Three Saints Bishops Fancy Perry

OK, this is my last review for Winchester Real Ale and Cider Festival 2014. I promise. I do hope that you can see why they deserved to be published - each of them a treat! And this last one is no different (although it is a bit if a fix). I had tried all the others on offer and this is the best perry of this evening! Apologies if you thought I would finish with an absolute stinker... I opted not to:-) Not that there were any truly bad ciders on offer - okay, let me frame that by saying that there was an apple/pear 'pyder' that tasted of orange squash and another which was very sweet indeed. But out of 20 or so ciders and perries I can only take my hat off to whoever put that little lot together!

As much as I disapprove of the nonsense that is CAMRA APPLE - with its clique and unelected committee, self pats on the back and squabbling about the most irrelevant of issues (like pasteurisation) - cider and perry features more and more at festivals around the UK. And CAMRA are spearheading this. It surely must be only a matter of time before CAMRA start holding cider led festivals. No, wait... sorry. What I should have said was that, if they had any sense, it can only be a matter of time... I do not have any expectations in reality (but wouldn't it be good!) Still, CAMRA are a big organisations and as a large stone it has certainly gathered some moss in its time. And no, I do not ask your pardon for abusing that particular saying:-)

Now, onto my notes for Bishops Fancy. Three Saints don't have a website to browse, but searching through the Welsh Cider and Perry Association (they are a Welsh producer) I can see that they are a full juice, traditional company based in Monmouthshire. It also says 'using rare Welsh perry pears and cider apples. Not sure if I could name any apples or pears that are unique to Wales... but I am sure there will be some. Anyway, this is about the perry isn't it:

The perry is medium dry, fairly bright and pale in colour. It has (what I noted as) a flowery smell, albeit a touch light in the nose. I have also written a 'Tappy smell' - though I really cannot make out what on earth I was going on about. Over this though I have written 'nice' so, with several months between the tasting and now, lets go with that.

The flavour confirms the floral pear taste. It is very pleasant in the mouth and does taste a little stronger than its 4.6% abv. I would say this is an all round perry - it could be more individual, but then it is very pleasant as it is. The medium dry is accurate and I would be quite happy that this may not be back sweetened - as pears contain sorbitol which is unfermentable.

The aftertaste is moderate in length and the note I have against that is satisfying.

At the end of the day, whether I can recall what the notes say or not, it is the score that matters. With 76/100 this goes down as one of the better examples of the art of perry. A bronze apple (which, thinking about it doesn't sound quite right for a perry:-)

Charles Martell 'Owler Pear Spirit

Sometimes life gets in the way of plans and projects - and sometimes writing a blog about your favourite topic just simply has to take a back seat... which is pretty much what has happened in the last 6 months. My apologies to any who were fed up with the tribute to the first World War - though I do think (in the UK at least) the centenary of this folly is important. However, in order to try and kick start a new flourish of reviews I figured I would go for something very different: a pear spirit produced by Charles Martell.

I know, I have never heard of this kind of thing before either?! OK - I am sure the French are at it and we just call it something different in the UK. However this is innovation in the cider industry at work as far as I can tell:-)

One thing you may have noticed is that this is a tiny bottle. I tried to make it look bigger than it really is, but there is a very good reason it's so small: It is bloody expensive! The sharp eyed will notice that I splashed out £5.50 for a 5cl 'sample'. It is more like £60 for a whole bottle - and I just aint going to pay that for something I have never tried before... though I might once I have tried it!!

As an aside, I must say that I love the sample bottle (the big one is the same style). This has been done for whisky and looks great... 

A bit about Charles Martell - They are renowned cheese makers (ever heard of 'Stinking Bishop'?) and are based in Gloucestershire. They are also distillers of apple and pear spirit (although my reading of their website leads me to think that they have only just started releasing spirits.

It is a clear liquid - I guess its what I would expect from pears, which give a juice that is light in colour. Opening the bottle (this has to be the smallest bottle of anything I have reviewed on here!!) and shoving my nose over the top, I am getting pears alongside that familiar acoholic whiff that you find with whiskies and brandy. It isn't as faint as I had expected, and is rather nice. Once it is in the glass, you get the full smell of it. Sure, there are peardrops - though the biggest smell for me now is not unlike Airfix glue or varnish.

It is quite a powerful spirit to drink - there is varnish in the taste, though a part of this is actually the peariness of it. I am not sure it works, but once I have got beyond the varnish smell its really quite a nice drink - though it really does hit you in the back of the throat! It is really a toasty pear that comes through, with a warming tone that rises through each sip and roars at the end. Great for coming home to after a winters day of harvesting or pressing!

I don't know how long this spirit has been aged for. Judging by the fire in its belly I would say not that long - and perhaps it could benefit from another year or so to refine the harsh edges. Mind you, I think that is what this drink it about. It is a hit in the throat and, if I were to buy a bottle, it would wait for the chill of winter - I bet it will shine then!

