Feeling that I should go for something with a better reputation next (well, something I had at least heard of!), I turned to a cider that I had underlined in bold on my 'to try' list; Once Upon A Tree's Tumpy Ground. This cider has won several awards this year and seems to be very highly rated by all who have tried it.
Having covered the whole 'wine maker come cider maker who makes ciders along the ethos of wine', I won't bang on about Once Upon A Tree (although I am a bit of a fan). They seem to be spreading their wings a bit now though and I am finding their ciders are available from further afield (although, lets face it, GBBF isn't a typical outlet).
I love the third pint measures at the Great British Beer Festival. I really do think that other festivals should adopt this as cider is nearly always much stronger than beer (well, usually- unless its been fiddled with). Normally, this would probably be the last cider I would be in a fit state to review. Not with this option available... well, third of a pint and the fantastic pie kiosk!
Right, Tumpy Ground. Well, it turns up as a clear/bright cider. That must have caused a few murmurs in the CAMRA ranks! But, it is really golden and the smell is very good - very Herefordshire! I do wonder why its filtered though... is it really necessary? My instinct tells me its not necessary, though there are some rather cloudy ciders here this year (a well presented cider should be hazy at most - cider does naturally drop fairly clear).
The smell is light and tannic. And clean. The taste is precisely that; clean, tannic and vineous. This is surely what Once Upon a Tree are really good at. Its meant to be supped rather than gulped. There are some great full tannins going on in my mouth - coupled with equally balanced acid which makes the whole thing more fruity.
It has a long aftertaste that seems to just sit in your mouth and throat... really good.
As I stood at the bar with this cider, a couple of lads came up to demand 'cloudy cider'. After having a few that were probably horrible (judging by their faces) I suggested the Tumpy Ground. "It aint cloudy" came the protest. "It doesn't have to be" says I. Needless to say they were both very happy with their pints. At 7.1% I would be shocked if they managed more than a couple of these!
A silver apple for Mr Day and co. with 87/100. Very nicely done!
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