Unlike real ale production, which can happen at any time of the year, real cider & perry can only be made when the fruit is ripe. Great skill goes into producing both products. Great store is placed by the Craft Brewer in the quality of ingredients and variety of flavours created by the malt, hops, yeast and water used to brew the beer.
It is a Producer rather than a Brewer that makes cider & perry. They may use a mixture of bittersweet and bittersharp cider apples or sweet dessert apples, or a mixture of the two to make cider; but perry can only be made from specialized perry pears, which are high in natural tannin.
The choosing, pressing and blending of the fruit to make cider is just as much of a craft as making beer and produces a vast range of tastes, styles and aromas, similar to those produced in fine wine. Like wine, each year's fruit produces a unique vintage, so much so that cider and perry have been sometimes called 'The Wine of the West'.
October is a very active time for producers, especially for those who make only a small amount of cider. Harvest time for cider fruit is roughly from September to November and by October production is in full flow.
We are now accepting submissions for your Cider & Perry events during October. Whether you are a pub licensee, brewer, CAMRA branch volunteer or just a pub goer we are interested to know about any events your are hosting or have heard about.
The photo shows Nigel Cuff of Wessex Cider (left) Matt Dean, landlord of The Duke of York (second from left), with pub regulars and members of Salisbury and South Wilts CAMRA.
To celebrate CAMRA's Cider Month, the Salisbury and South Wilts branch of CAMRA joined forces with Wessex Cider and the Duke of York public house in Salisbury to present a Meet the Cider Maker event on Saturday 8 October.
View Cider Month events
CAMRA has launched a new scheme to promote pubs serving real cider. If a pub near you has at least one real cider available throughout the year then please submit the pubs details below and we'll send out a free window sticker to the pub.
Submit a real cider pub
Adopt a Cider Pub
Please use the link below to view all the best cider pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.
Find your nearest cider pubs
Another way to get involved in this year's celebrations is to link in with Common Ground's Apple Day on 21 October 2011.
Common Ground is an organisation that encourages other groups to do things, mainly on a campaigning basis. This year is the 21st Apple Day and local events will be taking place throughout the UK in celebration. Last year there were over 250 and the list is still available to see on
their website.
Events submitted for this year's events will be listed by county on the website from August onwards and can be
submitted online now.
In addition to submitting your own events please also look for events that may benefit from having a CAMRA cider bar, or even just a CAMRA presence. Try and get involved in as many ways as you can, especially when they have already organised everything else for you!
Contact:
info@commonground.org.uk
Go to the Common Ground website