As it goes, this sample earned a bronze apple from me with a score of 72/100. Not bad at all - perhaps I should try some more:-)

Koppaberg Pear

After the last review, I am sat here hoping that this pear cider has little in common with its alcohol free cousin. Or that there is an emergency down t' pit that requires me to leave the house immediately... or perhaps a product recall effective right away. OK, rationalising things I should just get on with this.

The bottles are identical to look at (OK, the words alcohol free are not on this bottle - it is 4.5%. I must say up front that, if it does turn out like the other one it is going down the sink... and I will have found a drink to use as an example of alcocider - which I shall use to compare with the real thing as often as I dare.

Having done the label to death on the last review, I am stuck for something interesting to say about Koppaberg. OK, they are made in Sweden - which must have a very different tradition of making cider than we do in the UK. This strikes me as curious - since HMRC only govern the ingredients of a drink they have no real control over what can be called cider as long as the ingredients are there. And their list of ingredients is both far too long and far too subjective to be of much use. No wonder so many faux ciders can call themselves such. Sadly, also HMRC have very little jurisdiction over what calls itself cider at all - that is for Trading Standards. So there is quite a lot of disjointed thinking going on. I say that in support of my suggestion that the industry ought to police itself more - here is the link in case you missed it.

Koppaberg are a Swedish brewing company based in... Koppaberg - a town in which Wikipedia says there is an older population. It started making apple and pear drinks in 2003. The law that governs cider in Sweden allows anything with over 15% juice content to call itself cider... which I think probably explains a lot - 15% is an insanely low amount of juice to be putting into a cider!

OK. I have put it off for long enough. This drink pours out as ghostly as its non alcoholic partner - a slight tint of greenish yellow (makes it sound lovely, doesn't it?!) There is a much stronger smell in this drink though - again it is pear drops but I am also getting an unnatural sweetness to it. Please God, no!

Now, to taste I have to admit that this has more body than the alcohol free version. This mainly comes from a syruppy body - in no way is there any acidity or tannin to be found. Once again, it is sweet and sickly. Once again... (to me personally) it is, quite honestly, bloody horrible.

A potentially terrible question has occurred to me: is there any difference between this pear cider and the apple version... or do they all taste the same. Fortunately, probably for Koppaberg as much as me, I am not intending to find out. Not that they would really care what an English blogger has to say. But then, is this really a pear cider? It has very little in common with anything that you could say was pear cider (no, I am not going to even mention perry... it is nowhere on any scale of being remotely similar to perry). Surely, pear cider/perry should have some semblance or relation to alcoholic pear beverage in some way?

This scores 26/100 and probably only gets the extra point because it has alcohol in it.

As a footnote, I ought to point out that this drink IS an absolute masterclass in alcopops being dressed up as cider. If anyone need this demonstrated then simply try it. I don't think I need prove my case any more than that. People of the NACM - if you are listening - please, lets have something to differentiate... I mean, have you tasted this?

Koppaberg Pear - Alcohol Free

Well, this one is for all those health conscious "alcohol is evil" types out there. The sort that want to nanny and police us and stop us from being responsible adults for our own good. You know, the sort who like things like statistics that can be abused and massaged to suit their own opinions. And aren't opinions like arseholes...

I am struck by the irony of this drink too. Koppaberg is a drink not exactly tailored for the more experienced cider drinker... it is one of those drinks that sit in nightclubs and pubs who don't really care too much about the cider they lay on, as long as they can get it cheaply. I know, a bit harsh, but lets face it; any drink that advertises itself as premium and happily sits alongside WKD etc. (with all its various flavours) is kind of lining itself up with the alcopop world.

So, what is ironic then? Well, Koppaberg is targeted at the aspiring young... those who wish to develop their tastebuds but think that this kind of thing is still 'totes amazeballs'. And this one is alcohol free. Come on... there has to be something ironic about this... the Swede's have a sense of humour, don't they?

To some degree, if Koppaberg is on the edge of what I see as cider (I know, it says cider on the bottle... premium cider actually... its just a label, it doesn't necessarily mean anything!) then this ought not be... except that it says it is on the label. But then, I wanted to compare the non alcoholic version to the alcoholic version. So I have both to try... one after the other. This way I can get a true reflection on whether this unleaded version is a true reflection of its leaded colleague.

Looking at the label, I do have some high points for you. The company refer to themselves as a "family owned brewery". And there I was, thinking that it was only journo's who couldn't be bothered to tell the difference between brewing beer and making cider. The other thing that made me stop for a second was, "fermented using naturally formed soft water..." Pardon? Say again? OK, taking aside the naturally formed soft bit (which is weird enough)... is this a mineral water drink? Is that what the Swedes think of cider? Oh dear.

