Aspall Harry Sparrow Cyder

Pre-warning to this review: it has been suggested that this review is not as accurate as it ought to be, due to the temperature it was served at. As it was an issue, I would be willing to go along with that and so, as soon as I can find a bottle, it will be re-reviewed. 

If I find differently I will remove this review as being unhelpful. Cheers, Cider Pages

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An Aspall cyder that I haven't tried!!! Well, as it is on draught at the Cider Tap (it isn't currently a part of their bottle range... yet) it has to be tried!

Why Harry Sparrow though? Is this some mythical agricultural myth, like the Green Man? No, well, I guess it could be - just depends on who you ask! Harry used to be head cidermaker for Aspalls during the 20th century. This cider (sorry, cyder) is made in tribute to him.

It is described as: "Mid golden to amber in colour, Aspall Harry Sparrow is a full bodied medium dry cyder that has a wonderful fruit aroma with floral and cedar wood overtones." Looking at the website, it mentions Kingston Black and Medaille D'or - so there ought to be some tannin to this, which is unlike many other cyders Aspall make.

And so, this 4.5% cyder is poured out - too cold, light golden and bright - with a low level fizz that seems to be quite persistent. It has a very floral tone to its' smell - perfume and a little sharp smelling. The coldness kills most of the smell though (are you getting the hint yet, Cider Tap?)

Now. The taste is a bit disappointing. It is rather too sweet - there are low levels of sharpness and I am getting the tiniest amount of tannin in the flavour, although this is lost almost as soon as it is noticed. It feels tamed (and again, as with the Hogan's, it has been dropped to a mass market 4.5%).

If I really concentrate on it (without looking to weird in a pub that is fast filling up as people leave work for the day) I get the floral flavour to go with the smell. It is still quite eastern style and has a bit of a kick to it. This 'kick' is so small it may as well not be there though.

The aftertaste is short in length and not particularly inspiring. I have to come back to the temperature once again though. This cyder is on the sweet side - I think it should be chilled a bit. But not this far; and this cyder is probably quite ethereal in its character so would need more of a chance to be tasted properly. OK, perhaps I am being a bit snooty -  but give the cyder a chance... it doesn't all have to be arctic!

I personally think that Aspall may have missed the mark on this - and an opportunity to make a really stunning, full juice cyder in honour of a man who seems to have loved the French methods of making cyder - that would have been a great drink to try... but Aspall wouldn't be capturing a mass market with that so we get a 'diluted' version that just doesn't really satisfy.  It comes across as a tailored cider that suits undeveloped taste buds - it leaves me short. And that is a shame.

With a score of 62/100 I will be sticking to Premier Cru and Organic.

Aspall Mulled Cyder

"Seek and ye shall find"... or something like that! Okay, that is perhaps a touch out of context, but I have wanted to get hold of a glass of this cyder for some time. A business trip to York (it had nothing to do with Richard III!) and a stay overnight in the local Premier Inn was finally the answer. Not exactly the time or place for finding a cider that I have hunted for for over 2 winters.

I was so glad to find a real cider in a pub attached to a Premier Inn I shall name it too - the Dormouse, attached to the North York hotel... let's face it, if you have stayed at a Premier Inn the choice of real cider (or beer for that matter) is normally non existent. But there it was, a bowl of hot mulled Aspalls (and it was the real thing too, not just Aspall that was mulled. I made sure I checked!) Mind you, it was alongside the Strongbow and Magners:-)

Aspall Mulled Cyder is an elusive drink. Its not just me. For starters it is only released in the winter, and then you cannot buy it in a small bottle, Forget supermarkets... I think you can only get it in bag in box.

And so, parting with £2.25, it is ladled hot into a glass for me. I should add the weather is bitter - a day after the north experienced its latest bluster of snow. The car was misbehaving (the battery doesn't like the cold), I guess the perfect night for a mulled cyder - but for the sake of this blog I did my best to remain objective. On that note, here is the review.

The cyder is very hot (OK, not much Aspall can do about that eh:-). It is dark brown in colour and I have to say that I would describe it as bright - although it is really dark. The heat really kicks the smell up, and it smells heavily of cloves and a touch of spice too. It is slightly cydery, but more spicy than cydery. I tend to skip the cloves in my mulled cider.

The taste is something else. I am not sure if it is because I was cold, or that the staff at the pub were pleasant. It's probably just because Aspall have got the mulling of their cyder down just right. The cloves (somewhat mysteriously) fall way into the background in the mouth and I am getting nice levels of spice, a little orange, and a good cyder flavour. On the cyder side of things, it must be the Draught version as it has plenty of acid and a touch of tannin to give it body (although the spices add to the body too).

It is a sweet cyder, which works with the heat. The sweetening must have been with juice too, as it does taste a touch juicy... in fact, it is almost syrupy. Again, in this drink it serves the taste well... while I may not appreciate it in a cider (or cyder) it works well in a mulled version.

