Meet The Cider Maker: Hogan's & The Orchard Pig

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 a Royal Charter.  That’s moons ago. Craft ciders makers are producing heritage products bursting with flavour. Just to wet your appetite, I’ve invited two producers from different regions to share their stories – Allen Hogan from Hogan’s Cider in the Midlands and Andrew Quinlan from Orchard Pig in Somerset. You may have even sampled some of their lovely warm mulled cider at Birmingham Christmas market last year.  

Q: Can you tell us a little about the history of Hogan's? (Where you are based, how you began, how long you've been producing)

 I had been making cider as a hobby for maybe 20 years while enduring what can be best described as a low flying career in the IT industry.  A love of cider and a desire to do something very different led me to start producing commercially. The business straddles the two counties of Warwickshire and Worcestershire. As the business grew we soon realised that we needed better availability of cider fruit so moved our fruit pressing to Castlemorton on the slopes of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. From here we are a couple of miles from the world’s largest area dedicated to cider apple growing – Herefordshire. Our location also means we are close to some of the old perry orchards of Gloucestershire.

Q: Cider is very synonymous with specific regions in Great Britain like Herefordshire, but each region seems to have it's own style and flavour. How would you describe your ciders?

 The style and flavours of the ciders we produce are to a very large extent dictated by what fruit we press. We only use cider apples. Most of the varieties we use will typically have a high tannin content when compared to an eating apple, which gives the cider a gentle bitterness and length of flavour.

Q: From apple to glass can you share with us the timescales it takes to produce.

We start to press fruit from about mid to late September. Fermentation will begin soon afterwards – certainly within a few days. As with the majority of nature’s processes the higher the temperature the faster the fermentation. Fruit pressed in the early autumn may well complete the fermentation stage within three weeks. Fruit pressed later in the season when it’s much colder may take several months before fermentation is over. There then follows a maturation period, which may last up to six months. So to answer your question fruit pressed in say November will not be ready for packaging until June or July of the following year.

Q: Following on from the production - what would you say is the part you most enjoy & why?            

I really enjoy the selling process, explaining to customers how we make it and what makes our cider different to most of the mass-market ciders. The other very satisfying part is the early autumn trips into orchards harvesting the early perry pear crop with the sun on your back.

Q: Does cider production share any similarities to wine production & why (more so than real ale for example)?

Cider and perry production have far more parallels with wine making than brewing. I can think of a few examples and this is not an exhaustive list. First of all the fermentable sugars in cider/perry and wine come from the pressed fruit rather than the grain. Also, no heat is used in cider or wine making. The process from first pressings to a saleable product is measured in months rather than days as with real ale. Wine and cider generally respond well to a period of aging or maturation extending to several months in tank. There is no ‘cellar conditioning’ process prior to serving as there is with real ale.

Q: You often hear of beer/wine & food matching, I think some of the best combinations can actually be with cider & food (I would use this instead of wine). Have you any recommends or thoughts on this matching potential?

I think a very dry cider is a perfect combination with fish, olives, cured meats and cheese. The traditional pork and cider match also works

Q: I visited you at Birmingham's Frankfurt Market last year and it was great to see your new larger site on Broad Street. How did the Christmas market go & any anecdotal stories to share from your time in Birmingham? 

We did very well at Birmingham's Frankfurt Market last year. We had a much bigger and better pitch. We also made sure all the drinks we sold were sourced locally so as well as our draught and mulled cider we had an ale from Purity (Warwickshire) and Freedom (Staffordshire) supplied us with their Freedom 4 lager. Our Cinderella episode - one morning we found one ladies’ shoe in the bar area, we couldn’t find the matching shoe anywhere. We put a post on social media offering a choice of any one of the bar staff to the girl who could turn up with the matching shoe. We had no takers.

Q: Can you tell us a little about the history of The Orchard Pig? (Where you are based, how you began, how long you've been producing)

Based near Glastonbury, Somerset Orchard Pig started in 2003 as a hobby between two friends, Neil Macdonald and myself. I bought an orchard next to my home and had loads of apples..... 

Q: Cider is very synonymous with specific regions in Great Britain like the South West of England, but each region seems to have it's own style and flavour. How would you describe your ciders?

Our style is very much our own – made from up to 10 different varieties of Somerset Cider Apples, we have won many awards.  They are very fruity and clean.

Q: From apple to glass can you share with us the timescales it takes to produce.

We think that a good cider takes up to six months to mature properly and finish the second, malolactic, fermentation that really finishes and smoothes off the product.  This is key rather than the length of time and does depend on the ambient temperature being high enough.   Typically this happens around late April, early May each year. 

Q: Following on from the production - what would you say is the part you most enjoy & why?

What a daft question – drinking it of course.  Seriously, the same reason I started making cider – to get a great cider and enjoy with friends.  Oils the banter very well....

Q: Does cider/perry production share any similarities to wine production & why (more so than real ale for example)?

Absolutely – very close to wine.  It is seasonal, is a crop, the quality can depend on the weather.  Although consistency can be close, every batch will be slightly different just as with wines – thus blending is the key to good cider making as to wine making

Q: You often hear of beer/wine & food matching, I think some of the best combinations can actually be with cider & food (I would use this instead of wine). Have you any recommends or thoughts on this matching potential?   We do food-matching events in Bath and Bristol – often to cheeses, but have done to pizzas, pork dishes and tapas.   We have done competitive events with wine makers and beer brewers with cheese matching and have never lost.....  a glass of Orchard Pig medium sparkling 6.5% cider with Montgomery’s or Keens Cheddar has never been beaten....

Q: I visited you at Birmingham's Frankfurt Market last year to sample some lovely mulled cider. The queue was massive! How did the Christmas market go & any anecdotal stories to share from your time in Birmingham? 

We certainly have a following at the market and have many very loyal customers.  Our key product here is our wonderful mulled cider (though our Blackbeard’s Treasure – Mulled Cider with a splash of dark rum is a real winner too) – not only tastes great, is warming but also is full of anti-oxidants.  We are a favourite stop off point for the Birmingham Constabulary – though I hasten to add they drink the Hot Mulled Apple Juice or Hot Toffee Apple.  Football fans on a Saturday night to little old ladies coming for a mid morning hot toddy, to a bishop and a judge are amongst our fans – often recommended by their friends.  We have a great group of local people that help us serve on the market and we just love it there – a real highlight of our year.

www.hoganscider.co.uk    / Allen@hoganscider.co.uk 

www.orchardpig.co.uk    / Andrew@orchardpig.co.uk

National Association of Cider Makers (NACM):  http://cideruk.com/   

British to the Core: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011wz53 

UK Cider: http://www.ukcider.co.uk/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Words and drinking by Julia Gray: pear picker, cider drinker and all round good apple. 

(Originally published 'Out in Brum' Birmingham Camra branch publication 2012)