To see in the glass, this drink has virtually no colour at all - a greeny yellow tint is about as far as I can go with it. Also, it is foamy and sparkling - though with very little smell to it. I am getting some pear drops - but really not much else.  So far, it fits with the idea of it being a mineral water drink. Let's taste it.

Aaaaagh. Sugar rush! There is something cidery or peary about it... though trying to get past the sweetness is all but impossible. There is very little character other than candy - certainly nothing that I can use to compare it to other pear ciders... let alone perries. And that, I am afraid, is how it stays the whole time. I wouldn't say it isn't challenging or balanced - I am finding it very challenging and unbalanced to be honest. Just not in a good way (for me).

I can, in all honesty, say that this is my first and last time of trying Koppaberg Pear Alcohol Free. The only plus I can see about this is that it is alcohol free... the drink itself is incredibly sweet and quite frankly nasty. In fact, it is the only reason I could see anyone drinking it is for the bottle... is that what this is reduced to?

For anyone seeking to discover perry from the point of drinking this: start with Magners or Bulmers. It has much more flavour going on. I fear that an Olivers may have too much flavour and character at this stage... however, please move on from this. Try one of those mineral waters with 'a hint of'... they are better than this!

A score of 25/100 means that this may well be the lowest scoring drink I have tried so far. I need a drink of water just to clear my palate!

Bulmers Pear

I am sure I have said this for just about every Bulmers or Magners product that I have tried to date... sooner or later I had to try this example. This one isn't even a pear cider... its a pear. OK, probably a little mischievous but this is one of those drinks that people will automatically think of (well, those who drink pear cider, that is). I am glad, however, that I have had the chance to try a few very high quality perries before coming to this one.

Looking at the label, apparently pears were the first fruit Bulmers pressed back in 1887. Marketeers. I love em (not). Well, all I can say to that comment is that I would put money on the perry being made back in 1887 to have an awful lot more juice content that there is today... and Mr Bulmers - all that time ago - would probably not recognise this (barring it being his name on the label!). Oh well, I guess if you know nothing about perry making practices then this is probably a reassuring thing.

I know I bang on about this, but heritage is very important to me. Heritage and quality... the two aren't linked. Just because someone has been making cider for long enough that they should know how to put a decent cider together does not mean by any stretch that they do... However, for Bulmers to play on heritage - when their practices and products  don't resemble anything of the sort. Am I not the only one who finds this a bit disingenuous?

Look, I am going to step away from this perspective in order to try this pear cider with some kind objectivity.

It pours out golden, fizzy and bright and sparkly.I am mostly getting pear drops from the smell - it is quite strong. It isn't the subtle and charismatic smell that I have experienced in the very best of the perries, but it isn't so boiled sweets that I am put off... and at least it smells of pears.

The taste is much more watered down. Its a bit of a cross between cider and perry to be honest. There are no real tannins (perhaps I get the whisper of them) and not a whole lot of acid either - though strangely it does have some body.

With a short, sweet aftertaste I have to conclude that this is a bit of a ghost of itself. Any bold flavours have been rounded off to present something that would only offend those that really appreciate perry at a strength that cannot be criticised by the anti drinks lobby.

Saying all this, I don't hate it. In fact, I can see why it is popular - there is nothing to hate... nothing at all. Nothing to see here... a score of 53/100 sees it safely 'in the middle'.

 

Ross on Wye - Broome Farm Perry

Moving from Somerset up to Herefordshire (happens a lot for cider and perry:-) for this perry from Ross on Wye. Now, these guys have an excellent track record on here for their cider so I guess I am expecting some good things from the perry too. We shall see.

Once again the bottle comes with a llama stuck on it. No, its not a llama - its an alpaca. Is it being offensive to say that this one has a bit of a squished up face??? The description says that their herd of alpaca's graze for part of the year under the pear trees, so perhaps this one was grazing under a very acidic pear tree!!

This perry pours out yellowy gold and with the tiniest 'pfzz'. It looks clear, but I think it is fairly bright for perry (it can be a bugger to get polished and clear). It has quite a lively, citrus smell to it. And although the smell is robust, there is are a few floral notes which takes the edge off. I am looking forward to this;-)

For once, I think Ross on Wye have got the sweetening wrong. Its really much more sweet than the medium dry that it says on the label. It is well into medium. However, working with this, I am getting quite a floral and fruity perry underneath it. Once again, there are some peaches in the mouth - though less so than I am coming to expect (this could just be the sweetness). It is quite juicy too, However, there is a little tannin and I am getting some acidic notes too. It is the floral, pear flavour that wins through though.

A moderate length aftertaste which again is mostly sweet and peary with a juicy tone that competes with the perry.