In all, this is not trying to be a fancy or clever cyder. It is a well done and well prepared mulled cyder; meant to warm, sustain and please as opposed to tickle all the senses (sorry Heston!). It does that well - and the score reflects that. A bronze apple for Aspall.

Aspall Lady Jennifer's Cyder

This was a bit of a find in a local Waitrose in Cardiff - an Aspall's I haven't tried before. Is it new? I have no idea and their website isn't much help in finding out. Not sure I like that label as much as the other cyders. Its all wishy washy where the others have made good use of powerful designs and strong colours. Could it be that this cyder isn't aimed at someone like me???

Its also very weak for a cyder, and much weaker than the rest of the Aspall range. At 4% its almost as if its a re-press (a second pressing of pomace once the majority of juice has been extracted). However, knowing that Aspall are a large, rather automated business, I doubt that they will be too bothered about repressing. Plus, I suspect that the presses they use are sufficiently serious that repressing just isn't viable. Anyway, its weak... speculation isn't going to work out why.

Lady Jennifer's cyder is described as being "A crisp light cyder". From pouring, it is a straw coloured cyder with a moderate fizz that persists throughout the drink. It has a light enough aroma which on par with other Aspall's.

A bit about the scoring on here - and of which this cyder is a good example. Although there are scores for tannin and acidity, this has to sit with the style of drink - western, eastern, cidre or sidra (or other). Now, I am not an expert on any of these drinks, but I reckon its unfair to score (say) an eastern style cyder down for having too little tannin. Its not suppost to have much tannin.  I hope to have read the various style correctly (i.e. its not simply 'western style' - there is Herefordshire, Somerset, Devon etc.). So, if you are a little confused by a cyder like this scoring 7 for tannin, it means that it is appropriate for its style.

Oh, its not that simple though. Cider makers generally don't work to 'styles' - they do what they like. So you are left to guess.

Back to Lady Jennifer. I reckon this cyder is a little odd for Aspall's. Not just for its marketing, but also it tastes weak. It has a light enough flavour with a decent fruit base, but its just a bit like watered down cyder.

Mind you, it is what it says it is on the label, so for that Aspall get credit. I am sure that if I were to find myself on a Victorian picnic and needing to be proper and charming it would suit the occasion very well. I have never been on a Victorian picnic and can think of other cyders... other Aspall's cyders... that I would take along.

In all honesty, it does everything competently. I just doesn't work very well for me. Could it be that its not aimed at people like me??

The taste is pretty weak, the aftertaste fades quickly although has an acidic bite to it. And I guess, as a fairly competent cyder, it scored 65/100.

Aspalls Imperial 2010 Vintage Cyder

I am not normally one to rush out and buy something 'cos its new. But when I was sent out to pick up some goodies from Sainsbury's earlier I couldn't resist having a peek to see if the new Aspall's cyder was in. As it was (well, I wouldn't be reviewing it here yet if it wasn't!!) I thought I would share my thoughts.

I like the bottle. It has quite a stylish colour (and I have always thought the Aspalls bottle shape is stylish). Of course you cannot see the liquid inside clearly enough, so I will just have to pour it out to see if the drink is as stylish as its marketing:-)

This cyder is meant to be produced to the same 'recipe' as the Aspalls 1921 award winning cyder. Hmm, I suppose ciders do have a recipe of sorts - which apple varieties to use. However, its not ale... its not really a recipe that can be controlled very much by the cyder maker. Still, if they want to call it a recipe then who am I to argue (well, I 'spose I would argue, just because I can - but I guess that doesn't make anyone right or wrong).

At 8.2% its all your recommended daily allowance of booze, so I am not sure if its one that is meant to be shared. Mine wasn't but, hey, some of us like to live on the wild side occasionally!

The Imperial is very different from any other cyder Aspall has available. You can tell this by simply filling your glass. It is a deep golden colour and smells all Western style with a full tannic nose. The moderately foamy carbonation is still there though, so at least that is the same as the others. But it almost glows - is the bittersweet going to turn out to be Yarlington Mill by any chance. Yarlington does produce an almost reddy golden cyder, which this is. Mind, I guess it could just as easily be something like Dabinett, although this produces a more brown style of cyder.

OK. First taste. Yum yum yum. My initial thoughts are that this cyder is clearly produced with the same quality that several of their other cyders have going for them. There is also a huge confirmation that this is very different from any other Aspall. It tastes western. I guess this is a bit of a knock back for me, as I see Aspall as being the main provider of eastern style cyders. But why on earth should I think that - Aspall can make what Aspall want to make. Its up to the rest of us (punters) to make the judgement on what we think of the cyder itself.

