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Ordered some from Lilleys recently, they have a huge choice and some really good stuff which I've had over the bar before, plus plenty more.
Lilleys Cider
Bee Sting is lovely but has an effect far greater than its 6.8% !
Gladiator is a killer, very easy drinking but would be a very short evening. Only had it at the Red Lion at Swanage where the landlady was giving it away to us in 1/3 pint glasses as it wasn't selling. That was an interesting Global Fatbike Day!
Black Dragon is really good stuff.
I need to order some more to try, this could be a good hobby. Any other suggestions?
Try a cold pint of their mango cider with a shot if gin in the bottom.
Ooo, lush! I remember being horribly mangled by a few pints of Black Dragon - looking at the box with both trepidation and anticipation.... 😀
careful you don't fall down the cider world rabbit hole; a lot don't consider lilley's to be proper cider....as it's made of concentrate. The Rhubarb is great after a long summer cycle though
The chap near us is Tutts Clump - very good, nice chap. Bit pricey
Couple of chaps in the village run BumbleBee - bit mainstream, but refreshing at least
My favourite is Whin Hill from Norfolk, believe it or not. The Dabinett is superb
However, since lock down I've been buying 20l boxes of Tricky Cider's Wizard. Very nice, authentic, lasts a while. Gone up in price since last March, as has delivery, but easy to find a 10% off as he advertises it himself.
I need to order some more to try, this could be a good hobby. Any other suggestions?
Gwatkins
Choose any depending on whether you like medium, sweet or dry. It errs on the sweet side but the medium is perfect for me. The medium is named ‘No Bull’
https://gwatkincider.co.uk/product/no-bull-cider/
Serve chilled not cold. For me it’s the perfect blend of ‘farmy’ and ‘clean’.
Be warned it goes quickly.
Also Malvern Gold.
Again, it’s an award-winning ‘medium dry still cider’ yet I just now had a glass and noticed slight carbonation. Apples used are Three Counties, Yarlington Mill and Dabinett
Nice. Very nice. Lightly traditional, but it was (in recent years) finding Gwatkins that made me sit up and put my beer downn favour. It’s (‘No Bull’ indescribably good IMO. Have tried Gwatkins ‘Foxwhelp’ (a very old cider recipe) and the ‘Stoke Red’, the latter on the sweet side for my taste. If you like sweet cider you’ll probably enjoy it hugely. All are beyond excellent with sharp cheese and a decent bread.
Malvern Gold won the ‘World’s Best’ label at the Cider Awards.
Try some of both. If you’re disappointed in any way then I’ll happily drink the remainder of the bottle/box to help out 😋
Look good but not at £4 a bottle delivered, I’ll wait for our market to start back up there’s some appears there with similar flavours.
Forgot to say, Malvern Gold is £2.59 for 75cl. Bargainous (IMO) for a World’s Best Cider?
https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/knights-cider-malvern-gold-medium-reserve/053539-26799-26800
*edit appears out of stock online, but our local (Malvern!) sells it. May be worth checking yr local. Sainsburys online do 500ml but is less of a deal if still well worth it.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/malvern-gold-medium-dry-herefordshire-cider-500ml
Came here to recommend Gwatkins. Norman or Yarlington Mill for me.
If you like fruity flavoured cider, they do a strawberry cider called Red Diesel, it's not very strong but by damn, it's hard to leave alone if you like strawberry.
Always pop in and grab something when I'm passing.
this could be a good hobby. Any other suggestions?
If you have a bit of space, plant a couple of Dabinett trees and make your own. It becomes a great hobby. Failing that, you can buy cider apples around September/October time. You just need a scratter, press and homebrew kit to get started.
The chap near us is Tutts Clump – very good, nice chap. Bit pricey
I did see your post and was going to tell you about www.pangvalleycider.co.uk
But then i ended up buying some Tutts Clump Rhubarb as well. I do like a bit of rhubarb cider... Not sure if i like it for £4 a bottle.... i'll tell you when it arrives though 😀
pang valley are lovely. Their royal county was up there with the best, but then they changed it slightly (presumably a different batch), and reduced the ABV. It's not quite the same....but still very good. And cheap when delivered straight from them
Locally, there's also Red Dog - but they don't do mail order yet. Upton shut of course when the new owner took over, and really only wanted the land. All the apples from there now go to Tutts Clump
As to why Rhubarb cider is always more expensive (and always 4%...), Tim at Tutts has told me as soon as you add another juice, the duty changes exponentially. He pays more duty on a 4% rhubarb than on a 8.5% normal one.
The ideal solution is to get a normal cider, and add some rhubarb concentrate
I still haven't tried the Trickys cider despite living down the road from it. When the pub next door to it opens again, I'll have to try a bit.
I am very partial to the Sheppys cider. It used to be on my commute so filling a flagon or two in the summer came a regular occurence.
I do love their vintage and reserve. Also found in Tesco.
For a proper farmhouse cider, there is a place near Wedmore, Wilkins I think it is. Cash only though.
Ham Hill Early Drop and Bop Drop or Burrow Hill, if you can visit Burrow Hill Cider or Ham Hill Cider (on the A30 just outside Crewkerne) do, it's authentic! As a the people
The Ham Hill cider is lovely stuff. I had some at the Prince of Wales pub after a walk with the dog last summer.
Had a good tasting session at Sheppys when I was staying near Taunton a while back.
Had a few good tasting sessions at Westons too, always fitted that in when we were doing Mountain Mayhem, the cider definitely helped.
Oh and Thatchers too on trips to the Quantocks 😁
Tutts clump, ordered 8am, arrived 10:14 lol. Impressive!!!
ordered 8am, arrived 10:14
if memory serves, you're very close