The Apple Page
This page is home to the apple section of the Mid Chilterns CAMRA Branch.
Vacancy
The position of Mid-Chilterns CAMRA Cider & Perry officer is currently vacant, If you would like to fill this position, please contact Dave Badminton (01494 581797 Chairman@MidChilternsCAMRA.org.uk)
Cider
& Perry Month – October
Within CAMRA is a Cider and Perry committee which
promotes Real Cider and Real Perry and encourages
their continued production. There is a strict definition: the pre-fermentation
liquid must be entirely nonpasteurized
apple (cider) or pear (perry) juice, no concentrates, no added sugar for
fermentation (except in
poor years), no pasteurization for cask products, no added colourings, no added
flavourings, no artificial
carbonation for draught products, no sweetener except to make fully fermented
Cider/Perry sweet or
medium; dilution only to reduce the alcoholic content of the Cider/Perry but the
minimum juice content
should not be lower than 90% volume and no micro filtration allowed (this takes
all the yeast, leaving a
"dead" product). Angela Mills of Millwhites (www.millwhites.co.uk) our local
producer, explains their Real
Cider production process, “Cider making is the most evocative of country crafts,
from the sight of the
orchards in bloom, through the rich smells and characteristic sounds of the
fruit being milled and pressed, to
the deep satisfaction that comes from the enjoyment of a well made cider. Here
at Millwhites we pride
ourselves on using only traditional methods to produce exceptional ciders. All
our ciders are 100% natural
and are free from harmful pesticides and chemicals. We are fully committed to
sustainable farming practices
and are delighted to have recently received Soil Association organic
certification for our Premium ciders. At
the end of the summer months and moving into autumn we begin the daily work of
handpicking the apples
from the floor of the orchard before they are washed to remove any soil and
twigs. Because we wash and
sort the apples by hand we can ensure a perfect mix of ancient apple varieties.
Cider making is an art, not a
science and the right blend of apples is essential to make sure we produce a
tasty, traditional cider. We then
mill and immediately press the apples on a rack and cloth press to produce the
maximum amount of juice
possible. The juice is then transferred into fermentation vessels where the
natural yeasts contained in the
apple and its skin start the magic of turning the juice into cider. The juice
spends approximately one month
in the vessel before being racked off into old oak barrels. Here, the
fermentation process continues and the
barrels are topped up daily with more apple juice. When the apples have finished
fermenting the barrel is
sealed with a cork and left to mature for a minimum of three calendar months.
The barrels help the cider to
take on its distinctive dry oak essence. This produces our distinctive
Millwhites flavour for you to enjoy.
Our master blenders have over 50 years of cider making experience between them.
From the harvesting of
the apples to the tasting of the final product, they are on hand to make sure
that we achieve the perfect blend
of bittersweet and bittersharp apples.”The forthcoming CAMRA Cider Month
prompted me to find out
what cider/perry, at any level, is available at the Real Ale pubs I visit in and
around Chesham. In
Chesham, The George & Dragon, The Jolly Sportsman, The Nash Arms, and The Wild
Rover, have the
base offering of keg Strongbow and bottled Bulmers, Magners or Woodpecker; up in
the ridges The Hen
and Chickens (Botley) and The Bull (Bellingdon) offer the same. Those pubs with
more choice than this
are The Gamekeepers Lodge (Chesham) with keg Thatchers Old English cider and
bottled perry, The
Waggon & Horses (Chesham) with bottled Wychwood Green Goblin cider and perry and
fruit ciders, The
Queens Head (Chesham) with keg Scrumpy Jack and bottled perries and fruit
ciders, The Black Horse
(Chesham Vale) with keg Stowford Press and The Full Moon (Hawridge Common) with
a choice of keg
ciders and bottled perry. Moving up the scale we come to the pubs that cater for
Addlestones groupies in
addition to the base offering - The Kings Arms in Chesham plus The Crown and The
Swan in Ley Hill.
By the way, both Ley Hill pubs now have Cask Marque accreditation. And for the
purists there are some
pubs that sell unquestionably Real Cider – The Misty Moon (Chesham), The Blue
Ball (Asheridge), The
Rose and Crown (Hawridge) and The Crown (Ley Hill). Rohan at The Crown is
experimenting with Real
Ciders and Perries to find the mix that suits his customers; his plan is to have
a choice of Real Ciders and
Perries at all times. He and some friends will trial the production of a local
cider from local apples this
autumn. There will be some events for CAMRA Cider & Perry Month. Lisa at The
Queens Head will
have Real Cider: Lisa is a ‘Fuller’s Master Cellarman’, one of the top eight in
the UK. The real stuff will
also be available at Chesham Royal British Legion Beer Festival, open to all on
Friday October 3rd
(evening), Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th. A special event will be The Crown Cider
& Perry Festival in Ley
Hill on October 11th and 12th: Rohan will have several Real Ciders and Perry and
will also be serving the
cheeses and sausages that complement cider’s distinctive taste. It is in my
diary, put it in yours
Apple Day – 21st October
Apple Day is not a special CAMRA event but is
organised by Common
Ground,
www.commonground.org.uk.
According to their website,
“Common Ground is internationally recognised for playing a unique role
in the arts and environmental fields, distinguished by the linking of nature
with culture...” This year will be their 19th Apple Day and events will
take place all over the country – see their website. In support of Common
Ground, on the 21st October several pubs in and around Chesham will be
promoting cider plus ‘apples as ingredients’ on their menus – especially
pies and puddings. In town try The Kings Arms, The Misty Moon, The
Queens Head, The Waggon & Horses or the Wild Rover: out of town
The Black Horse (Chesham Vale) and The Crown (Ley Hill) are also
supporting Common Ground.
. APPLE (Apple & Pear
Product Liaison Executive) is CAMRA's cider & perry committee.
For more information: Elvis Evans (Regional Cider
Coordinator, Central Southern)
Andrea Briers (RCC East Anglia) - 01553 766904 (evenings
and weekends)
Ian White (RCC