In all, I do like this but felt that the sweetening let it down a bit. It would have been nice to try this as a proper medium dry - I am sure it would be really good. A score of 77/100 earns a bronze. It is well put together, but not quite hitting the mark.

Hecks Perry

Back on to the perries then. This one is from Hecks; a producer of renown based in the heart of Somerset. I got this bottle direct (and no, I didn't have to use a boat to get there - though it was rather wet!). Coming in a 750ml bottle, it was enough to share. Just don't ask if I shared it!

I am very glad that I have a few Heck's to review now. One of the features of craft cider and perry is that it is unlikely to get a national availability... and I am, so far, lucky to get out to the West Country every now and again. Having a few to try, I am a little mystified as to why I started with the perry... not exactly my strong point! I am rather enjoying the learning curve though (so perhaps it isn't such a bad thing that it goes first!)

In the bottle, it is clear and golden - perhaps with a touch of sediment at the bottom - so if it has been filtered (and I think this is likely) it has been done so sensitively. Without wishing to pre-judge this perry - that word could describe all the really good cider makers: sensitive. Sensitive to the drink itself, its sweetness, the best way to present it...

In the glass there is no fizz whatsoever - lovely and still. It has a classic perry smell to it as well. I think I am getting some sweetness though - well, it is a medium sweet, so it is going to be right at the upper end of my sweetness scale. I am getting some mellow cidery smell as well - I think there are going to be tannins...

The taste is everything I have described - it is very sweet, but to be fair that is how it is described so it isn't too sweet. It is the medium sweet that is described. Beneath the sweetness, which I guess must be sugar as I am not getting juiciness or any aftertaste, I am getting some peach (pears don't taste of peaches, so I have some work to do to truly understand this). Back this up with a woody tone and even ice-cream notes this is rather a nice perry... even if it is too sweet for my own palate.

I am getting a mellow tannin undertone to this drink, although cannot detect much acid - that is not to say that there isn't enough going on already!!

The aftertaste is long and develops in the mouth (although the sweetness stays with you). I ought to reiterate - this perry is a medium sweet, so please don't expect it to be dry!

Hecks perry scores 78/100 for me, which is a bronze apple. I suspect that if you like sweeter perries you would score it more.

Lilleys Bee Sting Pear Cider

Temporary image - borrowed from Lilleys website

Now, to some extent the last drink on the list at the Cider Tap is really not my thing. A sweet pear cider. Look, I will try it and I will be objective about it... I do wish I knew how sweet a sweet was meant to be however... I guess its whatever though - whilst a Dry becomes a medium and then on to a sweet - there is no such thing as super sweet so sweet covers it all.

This pear cider is slightly different for the Tap as it comes out sparkling. It is pale yellow in colour and bright to look at. Not that you can look at it unless you have one. Sorry, once again the phone camera wouldn't work... well, the phone wouldn't work and I guess that just means that camera was knackered too. I do wonder if iPhones do well dipped in perry though!! No - I didn't. The thought just crossed my mind, that is all!

Now, to smell this pear cider is very odd. It smells of soap. Imperial Leather to be exact (and no. I hadn't just been to the toilet and washed my hands!) I guess there is some pear in all that sweet smell.

It is very sweet to taste - quite juicy too, so I guess it has been backsweetened with juice. It is also very light with very little tannin going on. My thinking is that this could be a perry made from Comace and/or Conference pears... these are the pears you get if you cannot get perry pears (or old fashioned varieties) - they are the most commonly available pears to buy in bulk. However, they neither contain any acid or any tannin. Well, next time you get a chance to eat one, let me know what the components of the flavour are!

Now, contrary to what I have just said above, there is plenty of acid... which is a bit odd. This is like lemon and lime with a bucket load of sugar on the top. The sweetness dominates all and, with a moderate aftertaste, I do find it a touch watery.

Once again, a pear cider that seems at odds with perry... but not as much as some (if it weren't so sweet!) I scored it 50/100... so right in the middle.

Marks and Spencers Pear Cider

Here is the other perry that I wanted to try. It is easy to get hold of and, yup, its a Westons. If you sit it side by side with the other bottle it is identical (OK, the bottles are identical). It is actually 0.1% different ABV... but this really means nothing as trading standards allow a 0.5% leeway either way (this it is actually 1% out either way, but lets be honest - that would be really bad form eh!). So, essentially it is identical. Well, not quite.

