Cider Pages

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My second cider of the evening came in the form of a Westons that I have yet to try. The Family Reserve is a 5% standard cider on draught. Bright, still and golden. Exactly what I have come to expect of Westons ciders on the whole.

I only take a half a pint at a time when reviewing, which usually leaves me with room for more and also capable of writing up notes without either falling asleep or not thinking. Sadly, however, this wasn't going to help my photography - the iPhone insisted that I had no battery life (until I got half way home and it remembered it actually had 50%...) So - if anyone is near the Cider Tap at Euston and can take a photograph of this for me - I would be grateful!

Okay, once again I am getting sulphites in the smell, although there isn't a whole lot else to comment on. This is (I have found) due to the temperature that cider is served in the Tap. Too cold. Perhaps there is the hint of apple... I am sure it would be stronger if it were sold a little less frosty!

Right. The taste. On the positive side is has a faint tannin and acidity to balance it out. There is a fairly washed out fruitiness too - although there is plenty of back sweetening to this medium cider - by that I mean juice (Westons sweetener of choice). This results in the cider having the complexion of apple squash. It is rather watery, to be honest, and I am a touch disappointed.

There is a very short aftertaste. It could be down to the temperature again, although I doubt this has a whole lot more at whatever temperature.

I am trying to think of a positive way of seeing this cider... I guess (once again) it is designed to speak to the masses, where challenging and bold flavours are frowned upon. It's a bit like taking the ubiquitous 1st Quality/Guvnor/Marcle Hill and diluting it a bit. There is traditional west country flavours, but they are very washed out.

Sorry Westons - there are some of your range that I do like... honestly! I just don't think this cider was tailored to someone like me. I have to be objective about this - and it is only my opinion at the end of the day... I just don't like it.

A score of 47/100 puts it just about where I feel.

Here is the other perry that I wanted to try. It is easy to get hold of and, yup, its a Westons. If you sit it side by side with the other bottle it is identical (OK, the bottles are identical). It is actually 0.1% different ABV... but this really means nothing as trading standards allow a 0.5% leeway either way (this it is actually 1% out either way, but lets be honest - that would be really bad form eh!). So, essentially it is identical. Well, not quite.

The difference between these bottles is that one has an ingredients list on it. This allows me to analyse the processes that Weston's use to make the perry/pear cider... if only CAMRA would do it's own homework and work these things out for itself then perhaps their definition of cider and perry wouldn't need constant inspection and adjustment. Here are my notes:

1. Pear juice. This is both juice 'content' and pear juice used to sweeten (which in itself counts towards the juice content even though it is added 'after the fact'). It is encouraging that this is still the main ingredient.
2. Water. This is the second largest constituent and is what is used to cut a cider or perry from, say, 14% down to 7.4% or 7.3%.
3. Glucose Syrup. This is very commonly used to chaptalise - which put simply means increase a gravity (alcohol) from 6% (average pear gravity) to, say, 14%. This is done prior to fermentation and the resulting beverage is stored until required, and then subject to 2.
4. Acidity regulator, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid. Well, this is what happens when you bugger about with cider or perry!
5. Preservative, sulphite. A normal addition
6. Yeast. Clearly (mind you fermenting out to, for example, 14% you will need a yeast that can handle much higher strengths of alcohol than your average yeast.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I support food labelling requirements for alcoholic beverages. Bet you don't see that in the Weston's adverts!

So, let us get on with this perry. I am trying this a day after the Henry Weston's so I should be able to compare them fairly well. Why am I doing this? Well, Westons do have 'form' for releasing the same drink under a different name. Is it wrong? Well, that is not for me to say - I will leave it up to the readers to judge.

It is a medium dry cider, moderately sparkling and yellow in colour. It is also bright and sparkly. It smells of pear juice, although I note that I am not getting sulphite this time - so the pear smell is unhindered.

Sure enough, the taste is very juicy and it comes across as more a medium than medium dry. I do get a touch of tannin and some acid. It is very similar to the Henry Westons I tried last night.

Don't get me wrong - it isn't that it is a terrible drink. It is just uncomplicated, when I find really good quality perry IS complicated. This is attempting to do for perry a kind of cider like experience for the drinker - simple, pear like and pretty strong in alcohol. This is a shame - and even with my limited perry experience I do believe it is a mistake.

As for the two perries being identical. Well, it isn't the first time and, lets be honest, I don't know how the buyers for the supermarkets work. I can certainly forgive this more than, say, producing two (or three or four) ciders that are identical and selling them under your own monika.

Anyway, the scores are somewhat identical too. 56/100.

Moving on with perry - well, why not get the 'easy to get hold of perries' first. Here we have a couple of perries that I would like to try alongside each other. Well, I say that - one does call itself a pear cider, but both are made by Weston's.As a start, lets try the real deal - Weston's own Vintage Perry. The bottle is easy to recognise (whether it says Westons, Asda, M&S or whatever) - is the perry?

