This ‘missing out on lunch’-method of losing lard seems to be working quite well for me. What is even better (although not perhaps on the ‘minimising calorie intake’-front) is that I am so pleased with myself for fighting off the crazy hunger all day that I feel quite justified in rewarding myself with a nice little drinkie. Today I am drinking Westons Perry.

This perry is suitably charged with booze action, being 7.4%, but the thing I like best about it is its lovely, slightly sweet fruitiness. Nothing wrong with liking slightly sweet or fruity things, of course, and such drinks are not just for the ladies. I’m a big man and I feel quite at ease drinking this charming beverage. Yeah, a big man!

Westons make an excellent range of cider and perry. My favourite ciders of theirs are the Henry Westons Special Reserve Vintage Cider, which clocks in at a suitably heroic 8.2%, and their Organic Vintage Still Cider, tipping the scales at 7.3%. This last one is flat and comes in a three-litre bag in box. Despite this unattractive packaging, which suggests to some people that it is merely fuel for alcoholics, it is a really complex and interesting cider. More in the style that real cider twats go for instead of being a charming, fizzy fruit-fest, but it is properly good and not actively nasty. In view of this I would be fascinated to try their news release, pictured below.

It may only be 6%, it may be organic (which isn’t a factor that even remotely concerns me when I go drink shopping), but if it is up to the quality of the Still Vintage Cider, I can see it being characterful and compelling. I’ve got to look out for vats of this in the shops; I don’t think I’ll be disappointed by it.

We are told (by a most informative article on the Slate) that cider is going to be the next big thing in the US. This would be a Good Thing as real cider is a characterful, improving drink; we all need characterful, improving drinks from time to time. As the Slate article points out, most commercial ciders in the US are made from eating apples or concentrated apple juice; this means they’ll never be terribly complex or interesting expressions of cider. However, before we slag off our cousins over the pond let us not forget that the big names in cider over here in Blighty (Strongbow, Dry Blackthorn, Woodpecker and the like) are also filth made from concentrated juice. I’ve never had any of the US artisanal producers of cider mentioned in the Slate, but given the high enjoyment factor and general affordability of decent cider I’d suggest that my reader from the US keeps their eyes open for them. I’d be very pleased to hear your opinions should those ciders (or any other decent offerings) be found. Of course, if you see a bottle of Westons (who seem to make more high quality cider than it is possible to believe) or any of the other cider I’ve recommended, you should buy it and enjoy a taste of England.

Cheers!

I’m currently drinking a glass of ‘Premier Cru Suffolk cider’ from Aspall, it is really rather good. What is even better about it is that it is currently on sale at Sainsburys; three bottles for a fiver. A keen price for a tasty cider.

There are better bargains out there at the moment. Ocado, the online supermarket, are selling Westons’ ciders at three bottles for four pounds. This means the wonderful, booze monster Henry Westons Special Reserve Vintage cider and the fruit-tastic Perry are now even better value. Buy some and have fun.

Badger Apple Wood Cider, originally uploaded by David Strange.

Badger Apple Wood Cider, 6%
This may not be the most heroic, the most characterful, or the most generally complex cider I've had in my life, but it is one of the nicest. It has a good, sweet, fresh fruit character which is backed up by a reasonable degree of sugar on the palate. It is still dry enough to have with food, though. Quite tasty.

Let us be honest, good as this is the drier and more booze-tastic offerings from Westons hit our love spot more often.

I took a picture of this the other day but didn’t review it. I worry that in this space of time someone might have been fooled into buying this piss-boring, slightly vile cider and so thrown their money away on a poor fun investment.

Waitrose Organic Vintage Cider 2008, 5%
This dreary nose just smells a little bit dirty and a little bit apple-y, just too much like a miserable autumn morning in the rain in an orchard. It is just mildly nasty, and as one who would rather be offended than bored this gets my back up on both counts. The palate is a work of vapid, trite and generally mediocre favours which you just don’t feel have any depth. It could be that this just isn’t strong enough, a higher booze-quotient would give body and carry the flavours. I don’t believe that, though, I’ve had very good 5% cider. This is just dreadful, dull, dire, dish-water.

Delicious, bubbly, tasty cider of the type despised by real cider twats, but why premier cru? The label makes no mention of it coming from a specific orchard, let alone a special location in an orchard. Do they do a grand cru, I wonder? I’ve just looked at their website and no they don’t.

Dry Premier Cru Suffolk Cyder, 7%, Aspall
This has a lovely clean nose of apples; not a hint of rot or anything nasty. Just lots of fresh fruit and flowery hints there. The palate is rather dry, with good, refreshing acidity and a fine mousse. The fruit really is quite attractive and together with its dryness and bubbles make this a totally refreshing drink. I’d say you could drink pint after pint of this but since a bottle contains 3.5 UK units drinking more than a bottle would have the health and safety nazis after you for binge drinking. If I had another bottle I’d say bollocks to them and enjoy it with great pleasure. Lovely stuff.

My last post on the vat of cider the neighbours and us necked last night may not have been entirely transparent.

Like wine, cider is a partially spoiled product, this allows it to keep without getting anymore off and stops any nasty bugs from living in it. However, people I shall loosely refer to as ‘real cider twats’ take this idea a bit too seriously. If you go to a real ale festival where they have cider on offer it will invariably be more than a bit partially spoiled, it’ll be completely bitter, rancid and horrible. And the real cider twats just love this. They are wrong, in my utterly opinionated opinion. It is nice to have a bit of freshness, fruit and even some bubbles can be pleasing. Now this may mark me out as a beginner lover of cider in the eyes of the real cider twats, but I couldn’t care less. As I often say, nice things are nicer than nasty things, and I’d rather have some good, delicious cider than something that tastes of spoiled, rotten vinegar.

A three litre bag in the box of cider? Fuel for alcoholics, you might think. Well, possibly, but this is no Diamond Ice, it is really good. It costs a mere two quid per litre; good cider is such a bargain.

Weston’s organic vintage still cider 2008, 7.3%
This has just enough of the rancid apple aroma of proper, quality cider; powerfully fruity and quite impressively complex. There is a good depth of character to its nose. This smells like serious cider. The palate is really dry, but has a hint of alcoholic richness. Its flavour persists for a long time, so I am pleased it tastes nice. There is a lot of interest here, good stuff, very good stuff as far as cider goes. It has the correct degree of ‘partially-spoiled product’ character, but is nowhere near as horribly off as most ciders one tries at a real ale festival. Top bunny, if you ask me, which I suppose you are if you are reading this.

Some ciders are actively unpleasant, and strangely it is the nasty ones that 'real cider twats' seem to prefer. This, on the other had, is an enjoyable drink.

Henney's Frome Valley Dry Cider, 6%
An only moderately rancid nose of apple-skin fruit. It smells quite attractive, only slightly rotten. The palate is lovely and fruity, quite dry and with a delicate fizziness. There is a degree of astringency with adds to the interest, but it is not so pronounced to make it nasty. It is a very refreshing drink to quaff on a November afternoon.