The difference between these bottles is that one has an ingredients list on it. This allows me to analyse the processes that Weston's use to make the perry/pear cider... if only CAMRA would do it's own homework and work these things out for itself then perhaps their definition of cider and perry wouldn't need constant inspection and adjustment. Here are my notes:

1. Pear juice. This is both juice 'content' and pear juice used to sweeten (which in itself counts towards the juice content even though it is added 'after the fact'). It is encouraging that this is still the main ingredient.
2. Water. This is the second largest constituent and is what is used to cut a cider or perry from, say, 14% down to 7.4% or 7.3%.
3. Glucose Syrup. This is very commonly used to chaptalise - which put simply means increase a gravity (alcohol) from 6% (average pear gravity) to, say, 14%. This is done prior to fermentation and the resulting beverage is stored until required, and then subject to 2.
4. Acidity regulator, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid. Well, this is what happens when you bugger about with cider or perry!
5. Preservative, sulphite. A normal addition
6. Yeast. Clearly (mind you fermenting out to, for example, 14% you will need a yeast that can handle much higher strengths of alcohol than your average yeast.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I support food labelling requirements for alcoholic beverages. Bet you don't see that in the Weston's adverts!

So, let us get on with this perry. I am trying this a day after the Henry Weston's so I should be able to compare them fairly well. Why am I doing this? Well, Westons do have 'form' for releasing the same drink under a different name. Is it wrong? Well, that is not for me to say - I will leave it up to the readers to judge.

It is a medium dry cider, moderately sparkling and yellow in colour. It is also bright and sparkly. It smells of pear juice, although I note that I am not getting sulphite this time - so the pear smell is unhindered.

Sure enough, the taste is very juicy and it comes across as more a medium than medium dry. I do get a touch of tannin and some acid. It is very similar to the Henry Westons I tried last night.

Don't get me wrong - it isn't that it is a terrible drink. It is just uncomplicated, when I find really good quality perry IS complicated. This is attempting to do for perry a kind of cider like experience for the drinker - simple, pear like and pretty strong in alcohol. This is a shame - and even with my limited perry experience I do believe it is a mistake.

As for the two perries being identical. Well, it isn't the first time and, lets be honest, I don't know how the buyers for the supermarkets work. I can certainly forgive this more than, say, producing two (or three or four) ciders that are identical and selling them under your own monika.

Anyway, the scores are somewhat identical too. 56/100.

Henry Westons Vintage Perry (2012)

Moving on with perry - well, why not get the 'easy to get hold of perries' first. Here we have a couple of perries that I would like to try alongside each other. Well, I say that - one does call itself a pear cider, but both are made by Weston's.As a start, lets try the real deal - Weston's own Vintage Perry. The bottle is easy to recognise (whether it says Westons, Asda, M&S or whatever) - is the perry?

At 7.4%, this is not a perry to be taken too lightly. It is described as a medium dry (though in my experience of Weston's this probably makes it a medium). It pours out moderately sparkling, pale gold and brightly clear. It certainly looks the part.

Smelling it, there is a distinct pear aroma - a little unusual having smelled other perry that I know to be top class. As a note there is also quite a lot of sulphite too - checking briefly this is a bit of a common theme for Weston's cider, though I am not sure why. I know - why point out about the sulphite? Well, some people are allergic to is, and it is worth noting that, if you can smell it, then its quite heavy.

To taste, it is moderately medium in sweetness and it is all juicy. I am not getting a whole lot of pear on the tongue - or perry flavour to be honest. I cannot assume anything, but this seems to be tailored for those who don't know perry... there doesn't seem to be much else than pear going on. OK, I do get a small touch of tannin, but mostly it is pear.

The longer I drink this perry, the more I feel it is a solid medium. There is some acid here - and this couples with the sweetness to give a moderate length aftertaste.

I think that is enough said. A score of 56 is above average, but I really do feel that as a vintage perry, this should have been more complex - well, a bit anyway!

Dunkerton's Perry

Apologies for the minor absence, it was not intentional but... there you go. Hopefully I now have time and cider/perry enough to keep things going once again:-) I was intending to say that "this is the last of the perries on my shelf". But then I bought some more - so you have a few more reviews to look forward to.

However, this is the last of the perries that have sat around for a while waiting for me to pluck up enough courage to try them. I am glad I did - not because I won't look back in a few months and wish I had more experience before writing them but because this perry lark now fascinates me! For a drink that is made pretty much using the same practices as cider, using pretty much the same kind of raw materials, it is so much more nuanced and delicate than most of the ciders that I have tried. There are real wine comparisons that you can draw on - far more than with cider. It really is a different kettle of fish. And that has surprised me.

Dunkerton's are among my favourite cider producers, making honest cider and exploring tastes without compromising. I can see them tasting and testing their different blends or single variety ciders; some good and some rejected. Too many cidermakers simply launch wholesale into 'innovative' ideas and throw them out onto the market... Whitehead's 'Beetroot' cider is such an example. If I wanted to drink beetroot juice then I would press some beetroot - not chuck it into cider! And then there are those who believe the key to the treasure chest of cider making lies in a bottle of sweetener...

Okay, enough ranting for now. Lets go for this perry then.