At 7.4%, this is not a perry to be taken too lightly. It is described as a medium dry (though in my experience of Weston's this probably makes it a medium). It pours out moderately sparkling, pale gold and brightly clear. It certainly looks the part.

Smelling it, there is a distinct pear aroma - a little unusual having smelled other perry that I know to be top class. As a note there is also quite a lot of sulphite too - checking briefly this is a bit of a common theme for Weston's cider, though I am not sure why. I know - why point out about the sulphite? Well, some people are allergic to is, and it is worth noting that, if you can smell it, then its quite heavy.

To taste, it is moderately medium in sweetness and it is all juicy. I am not getting a whole lot of pear on the tongue - or perry flavour to be honest. I cannot assume anything, but this seems to be tailored for those who don't know perry... there doesn't seem to be much else than pear going on. OK, I do get a small touch of tannin, but mostly it is pear.

The longer I drink this perry, the more I feel it is a solid medium. There is some acid here - and this couples with the sweetness to give a moderate length aftertaste.

I think that is enough said. A score of 56 is above average, but I really do feel that as a vintage perry, this should have been more complex - well, a bit anyway!

Well well well. My final cider for the year is... another supermarket cider. Also, it's another Westons... this time proudly stated on the bottle. My final plea this year goes to the supermarkets to do this for all bottles of 'own brand' cider. I think it would not be surprising if Thatchers and Aston Manor take up a good chunk... led of course by the new knowingly outdone Westons.

This is also a limited edition cider. I take it that this actually means that they are only running it through the Christmas period as opposed to it being a limited edition... pardon me for being slightly cynical at both Westons and Tesco - they aren't exactly known for saying things like they are (are they!) Anyway, it is a mulled cider... possibly following on the popularity of the very excellent Aspall version - and the sheer volume of smaller producers selling it at markets and festivals! Anyway, it is nice to find another one, so lets give this a go eh.

My first comments are about the instructions... it may be my own interpretation of a winter cider but this is NOT a mulled cider... there are no spices in it! The only difference between this and a normal Westons cider is that they have added molasses to it. OK, that is a slightly different kind of sugar than they normally use but... well... its a bit bloody lazy isn't it? Fair enough - my brain read 'mulled' when I saw the label, but lets be honest... its not a winter cider, it's just a cider. They even have the cheek to suggest that the drinker do the work by adding the spices!

A more serious point, and one worth bearing in mind is that, whilst it is OK to mull a cider at the point of sale (i.e. it is being adjusted for the punter at the time of drinking) none of the ingredients for mulling cider are included in the HMRC guidelines - so in fact a bottled mulled cider would attract about three times the duty of normal cider - ergo making it prohibitive to produce at a reasonable price. Saying that, I think Westons/Tesco never fail to skew something for their own ends eh. Cheeky buggers!

What is it like then? Having warmed it through (and refused to 'add my own spices') it smells, well, a lott like 1st Quality/Marcle Hill/The Guvnor. Oddly, it is slightly carbonated so fizzed a bit in the pan, but now it smells slightly bittersweet, sweet and quite juicy with a toasty/treacle aroma that must come from the molasses.

I should have tasted this cold, as the heating seems to make it rather watery.and cook out the more complex flavours. Don't get me wrong - it is pleasant, warming and sweet (I have been out in the wind and rain, so it is a welcome distraction). There is a bit of molasses coming through, but on the whole I am getting the sweetness of the cider and some tannins from the fruit. I think it would work well as a mulled cider, so perhaps my advice would be to buy the spices when you buy this... or, quite frankly, buy the spices and a bottle of the Henneys Vintage that is sat near to the Winter Cider and go with that. It is the same price and a damn good cider to start with. OK, lets be fair to Westons, the Westons Vintage would work well too.

There is a lingering aftertaste and it is mostly sweet with some apple too.

Let me be straight - this isn't such a bad cider. I think my sarcastic tone is probably because I feel it is advertised as something it isnt - or squarely fails to live up to. I have scored it as a cider as, well, that is what it is - and it scored 61/100... which is actually better than I had given it credit for.

I hope you are all having a fantastic festive period and, if you don't go in for that sort of thing I hope you are managing to avoid partaking (and still having a good time:-)

For my penultimate review from GBBF I leave the cider bar for a moment. Actually, I was stood by my post (where I could take photo's of ciders and write notes without worrying about being bumped and jostled). I thought I had tried most of the ciders made by Westons... but looking across the way I saw this one on the hand pump. A new Westons? Well, yes... I think so: worth a try anyway!

Rosies Pig sounds like it is described. An easy drinking entry level cider. Perhaps it's not going to win any awards but it is designed for drinkers to bridge the gap from alcopops to traditional cider. Personally, Old Rosie itself is, to me, an easy access entry level cider - but let's not criticise too quickly. I like the sentiment.

