TheNoiseThatWeMade

What do Mott the Hoople & Oliver’s Cider Farm share in common? It’s a slim connection but they’re both from Hereford. If you delve deeper you’ll also find Tom Oliver’s done his share of band tour management and as it turns out Mott was Robin from Stourbridge Camra’s first gig (where Queen supported!).  Cider’s just got all rock’n’roll.  It was a cold April Bank Holiday Saturday sat round Oliver’s table in his cider tasting room in Ocle Pychard but after our first sample of Vintage 2010 Real Herefordshire Dry Cider a lovely warm apple infused feeling started to dawn. Sixteen like-minded West Midlands Camra members enduring the weather; all looking to find out more about cider and perry. Tom Oliver talked in depth about his craft and we sampled a wide range of ciders and perries from Shezam to Moorcroft Perry to Red Pear Cocktail Perry to my favourite of the day Posh Scrumpy. Everyone agreed the variety on offer from the ciders and perries was so much more ...

 As I walked upstairs to raucous laughter my heart sank and nerves kicked in as I was entering a room full of comedians already in action. You just knew, as you bumbled through to find seats you’d be like sitting ducks ready for their gag target practice. But after a sip of my first cider of the day a Rich’s Farmhouse Cider at 6 per cent it quelled the nerves and steadied the feet, only to find out that the last remaining seats were right at the front!  Cider has been produced by the Rich’s family business for over 50 years down in Highbridge, Somerset and it was a welcome surprise to find The Red Lion (on Warstone Lane, JQ) had added it to the selection of twenty ciders and perries on offer as part of their well planned tie in with Birmingham’s week long Comedy Festival (7 th -15 th Oct).  Right, one down, nineteen to go! Luckily there were five of us doing the tasting duties and with seven comedians on the bill that worked out, as roughly, well, I don’...

In Birmingham over the last few years, cider, and I naturally include perry in here, has been a more visible offering at you local pub, but usually in bottles and usually about three brands to choose from (with only one on draught and normally only the sparkling variety)!  Now I put it to you  - if you were to walk into a pub nowadays and be offered one beer on draught you wouldn’t be staying in the pub for more than a quick drink! So why settle with this offering for cider and perry? Apples are a native fruit to Britain, their use as a food and drink source indigenous to our population.  With the hundreds of varieties out there growing in orchards up, down and across the country, who wouldn’t want to sample the cider made? Even Yorkshire makers (Udders, local Camra Yorkshire branch award winner) and the Holme Valley’s Pure North are picking, panking and maturing the good juice. In 1230 the first listing of cider presses as a source of income appears in...