Chaplin & Cork's Somerset Reserve Cider

I feel that I have a bit of explaining to do... for the sake of being absent for so long. Well, lots of things getting in the way and running this blog could not really compete. I do regret leaving it for so long (and to those who my pre-written remembrance piece has annoyed - my apologies, although not for the piece... just for leaving it as the lead item for so long!)

Anyway, I want to get on with putting up a few reviews before Christmas... and this is one of the 'bigger' ciders to have been launched during 2014.

Chaplin and Cork's is a cider made by Shepton Mallet Cider Mill - I am not sure how this is still related to Gaymers. I suspect it is still owned by them (or is it now just Matthew Clarke?) - if memory serves... it is all quite a complex thing these days! Anyway, this is a cider of the two Bob's - Bob Chaplin and Bob Cork; both of who are (or were) employees of the Shepton Mallet Cider Mill. In fact, Bob Chaplin was Supreme Champion at Bath and West in 2014, so he sure does know a thing or two about cider making (whatever they practice at t' Mill!) I have to say that he didn't win with this though, or any other cider produced at the Cider Mill).

And what little gems do I have about the cider itself? Well, I understand that the 'Chaplin and Corks' range replaces the Devon, Stewley and Somerset blends. This is a shame as they were my favourite of the range... though there wasn't huge competition to be honest. So, whatever the reasoning (and I can't help feeling that this was for some shareholding economic reason as much as recognising the Bob's). Lets crack the bottle open and give it a go.

I guess the first thing to note is that it is very clean looking – rather bright indeed. Also very large is the smell which, although a touch syrupy is full and bittersweet. Really quite nice actually – although I would also say that the smell is very ‘clean’ too. What isn’t large, however, is the carbonation which is quite low key.

The initial taste is quite clean too – well rounded and a bit safe if I am honest. There is some bittersweet in there and the result is a pretty full bodied cider. It is missing something though – and reflecting on the many Stewley ciders I have had it does feel a little in the wrong direction for me. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind this cider – I just wish it was a bit more bold and a little less safe. After all, Stewley was aimed at more discerning cider drinkers.

It is, as expected, medium dry and the low fizz is persistent. It has a fairly safe character – controlled and reasonably fruity (although not too much). And this means a balanced acid in the background – just enough to allow the tannin to dominate (a bit).

So it isn’t my favourite. But I would drink it again if I had to. With a score of 66/100 it just misses an apple.

Gaymers Original Cider

How can I go nearly a year of writing these reviews and not have tried all the main brands on the supermarket shelves? OK, I can hear the purists shouting 'easy' from here! So, I missed Gaymers Original out. I have to say, having quite liked some of their more specialist ciders I am approaching this expecting something a little less distinguished.

I see no reason why we shouldn't just cut to the chase on this one. After all, Gaymers is a well known brand in the UK who produce a lot of cider using 'industrial' methods. And we all know by now that I regard these things as mere commodities... a drink to put profit in the pockets of the shareholders.

Oh. I ought to say something about the apples though, hadnt I?! Well, I have met a few growers this year and had the pleasure of talking to them about their dealings with the large producers (if it comes as a surprise to you that the main producers actually do use UK apples, well it shouldn't. Its what they do with the juice of those apples that wouldn't surprise many!) And I have to come to the conclusion that Magners, Gaymers and Bulmers have access to some absolutely fantastic apples - both in terms of the quality of the fruit as well as the range of really good varieties. I guess my cry would have to be - if they can get such great apples, why can't they produce a great cider? It is surely plausible, if not quite possible under economies of scale etc.

I said I would get on with this though eh. Why dont I!!

Well, it is a pale golden cider, with a whiff of aroma to it (but not an awful lot of it). What I have noted, however, is that I think I can smell a tiny bit of sulphite too. A lot of ciders have this (a lot of cider makers use So2), but I am surprised at this Gaymers having it.

To drink, there is a touch of tannin in it - a lot less than I must admit I had expected. Having been on an orchard that supplied Gaymers in which the apples positively oozed with tannin I would have thought there would be more.