So, this is an odd choice for a review for GBBF. Yup. But it is here so it's worth trying. The 'pig' itself was apparently the first delivery truck for Old Rose - it was a pig to drive and a pig to steer. Nice. This is an excellent example of Weston's marketing team...

It is a pale golden cider, hazy on the whole and smelling slightly juicy and sulphity too. The haze... well, its all dead yeast put back in to a filtered drink (go on a tour of Westons and ask!!)

Now for a taste - Okay. Think Magners with a bit more body and you probably have it fairly well nailed. It also has a bit more acid to it as well. By comparison, it is a bit like a watered down Old Rosie too... with a little less haze too. It is light, moderately acid with a touch of unchallenging tannin - safe in fact. Did anyone expect anything different? It is juicy and quite sweet too - in fact, my own opinion is that it is fairly soul-less, but I can see the appeal for new cider drinkers

Rosies Pig fulfills its' brief quite well although to be honest it is not in any danger of being the best cider today. It is competent but feels a bit over specified. Having said that it is still better than some of their supermarket 'own brand' ciders:-)

A moderate score of 61/100. Would I recommend this to my friend starting out on their cider journey? Well, perhaps a pint but I suspect they would soon move on to something more intense and less industrial-like.

Right, we need to leave the single varieties and apple varieties there for the moment. It's not just because I have drunk all those I had (although... I have:-), its that there are a lot of other ciders lining up to be tried and it would be nice to start to get through some of them before Christmas! No doubt some enterprising member of my family will find something I haven't tried before. Well, I guess that may be more wishful thinking than anything else, but I might get money for cider (hint hint to the family!)

This Marks and Spencers cider has been sat around for a while - and makes a good start back on the blends for me. Why? Well, because most people who can get to a M&S ought to able to buy it and try it for themselves, that's why. It is made for them by that prolific 'own brand' manufacturer, Westons (it says so on the front of the bottle). Being Marks and Spencers, on the upper end of the ubiquitous supermarket chains, it has an ingredients list. Ummmmm. Played around with more than aptly describes what it says. I am not even sure what an acidity regulator is, although something in the back of my head suggests it regulates highly acidic juice - possibly dessert fruit... possibly even cookers???

One thing that is interesting is that the apples (whatever the apple content is**) are all from a single orchard and include Dabinett, Harry Masters Jersey and Michelin. I am very familiar with these three apples and at least 2 are among my favourite varieties. Both Dabinett and HMJ are faily big hitters for tannin, so I ought to expect a good amount of it in this cider. So, with these three varieties in the blend - why do you need an acidity regulator???

By taking a further look at the bottle, I see it is 6.5%, so at least its within normal range for cider.

**this comment may be both unkind and unfair... although I have been told by a member of Weston's own staff that "all our ciders start at 14-15%

It pours light golden and moderately carbonated. It smells bittersweet and light too, although for the first time in a while I am getting a bit of sulphite as well. Then the taste. It is sweet with an understated tannin and a good measure of acid.

It is quite syruppy though, and whilst it is very easy to drink (I guess that is its point) I am finding it a touch bland and, well, 'regulated'.

There is a short aftertaste, which is quite watery on the tongue. I am a bit sad that I didn't get the full measure of the quality cider fruit that went into the blend. I had really hoped it would deliver too. I still have hopes that Weston's will surprise me one day (and despite my whining, they really aren't bad ciders). However, I should have guessed at the ingredients list really.

A slightly tight score of 64/100 for this one. Above average but no cigar... I mean, apple.

I am a bit stuck with this one. I didn't necessarily buy it to review, as I have already done its drier cousin and think that it may suffer as a result of that. I also expect it to taste the same just sweeter!

However, its a cider to try and at least serves to demonstrate a couple of things that I already know to be the case with these ciders.  Now, I put this into the perspective that I have been quite harsh on Weston's ciders during the reviews. Let me say that I do like Westons ciders a lot, although I reckon that because I know a thing or two about making cider that I see their operation, what they do to their ciders - and what they could do if they wanted to - and am a little saddened. I know, I know. Economies of scale at play. I get it. There are many worse. There are a growing number who are better too though, and some of these are producing large quantities whilst maintaining  full juice practices.

Anyway, its not my position to have a pop at Westons. They are very popular with the punters and I reckon that goes a long way (mind you, so is Magners...) Lets see how this cider compares to the rest.

Well, it is a faintly golden colours, bright and moderately sparkling cider. It smells of apple juice. Actually, that is all I get from this cider - I have to remember that Westons use juice to sweeten and then pasteurise to stabilise the cider.