It pours out foamy and clear into the glass. The smell is pungent - no need to stick my nose into this one! However, it is a deep smell: tannic, rich and bold. That makes this unusual for a perry - they are normally more nuanced than this. However, I like it.

The taste is much milder than the smell, oddly. It is very smooth - I am getting a pear/cidery flavour with a touch of farmyard too. There are peaches in the taste as well. This seems to be a theme with good perry... peaches. It is almost creamy, although this could be the fizz.

There is some tannin in here, but very little acid which kind of accentuates the tannin a touch. The aftertaste is long and nice too and lingers. Very good. I am satisfied!

A score of 85/100 puts this almost on par with the Olivers. A silver apple for Dunkertons.

Cornish Orchards Pear Cider

Hopefully I am now moving back to some perry that is more traditionally made now. Checking back on their cider reviews, I rather like Cornish Orchards drinks... so I think that this may be a safer perry to return to.

So, lets get on with it. Well, I have to say I rather like the style of the bottle. I have probably said this before but it is classy and simple. Saying I like it - I don't like the fact that they have called it pear cider. I guess that is the snob in me - perry and pear cider are (I guess) an interchangeable concept these days and to suggest that perry = good and pear cider = bad is missing the mark somewhat. Sure, I cannot think of one drink called 'perry' that is industrial in nature (I frame that statement in the knowledge that both Babycham is perry and also Lambrini... though I admit I have no idea whether they call themselves perry specifically).

Moving on to the description... well, although I have not obtained permission the fact that it is on their bottles means I can replicate it here:

"A refreshing, delicate, medium dry cider that has a lovely soft sparkle with gentle pear tones and a crisp dessert apple finish. Created with beautiful English Conference pears. A fabulous alternative to white wine or serve chilled over ice; a wonderful long drink."

Confused. Well, forgive the use of 'cider' - its a pear cider (and my thinking having studied the bottle is that they call it that because their stock of labels refer to their ciders... Conference pears. There are very sweet with no acid at all - hence the use of apples to provide acidity and balance. It will be an interesting experience. I believe that many of the mass market brands use conference and comace - the two common dessert pears available in large quantities. As to white wine etc. well, I am going to open the bottle and give it a go.

This perry has a moderate sparkle to it - in fact it is another bottle that has sat around for a few month and does appear to have developed a bit (there was a tiny amount of settled sediment). However, I would suggest that it has been filtered to a degree as it is bright.

The smell is surprising... and nice. A bit of acid in the nose and a very pungent floral (rose like) smell. And (here is the surprising bit) there is something wine like about the aroma. This isn't supported so much with the taste, although it is nice. There is a touch of syrup about it - could be sweetening or the apples perhaps.

In summary, the taste is delicate and tasty. There is more than a hint of dessert apple about it, and it is a floral almost cidery drink which has more than a passing similarity to white wine. Saying that it isn't a cutting or crisp drink like a wine would be and I am still thinking cider as I work my way through the glass. On the whole it is gentle and has a reasonable amount of acidity

There is a medium length aftertaste, which is fairly light and acidic. I should also add that the medium dry is done very well, so it is an all round hit for me... well, not the greatest in my short  perry career but certainly very good.

A score of 72/100 and a bronze apple goes to Cornish Orchards...

Healeys Pear Rattler

I am enjoying this foray into the new. Well, it is new for me anyway. Incidentally, by request I have tagged these as 'perry' to make it easier to find. Mind you, if I can find as many perries as I have ciders then that could grow into a rather long list!

OK. In front of me I have a bottle of Healey's Cornish Pear Rattler. Checking back, I am not sure that I went all that mad over the cider version of Rattler - though I was confidently informed by a publican last year that it is all very popular and 'real'. Now there is a term that I can sit alongside 'premium':-)

Bearing the standard image of surfer and snake, Healey's leans on the Cornish surfing reputation. In fact, the last time I went surfing in Cornwall it was in just about every pub in Newquay so I would say that they have captured their target marketplace with this design. Mind you, having spent my entire 20's surfing the coasts of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, it is a fairly new thing.

Opening the bottle, this perry is crystal clear and moderately sparkling. That is about right for Healey's - Rattler cider is the same kind of thing if I remember rightly.

Lets start with the smell of this thing. Well, it smells of pears. Honestly, I have to say - as a beginner in regards to perry - that of the two high quality perries neither smelt of pears in the same way that full juice traditional cider rarely smells just of apples.

Oh my god, it is insanely sweet! Its like pear flavoured lemonade! Trying to be objective and getting underneath all that sweetening, it isn't a complex perry at all... there is a fair amount of sharpness - something that isn't that common in pears. Certainly dessert pears don't have much acid at all... and let's face it, there aren't that many perry pears to fuel the largest producers of perry/pear cider.

