I was checking for a link to a beer called “Cornish Knocker” when I noticed that the Truro brewery are now selling a new Cornish cider called “Press Gang” under their own brand name, Skinners. At first I admit I was worried that it might be another “rattler” which is a very poor cider in my opinion, made by the Penhallow based Cornish Cyder Farm for sale in St Austell Ales pubs. So I was delighted to discover that it’s a proper cider made by Cornish Orchards, for whom I have a high regard. With a bit of luck I’ll get to taste some of this new one in the next week or two, meanwhile here’s what they have to say about it.
Press Gang :: Skinner’s Brewery ::
The new still, medium cider is 4.8% ABV and is described as light and refreshing with the delicate aroma of ripe apples.It is served through a hand pump from 20-litre “bag in the box” containers, allowing an eight-week use-by period after opening, and strengthens already strong links between Skinner’s and Cornish Orchards.
It is the latest in a growing range offered by Skinner’s, who launched their own lager in 2005 and this year are celebrating their tenth anniversary. Cornish Orchards began their cider-making activity in 1999 as a diversification of Westnorth Manor Farm, part of the Duloe Manor estate owned and stewarded by the Duchy of Cornwall.
Steve Skinner, of Skinners Brewery, and Andy Atkinson, Cornish Orchards, celebrate the launch of the new Press Gang Cornish Cider
“We already sell all Cornish Orchards’ products in our shop and we see enormous potential for the new cider, which is a little less strong than the more conventional product,” said Skinner’s managing director Steve Skinner.
Cornish Orchards managing director Andy Atkinson welcomed the new opportunity to “put the taste of nature back into a glass of honest cider.”
He added: “We are dedicated to keeping alive the more traditional processes and standards. In so many cases, the taste of cider has lost its direction in the journey from a farm-produced natural drink to an industrialized carbonated replica.”
