From Caledon, Ontario comes this aged off-dry cider. Spirit Tree refers to this cider as having "bold apple flavour followed by hints of honey and spice." I notice the spice but no so much the honey. They not that it is aged in their cellars, and it may be in casks because I notice woody flavour that adds astringency and, to me, is quite off-putting. 5/10
A new offering from the Loch Mór Cider Co of Hillier, Prince Edward County, Ontario. I usually avoid flavoured ciders, but I do like cherry and after really enjoying the Goldkehlchen Sauerkirsche in Austria I was willing to try another. Made with just apple cider and sour cherries this has an intense cherry flavour but as the name suggests, like the Goldkehlchen, is not sweet. 9/10
(They offer 10 other ciders, most available only on site. Located at 890 Danforth Rd, Hillier, ON)
From Niagara, Ontario comes this cider made from heirloom apple varieties (they don't say which ones). They describe it as dry but I would call it off-dry. Its light colour and taste and refreshing but with a slightly old-apple taste on the finish. An okay but not exceptional cider. 6/10
From France comes this off-dry dark cider with a distinctively French style (the name "Chouette" means "owl"). Many French ciders are darker than most I have tried and have a pronounced apple flavour. This one especially has an apple skin bouquet and taste that suggests they ferment with the skins of the apple which also makes them more tannic. 8/10.
From Waupoos Cider Company of Waupoos, Ontario comes this full-flavour dry cider. It has pronounced farm fresh apple bouquet that gives way to a strong, dry flavour. Despite a 6.5% alcohol content, it doesn't taste that strong. I give it 9/10!
From West Avenue Cider House of Hamilton, Ontario comes a couple of new ciders for my 100th and 101st ciders. The Little Mac has a pronounced apple flavour and a nice off-dry finish. Made from 100% Macintosh apples it has a fresh apple taste and bouquet. It is now my favourite! 9.5/10
The Heritage Dry is a definitely dry with a medium-light taste and an initial astringency which fades after a few sips. Very good. 7.5/10
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| This relatively new cidery has an extensive range of ciders totaling 16! They make still and sparkling ciders as well as an ice cider and a couple of non-alcoholic ciders. |
I've now tried 99 ciders thanks in part to the 31 that I tried on my trip to Europe in 2023 (16 of those in England). The British Cider Championship was held at the Royal Bath & West Show in Somerset. Besides the professional judging for the championship there was a public judging of a flight of 5. You merely picked your favourite cider, you didn't rank them. These were Rawlins, Moons, Bollhayes, Blackmore Vale, and Dowdings.
I voted for Rawlins as my favourite of the five. Dry with a light flavour but very good. 7.5/10
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| Rawlins | Moons | Bollhayes | Blackmore Vale | Dowdings |
| Moons - this was not too bad but had little flavour. 6/10 Bollhayes - just an average cider, nothing special. 6.5/10 Blackmore Vale - this was good quality but far too sweet for me. 6/10 Dowdings - this was too light with little flavour. 5/10 |
From this well known perry maker, Hecks makes this nice dry but with very light pear flavour. More astringent than most perries but it grows on you. 7/10
I tried this at a restaurant in the Bristol Airport.
Orchard Thieves is part of the Heineken Group who claim they are the biggest cider producer in the world, producing ciders in the UK, Belgium and Ireland!
This cider is made in Ireland and has a medium weight — off-dry with a nice, even drier finish. Very good light apple flavour. Excellent! 8.5/10
From Hamburg (Elbler refers to the Elbe River that flows through Hamburg) comes the Elbler Flut (meaning "dry") cider. Amber coloured with a light bouquet, I was told it was the drier of the two on offer, but it is still on the slightly sweet side. Medium apple flavour that finishes off dry and has 5% alcohol. A little sweeter than I usually like but good for its type. 6.5/10
From Somerset comes Pilton's keeved cider. "Keeving" means to make a cider naturally sweet without adding sugar by stopping the fermentation process. It is popular in England and France. The cider is fermented in cooler weather, and pectin from the apples slowly forms on the surface. The layer of pectin forms a barrier which slows the fermentation process by trapping nitrogen, and thus some of the natural sugars in the juice remain unfermented.
