Ciderhouse News - August and beyond...

I notice that our Wikio Wine & Beer Blog Ranking has slipped another two precious places. Bah Humbug !

This blog stands on a knife edge... A top 40 ranking is still within our reach, and with it the chance to Mash & Sparge-it-up with the great and the good of beer and brewing. Or do we slide even further into the bargain basement of blogging, sharing a cheap bottle of Shiraz on a park bench with the lower league Wine and Whiskey bloggers. If only we knew how those crafty beer scribes manage to fiddle their rankings...

Ah well! It's only popularity we crave after all. A much devalued currency in my opinion. I guess we'll always be mid-table bloggers, our cidery musings of little interest to the wider world. We're a specialist little cidery fish in an ocean of boozy Cods-wallop, and that's where we're happy to stay. Imagine the pressure of being in the top 10! We'd have to start putting some effort into the writing.... Well all I can say is 'Not on my watch!'

Here is the news:

Reports from both the Tollemache Arms and Raunds Town Cricket Club beer festivals suggest cider and perry are still riding a wave of popularity with local drinkers. The Tolly in Harrington had ran out of our Red Kite Cider well before the weekend rush, and only a few pints remained from the six assorted boxes we sent by close of play on Sunday. It's was such a shame that circumstances beyond our control (Chickens, who'd have 'em) prevented us from visiting the festival ourselves. Next year...

Thirsty Raunds drinkers made even shorter work of the eight barrels we sent to the Cricket Club, with everything selling out well before the festival wrapped up on Sunday. Plans are already in place for the 2011 event, and we'll be aiming to supply a bigger order, and hopefully a wider range for this popular event. We'd also like to thank Phil of the award winning Great Oakley Brewery for helping us out with delivery to Raunds this year. We'd also like to Congratulate Phil and his team on being awarded Bronze medals for Great Oakley Gobble, and their bottle conditioned Delapre Dark at this years Great British Beer Festival. Well deserved.

The next event we'll be sending cider and perry to is the Red Lion Mini Beer & Real Cider Festival (3rd - 5th Sept), part of a weekend of music and fun at our local pub in Middleton. We hope to have a couple of ciders, and at least one perry on offer over the weekend, including the long-awaited release of our Malvern Hills Perry. More details when we've squeezed them out of Fiona.

Brigstock Beer Festival is a local event we really like to be involved in. Great music, a fine range of beers and ciders, and the weather is always good for this one.... We'll have a couple of ciders and some more of the Malvern Hills on offer, and we hope to join the throng for a drink in the afternoon.

Apple Day 2010 (21st Oct) is still a way off yet, but events are already being added to the web page which can be viewed here. We haven't had confirmation yet, but hope to make a return appearance at this years excellent Brocks Hill Apple Day in Oadby , Leics. Again, more details when we have them.