Ciderhouse News - Late-Late August

It's the last knockings of the August Bank Holiday weekend, and it really feels like the Summer is drawing to a damp and chilly close. Cidermaking starts up again in a couple of weeks time, maybe earlier if Hurricane Irene makes it to the UK with any great force. The current cider season is anything but over though:

• The Hangar One Beer Festival (2nd - 4th September) is a new one on us, and indeed everyone else since it's the very first one. There seems to be a firm focus on beers from local breweries at this event, and we've been asked to supply a few barrels of cider and perry to give fruit lovers some local choice too.
• Local CAMRA festivals on the horizon include Hinckley (15th - 17th Sept)  and Melton (16th - 17th Sept). We're sending cider and perry to both, but will probably have to toss a coin to decide which one to visit...

• I'm sure that like us you've been having sleepless nights over our recent disastrous perry blending experiment. You haven't! Oh well, whatever. I'm pleased to report that all that clumpy cloudiness has done the reasonable thing and floated to the top, leaving lovely clear perry underneath ready to rack off for yours and our drinking pleasure.

• In marked contrast to the blending experiment, our Perry Vinegar seems to be going in the right direction, ie. vinegary. In the image you can see two sheets of 'Mother' which would have originally formed a film over the surface of the vinegar. I've disturbed them so they've sunk into the vinegar, but another has formed on the surface, helping to keep the aerobic bacteria responsible for vinageriness in contact with the air. It may be that this also helps prevent the perry vinegar from oxidising, so I'll try not to disturb its formation in future batches.
• A plug for our friend and un-payed artistic director Diana Fegredo, who's exhibiting her stylish work, this weekend and next, at the Artwave Festival in Lewes, Sussex. As if Lewes wasn't attractive enough already...

Happy Apple Day

Apple Day events are now in full swing ahead of the traditional 21st of October peak. We had our day in the sun yesterday, at Brocks Hill Visitors Centre in Leicestershire. After the hard graft of the orchard, it was a welcome opportunity to sit back, relax, and talk cider and perry with visitors to the event.

It really was a day in the sun too, with a lovely bit of late Summer sunshine to bring out the crowds. We had a good day, offering many samples, and selling a few gallons too. Diana Fegredo's beautiful cards were well received, and our small display of cider apples and perry pears made a nice change from the wide range of dessert and culinary fruit on show.

Our best sellers were the Medium Rockingham Forest Cider blend, and our last box of Mystery Perry. This picture shows the innovative box-tilting method we employed as the cider and perry got low towards the end of the day.

I'd like to say a big thank you to my Sister-in-Law Susan, who helped with the smooth running of the stall, organiser Helen Gregory for her great enthusiasm and hard work putting on the event, and David Bates of Welland Valley Vineyard for sorting out the licence. Let's hope that government funding cuts don't put paid to this and other important community events in future years.

Ciderhouse News - October

Apple & Pear trees continue to be shaken, and the fruit thereof continues to be pressed. It's exhausting work, but we're committed to getting the harvest in and making as much cider and perry as we possibly can. Because you're worth it...

This Sunday we'll be offering samples and sales of our Cider and Perry at the Brocks Hill Apple Day event in Oadby, Leicestershire. All being well, we'll have a good range of Cider Apples and Perry Pears to display, as well as a few examples from our small collection of stoneware cider jars, just so long as the table can take the weight! We also hope to have a selection of beautiful fruity cards from our friend Diana Fegredo.

Also in attendance will be Mel and Nigel of the Leicestershire Heritage Apple Project, and David Bates of Welland Valley Vineyard will be bringing along his wines and cider to try and to buy. There will also be an apple identification service, and best of all it's a free event. Apple Day events are occurring throughout the country, and you can find out what's what, when and where, on this handy website: Apple Day Events

Congratulations are in order for Kevin & Fiona at the Red Lion, Middleton for retaining their coveted position in the latest CAMRA Good Beer Guide. The 2011 edition of the guide is now available from good bookshops, but you won't need it to gain admission to 'The Red'. A good appreciation of fine ales, cider and perry is all that's required, though some skill at the skittles table would be helpful. Rockingham Forest Perry is currently available at the Red Lion.

...and finally, here's a picture of a three handled cider mug, or Tyg as they're better known, that I couldn't resist buying recently. It was made by Leonard Stockley of Weymouth, and features three handles (as is the custom), and the word 'Cider' written thrice around the mug, presumably so you don't forget what it's for. Lovely!

Brocks Hill Apple Day Pt.2

We'd like to thank Helen Gregory, Countryside and Biodiversity Officer for Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, who organised the Apple Day event at Brocks Hill Country Park on Sunday. We were both pleasantly surprised at the quality of the many stalls she had assembled for the day, including some fantastic displays of rare and local apples.

We were happy to offer samples of our two ciders, which many people enjoyed enough to purchase a two pint takeaway. Our friend Diana Fegredo's beautiful cards attracted a lot of attention, as did our small display of cider apples and perry pears. It was pleasing how many people took an interest in our cidermaking, with several keen to give the craft a go themselves.

We were not the only cidermakers there, with David Bates of Welland Valley Vineyard offering tasters of his Roundhead Cider. We thought the Medium cider was outstanding, well done David. There was also a selection of bottled ciders from Pawley Farm of Kent.

Our stall was snuggled up next to the Leicestershire Heritage Apple Project. Mel, Nigel, and Michael seemed to be having a very successful day, their homemade press was also a great attraction for budding cidermakers.

All in all, a great day out, and one we hope to attend again.

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!

Christmas is coming...

With no cider left from the 2006 vintage to sell, and only a bottle or two left for our own drinking pleasure, there will be no Rockingham Forest Cider delivered by Santa this year. We'll have to remember to put a few bottles by next year, but in the meantime we've created a few branded items we're sure friends and family will be only too happy to receive as a Christmas stocking filler! The design used for the various items is our lovely logo, which was designed for us by the outrageously talented Leicestershire artist, and old friend of ours, Diana Fegredo (that's old friendship, not old Diana!). Diana has just begun an exhibition of her work at the Victoria Hall, Oakham, which will run until 28th November. Another great Christmas shopping opportunity.

There is a link at the bottom of this page to our expanding range of branded items, and with the exchange rate as it is, this is a good time to buy from this American site.