This cider is full flavoured, off-dry and smooth with a nice apple flavour. Initially slightly sweet but finishes drier. 7/10
Had this while in Somerset, England. Ad Astra is a nice run-of-the-mill off-dry cider. Good. 6.5/10
I had tried their Suffolk cider. I tried this one at the Wetherspoon at Gatwick Airport. Aspall Draught is a standard commercial brand with a smooth flavour like Strongbow. Okay. 7/10
I visited Perry's Farm in Somerset and tried a few of their ciders: Vintage, Barn Owl, Grey Heron, Redstreak and Dabinett. I did this on their "flight" of 5 samples, though I did have a half of Vintage.
This Austrian apple cider is light in taste and in alcohol - 3%. Its is made from the Steirischer (or Styrian) apple and has a lightly sweet taste (despite being called "trocken") with a smooth finish. Made by the drinks manufacturer Rauschend Feine Weine. 6.5/10
A couple of interesting Austrian ciders from Vienna. One was an apple pear blend (65%/35%). Off-dry, the pear taste is quite subtle but makes for an interesting flavour. A nice light but lingering flavour. 7.5/10
The other was a type I usually never try: a flavoured cider. This one with cherry (13%), but because it was call "sauerkirsche" I thought it might not be too sweet. It wasn't and it tasted great. It is like a diluted cherry brandy or a light and more sour cherry liqueur. 9/10
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| Apple & Pear | Sauerkirsche |
I'm not sure if this would be called and Austrian or Belgian cider. I tried it in Austria but it is actually made in Belgium, but made (according to their website) from 100% Austrian apples. They also make an apple-pear blend cider. It is off-dry to slightly sweet, has a good apple flavour that lingers and has a very nice finish, though slightly sweeter than I like. 7/10
The first Dutch cider I tasted was the very good and strong offering by Elegast. At 7.2% it is the strongest cider I have tasted. It doesn't taste strong, but the dryness gives it a bite. Has a very good initial and aftertaste. This is made in farmhouse style so it is a little cloudy and mine had a tiny amount of must at the bottom. 7.5/10
Bear cider from Beerzepoort, The Netherlands is an off-dry cider with a nice apple flavour that continues to a long finish that is drier. I had the original "cloudy" unfiltered farmhouse style (but no must). Quite good. 7/10
Ruwet is from Geraardsbergen, Belgium. I tried both the regular and brut versions of their ciders. Both are made from 100% Jonagold apples. The brut was quite dry (but not insanely dry)—just right for me. After 3-4 sips it seemed less dry. It has a light apple flavour initially but the fruit lingers, and it has a nice foam head.9/10
The regular cider is off-dry with a light apple flavour that starts sweeter and finishes off-dry. Has a very faint allspice nose barely noticeable in the taste. 6.5/10
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| Brut | Regular |
From France comes Wignac, a very French style full-bodied organic cider. Located in the Ardennes, they also make a rosé and a non-alcoholic cider. It is amber coloured with a distinct apple bouquet. A full apple flavour, just off-dry, finishes with a slight astringency. Now my favourite cider. 9.5/10
I tried these at the Royal Bath & West Show at their booth: a medium cider, a perry and a sparkling perry. The medium apple cider was very good with medium flavour strength and smooth - 7/10. The sparkling perry was good - 6.5/10. The still perry was slightly sweet (as most perries are) with a very slight astringency on the finish - just right to help cut the sweetness. Now my favourite perry! 9.5/10
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I tried this at Coopers Mill pub in Yeovil, Somerset, England. From nearby Frome comes this full flavoured cider from Lilley's with a hint of mango. It is sweeter than I like, but is excellent. 7.5/10
I bought in Valletta, Malta this Swedish, so called, "premium" cider. It was disappointing — being too sweet and though it had a light pear taste had an artificial pear aftertaste. The company makes many varieties of flavoured ciders but I won't likely try any of them. 4/10.