I am going to have to say that I prefer the Magners to this if I am honest. The aftertaste is very sweet and lingering. Sorry Healey's - I can see why you call it pear cider! A score of 48/100.

Burrow Hill Perry

Well, both Olivers and Burrow Hill were my favourite producers of 2013, so I guess it is fair cop to try the Burrow Hill Perry next. I expect something slightly different too - after all, each comes from a distinct cider/perry producing county: mind you, I confess to having heard the saying that perry can only be made in sight of May Hill and somewhere in my brain that suggested that perry pears were only grown in Herefordshire... which of course is complete nonsense,

While I am not planning on getting drawn into a 'May Hill' argument, I will attempt to explain it... which is perhaps a bit ironic seeing as this perry is from Somerset:-)

May Hill is, guess what, a hill situated between Herefordshire and Gloucestershire (in fact, that is not a bad way of describing it as some of it is in Gloucestershire and some is in Herefordshire). The saying goes along the lines (as I have already mentioned) that perry pears only grow in sight of May Hill (i.e. Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire... I think). Or, that perry can only be made in sight of the hill. I am not sure of the provenance of the saying (though I bet it comes from the counties around May Hill), and perhaps it suggests the roots of perry making in the UK rather than anything more significant... Well, this perry should prove or disprove it; and to be honest I am expecting it to be pretty good!

Myths and stories aside, I am familiar with Burrow Hill - they are one of my favourite producers... and I have good taste:-) Mind you, my experience of them is from a cider and cider brandy perspective - so this should be an interesting departure for me. This perry looks light golden - pretty yellow in fact. It is also bright. Once again, this is likely filtered as there has been no settlement in the several months it has been sat on my shelf.

Pouring it out, there is a low level of carbonation going on. It froths a bit but settles well. It smells almost cidery. It has rather a rich smell; delicate but rich at the same time. I am getting quite a lot of peachy in the nose - which is quite pleasant. Perhaps it is me, but these perries sure are much more aromatic than cider in the complex notes.

On the first taste I am still thinking 'cidery' - it does have some of the same qualities as a cider... I ought to make the point that Olivers perry had similar qualities, although I think it was a bit more gentle. I am getting grapefruit now - it is probably as there is a moderate amount of acid in the mouth, plus it is a medium dry - which it is (no more, no less). Thinking about it, there is a rather generous amount of acid in this perry - alongside a mature tannin.

The aftertaste is a little warming in the throat, like a wine. The aftertaste is moderate in length and fading.

I like this perry a lot. It is quite vineous - it does say on the label to treat it like a wine and I am getting the impression that perry is more a wine than cider. Well, I say that on that basis of two excellent perries. Magners pear cider? Well, as with the cider I confess to thinking that it is a blend of cider and alcopop...

Anyway, this perry scores a silver apple with 80/100.

Olivers Cider and Perry Co., Classic Perry

What to follow the Magners Pear Cider then? Well, with a name like 'Classic Perry' and made by arguably one of the foremost perry makers in the world, this should be an excellent example (and one that sets the bar fairly high for this style of drink).

Scavenging information from the bottle, I can see that it is both carbonated and pasteurised. OK, I do have some issues with these processes although the proof itself is in the drinking. Pears are a difficult and unpredictable fruit - I have heard that it can remain hazy following fermentation. So some form of filtration is probably almost inevitable if you want to guarantee something clear. As for pasteurisation; well, it depends on whether/how the perry is sweetened. So, without wishing to undo things I have said in the past about both processes it really does depend on how they are done. Let's get on with it then.

Oh, one more thing. I confess to knowing a little about Olivers and the description of the production fits nicely with that - ripe fruit being pressed and fermented in barrels before bottling... simple yet seemingly so difficult for many producers!

This perry is moderately carbonated - it has been sat on my shelf for some months and still is clear and not excessively sparkling... it hasn't developed further on my shelf (the result of both filtration and pasteurisation). It is a light golden colour and has a strong aroma - almost cidery. It has citrus notes and wet hedge too... ok, nettles and berries. I am not getting a heavy pear smell from it - well, not pears I am familiar with.

Wow. This is as different from Magners as you can get. It is a full smooth taste with floral notes as well as a slightly lemon note too. The pears have developed during fermentation - in the same way that cider doesn't really taste of apples (if you are drinking a cider that just tastes of apple juice... not mentioning Westons:-) then it is worth considering this fact). I am getting some tannin too and yet there is very little acid to balance against it.

This is quite complex - and I am not an expert on perry. However, it is really very good. Taking a few more gulps I am starting to get more of the pears in the taste... this is a bit of a quaffing perry. Very nice.

There is a moderate length aftertaste which is a touch warming yet also satisfying. There is still no real acid but it does taste more juicy in the mouth as an aftertaste.

