Discover

As someone who either drinks and knows cider already or is interested in finding out more you’ll become increasingly aware that cider, like wine, is associated with localities, regional identity and a sense of place. In this video guide drinks educator and micro-pub owner Alison Taffs takes us on a journey into Kent & Eastern Style ciders exploring the aromas, flavours and characteristics we might expect when drinking them.

Cider, in the UK and all over the globe, is undergoing a renaissance that is beginning to change the face of this industry. The interest, appreciation and knowledge of cider beyond the largest mainstream brands is beginning to gain traction.
This video guide will provide a review of the growth and changes in cider since the “Magner’s effect” of 2006, focusing, especially, on the new wave of progressive cider thinking amongst makers, advocates and drinkers.

In this video guide Alison Taffs shares her passion for cider and perry as an appreciated fine beverage. Alison outlines the principles behind matching food with different types or styles of cider. Once you understand the science behind how your senses experience food together with cider you’ll want to put your new-found skills into action by creating more pleasurable and memorable pairings for you, your family and friends.

A series on outlining the beer making process. We explore the how’s and why’s of brewing for beer fans who want to find out more on how their favourite drinks are created.
In this second episode we look at mashing in — the mixing of crushed grains with hot water to release fermentable sugars.

Yes, beer can be paired with food, just like wine, to unlock greater enjoyment of the food and drink we love. In this video guide, Alison Taffs guides us through everything we need to know to get started pairing food with beer. Enjoy.

Game On! celebrates the variety of pub games in the UK. From the traditional (such as Billiards and Toad In The Hole) to the ever so popular (such as darts and quizzes), games are central to the British pub experience. As we embrace a new decade, pub games are evolving, with virtual reality, immersive experiences, and ‘competitive socialising’ becoming the entertainment of choice for many. In Game On!, award-winning writer, Emma Inch, explores pub games — both old and new — and speaks to pub operators, writers, and the people who play the games. She captures a snapshot of what kind of entertainment people are enjoying in twenty-first century pubs.

Cask beer, cask ales or cask conditioned beer. You might have seen these words on pub signs, bar menus and beer festival marketing. But what exactly is cask beer? Why is it special or different? And, what does that mean to you as a beer drinker and to your experience of drinking cask beer. Drinks educator and micropub owner Alison Taffs guides us through this brief, beginners introduction to cask beer on it’s journey from the brewery to your glass at the bar.

Andy takes you on a virtual forage looking for ingredients used in brewing prior to the arrival of hops to Britain – and which today’s brewers look to for inspiration. Each plant is presented with a profile and a brief brewing factsheet to point you in the direction of what stage in the brewing process to use it and help you decide which plant and other ingredients you might want to pair it with.

Andy’s introduction provides guidance for considerate and legal foraging. You can seek further guidance here and here. The Woodland Trust also provides guidance for foraging on it’s estate. It is also advisable to familiarise yourself with the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Think of Champagne and what comes to mind? The Great Gatsby? New Year’s Eve? Formula 1? What about cider?

Cider and Champagne may seem far cries from one another, but there is more than meets the eye when it comes to the relationship between the two. In fact a lot of what works to bring Champagne’s vivacious fizz to life was used on Cider first, to the point where Champagne may not be the drink it is today without the existence of Cider.

Don’t believe me? Well, let’s go on a little history lesson, shall we?

Over time, as you try new ciders and perrys in pubs, taps and festivals you build a picture of what you do or don’t enjoy drinking. To understand why your palate responds in the way it does it’s important to learn more about the specific features and characteristics of cider and perry.

James Finch, AKA the Cider Critic, has put together this enthusiast’s guide to some of the slightly more complex terms and descriptors that you can use to unlock a more informed cider and perry drinking experience.

Pears in general are a slow growing tree and large grand old trees of heritage varieties, which are treasured by small scale perry makers who often don’t own their own orchards. Trees may belong to people who don’t make perry, but is happy to come to an arrangement with a maker.

Some perry’s are made with dessert pears such as Conference and Comice. Pears breed and grown specifically for their individual acidity, tannic and aromatic properties.

Harvest is often seen as a magical time of abundance, but for the agricultural workers whose labour is tied so closely with that of their orchards, the run up to harvest can be an anxious time. Without apples to harvest there would be no cider to drink or sell. Consequently, there is no income—a travesty for both maker and consumer.
Part of this anxious magic is that no two harvests are the same; vintages exist in order to help categorise a fruit and their juice by the year they were grown. So what elements are at work to make one harvest differ to another? Is there such a thing as a good and a bad harvest? What is needed to make a harvest one of abundance over anxiety?

Tips for homebrewers and advice from innovators

Brewing your own beer at home can be a lot of fun and immensely satisfying. There’s nothing like sharing a brew you are proud of with friends and family. It means more to those you share your craft with and adds greater significance to your enjoyment. But what if you are concerned about the environment and you want to extend that thinking to your favourite hobby? Ruvani de Silva tackles this issue head on by focusing on the waste products from home brewing, talking to innovators in the field about how you can repurpose your own spent grains.

You love beer. Based on rigorous research in pubs, taprooms and at home, you understand that beer ranges in clarity from crystal clear to veritably soup-like. As an avid beer fan it’s important to understand how beer arrives at its final state. Which steps in brewing a beer determine its clarity? In this case, we’re talking about finings, substances added to beer at varying stages of the brewing process to ensure the intended state of clarity. Knowing more about finings helps to inform what styles of beer you drink, to better identify whether a beer is meant to be cloudy or clear. In this guide Matthew Curtis helps you develop a more considered and enjoyable drinking experience through a greater understanding of finings.