Perry Good

Today I completed the last bit of racking-off in the ciderhouse. All that remained to be done was a very nice tasting fermenter of Rockingham Forest Cider, and our precious 70 litre tub of Blakeney Red/Moorcroft Perry.

The Perry is still very young but shows great promise. It's clearing very nicely, and has a lovely Med/Dry fruitiness, with perhaps just a hint of a Gin-like note in the finish. There's still a little yeastiness, and the tannins need to soften just a smidgen, but it's everything it should be at this early stage.

Our very first batch of Rockingham Forest Perry is destined to be a bit of a limited edition, there's simply not enough of it to go round. Whatever we don't keep for our own (and friends) pleasure is destined for the Red Lion, Middleton as a special during the Welland Valley Beer Festival in June. It's going to take a huge amount of self-control to leave it gently maturing until then, but with luck it should be well worth the wait.

Our good friend Diana Fegredo came up with this beautiful pear image for our prospective Perry logo. We think it sends out all the right messages about our perry, principally that it's made from pear juice, pure and simple, and that it's definately not a Pear Cider whatever that might be!