It is a fairly thick cyder - almost syruppy but not quite. Its clear as a bell, so its been through the usual pasteurisation/carbonation process that all Aspall's seem to go through these days. The carbonation dies after a little while to perform its background duties pretty well - lifting the tannins and sweetening the cyder a little. But this cyder is bordering on the outstanding. It is really very nice indeed.

Although it is different, you can still taste the acid clearly in the background - Premier Cru in style (i.e. pretty good acid) the acid doesn't overtake the tannin but seems to be singing its own song (like the use of poetry here:-) The aftertaste is fairly long and rich. I could drink this all over again!

I admit that I do have a bit of a soft spot for Aspalls. I think its a shame that they don't produce more traditional versions of their cyders - you know, truely unfiltered and unpasteurised. But then, I guess that isn't cost effective. Which is a shame. But what a nice new cyder!

It scored 80/100 which gives it (I think) their first silver apple.

Aspall Draught Cyder

I am not sure if this is the last of the Aspall range to try... there might be another one or two I haven't found. The draught cyder is (I think) one of the newer of the range - inspecting the bottle is says that 'Draught' was added to the line up for Aspall's 275th anniversary back in 2003. Just shows how long I have been drinking cider then I suppose!

As its the last Aspall to be reviewed on here, I do feel compelled to mention the botle. Generally, as smaller scale producers (including brewers) do not get much choice of bottles, it is nice to see that some companies take the trouble to invest in presentation. Aspall is one company who I think try very hard in this respect. I do like the tall bottles that their cyder comes in, and the labelling suits it well. It looks a stylish drink before you even open the bottle. I must also add though, that the labels are a right pain to remove for those producing for themselves and too stingy to go out and buy their own (I speak from personal experience!). Also, the bottles are too tall to stack generally... but that isn't Aspall's problem eh!

So, I like the bottle and label (and it does matter!). Pouring the cyder out, it is a lovely colour. I have noted on the sheet 'Yellow', but it is much closer to a pale gold than yellow. It also has a very fresh desert apple aroma; a big aroma in which you can smell acid and citrus flavours. The carbonation is medium but consistant as opposed to any kind of flourish.

Any carbonation would be lost in this drink, and this doesn't get in the way - it has big desert fruit flavours going on. After the refreshing bite of the decent amount of acid there is plenty of citrus flavour - lemon and (dare I say it) banana even. This is not a balanced cyder as you might expect from a mainstream cyder maker, where it all seems to taste the same. There is very little tannin to calm the big flavour down. An excellent eastern counties cyder from a much respected eastern counties producer.

The aftertaste does die a little, although the flavour is so distinct that it doesn't really disappear as such. It has a depth and character to it and rightfully scores 76/100. I could drink it all day long... though at 5.5% that would be irresponsible:-)

Aspall Organic Cyder

After the Premier Cru, the Organic from Aspall is probably the cyder I am most familar with. I have mentioned before that I quickly moved on to things like Aspall after Magners - and if you buy a bottle of Magners and a bottle of either Premier Cru or Organic I am sure you will understand why.

Now, to rant or not to rant? Rant about what? Rant about the idea and concept of 'organic' stuff! Particularly cider (sorry... cyder) To some degree, a lot of cider orchard are organic - or at least would be if they could afford the soil associations fees. And if an orchard uses pesticides or spray to help them obtain the perfectly rounded and crunchy examples that mose supermarkets and customers demand, then they forfeit the 'organic' status. Anyway, I have yet to find a cider maker who really cares two hoots whether his cider apples are crunchy or not, and if they are blemish free and/or perfectly round. In fact, to make decent cider, its better that the apples have gone past their crunchy stage:-)

I haven't said very much about Aspells Organic yet, have I! Well, to start it has a nice cidery aroma, although its pretty fizzy (this dies down pretty quickly once its poured out). To taste, Organic gives a good sharp hit - more eastern counties than the other Aspall ciders I have tried so far (and far more than the Thatchers Cox!!). There are also a few tannins in it, although the appley, desert flavour is the boss.

There isn't a huge aftertaste to it, the crispness does liner though. It doesn't say on the bottle what it classes itself as, although its probably a medium dry - a very nice full flavour that is neither 'safe' (I have to say that having tried a few eastern style ciders from the big producers, they do seem to err on the cautious side for their eastern products) or simply a standardised cider taste.

Nice one Aspalls. A jolly good 72/100 and a bronze apple from me:-)

Aspall Peronnelle Blush Cider

 

A really hard one this. It would be far too easy to bash it for not really being cider and following the 'fruit' laced cider trend... it would also be too easy to support fruit (other than apple) cider and unwittingly fall into something that I have strong feelings about.

So, this needs to stand up as a cider, for me. Not as a 'girls drink', not as a 'fruit laced cider', not even as an alcopop. It needs to be a cider. And I ought to make it clear how I feel about these drinks... just 'cos its got 'cider' on the label, doesn't make it cider in the bottle. I am still thinking and weighing out whether I want to try Koppaburg or Reordeligg on here - even trying to be objective would be so tricky!