Now, I have (I am ashamed to say) re-read the write up for the medium dry. So I know this cider has character and tannins and all. Which is a shame because I really don't get much of that in the medium sweet. Well, I get a hint of the tannin, but this (and everything else) is more or less drowned out by the apple juice. This confirms my suspicion that over use of juice will lead to a flavour competition between the cider and the juice... in this case, the juice wins.

The aftertaste is juice too, although there is some tannin to be found way into the aftertaste. Its a real shame as the dry version had much more going for it.

Oh, and I have no idea where the oak ageing is (but then, I rarely do!).

So, you probably aren't surprised that it isn't going to score as well as its drier counterpart. But actually, that was fairly sweet and I would encourage anyone who likes a sweet cider to go for that over this one any time. Both can be found in Waitrose, so you shouldn't have much hassle in finding the medium dry.

This version scores 58/100.

So, here we have the 'other' English Vintage version of Weston's cider. Is it the same? We shall see, although I am not going to be giving very high odds on it being any different! Its in the same style and size of bottle - its as if they simply label the two differently... is that just lazy? Is it OK? I guess I ought to leave you to be the judge of that. Safe to say though, I cannot think it adds any value to the cider and the change in labelling must simply be a cost to Weston's. Odd, innit! Again, here is the photo to show you just how much they are similar externally.

I guess I had better put us all out of our misery on this one eh! Well, here goes (I am actually going to write this as I try it, although I think I know what to expect already!).

Guess what. Its golden. moderately sparkling and had a fairly moderate fruity and tannic aroma. Heard this before? Oh yeah, and there is even the faintest whiff of sulphite to it... could it even be from the same batch???

To taste, mmmm. Its not bad. As not bad as the cider was yesterday. It is not surprising that it is exactly the same. Fairly safe, although a good measure of mild tannin and fruit going on. It has a balance with the acid going on too and the taste lasts well into the aftertaste. Its not too sweet and while there is a bit of 'juiciness' to it, its by no means a lot.

Re-read the last review and then compare with this one... the two ciders are one and the same. I wish I had checked the price of each to see if they lumped a load more onto the Westons bottle... but I didn't I am afraid.

In all, while I may sound disappointed I think it is a nice cider in its own right. I have no idea why Weston's choose to sell the same drink under several different names (and as if to regurgitate the last review in true Westons style - this is by no means the only example of Weston's doing this). I recently drove through Much Marcle and if I had known I would have stopped in to ask them. Mind you, I am not exactly sure what they would have told me!

Surprise - it has got exactly the same score as the Sainsbury's version. Not really fair to mark down the Weston's one is it really. But - which came first???

OK, well I have a couple of reviews here that are either going to be dead simple but a little revealing or else going to be complex and hard to explain. Captured your attention? It's actually not that exciting - I have two bottles of cider that look identical to each other; this Sainsbury's and Weston's own English Vintage Cider. And I have provided a photo to prove how similar they look (well, they even have the same bleedin' name don't they!!)

So what? Well, aside the fact that one is 7.2% and the other is 7.3%, I get to try them together to see if in fact they are one and the same thing. OK, its not the first time Weston's have done this - see the review for 1st Quality and Marcle Hill (and possibly the Governor). And its not as if I found both these ciders on sale next to each other - the Westons was in a garden centre in Somerset, the Sainsbury's version I will let you guess at:-)

Is this OK though? Is it OK for companies to peddle stuff at us under two (or even three) different names but the stuff being identical? I guess it is, although it really is just more marketing crap really isn't it? No, there isn't anything to say 'this cider has been specially made for Sainsbury's'; although it does say 'produced and bottled for...', but that is just being picky. And why there is 0.1% alcohol difference I have no idea... But then, if this cider is not like the other then that would actually make this whole paragraph a waste of space eh!

So lets try the Sainsbury's one first and see.

It pours out fairly fizzy and golden in colour. Bright and clear as a bright and clear thing that has won the bright and clear competition. The smell is moderate - fruity and cider with a little tannin and sulphite coming through. It does seem a touch juicy... common for Weston's although it is described as medium dry, do hopefully not too much.

And the taste is good. Moderate. Safe. A nice cider flavour to it with an excellent balance between acid, tannin and sweetness. The fruit is there with not too much apple juice going on either. I actually rather enjoy it; although I am sure it is heavily related to most of their other ciders, it is distinct from the still and juicy versions I have tried recently.

There is a reasonable aftertaste to the cider too. Its not especially long, but it is tannic - not much juice coming through at all but a nice fruity taste.

This is not a 'normal' Westons. It is quite dry and whilst not entirely challenging or complex is a satisfying drink. A good score of 70/100 earns an apple for Sainsbury's and for Westons too... now, lets see if the Westons is identical (and do I mark it down if it is???)

To some degree, this review is an accident. It involves me going to a beer festival without the necessary equipment to take notes, finding that there was a 'Spoons with The Guvnor on and then afterwards revisiting said pub to try this cider. So, it truth there should have been two other reviews... but then you cannot live your life by the blog eh!

So, we come to the Guvernor. Marco Pierre Whites idea of cider. Over the last year or so, this celebrity chef has created first a beer and now a cider for sale at his outlets... and at Wetherspoons to by the looks of it. There is a confliction of questions in my head about this - what does a celebrity chef know about cider production and yet, surely as a high end chef he should know and have respect enough for the real ingredients to make a good cider. We shall see.

I do find his choice of cider making partner an interesting starting point. Westons, whilst being a large and respected cider maker, are not exactly known for their full juice ciders, and some of their practices would be deemed 'industrial' by many, including me to a degree (ciders do not start life at 14% vol). But then, who else better to tailor a cider for a celebrity?

So, lets get down to it. I have my short hand notes in front of me as I write this (no, I do not sit in the pub on a computer... not hammering away at my phone. Not my idea of fun!)

It is a fairly light coloured, flat cider. Being Weston's its been filtered and is bright. There is not a huge aroma coming off of it, although it is particularly juice (again, a Westons trait). So, its filtered and pasteurised.

Its not a bad mouthful, sweetened by juice (quite a lot) but with a definite tannin and body to it as well. Acid is killed by the juice and there is no trace of it in the aftertaste either - which is all juice and not much cider.

Now, don't get me wrong. Its not a bad cider. Its just got far too much apple juice in it. For me, this is a mistake that Weston's make on other ciders. As I was sat in the pub drinking this and thinking about the juice problem it hit me to compare this review with that of Weston's 1st Quality cider. I am pretty convinced now, looking back, that this is a very close cousin to 1st Quality (and, 1st is the same thing as Marcle Hill - a cider renamed for Wetherspoons).

Go on, see for yourself. I reckon you won't find them both in the same pub at the same time but if you do get the chance to compare them then let me know what you think (I am happy to be wrong!)

A  score of 54/100 is disappointing and suggests that there are better cider out there to try. Mind you, it is far better than some other ciders I will not mention found in many pubs.

A Duchy Originals from Waitrose this one. OK, not quite. Its a cider produced for them, this time by a "family owned Herefordshire Cider Maker, established in 1880". Not much research required there then. Its on their home page. Its even in one of their bottles:-)

So, in the spirit of my review yesterday of the M&S cider, I have now gone back through the reviews and marked up the Weston's made ciders - which includes Sainsbury's (again). Well, before anyone starts to moan about how they didn't make it themselves just ask yourself this: would you want them to make it? No, me neither.

A big feature of Duchy products is their organic status. Yet another thing I could become a G.O.M. about (Grumpy Old Man for the uninitiated). It has all the labels and logo's you could want, but I can't help thinking "is this Weston's Organic relabelled?" Sorry, Weston's Organic isn't anymore is it... Weston's Wilde Wood (not sure if the e is actually correct, but it ought to be eh:-)

Now, this is a nice golden coloured cider, with a pleasant aroma. Forgetting about the organic bit (it really is much the same thing, honest!) the first thing one has to do is admire how positively clear this cider is! I have seen the numerous sheet filters at Westons and wondered why they use so many. This cider just about glows with it's brightness! Its also fairly well carbonated too - another fairly standard feature of most Westons.

Its a good cider though. OK, perhaps a tiny bit on the watery side compared to some I have tried recently. But the flavour is there and it is satisfying. Its well balanced too - mild tannin (pretty mild but not invisible) offsets the reasonably prominent acid and creates a good taste. A little engineered, but good. The aftertaste is good too, and pretty long as well.

Organic Vintage doesn't declare what is it, but I would say its a medium dry, and being a touch 'juicy' I would also say its seen some apple juice and pasteurisation.

All in all, not a bad cider. It scores 65/100 which, although its not an apple, is not a bad score either.  If you are interested, Westons Organic (as it was then) scored 60; so the two are pretty comparable. Maybe this one just caught me in a better mood (which just shows how subjective reviews really are!)

One of the great things about artisan/craft cider is that it changes each year it is produced. In a real sense, each time you try a cider it will be different from the last tie you tried it. The same should be true of beer and wine too.

Now, of course, this isn't so true of ciders that have been produced by more industrial processes. They are checked and balanced to give a common flavour. Weston's are, for me, in that grey area where they use industrial processes as well as more traditional ones - so to some degree I am not entirely sure what to expect of the 2010 version of their Vintage. The 2009 wasn't bad by any stretch though.

Well, it has a faint(ish) smell - although if you concentrate its actually quite a nice smell; albeit a little 'juicy'. By juicy I mean apple juicy. You may or may not have noticed, but during a fermentation apple juice loses its 'juicy' character to something less sweet and complex.

It has a moderate fizz but settles down well. And to drink it has a nice flavour. I get the tannins and there is acid in here too. Not a bad balance, although as they generally sweeten with juice you can tell it's there... or is that because I know they use juice I can taste it. In any case, there's not that much in the drink.

The aftertaste is actually on the acid side of things, although is still good. It gives it more character than I am used to from Westons. However, either I have no idea what 'oakiness' tastes like or else I can't find it in here. Mind you, its been filtered/pasteurised and etc. etc. etc. (and as the lady at the Weston's factory told me; "it all starts out at 14-15%" - so its been cut. Mind you, 8.2% is not to be taken lightly!

I rather like it. I have to say its not a hard-core cider. But I doubt any Weston's really is. Consistent is the word, and this one stands very well with other vintage ciders.

In conclusion, the 2010 Vintage compares favourably to the previous year - 72 gives Weston a bronze apple. I hate to admit it,  but this is Weston's first apple.

Here we have the first draught I have reviewed on here. To be totally honest though, its not actually the first draught cider I have reviewed... I started (as with the bottles) with the Magners 'Cold' (or Extra Cold... I cannot remember). However, I do not wish to line myself up to be sued, so I left it at 'Notepad' stage. I may resurrect it sometime - maybe.

Now, this cider is a draught cider from a bag in box. By draught, it usually means that its a still cider. As its from a bag in box (which doesn't do well with carbonation!) its definitely still. I am not entirely sure whats in the name - although I generally don't ask that question (and there are a lot of ciders with iffy names!!) Incidentally though, I have it on fairly good authority that 1st Quality is also known by the name 'Marcle Hill' for the Wetherspoons chain of pubs. Maybe that will help some people recognise it.

1st Quality isn't available in bottle (so if you want to try it, you will have to hunt it down).

On pouring, its a very light gold colour - obviously its bright, having gone through Westons conplex filtering system. Sadly, it doesn't offer up much in the way of an aroma either. If I am pushed, I would say there is a slight appley smell - but if pushed even harder, I would also say that there was a hint of sulphite behind it.

To taste, it is very juice like. There are definitely cider apples in here, and at 5% its not too far away from what I would expect from a full juice cider. But a full juice cider it isn't. The same authority who told me about Wetherspoons, also mentioned that it was not sweetened with sugar, but with apple juice. Westons pasteurise the juice and blend in some pasteurised apple juice before bagging in a clean room environment. This essentially means that it won't referment in the bag in box. Many will bang on about the sacrilige of this. I think they would be wrong - Westons could easily have used sweeteners (splenda, aspartame etc.) or even sugar. Blending with juice is a more natural way of doing it - although it necessarily means that filtering and pasteurisation are necessary.

Unfortunately for this cider, in my opinion, they have overdone it. The taste is far too juice like. It drowns out most of the tannins and acid, and I am left with a drink that doesn't really know if its cider or apple juice. The aftertaste too is very juicy.

Having said all that, its not a terrible cider - I have had worse by far. It only scored 53/100 though - which whilst being a bit mean does rightly suggest that I won't be hunting this cider down again in too much of a hurry.

So, this is another Stowford Press to try. In fact there are more, and I think this is the mainstream type - I have already tried the Export, and there are several other styles of Stowford Press (though at the moment I have no intention of trying them all). In fact, this is the new design for Stowford Press - dont be confused with the old design stating 'traditionat draught'. Its the same thing.

So, what is the difference between this and all the others? Well, confusingly they all seem to differ in strength to start with. The export (presumably export strength) is 6%, the Premium Quality (that premium quality marketers dream) is a light 4.5%. Disappointed? Yes a bit. Sceptical. Always (of everything!!)

One of the advantages of going from one version of a particular brand straight to another is that you get a straight and direct comparison between the two. I haven't been able to do this, although I do have my notes from the Export to consult. It wasn't that long ago anyway.

So, apart from the different style of labels from the old version  (this one looks pretty modern - definitely one that the marketing department has played with... thats probably where the 'Premium' monika came from too). Its a fairly pale gold with a reasonably light sparkle and a fairly ubiquitous Herefordshire aroma. There is a bit of sulphite in the smell too - it gives a bit of a twang to the nostrils which tells you it is there.

To taste, well... the taste is a little bit thin to be honest. And a little watery too. Its not particularly sweet in character which leaves a nice appley flavour with moderate tannins behind. Given the lack of hard hitting flavour, of what there is is pretty nice and balanced. The balance of bittersweet and bittersharp is a Herefordshire trait, and this doesn't let that down. I am sure if there were more of it, it would be very delicious. As it is, I am left a bit short. Is it that its cut that bit too far?

Its not exactly a safe cider - although it does have that tendancy. I did manage to finish it all though.

This one scored a less than great 58/100.

Time for another Westons, and this time it is the Stowford Press... though I am not sure if this is the most commonly found Westons or if its Old Rosie. Sitting the two side by side they are clearly from the same stable (though I will try to keep comparison to a minimum as this isn't the purpose of the review).