Apart from this, its a safe cider. Admittedly, it is not Magners - nor Bulmers. It does taste different. However, it is toned down for the masses with a good (as in high) fizz and very little depth. The aftertaste dissapates quickly and what there is of it is stable, light and cidery.

Well, I guess it was to be expected. Its another benchmark cider and I am sure that Gaymers would not say its their best. It scores 49/100.

Gaymers Stewley Cider

Another of the Gaymers 'Premium' range of ciders from a single orchard... I guess (given the size of Gaymers) they have rather a few orchards to select from!! So far, this range of ciders has been pretty good so far - certainly better than some of their more standard offerings. This one comes from their Stewley orchard in Somerset and pitches itesf as "rich, rounded and well balanced with an intense bittersweet apple aroma, citrus zest and conserved fruit notes"

Citrus zest??? Conserved apple notes??? Clearly my reviewing language needs broadening! (though, conserved apple... which must essentially be apple sauce or jam is surely boiled... Don't you just love marketeers:-)

Well, it is certainly a nice golden colour and - what do you know - it has a full bittersweet aroma to it - lovely. The carbonation is pretty low and dies off quickly to an unintrusive bubble. So far it has not only lived up to the label, but more importantly makes me want to drink it. I must admit that, of late, I have been a little disappointed with the medium/large producers (Westons, Thatchers, Sheppy's, Gaymers and Aspalls) of late. However, they do all seem to have a premium cider or two that demonstrates what they could do (if only they wanted to!).

The Stewley isn't just a full bittersweet smell, its a full bodied, bittersweet mouthful too - there are no complex acids to balance against it and the low carbonation exposes the tannin all the more. It is very nice for it (although the idea of a balanced cider seems to be rather a subjective concept). It is a little sweet though. I know, its on the label as medium dry. In fact, the low carbonation, high tannin, low acid and sweetness make this quite a 'naked' cider - may I even call it a scrumpy? Very nice indeed (and not rough; which is the image lots of people think of as scrumpy).

The aftertaste is very light - almost too light. Having said that, the tannin does last through to the end and it gives Stewley a nice glow.

A score of 70/100 and a bronze apple for Gaymers

Addlestones Cloudy Premium Cider

 

The first question for this cider is whether it should go under its own name or as Gaymers?!  Well, despite appearances Addlestones as a company (which is what I expected) never existed. Addlestones is a brand name available since 1986 from Matthew Clark plc/Gaymers. With that in mind, this cider falls under the Gaymers category; though I guess I am disappointed asI was expecting to find an old cider producer behind the name. Never mind... its all marketing at this level of production.

Looking at other sources, none suggest that Addlestones is a full juice cider - which is probably accurate for Gaymers. And despite the description on the Addlestones site as this being a 'live' cider, nowhere does it claim to be full juice. Also, I am a bit confused by the talk of..."The unique Addlestones cloudiness is caused by the fact that Addlestones is fermented twice". Cider ferments until all the sugar is gone or you stop it. To have a second fermentation, you need to add more sugar... and this one is only 5%... Oh well.

OK, there is no judgement here for ciders of all shapes, sizes and methods of production. I do get cross when marketing people obscure what should be open and honest in order to dupe people into thinking it is something it isn't. I cannot see the point. And I am tempted to dock points from this cider for that fact. However, I should have probably done that for other ciders already, so I won't... not that Gaymers would care eh!

So, is this just a safe manufactured cider (as, to be honest, I am expecting) or does it have any character. Well, on pouring it has a gentle moussy carbonation and a smell of tannin and a tiny bit of acid. Not a bad start. It is also a dark golden colour with a fairly uniform cloudiness (could it have been engineered?).

To taste, this cider is actually a nice blend of apples, with tannin and acidity coming through. First you get the tannin, then the acid and fruit. The cloudiness does notihing for me (and nothing for the cider except give it a little more body than it would otherwise have). Ironically, there the aftertaste is very short. May be a little tannin lingers but that is about the sum of it. Too common with mass produced ciders. But that shouldn't detract from the fact that this is really not bad.

