Orchard Pig, Reveller Cider (Medium)

I have been worried that these Orchard Pigs - the redesigned ones - are simply renamed versions of their very excellent medium and dry versions that I raved about a year or so back. Not so, and this one proves it. 'Reveller', for a start, is a good 2% weaker than its medium cousin that earned itself a silver apple.

4.5%. This is the second or third I have come across recently and, I have to say, I am pretty certain that at that % it's not going to be full juice. Apples contain more fermentable sugar than that. In fact, pretty much all sugar in an apple is fermentable. That isn't meant to sound an obvious and daft statement. Pears contain sorbitol, for example, which is non fermentable. So there:-)

So, is this Orchard Pig 'dumbing' down, or is simply a more easily accessible version of their good stuff? Well, I do have an opinion... and it involves marketing people. I recall the splash that was made about the new range of ciders and it was all controlled via a marketing company. So I can only really conclude that this is Orchard Pig's 'commodity' range of ciders.

I have just had a thought though, in relation to the current concerns around CAMRA, SIBA et al's campaign to realign duty. IF they get their ill thought out way and cider makers are dragged down to beer levels of duty (which hands beer a huge competitive advantage as it is traditionally a weaker drink); cider duty being charged' per' % vol. you are going to see a lot more watered down ciders. After all, it won't be cost effective to produce the real thing any more as the duty, going by current rates of beer duty, would be over £60per hl for a 6.5% cider (and thats for a small producer with a discount of 50% - as per beer duty). Just to compare, a 4.5% beer is around £40 - which, according to CAMRA, is pushing brewers to the brink. Says a lot really, doesn't it. Please note, these are illustrative figures and could be a quid or two out either way.

Lets get back to this cider though. On opening it is, sure enough, golden, bright and sparkling. A marketing mans dream of a cider (OK, I will lay off that train of thought for now). The fizz is moderate though and doesn't offend me at all. It smells good though; bittersweet, sweet and full of fruit. Surprising given that it has been adjusted for the lower alcohol range for cider.

Well, Reveller is all of its medium description, and the fizz is persistent even in the mouth. It also retains its fruitiness all the way though, with a mild tannin and good acid that balance each other out. I come back to the sweetness though - it really is! As I go through the glass I get a better feel for the acid, which is actually understated and underlines the tannin more than competes.

I would like to know what this is sweetened with as I am getting an aftertaste from it. I suspect I only noticed as the rest of the aftertaste is short to medium in length (though it still holds its fruity cideriness).

Not a bad cider at all from Orchard Pig. I would settle for their full juice ciders any day, but this is not a bad showing for a cider that has been weakened. A score of 73/100 is still a bronze apple:-)

The Orchard Pig Truffler (Dry)

Time to try the dry version of Orchard Pigs latest offering - although I am not exactly sure whether this is the 'old' cider simply redesigned on the label front. Oh well, I guess its all good and it doesn't take a lot to encourage me to try another Orchard Pig! In fact, despite its markety style the new label design is growing on me slowly (though I still think the names are a bit daft:-)

I must admit I am running out of clever things to say about The Orchard Pig. Its not the easiest cider to find outside of Somerset, although it is far easier than most - Waitrose stock bottles and sometimes they can be found at festivals if you are looking in the right place. However, generally I have found their cider to be very drinkable and I would encourage people to make the effort to find one. Their latest marketing cheese aside, Orchard Pig do know how to make a fantastic cider!

Truffler is a deep golden cider, which is presented as a brightly clear liquid. It has a deep and western aroma - something that is common among all the Orchard Pigs that I have tried. While this (the aroma) shouldn't be overstated, the smell often gives away many of the secrets of a cider - you can smell the tannin or acid before you even try it. I must admit that when I first started I thought this was a bit of a silly idea, but I have taken to it massively since.

True to its smell, this has a deep, bittersweet flavour. Its by no means rough, but it feels like a very rugged drink - it has that earthy feel to it. There is a good measure of sharp in this drink too and although it doesn't feel bone dry (well, its not bone dry) its all done very well indeed. The fizz stays with the drink all the way through and this probbly does quite a lot to lift the drink from dry. However, my suspicion (as always) is that the filtering has shaved off the rough edges of the tannins whilst leaving the acid still fairly pronounced. Its all very well done.

With a moderate length of aftertaste, Truffle is a fairly complex cider with a great balance - not the safe balance - it is properly a deep west country cider and unashamedly so.

Whilst I am still none the wiser as to whether this is the same as the dry I have already tried, its score of 84/100 means it earns a silver apple from me in any case. Really very good.

UPDATE: Having tried this cider once again in early 2014, I have to confirm my fear that 'something is happening to Orchard Pig. I think they may even be under new management (I have heard - I cannot yet confirm). This has led their ciders to drift away from what I would consider 'high juice, high heritage cider' towards a more mediocre average juice level. Clearly this is subjective but I felt strongly enough to want to update this review.

The Orchard Pig Charmer (Medium)

Given that I have read recently that Orchard Pig have hired a marketing firm to come up with a new 'brand' image for their ciders, I am not totally clear whether these are just the other ciders renamed or whether they are new ciders themselves. However, I really like Orchard Pig ciders so they can take a turn in their own right!

While I have all three of the 'new' ciders, I wanted to start with the medium. Perhaps this is because its likely to be the most challenging for me - though it could equally be an interest in seeing how well they do it. As far as the labels are concerned though I do think that the old ones were just as nice... this is something that I feel about Perry's too - they have this snazzy writing on their new labels too when I think perhaps the original labels are better. I have to frame that as someone who is continually playing around with - designing and redesigning labelling and 'dressware' for bottles... so perhaps I shouldn't judge!

