Woodpecker Sweet Apple Cider (24 x 500ml Cans)

Product Information

A variety might be called bittersweet it it has a low level of acidity and a high level of tannin, bittersharp if it contains high levels of both, or sharp if it is high in acidity but low in tannin. These terms don’t explicitly include the sugar content of the apples, though this is also an important factor in cidermaking as it drives the alcohol content of the finished product. Thus, while a sweet apple in this categorization scheme has low tannin and low acidity (and thus not ideal in cider, except as part of a blend), the term doesn’t necessarily refer to its sugar content relative to other apples. The categories above break down along these lines (original source: Andrew Lea’s article here, which you should read): Jane was the UK’s first accredited Pommelier (cider sommelier) and Britain's first Beer Sommelier of the Year. She is the instigator and driving force of the UK’s annual national beer day – Beer Day Britain (15 June 15). She is a former Imbibe Magazine Drinks Educator of the Year. For her beer work she was awarded the title Outstanding Individual Achievement in Beer from the Beer & Cider Marketing Awards, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Britain’s All Party Parliamentary Beer Group. The Pears should be dealt with in very much the same way as the apples. They do ripen earlier and once they have they have no keeping qualities. Jane Peyton is an award-winning beer sommelier, writer, broadcaster and founder of the School of Booze – a drinks consultancy and corporate events production company. When it comes to cider testing, we conduct rigorous taste tests to ensure that every bottle and can is worth your hard earned cash. We gather a number of cider samples that are either currently or soon to arrive on the market and taste each submission for our initial thoughts. Those that make it through the first round are then subject to further testing, where we compare like for like ciders to find the best in specific categories.

in a commercial context, when ABV exceeds 7%, cider is taxed at a higher rate–producers have to monitor this closely as cider can finish upwards of 8% naturally using just apples Here in Australia, cider has played a big role in the drinking landscape since early settlement. While bespoke brewers and local icons like Three Oaks Cider and Pipsqueak have made major waves in the scene, the cider market is still strongly dominated by Mercury and Strongbow. Cider vs Perry Over the course of a couple of weeks, we settled down to testing a range of craft ciders. We wanted our selection to bring together a range of flavour profiles, ABVs and different price points, reflecting the extensive choice now available.

Transfer the cider into the bottle and add one rounded teaspoon of sugar per litre for a slight sparkle and two rounded teaspoons per litre for a more heavily carbonated drink. Seal the bottles and transfer to a warm place for 3 to 4 days (this will give you a secondary fermentation) and then move to a cool place for storage. If the cider has been stabilised or preserved then this will prevent the option of a secondary fermentation. Sweetening the Cider and Pouring

Medium-dry cider has a balanced and complex flavour profile, and is often a good choice for those who are looking for a cider that is not too sweet, but not too dry. It is also a good choice for those who are looking to try cider for the first time, as it offers a more moderate and approachable flavour profile compared to some of the more extreme sweet or dry ciders.

Here’s an example proportion for blending, drawn from Cider: Making, Using, & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider by Proulx and Nichols: Cider Blending Proportions Juice Type Before we dive into content around specific cider varieties, it’s important to put things into context. These days, if you live in a region dominated by large grocery store chains, you could be forgiven for only knowing a handful of apple varieties by name, including such common (at least in North America) varieties as: But let’s return to real cider. Just like wine with grapes, the finished cider will be influenced by the variety of apple. The easiest way of categorising British styles is to focus on the type of apple used to produce the cider – cider apples or domestic eating and cooking apples. There is a vast difference between the two in the characteristics of the finished cider.

Hard cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as an alternative to beer and wine, and is often enjoyed by those who are looking for a gluten-free or low-carb option. As mentioned earlier the best way is to us a pH meter. You are looking for a pH reading in the region of 3.6 to 4.2 pH. Increasing the Acidity More about the relationship between TA and pH in juice can be found in Claude Jolicoeur’s article, Acidity and pH of Apple Juice. Putting It All Together

The best ciders you can buy in 2023

Alcohol levels need to be much higher. We would recommend that you have a start gravity of 1080 which will produce a wine of about 11.5% ABV. It all began in 1878 when Henry Weston settled on a farm in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, and began making oak vat ciders and perries. Five generations of Westons later, they are still based in Much Marcle, having devoted their lives to perfecting the cider that bears their name using the bittersweet apples they grow. Often matured for up to 18 months, these are smooth and rounded ciders; a perfect place to start any cider exploration. Explore more here. Apples grown high in the Welsh mountains, meanwhile, produce a tangy, delicious drink. There can be little doubt that this is a market that has moved on significantly from the sweet cider boom of a few years ago, when the most talked-about tipples were Kopparberg and Rattler. Regardless of the above categories or the measurement tools, you’re essentially looking for the same thing regardless–a juice blend with a balance of acidity, sugar, and tannin which results in a balanced end product: your finished cider. There are many ways in which a cider can be out of balance: