Two unrelated provocations cause me to blog about the nature of cider and where it belongs related to other beverages. The first is a resurfacing of the old strategic conflict as to whether it’s worth putting an effort into attempting to reform the soul of real ale organisations in order to push them more in the direction of understanding cider and perry. The second is a call from a wine blogger to widen the conversation about wine into the wider food and drink blogosphere.
So all I want to establish at this point really, is the fact that cider and perry have a lot more in common with wine than they do with beer.
Wine and cider are made from pressed fruit juice which is left to ferment and mature slowly. They are not made from a selection of recipes which always produce an identical product year in year out like beer, which is created from chemically neutralised and adjusted water with added malt sugars and hops flavourings.
Each craft cider or perry maker develops their own blend of fruit and either natural or selected yeast fauna. The vintage will vary from year to year almost as much as the terroir from one cider producing area to another.
The problem is that industrial cider is seen as little more than an alternative brand of lager beer, but this has nothing to do with the full juice craft cider which we promote at ukcider. And the role of cider and perry within the real ale organisations will always be a minority role, and that has proved to be much more of a restriction that it has an opportunity. Real cider and perry need a campaigning organisation of our own, not one tied to the interests of the lucrative beer festival organisers, which will always attract overwhelmingly beer drinkers.
In the meanwhile we would do well to explain , explain and explain again that cider has much more in common with other fruit wines than it does with beer. You need to understand that in order to produce quality craft cider, and to appreciate it too. To that end we would do well to read, learn and associate a lot more with our European counterparts with small vineyards who produce craft grape wines than with the beer drinkers.
Interesting post Andy, the sentiments of which I broadly agree with, however…
To suggest that cider and perry have more in common with wine than beer is only partly true. Yes, the cidermaking process is almost identical to that of vinification, and has very little in common with the brewing process, but I would argue that the drinking culture associated with cider and perry (which in many ways is itself unique!) has much more in common with that of beer drinking.
Unless we believe that the sole future for craft cidermaking is in high-quality bottled ciders presented as an alternative to wine, enjoyed either at home or in up-market pubs and restaurants, then we have to accept that the natural home of real cider and perry is in the pub, alongside high quality craft beers.
My preferred environments for drinking real cider and perry are (in order of merit), the farm, the pub, festivals/food events, home. Similarly, my no.1 preference for wine drinking is the home.
Whether I have a role to play in promoting real cider and perry is clearly debatable. I don’t believe that there will ever be a groundswell of popularity within the campaign for drinks other than beer, but to suggest that enthusiasts of cider and perry should align ourselves with producers and commentators of wine is I believe equally futile. I don’t want cider and perry to be the next middle-class dinner party talking point, I want to drink it in pubs with friends and strangers, many of whom will probably be drinking beer!
Hi Mark, I’m glad you broadly agree.
We could also add that cider and perry are not brewed but fermeneted. Additionally there’s the Alcohol by Volume level of real cider and perry which is usually closer to white table wines and preclude it from the seven pints culture of session beer drinkers.
The comment about middle-class dinner parties however is completely out of touch with the way in which most wine is consumed these days in the UK, and traditionally in Europe.
Very interesting points, and ones I had not considered before. I have a lot to learn about Perry & Cider.
It is a good question about whether an alcoholic drink might better be categorised by how it is consumed than how it is made, but I also agree that the characterisation of wine as a middle-class dinner party tipple is rather dated.
I look forward to discussing some ideas to address this with you