A couple of things to say about the bottle - which is the recognisable Westons style. Well, its more the label really. This is a pretty full strength cider at 6%, so why do they advertise it as an 'extra strength premium cider'? I am afraid that the use of the term 'premium' in the drinks industry leaves me cold, as it is used by such giants as Diageo and Coors to describe pretty much everything they sell (that is a generalisation, by the way... I haven't done the legwork to find out!)

Stowford Press is a crystal clear, golden colour in the bottle as opposed to the cloudy nature of its cousin Old Rosie. And it gives a fairly vigorous fizz when poured. There is a gentle smell of cider about it which is rather pleasant whilst I wait for the fizz to die a little.

To drink, it is very similar to Old Rosie (OK - comparison endeth, though they are very similar). Following my notes, it has a good amount of acid in it which doesn't so much compete with the tannin but the sweetness of the cider. The tannin is fairly minimal in the sup, although does come through as a little drying in the aftertaste... nice but faint I think sums it up. In all though, it is an appley cider which even if it is a bit on the safe side is pleasant.

Overall I enjoyed Stowford Press, although it seems a little to safe and bland... a bit sweet and syrupy. Mind you, its by no means the worst in this respect!

Ironically (now that I have checked), I have said very similar things about Old Rosie. Could it be the same cider (but with some cloud added for Old Rosie)?? Well, it doesn't matter too much as this is a good and reasonable cider... even if it is a mass produced cider.

Its score of 65/100 puts it just behind Old Rosie for me... but in fact I think they are pretty hard to seperate (and for all its export credentials, Old Rosie is actually stronger!)

This one came as a bit of a surprise to me. Not particularly because of its greatness - although its not a bad cider - but because I failed to read the label and thought I was getting yet another sparkling cider. So I was a little taken aback when I poured it to find it flat and still. I even checked the cap to see if it had been loose before I looked at the label. Doh!

Well, this is a sparkling... I mean, still cider from Tesco's. A rare breed among supermarket ciders indeed. Produced for them by Westons to a 'traditional recipe'... it certainly has the look of a decent cider. And yes, I am bored having to bang on about 'real' vs. 'non real' cider. As someone once said (I think actually about Thatchers); "There is more that united us than separates us". Quite true.

There isn't much of a smell to this one, but after a few sips it doesn't really matter. I do like still ciders, and this one has a prertty gentle tannin and flavour - even smokey. You miss these things in a carbonated cider (I think) - the bubbles knock some of the more delicate profile of cider out of sight. Being still though, it tastes a good deal more sweet than its medium dry label. and this does mask any complex aftertaste.

Overall, I felt it lacked a character that would make it more special. Like so many of the more common brands I have tried so far, I think the pasteurisation and filtration have removed a lot of its charisma. This tends to leave a fairly save flavour. In fact (and probably because it is a still cider) I did note that I could taste a bit of a cooked apple flavour to it as well.

Never the less, its not a bad cider and once again the Tesco cider seems to have done better than its Sainsbury rival. Now if only they could get the rest of their cider range sorted out!!

A score of 66/100

Putting my cards on the table I am a dry cider man. That and preferring either still or only 'spritzig' cider (low carbonation for the layman and unpretentious:-). So, should I stick to what I know best, or explore other styles? The answer to this is clear - after all, those people coming to real cider from an industrial cider background generally seem to start with sweeter offerings than the drier ciders.

OK, so this is Westons. I know that its not a full juice cider. If I were blogging about ciders that met CAMRA's criteria, or criteria seemingly set by a few on t'internet it wouldn't qualify. But, just like Magners, Bulmers, Gaymers and a couple of others, why should it not have a place. After all, these companies are offering cider - not alcopop with cider in the title.

Support for Westons et al over, lets judge this with the criteria and form already used for the others. I know this has turned out a lot of mid 50's to mid 60's ciders so far. They have predominantly been supermarket offerings which should really be scoring rather better than they are to be honest. To me it speaks more about the mediocrity of supermarkets than it does about the cider makers. When these have run out, and the real full juice offerings are tested I do expect scores to be both higher and lower. It was stinky cider that opened the door for industrial/manufactured cider in the first place... and I suspect this won't have ended completely.

Anyway, moving back to the cider on hand, this is a medium carbonated variant of the Westons Oak Matured family. Sure, I would have preferred a drier version, but there you go. Its a nice golden colour too - rather deeper than the Old Rosie stock blend, and with what seems like more bittersweet fruit in it too judging by a more full tannin that comes with both the aroma and the taste.

There is a definite character to this one too over Old Rosie. I am not entirely convinced, but there is a flavour coming through that is specific of one or two varieties (though I am not experienced enough to pin it down). Its a nice flavour too. Despite its extra sweetness, which fights against the tannin and drowns any real acidity, its not a bad one this.