OK, this was exactly the comparison I was hoping for as a second perry. A score of 87/100 and a silver apple for Olivers!

Magners Pear Cider

OK, OK, I know. Well, I had to start at some point, didn’t I! Actually, it is fairly timely for me personally to start tasting perry but… I can hear all those groans about me starting with the Magners ‘Pear Cider’. Its not a bad way to start 2014 either is it?

In my defense, I have to say that this is actually a good thing for me ­- it returns me back to basics. I remember starting to write my first review of a cider for this blog – Magners as it happens. The question wasn’t to try something that was going to set me alight it was to try something that was, perhaps, the market leader – the standard not in terms of quality, but as a yardstick of the genre. It was also a good reminder for me that this is what so many punters have bought into. I ought to say that, as a cider maker myself, I have tried (and made notes on) many ciders before I started blogging about them… it should be a part of all cider makers strategies – how do you know what you are producing compares unless you do the leg work eh! The blog was just an extension of other things I was up to… but has turned into a big ‘thing’ of it’s own right!

So, where to start? If this is the most popular ‘pear cider’ on the market, why don’t I start with the obvious?! The difference between perry and pear cider. Well, first off, did you know that Babycham was perry/pear cider? And, did you know that Lambrini is perry/pear cider? Not a perry that many traditional producers would recognise perhaps, but there you go. Mind you, I am late to the party – I confess that perry has scared me in that past. Perhaps it is because it can be a tricky thing to make. Apples are far more generous and forgiving! I think it is truthfully because perry is more nuanced - more delicate than cider and I am not the most experienced drinker. But then, I am not the most experienced drinker full stop - so that shouldn't really hold me back.

Pear cider is perry is pear cider. I know some purists who will baulk at that statement. I guess it is not strictly true that the two are the same... but the principle is the same – perry could be regarded as the full juice version and pear cider; although there is nothing that makes that statement true... nothing stopping a pear cider being full juice (or a perry not being full juice for that matter). The simple reality is that both are made from pears. Just as cider (a much abused word) is made from apples - or should be made from apples

Got that? I only hope that bar people read this! How many conversations have I had that ran along the lines of:

Me - “Do you have any perry?”

Barista - “What is that?”

Me - “It is made from pears”

Barista - “Sorry, we only have pear cider”

Me - “It’s the same thing” [retires in mental defeat]

Or/And:

Me - “Do you have any perry?”

Barista - “Sorry, we only have pear cider”

Me - “It’s the same thing”

Barista - “No it isn't - sorry. Perry can only made from perry pears at May Hill”

Me - “Hmmmm. OK then... What cider have you got”

Barista - “Strawberry or Beetroot?”

Me - “Oh fuck off!”

Apologies about the swear word; alcohol is an adults drink so please don’t get your children to read this!

Anyway. I have now diverged from this review so far that I am considering separating it out as it’s own blog. But no – I will persevere and get on with this review.

The first thing I have to say is that this drink comes in a green bottle. And I am assuming it is fairly clear, so I have a bottle of what looks like water in front of me – brightly clear. It has sat on my shelf for a number of months and doesn’t appear to have changed in any way whatsoever:-)

First off I can see that my catagories of colour etc. are going to have to be modified to cover shades of green if I am to try many perries. To be fair to Magners, this is mainly clear with a yellow tinge (although it does pick up green too). 

A light floral smell comes off it – very light. Oddly, at 4.5% this is almost exactly the same as the cider. Controlled alcohol.. that is the answer! It is also quite foamy and highly carbonated. Coming back to it I can see that perry demands more attention that cider does. Or perhaps I need to go back to many ciders and consider them more carefully! There is a touch of citrus – lemon – to the nose in this and mabe even some clementine. However, please be assured that it is very light and I think I may be the only person ever to have sniffed a bottle of Magners Pear Cider before! 

The taste is quite vinious – and watery. And sweet. It is sort of pleasant but doesn’t really seem to have an awful lot of substance to it. Thinking back to those drinks like Lambrini, it does come across as a cheap white wine – sweet and just a touch chavvy to be honest.  Having said that, I am still getting a sense of clementine to it – very slightly orangy. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t offensive… and my experience of tasting perry is very lacking… far more than really it should be if I am to publish this review.

There is virtually no lingering aftertaste to it other than a touch of white wine about it. There is virtually no acid to it whatsoever and certainly nothing tannic (or are these cider terms?)

It scores 47/100: sadly, below average and quite a thin offering. However, I hope that as with cider I can find more satisfying alternatives that I can suggest to develop a pallate for perry... one lives in hope!

My conclusion must be that this has not exactly prepared me for what I have sat on the shelf to try next - a veritable feast from some of the worlds best producers: Olivers, Dunkerton's and Burrow Hill... I feel somewhat under prepared, but here we go!