Anyway, This is quite a hard one for me.

First thing to note is that it has a blackcurrent and cider smell. Yep, almost separate aroma's coming off it. Its also deep pink (indicated 'red' on the sheet as I didnt think to make space for a pink cider. Again, the carbonation is gentle but leaves a foam on top, which seems to give it a bit more body in the mouth.

To my taste, its a little odd. There is a 'Premier Cru' taste about it - definitely an Aspell cyder underneath, but over the top there is a berry taste. Let me expand. This isn't a 'Ribena' taste. Its not at all sickly (and medium dry seems to be just about right). And while it doesn't completely take control, it does linger into the aftertaste as the dominant flavour.

Hmmmmm. I am a bit torn. Aspall haven't overdone things (I have tried some of the others, so know what overdone tastes like). Its a very posh alcopop if it is one at all. Having seen people buy up bottles of fruit adjusted 'cider' alcopop in the supermarkets, I actually believe this a step in the right direction. So a score of 67/100 is deserved. For what it is it is well done. And as Aspall sit on the edge of the bit commercial cider producers I think they are exactly the people to do it well.

Mind you, I don't really go for other fruit in my cider. Its just as bad as ice!

Sainsburys Taste the Difference Suffolk Cyder

As with many supermarket 'own brand' ciders, they are produced by a third party and then sold on under the supermarkets name. With this one, its not exactly hidden - its right there in big letters on the front label. Aspall are a good, solid cider maker from Suffolk who make really nice cider... sorry, that should be cyder... in the Eastern counties style.

Does the fact that they have made this for a supermarket mean they are bad? No. Does it mean the cider itself is bad? Well, probably not - we'll see. Does it make it not cider? No, it looks like cider and smells like cider. The 4.5% is a bit weak - that is almost a second pressing of the apple pulp strength. Its also more expensive than many of Aspall's own labelled cider at just over £2 for a 500ml bottle.

So, is it love at first gulp? No. Once I had waited for the fizz to subside a bit, I just felt a bit disappointed by it. Having bought Aspall's cider quite happily in the past, I just thought this one let it down a bit too much. OK, so with the low alcoholic volume it was likely to be watery, but it just feels a bit too sweet and acidic... and rather non committal for an eastern style of cider.

On the label it says this cider balances sweetness and acidity. Sure, but does that count when the sweetness and acidity drown most other flavours out. That is a bit unkind, there is a refreshing lemony taste to it. But its not a winner for me, I am afraid.

I think the 62 points it scored is a bit generous, although it is better than more market leading alternatives. Sorry Aspall!

Aspall Dry Premier Cru Cyder

 OK, must get my ciders/cyders/zyders right on this one! Eastern style cyder is 'the other' style of cider historically found in the UK. Arguably (and I have seen several histories of cider) it is older than the western style... lets not get into that though. Whereas the west country have specific cider fruit, the eastern counties (Kent, Suffolk, Sussex) were the garden of England - with many quality desert and culinary apple varieties.

This doesn't mean that cider apples aren't used in eastern styles. They just don't have to be used. This produces a lighter, more acidic cider with lower levels of tannin. I should add that I am not referring to just any old desert apples - I doubt whether Granny Smith or Golden Delicious would make a good cider of any style.

Aspall, based in Suffolk, and they do use some cider varieties in the cyder. However, it is most definitely an eastern style - more akin to the French style of cider than the west of England. And they have been doing it for a long time too. Another family owned business that are significantly big.

It has always puzzled me why Aspall don't make it on to CAMRA list of 'real' ciders. They claim to use 100% apple juice (in big writing at the top of the bottle). I suspect that they are using manufacturing processes in the same way as Thatchers, Westons and Sheppy's... but would be happy to be proven wrong! I confess that Aspall - especially their Premier Cru - has been consumed here rather often, although never in comparison to other ciders. It will be an interesting one, this.

First off, its fairly fizzy - this is OK with eastern/French style cider as it offsets the sharpness common when using mainly desert fruit. Secondly, its a nice straw colour which is common to ciders using dessert fruit.

Taking a glug, its a good light (but not watery) taste. There isn't much aftertaste on this one - maybe as there is less tannin. Its like a bold French cider - more body and a deeper flavour. However, something about it seems a little homogenous - a similar feeling to that of the other large producers. Don't get me wrong though, I could drink this all night. its got a zingy, tangy taste to it.

Of the score, 67 includes a good overall style score, but it lost a few character points because of its 'safe' feel. This may be a little unfair to the large producers - things have to give with large production. However, as a consumer seeking the best, I have to take that into account. There are not that many people making heritage cider in the Eastern style - and this is probably the easiest and most accessible of those... so don't take this as a bad cider by any means!