe

[shiveringsky]

In Brecon last year I tried this gorgeous cider called Happy Daze. If I could track it down again I'd have some very happy days indeed. It was scrumptious!

[The Pumpkin King]

I once drunk a cider

[jimmystobo]

diamond white FTW.

[DrWackadoodle]

Don't get it ... tastes like detol to me.

[clockworkpurple]

In Brecon last year I tried this gorgeous cider called Happy Daze. If I could track it down again I'd have some very happy days indeed. It was scrumptious!

[LusciousLucy]

Orchard Pig whose orchard and cider house is literally a mile or so west of the festival fence sells its wares at a stall just before the west car parks entrance. Thats lovely stuff, proper pressed cider. You can get in on tap in a fair amount of pubs now too. You have to book or call ahead I think if you want to visit apparently.

Avoid the Black Rat if you see that sold by the roadside, it is not pleasant and scarily orange in colour too.

If you are in the area on the Tuesday pre fest, head over to Street and to Hecks cider farm. Their single varietal perry DOES as gravejr mentions, gives you the most evil of bowel movements but the bloody stuff tastes SOOOOO good, almost like pear juice and yet 8.4%. There are Efesters I know who will actually take Imodium before indulging in this awesome tasting liquid IBS in a pint pot!

When we first bought it in 09, a number of us thought we had caught food poisoning but no, it was the fruit acids eating away at our bowels Heyho!

[tilt]

Still considering buying a 20L keg of Old Rosie but it sends me a bit mad after a couple of pints, not sure the wife would stand for it

[devonhammer]

A true perry gets its alcohol from fermentation of pears. Pear cider as sold by brothers, kopparberg, bulmers, rekkerdelig etc is usually cider (fermented apples) that pear flavouring has been added to. I'm sure some traditional perry is being remarketed as Pear Cider now but I've yet to see one.

Anyone recommend any of the roadside ciders that pop up close to the festival? Never been brave enough to risk them but perhaps this year.

[gravejr]

A true perry gets its alcohol from fermentation of pears. Pear cider as sold by brothers, kopparberg, bulmers, rekkerdelig etc is usually cider (fermented apples) that pear flavouring has been added to.

[Robster86]

Stowford Press or Westons Organic are winning!

[devonhammer]

Then it's still perry and I will be walking round Glastonbury sectretly getting really pissed of every time I hear someone calling Brothers cider. Likely I'll be too pissed having caved in to drinking what evers cheap and strong(ish) and stop not caring pretty quickley

I need to look this up for my next lecture. I can also add that that even alot of the 'factory' ciders (all the White ____ and possibly Stongbow etc. as well)are fermented corn syrup with about 10% apple from concentrate and loads of sweeteners.

[tilt]

Then it's still perry and I will be walking round Glastonbury sectretly getting really pissed of every time I hear someone calling Brothers cider.

[LusciousLucy]

I've posted this before after reading it in the CAMRA magazine but here you go...prepare to be quite possibly surprised when you find out just how many of these 'ciders' you love arent 'real'

Ciders not recognised as being Real

Below is a list of the most common ciders that CAMRA does not recognise as being real:

Please note that this list is not necessarily complete.

The most common reasons a cider or perry is not considered to be real are that it is carbonated, pasteurised, micro-filtered, or concentrate juice has been used.

Addlestones

Aspall

Ashton Press

Brothers

Bulmers

Diamond White

Dry Blackthorn

Gaymer's

Jacques

K Cider

Kopparberg

Magners

Merrydown

Rattler

Rekorderlig

Samuel Smith's

Saxon

Saxon Farm

Scrumpy Jack

St Helier

Stowford Press

Strongbow

Taunton

Thatchers Gold

Thistly Cross Cider

Westons Ice

Woodpecker

'any cider with fruit flavour added'

......................................

Basically anything that is carbonated hasnt probably seen the inside of a proper cider press.

Linky to CAMRA's notes about real cider etc.

[LusciousLucy]

If on the other hand, the cider you are drinking comes from a barrel, has bits floating in it, is a funny brown/prangey colour, tastes and smells fairly farmyardy and has you rushing to the longdrops within a pint, then you are drinking 'real' cider.

I am very lucky to live just 14 or so miles from the National Cider & Perry Centre between Lewes & Eastbourne in East Sussex. Tis a lovely place, 50 barrels of cider from across the country and the choice changes a couple of times a year. Ok, so it isnt in the heart of Zoider Country but the view is as lovely as Somerset and being able to pop down whenever I want and buy Cider Bus cider (Burrowhill) on a whim is marvellous!

[cassandra13]

For anyone coming from the south west area, Sheppy's cider farm is just off the motorway, the junction before Taunton is best and it is signposted well. They do very good cider in plastic kegs which can be refilled anytime.

[Barty]

Im coming into Glasto (soooo excited!!) by car and wanna get a plastic keg of proper good somerset cider on the way in I think, I've read that you can get Orchard pig but are there any others being sold that people know of?

Cheers m'dears

[Homer]

This is surprisingly nice for only £1.48 for two litres (not too sweet and almost appears quite 'flat'). Bit weak at 4.2, maybe good as a breakfast cider.

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?trailSize=1&searchString=cider+hawk&domainName=Products&headerVersion=v1&_requestid=43523

For those who can splash out on £3 for two litres, the pear variety's also very nice (and goes up to a whopping 4.5 - maybe have that one for lunch).

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?trailSize=1&searchString=cider&domainName=Products&headerVersion=v1&_requestid=45267

All joking aside, I drink a fair bit of cider (I is Brizzle) and I would recommend both of these (especially for the cash).

[Straight Through]

I'm heading to the Weston’s factory tomorrow for my usual 20l box of Old Rosie

Must hide it somewhere for the next 11 days though.