However, it's not one that lasts on the tongue with the aftertaste fading too. I suspect this is due to its making rather than the sweetness - a lot is filtered out and there is a pay off with pasteurisation too.

In all, I must admit I am a little surprised. Its well balanced for its medium dry standing. And with a score of 68/100 I clearly enjoyed it!

Well, I had to get round to this one sooner or later, didn't I. In searching for great cider, and thinking of my imaginary friend on a discovery of cider, its almost impossible to think that they (or I) wouldn't try this one.

Old Rosie was a tractor used at Westons and clearly was important (or peculiar) enough to warrent a cider being named after it. It is sold both on draught and in bottles. As I don't get out much, I am trying the bottle! It will be interesting to see how it scores (I guess it is on mass cider like this that I am declared a cider snob or cider slob...)

The first thing to note about Old Rosie is that it is a 'cloudy scrumpy'. There is a layer of dead yeast at the bottom of the bottle which gives it a light haze. Don't mistake this for in-bottle conditioning though - the cider itself is filtered and pasteurised and the yeast is added at that time. Anyway, if you want it cloudy, shake the bottle - if you want it clear pour it gently off the yeast... or buy a cider that isn't cloudy:-)

Old Rosie is a lightly carbonated, fruity cider that smells of fruit and has a pretty distinct acidic bite to it. This acid lasts through to the aftertaste. The tannin however, dies with the taste - leaving the acid on its own. Its not bad - just different. At 7.3%, its strong cider too - which comes through in the drink, although its a refreshing cider. I did feel that the 'cloudy' bit was a bit redundant - it doesn't actually add anything other than making it hazy. Nevertheless, generally its only the artisan full jucie cider producers who make cider that isn't bright and clear as a bell.

Some of Westons practices have been criticised a lot by many purists. Full juice, unpasteurised, unfiltered cider it is not. Magners it is not either. Westons are actually fairly open about their practices - they are a major business which sells some 4 million gallons a year.

This one isn't going to make my list of the best - its not even going to get an apple, but I am quite sure that most cider fans have tried it at least once and are not too disappointed when offered this as an alternative to a more 'less juice' brand.

Okay, you’re out with your friends or partner and you want to drink a cider that’s a step up - and you happen to be in a Wetherspoons. What's the main choice? Well, whenever I have been in that situation the obvious choice for me has been the Westons Organic. Mind you, this ought to be qualified by the fact that I can count on the fingers of one (okay maybe two) hand(s) the times I have i. been in a Wetherspoons and ii. consumed Westons Organic. There are some of us like that out there!

Westons produce 4 million gallons of cider each year, increasingly under manufacturing conditions as they grow around the UK. This fact has been thrown at them by the label 'industrial’ cider in a derogatory sense. I would be more generous to them but would still see a clear distinction between a manufactured cider and the crafted one (I can hear arguments on both sides – it’s just how I feel about it).

The Organic is not just organic. Its 'Premium’ Organic. This is not an impressive term to me. A lot of self labelled premium brands that are simply just not. Its a non word! And then once I have got over the premium bit I am faced with organic too. I get the idea of organic. I don’t really agree with it very much – certainly as far as apples are concerned. However, many cider orchards could be classed as organic as no one sees the apples (they don’t have to be perfectly shaped or even crunchy). But they only qualify if they have the membership of the organic brigade... OK, stepping off of the soap box!

This is not a bad cider, after all that. Its a nice amber colour and even smells of apples faintly. Whether this is really apples coming through I don’t know, but its pleasant. At 6.5% its just about right too. Cider is naturally a stronger drink than beer and should feel it. Its a western style cider, with a quickly reducing carbonation. To taste it has a definitely mild western (bittersharp/sweet) flavour. There is a hint of acidity coming through too and soft tannin which gives it a slightly drier mouth-feel than my medium classification suggests.

However, there is still something missing. Maybe, as with Magners, its just not interesting enough. In fact, I don’t think I am doing it a disservice in calling it a posh Magners. It isnt that it does anything badly par se. Sure it is balanced and tastes of cider. Could it be that the fact that its not 100% apples and has been filtered, pasteurised and carbonated under manufacturing conditions... is it this that deducts something from it and makes it just safe? Its more than that, although maybe a result of it. It is thin and doesn't leave a taste in the mouth as though something has been 'experienced'. But then, this realisation only comes through trying ciders that do really make an impression.

If I had friends who knew little about cider, Westons Premium Organic may make it onto the list of ciders I would take for them to try as a first experience. Being always consistent and readily available from supermarkets, its a safe bet and better than many of its compatriots in the manufactured cider market. Having said that, I would try to move them on to more interesting and exciting ciders

Its score of 60 may be considered generous by some, but it’s my game and its just about right for me.