The second Eden Grove cider I've tried. It has a dark amber colour. The bouquet is a fairly strong dry butterscotch as is the initial taste. The aftertaste settles into a off-putting artificial flavour that isn't even apple-like. So far the worst cider I've ever tasted. 4/10
Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan
May 15-17, 2024
East Coast Cider Festival, Halifax NS
May 18, 2024
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, near Exeter, Devon
May 16-18, 2024
Like the Royal Bath & West Show, this is a huge county fair with all the events associated with that, but include beer and cider exhibits that they say "has a bigger and better range of real ales and ciders than you will find at any other agricultural show." That is quite a claim considering the range of ciders I saw at the RB&WS in 2023.
Accommodations near the Showgrounds: Riverdown Bed & Breakfast (4 miles), The Devon Hotel (4.7 miles), Woodbury Park Hotel (4.9 miles), Larkbeare Grange (5.1 miles), The Grange Court Hotel (7 miles).
Location: Westpoint, Clyst St Mary, Exeter, EX5 1DJ
Gower Cheese and Cider Weekend
Date May 19 & 20, 2024
Head to the Gower Heritage Centre in Parkmill, Gower, for the Gower Cheese and Cider Weekend. Enjoy a weekend of trying out a variety of Welsh ciders and cheese, including some made on site. There is a Welsh Perry & Cider Society.
Public transport: Caldicot (Gowerton 
) then #116 bus from Cecil Road, Gowerton to Llanrhidian Turn near Gower.
Royal Bath & West Show
May 30-June 1, 2024
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 near the Showgrounds: Prestleigh Inn (1/2 mile), The Pecking Mill Inn (1.2 miles), Middleton House Bed & Breakfast (2.5 miles), Maplestone (2.9 miles), The Lion at West Pennard (6.7 miles). Note that Wells, the nearest large town, is 7 1/2 miles from the Showgrounds; Glastonbury is 11 1/2 miles away.
Public transport: Nearest rail stop is Frome (Frome GWR). Frome Bus has a regular run from Frome to Shepton Mallet. Download schedule here.
Taste of Kent Food & Drink Festival
June 13, 2024
Location: University of Kent, Gulbenkian Arts Centre, CT2 7NZ
The Taste of Kent is a months' long food and drink competition of over 300 growers, producers, pubs and restaurants in Kent. The festival on June 13th is a public showcase of the top 50. I became aware of this through an online posting by Kentish Pip Cider who are one of the .
Public transport: From London, St. Pancras take the Southeastern Rail to Canterbury (Canterbury West ). Take taxi or Stagecoach bus to the university.
Brogdale Cider Trail
August 24 & 25, 2024
Location: Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ (map)
"Savour the summer while you sample over 40 ciders, locally produced. Brogdale rolls up the barn doors to local producers of artisan and specialist cider. 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."
Accommodations near the Showgrounds: Premier Inn, Faversham (0.9 miles)
Public transport: Faversham (Faversham )
Armagh Food and Cider Festival
Date September 5-8, 2024
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.
September 27-29, 2024
Location: Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 6NW (map)
Part of the fall festival is the Westons Cider Garden: "Our ever-popular Cider Garden, courtesy of Westons Cider Mill, will offer weary legs a comfy spot for some R&R in the heart of the showground. Visitors can pull up a seat and enjoy a refreshing tipple of Hereford’s finest."
Festival of Perry: "There will be a range of single varieties, blends and international perries to try, plus a display of various types and sizes of presses, scratters and small scale cider making equipment. A range of perry producers will also be on hand to talk about the art of perry making and will offer tips on looking after your orchard and how to promote this unique and highly valued drink."
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.
From Walden, New York comes this very commercial flavoured cider. (I note that the one I tried was for the Canadian market because "flavour" has the Canadian/British spelling.)
"Flavoured" here meaning the addition of "natural flavours" (unspecified) and also added sugar. It is amber coloured with almost no bouquet. The taste is sweet with a very light apple taste and similar aftertaste. I don't care for sweet ciders, but even for a sweet cider is is just okay. 6.5/10
From Toronto, Batch:1904 is an off-dry cider, amber coloured with a nice dry-apple bouquet. A good apple flavour with a light astringency and a subtle tannic finish. 8/10
Despite its name this is not an overly sweet cider. Though off-dry, a distinct astringency on the finish makes it seem drier. It has a light colour and bouquet with a medium-light taste. 8/10
From Thornbury, Ontario their cider is off-dry with a light apple bouquet and a light apple taste with a freshness and a subtle crispness. Slightly sweeter than I usually like but still quite good. 7.5/10
From Thornbury, Ontario this "perry" is made from apple cider to which apple and pear juice, and cane sugar have been added. It has a light pear bouquet and a medium-sweet pear taste. Most perries are sweet but this one is just okay being not as sweet as some I've tried. 6.5/10
Produced in Baltimore, Ontario (near Coburg), Rice Lake is a very dry cider that is quite different from most Ontario ciders I have tried. First it is cloudy almost like a scrumpy, has almost no bouquet, and an okay light astringency. It has a very light taste that is surprising given its 6.2% alcohol content. 6/10
(They also make a Slo-Hopped Dry Cider.)