There is one comment that I would make though (and knowing that Orchard Pig do occasionally read these reviews, perhaps they would correct me if I am wrong_) On the back it says; "Orchard Pig doesn't enjoy direct sunlight, so keep it in a cool shady spot". On the whole there is nothing wrong with keeping cider in a cool space. However, cider is not like wine and is not affected by sunlight itself, just heat. If it's heat they meant then I suppose that's OK-ish. The question I have to ask though is why they use clear bottles, if they are worried about sunlight? After all, that's part of the reason for having green/brown wine bottles and brown beer bottles. Oh well, small point but a little confusing.

'Charmer' - no doubt the name of one of their pigs - pours out a beautiful golden colour. It has a reasonable carbonation (not overdone) and is crystal clear... like so many other ciders these days. Designed for a broad reception as opposed to a hard core cider fiend!  The nose is fairly deep, though I suspect filtering has restrained it a bit. However, it has that rounded fruity tang to it that I do like in Somerset ciders.

The sweetness is very much there - and fir the first time with an Orchard Pig I do get that kind of 'processed' feeling a bit with it. This is by no means bad - I suspect it just means that its been lightly filtered, sweetened and then pasteurised at the point of bottling. OK, its not on the CAMRA guidelines... but then I must confess to being a bit mystified by CAMRA's objectives at the moment as far as cider is concerned - so I really don't care! In any case, any reasonable sized producer of cider can make use of organisations, such as those found in Pershore (in fact, I know a few who do make use of those very services). Lets face it, its a lot easier than doing it at home (and I cannot recommend anyone drying to pasteurise a carbonated cider - recipe for lots of flying glass!)

This cider has retained its tangy, bitter sharp texture - if it has been played with, then its been gently done. The flavour is long and pronounced with nice tannin and cider fruit running all the way through the taste to a long satisfying aftertaste. Thankfully, the sparkle dies down a bit, so its really well done

And so to a score. Sure there is too much sweetness in here for me - wasn't that always going to be true. But its a well rounded cider and, despite all the earthy pig talk on the labels, does retain a sense of its place - a little rough and rugged, yet a cider that will make you close your eyes and see apple trees laden with fruit. OK, enough of that. This cider scores 79/100. Not quite silver but very respectable indeed.

Orchard Pig Dry Cider

I have very definitely been looking forward to this cider since trying the sweeter version. Ironically, I found it in a pub in London that sold take outs - the Cider Tap (aren't Londoners just lucky sods to have this on their doorstep!)

As with the medium, this is a full juice cider made by the artisan producer in Somerset. Why Orchard Pig? Well, I can only imagine that the producer looks out of their window at their spotted pigs and figured it was a good name to have. I have heard worse (and am just guessing. I certainly hope they didn't pay some marketing bod something for the name:-)

It does have a little bit of a flourish when opened and poured, but apart from that it's just golden and very bright. It is a shame that things are filtered quite so much - I guess they just look more appealing that way. One day I am going to go on tour and persuade various producers to let me sample their cider 'au naturale'!

The smell is deep cider although its a fairly light aroma in itself. The taste is just beautiful - lots of bitter sharp cider apples in this one I am sure. There is body a plenty, with an acid that matches perfectly with the tannin. Its not deathly drying - even as a dry. It feels a little controlled and reigned back. Scrumpy this is not. The aftertaste is warming although actually pretty short on the tongue. Sitting back and thinking it through the tannin is the overwhelming feature of this cider - the acid plays a supporting role. Very satisfying.

The only down side to this cider is that it is hard to come by. I found it by accident. I guess its the sweeter versions that Waitrose believes is the more popular. Sod that the dry is better!

At 91 points, Orchard Pig Dry joins the Gold Apple club. Very nice indeed... yum!

The Orchard Pig Medium Cider

Back to the UK once again - its about time I reviewed another artisan producer, although this bottle was purchased from Watirose. You have to respect that supermarket for trying where it comes to cider - although so far I cannot complain that there isn't at least a choice in most of the others (I do feel that Morrisons and Asda let the side down a bit). However, it it so encouraging that there are at least a couple of full juice, crafted cider producers making inroads to the supermarkets (though I am afraid to ask what hurdles they had to jump through in order to get their produce in!)

This Orchard Pig cider is a little out of my comfort zone on the face of it. Medium ciders are commonly too sweet for me. However, I cannot pass up the chance to at least try it. I do like the label too. Creative or imaginative things generally appeal to me. There is a nod towards ingredients listing on it (with a picture of apples and an arrow pointing to it with 'ingredients' next to it. If its their way of saying its full juice (i.e. greater than 85% apple juice) then I am good with that.

Orchard Pig is a deep golden colout with a light carbonation to it. There is no fuss or flourish when it is poured. It smells tannic and sweet (fruity) and has a strong full aroma to it.

The first mouthful is all cider fruit - fruity and tannic with very little acid coming through. There is sweetness in it, but after a few more mouthfuls this is overcome by the full tannic style of the cider. Its a medium dry/dry cider by the time the tannin has had a chance to do its thing. This is partly because the thing that clings to the tongue and lingers is the tannin and fruit. If there is any acid in here (and there must be because it does taste fairly balanced) it is dominated by the tannin.

Overall, I enjoyed this cider a lot. I understand why its a medium - it needs to be in order to stop the cider being mouth puckeringly dry. But it all works well. Lovely.

A silver apple for Orchard Pig on this one - 83/100.