The Trouble with Cider

Cider has been made in this country in one way or another for thousands of years. In certain parts of the country such as Kent and the West Country especially, it has almost mythical status. The orchards of Herefordshire and Worcestershire are ancient and expansive. Cider has a homeland, and it has its own culture, very different to ale and beer.

Our relationship with cider has evolved over time. 50 years ago getting a pint of cider in a pub meant a very limited choice. The variety simply was not there. The push of some popular sparkling brands increased this slightly, but cider was always seen as something quirky, rural and frankly uncool. The association with country bumpkins from Somerset drinking cloudy and very potent scrumpy was hard to break away from. Then there was "Snakebite" and the drinking trend of seeking utter obliteration.

In the West Country cider has survived though it has been a slog. Some orchards have vanished as they have not been seen as viable any longer. Meanwhile, some larger family producers like Westons have done well. Cider has evolved over the last twenty years or so with a lot more variety and the introduction of a much greater range - particularly fruit ciders or other flavours that would get traditionalists hot under the collar. But the fact is that cider drinking in pubs as become much more normalised and while the volumes are nowhere near lager, it is no longer seen as a weird drinking habit of those yokels or others seeking oblivion.

But here's the problem. Modern pub cider is typically sweet and fizzy. What many would call "real" cider is often the opposite. Cider made from West Country orchards would typically be flat and either very sharp or very dry (or both). Nowadays this is called craft cider and retains its traditions and its heartland. This leads to a major challenge for anyone wanting to get into this market - anybody can make cider but getting it into the popular market requires it to fit the modern mould of being sparkling and on the sweeter side. This takes a lot of investment and requires a move away from what many would see as an authentic product. So that leaves crating a craft cider. Craft ciders are then a challenge to sell to the public thanks to the modern expectations.

When we at Wych's Brew moved into making cider we were very much aware that this would not be a simple task. Not only did we have to brew something that was tasty but we had to made it consistently. Not having a mature orchard of our own was one hurdle, but overcome with local contacts. Not having dedicated cider apples was another hurdle that we have addressed through a large variety of apples from different types - eaters, cookers, crab apples et al. We have now planted two bona fide cider apple trees in the orchard, but they will take time to yield results.

Our end product which we slightly sweeten (to take the edge off) with Xylitol, a natural alcohol sugar rather than an artificial sweetener, is a medium, still cider with a lot of apple flavour. We think it tastes, great, especially cold, and we have managed to produce it reasonably consistently. But here's the thing. It's not sparkling, it's not sweet and it's not one of the big commercial producers. We are up against it, especially in Cheshire. But we are trying. The cider is on sale in a couple of venues and we have been fruity variants for customers. We have also had customers respond with disgust at something they see as undrinkable. It's craft cider. It won't be to everybody's taste. But it is a genuine product, hand made with our own cider press and brewing kit, and we are proud of it. We will never have an easy ride with a craft cider, but we will keep trying, keep improving and keep promoting something that remains an ancient method going back thousands of years.