By the Athenian Brewery S.A. comes this semi-sweet cider with a light taste and a hint of tannin in the finish. Not a pure apple cider and a little sweeter than I normally like. Might be refreshing on a hot day if nothing else is available. "ΜΗΛΟ ΚΛΕΦΤΗΣ" means "Apple Thief." 5.5/10
There are a number of ciders to avoid particularly ones that are not pure cider, which are the ones I avoid. I particularly look for the label that says "made from 100% apples." Some cider makers use artificial flavours and/or aromatics, or other strange ingredients. On one so-called "cider" I tried apple was the fourth ingredient after water, vodka and sugar! So here's a list of ones to avoid:
Somersby, which is produced by Carlsberg in Denmark, is very popular and cheap. They call its product an "apple flavoured cider" and is a good example of "so-called" cider. Here is its list of ingredients: water, fermented apple juice, sugar, apple juice concentrate, citric acid, flavour, potassium sorbate, caramel colour, sulphites. It should be called an "apple flavoured drink," not a cider. Similarly, the ingredients of Milos Kleftis of Greece are concentrated apple juice with sucrose, water, sucrose syrup, plain caramel (colour), malic acid, carbonic acid, sulfites (antioxidant), and natural aromas (?!).
Duckchicken Cider, UK
Milo Kleftis, Greece
Rekorderlig, Sweden
Somersby, Denmark
Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan
May 17-19, 2023
East Coast Cider Festival, Halifax NS
May 20, 2023
Location: Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, 1919 Upper Water St, Halifax, NS B3J 3J5 (map)
Will feature 22 cider makers from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and P.E.I.
Devon County Show
May 18-20, 2023
Location: Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, EX5 1DJ
Royal Bath & West Show
June 1-3, 2023
Location: The Royal Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6QN (map)
This event is a little different, The Royal Bath and West Show is a renowned agricultural event. It also plays host to the British Cider Championship. In fact, The Royal Bath & West Society set up the competition in 1895. It is thought that theirs is the oldest cider competition in the world. This year, a selection of ciders will be available each day to show-goers. Another interesting element of the show are the tutor-led cider tasting sessions.
Accommodations in or near Shepton. The Pecking Mill Inn. or The Lion at West Pennard only 5 1/2 miles from Shepton Mallet. Note that Wells is a larger town and is only 5 1/2 miles from Shepton Mallet, and Glastonbury is 10 miles away.
Brogdale Cider Trail
August 26 & 27, 2023
Location: Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ (map)
"Savour the summer while you sample over 40 ciders, locally produced.... Exclusive barrels of scrumptious cider and Perry will be racked and ready for visitors to sample. A great experience for all the family with ciders usually only stocked in selected outlets!... A free shuttle bus will be running from Faversham mainline train station to Brogdale throughout the weekend.... A great day out, just over an hour from London, in the heart of the Kent countryside."
See Faversham accommodations site here.
Armagh Food and Cider Festival
September 7-10, 2023
Location: The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre, Armage, Northern Ireland
Lots of events related to cider and food take place in and around Armagh. Cider tasting, orchard tours, cooking classes, casual to fine dining in various local restaurants, and much more: a total of 40 different events! A cider and cheese show takes place at Crannagael House, located about 10 miles from Armagh. Tickets are required for different events and locations and should be purchased as early as possible because many sell out early. The main cider tasting event takes place at The Market Place Theatre and Arts Centre and tickets costs £10.
Malvern Autumn Show
September 22-24, 2023
Location: Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW (map)
Part of the fall festival is the Westons Cider Mill sponsored selection of Hereford ciders such as Oliver's Cider and Perry.
Places to stay: nearest the Showground is The Dell House B&B, or the Cottage in the Woods Hotel. Also see the Malvern accommodation site for many B&Bs and hotels in the area.
