About cider and perry
Although CAMRA campaign mainly about beery issues, we also support the production of traditional cider and perry. Cider making – CAMRA – Campaign for Real Ale
Real cider is a long established traditional drink which is produced naturally from apples. As cider is made from apples, perry is made from perry pears, which tend to be smaller and harder than dessert pears. The popularity of real cider and perry is rising as more people discover how deliciously mellow and aromatic the flavours of naturally produced cider and perry can be. A glass of real cider or perry represents generations of production dating back hundreds of years. There are also many new producers of cider and perry who are using the traditional process (albeit in some cases with more modern equipment) which still creates a traditional product.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of the well-known ciders and perries sold in the UK that are not produced using the natural process from apples and pears. The use of these methods, has led to CAMRA reviewing its definition for real cider and perry.
So which ciders are real?
In order to be real, cider and perry should never be concentrated then diluted – either in terms of the juice used, or the alcohol content.
CAMRA use #NotFromConcentrate for online campaigning for real products. A map and list of producers can be found on the CAMRA website using this link Real Cider and Perry Producers – CAMRA – The Campaign for Real Ale. It is a living document that is updated on a regular basis.
The wording of the new definition states ‘CAMRA defines Real Cider or Perry as being fermented from the whole juice of fresh pressed apples or pears, without the use of concentrated or chaptalised juices’. You can read the full definition on the CAMRA website here.
The word ‘chaptalised’ as used in the definition, refers to a process where the alcohol level in a cider or perry is increased by the addition of sugar to an unnatural level for storage, before it is diluted with water to the desired alcohol content for sale.
CAMRA has contacted as many cider and perry producers as possible in order to confirm their production processes and generated a list of producers complying with the definition. This is available as a map or as a downloadable list available via the CAMRA website at Find real cider and perry producers – CAMRA – The Campaign for Real Ale. The map is a living document that is updated on a regular basis.
CAMRA celebrates Cider and Perry Month every July. During this time, we spotlight our cider and perry campaigning aims, hold events, publish new content across our website, social media and digital publications, and celebrate all things cider and perry.
Local Cider
We are very lucky to have Daisy Farm Cider at Upton producing cider within our branch. They are a husband and wife team producing 3 different ciders and a perry. Their production is very much on the small scale and depends on their harvest – they don’t bring any other apples into mix. Newark was lucky enough to be the first CAMRA Beer Festival to showcase their ciders at our 2024 festival.
Real cider and perry is becoming more popular in the Newark area and is regularly served via hand pump or from the cellar at the following pubs:-
Final Whistle, Southwell
Fox & Crown, Newark
Hearty Goodfellow, Southwell
Just Beer, Newark
Loose Cannon, Newark
Organ Ginder, Newark
If you know of any other pubs in our area that regularly stock real cider and perry please e-mail the details to our apple representative at apple@newark.camra.org.uk. If possible please also list what real cider/perry they have on sale.
Cheers and Wassail!