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1 month ago
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Britain’s cidermakers are enjoying one of their best harvests in years thanks to the long, hot summer — but the fine weather has produced drinks too strong to sell to pubs.
An abundance of sunshine has led to record sugar levels in apples, which in turn have fermented into ciders well above the typical strength demanded by publicans.
For small-scale producers, it has created a paradox: an exceptional year for fruit quality, but a commercial headache when it comes to selling the results.
“It has really been a vintage bumper crop this year,” said Rob Clough, who runs Charnwood Cider in Ulverscroft, Leicestershire. “But pubs don’t really want to have 8.5 per cent cider. Most want stuff that’s about 6 per cent and I’ve got one coming out at 10.5 per cent this year. I’m going to keep that one for personal consumption.”
Clough among his orchards in Ulverscroft, Leicestershire TOM MADDICK/SWNS There is no law preventing cider stronger than 8.4 per cent from being sold in pubs. However, the excise-duty system sets a clear dividing line: cider of up to 8.5 per cent alcohol content is taxed at the lower “cider” rate, while anything stronger is reclassified as wine and taxed far more heavily. That sharp increase in duty makes higher-strength ciders prohibitively expensive for pubs and producers alike. As a result, nearly all commercial ciders stop short of the 8.5 per cent mark, and large-scale producers dilute their drink with water, sugar or apple concentrate to maintain a consistent strength and taste. Yet craft producers such as Clough, 45, decline to alter their drinks. “I never water it down,” he said. “it’s a proper traditional British drink and I like to keep it that way.” • First it was berries, not it’s an apple boom after stunning summer Clough has been making cider for two decades and selling it commercially for 15 years. From his two-and-a-half-acre orchard of more than 500 trees, he produces about 5,000 litres of cider and perry each year. Roughly 300 of his trees, planted 15 years ago, are reaching full maturity — just as the country experiences one of its sunniest growing seasons on record. “The hot weather has led to richer, bolder flavours than in previous years,” he said. “The fruit can produce more sugars the sunnier it is, and there have been no late frosts either. That means stronger cider.” For now, Clough plans to divert his most potent batches into premium bottled ciders, sold in 750ml bottles and intended to be shared with food rather than served by the pint. “The pubs won’t take cider over 8.4 per cent, but it gives me the opportunity to market these as specialist, vintage bottles — more like a wine alternative,” he said. “They’re very flavoursome, and great for sharing with friends.” Any cider above 8.5 per cent alcohol content is classified as wine and taxed more heavily SWNS A former park ranger from Rutland, Clough started making cider with a group of friends after noticing unused apple trees in local gardens. “We rented a press from a home-brew shop and I never looked back,” he said. “It grew from there, and now it’s a sustainable business. There’s hardly any electricity used and the orchards are brilliant for biodiversity — we’ve got about 25 varieties of cider apples now.” The National Association of Cider Makers said that the warm spring and long, dry summer had produced apples “full of rich flavours and natural sweetness”, and growers across the country were reporting some of their largest and best-tasting harvests in years. In Oxfordshire, James Pearce of Kicking Goat Cider in Stoke Row said that the heat had accelerated ripening, forcing producers to bring forward their pressing schedules because apples were dropping earlier than usual. Further south, in Devon, Barny Butterfield, founder of Sandford Orchards, described the season as “an incredibly special year”, joking: “I think God’s a cidermaker. Everything about this year has been ideal for the fruit — the warmth, the lack of frost, the sunshine. The apples are magnificent.” In Somerset, Showerings Cider, in Shepton Mallet, expects to harvest up to 3,000 tonnes of apples this autumn — triple last year’s yield. “The unprecedented sun is going to create a vintage like I’ve never seen before,” said its director, Nick Showering. • Six of the best ciders — tried and tested by our expert Craft producers may struggle to get their strongest ciders into pubs but few are complaining. In a country that has seen unpredictable seasons, spring frosts and poor fruit yields in recent years, the long hot summer has offered a reminder of what British orchards can still deliver. “These are artisan craft ciders from a really vintage year,” Clough said. “They’re going to be rich, flavoursome and truly one of a kind.”