A somewhat surprising 66/100 for this cider. Purists and those seeking a real product may want to deduct a few (but then I would recommend purists deduct a few from most of the ciders tried on here so far).

Gaymers Somerset Cider

After the last one, I have been keen to get stuck into this one... and so we move on to the Gaymers Somerset cider.

Now, one thing you ought to know about Gaymers is that its owned by C&C. So if you are after artisan cider, you won't get it here. C&C also own Magners, Addlestones, Bulmers and also produces things like K, Diamond White etc. (which I am afraid I won't be trying on here unless I run out of everything else!). This does not mean that they cannot produce a good cider - there are those out there who would argue this. However, all their ciders will have been made using various 'industrial' techniques and would not be full juice. I wish that they would though... undoubtedly they would be extremely good.

Their Somerset cider is  labelled as a medium dry, with a strength of 5.8%. It is made using Somerset varieties of bittersweet apples. I particularly like the note on the website saying "A lively and refreshing mouthfeel that combines the fruit flavour with a little dryness in a medium length fruit hit." Lets see.

Well, I am not entirely sure about this one. Sure enough, there is a light fizz and an appley aroma to it. Its a little watery - which is common amongst ciders that are mass produced. None of this is so much an issue as its tangy flavour. There is plenty of bitterweet flavour there, and a mellow tannin (almost no acid at all). But its the funky tangy flavour and aftertaste that put me off slightly.

Now, this may be simply that I am not getting it. There is nothing wrong with it (either as in its not a fault, and it is quite drinkable). Maybe I am turning into a cider snob. Thinking about it, I have tasted this kind of tanginess before, but with more tannin to offset it - so maybe its the medium dryness that makes it stand out. And it is right on medium dryness.

The score of 65 probably is how I felt about it. I think I prefer the Gaymers Devon.

Gaymers Devon Medium Cider

Gaymers, today one of the largest cider producers globally, is different in all but name from the original Gaymers of Norfolk. Through many acquisitions (as is commonplace amongst brands) it is now based in Shepton Mallet in the South West and is a very large business indeed.

As a company, Gaymers have been responsible for some good, some bad and some ugly brands of cider including ‘K’, Blackthorn and even Diamond White! Do I really need to try these out??? We shall see (though there is no category for ciders in a can, so maybe not!). However, some parts of the group (acquired over the years) have included some fine names such as Addlestones.

Their County Range of ciders is at the higher end of Gaymers offerings, although these are still readily available through supermarkets – Waitrose seems to have a more complete range than others.

Its has a fairly golden colour to it – although a bit more amber than golden. On opening it is very fizzy. As this is not really to my taste it was left to settle down a bit. However, once the bubbles have calmed a little it is a rather nice drink. There is little aroma to it though, and you really need to take two mouthfuls before the flavour kicks in – but it is a nice, smooth, western style cider with a reasonably distinctive aftertaste.

Gaymers Devon Medium is a fairly smooth and well rounded cider. There is tannin in it too, which offsets the sweetness and leaves it more a medium dry than the medium stated on the bottle. My notes state that it has 'a fairly long aftertaste’ – which means that the tannin and taste last beyond the initial taste. In all, not a bad effort.

However, on the down side, this is another example of a cider that has been manufactured. It has been 'engineered’ to consistently taste this way through the use of sugar, water, filtering, pasteurisation and carbonation. Cider can (and arguably ought) to be as good as this without the need for any or some of this. On the other side, this is a commodity – there is no room for margins in flavour profiles or a 'bad batch’. It can also be produced to taste like this in huge amounts. So whilst as a drinker I like this cider and would gladly drink it if I couldn’t get hold of anything better, having made a little cider I feel a little more cautious about it.

But hey, there are no cider snobs here. Not all ciders are the same... that is fine by me. Its definitely worth trying if you are out to discover cider for yourself.

It scored 66/100; so whilst not quite reaching a medal is very respectable I think.