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OUR CIDER

Ciders crafted with bittersweet and bittersharp apples offer huge depth of flavour. If you live in the West Country you deserve to be enjoying spectacular cider made with our world class local apples. Branch are on a mission to craft those kinds of ciders. If your cider tastes of nothing much, 'Branch Out'! Support local craft cider made with West Country cider apples.

KNOW YOUR CIDER

Are you drinking what you think you're drinking?

Here are a few questions to consider while drinking cider

1) How much juice is in this cider?

2) What apples was it made with and from where? 3) Why?

We’re not snobs about cider, we love an ice cold pint of basic fizzy cider on a sunny day. But the big producers would have you believe you’re drinking the finest cider imaginable while you’re actually drinking the most basic cider they can get away with. This limits people’s expectations and enjoyment. We want to raise people’s expectations of cider. We want more people enjoying really great cider.

JUICE

Modern cider is watered down a LOT!

Most of the cider drunk in the UK is watered down to as little as 35% juice. That’s why cider mostly tastes of nothing these days. Purists will tell you that cider should always be 100% juice, but in reality that can sometimes make for a heavy, harsh or imbalanced cider. We are all about flavour and enjoyment. We blend and finish every cider to be as perfect a drinking experience as it can be. If your cider tastes empty in the middle, or it mainly tastes of acid or sugar, that's probably because it's been watered down a lot.

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APPLES

The types of apples that are used in ciders help define different cider styles.

Bittersweet & bittersharp apples are the high tannin, sometimes bitter ‘cider apples’ that are typically found in the West Country, Three Counties and Northern France. They give cider a refreshing astringency, lots of depth, character and complexity.

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Dessert/Culinary apples are the lower tannin, often higher acid ‘eating apples’ that are typically grown in the Eastern Counties of England, across Europe, America and the rest of the world. They give you lighter, punchier and more vinous white wine-like flavours.

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‘Single Variety’ or ‘Varietal’ ciders made with individual apple varieties often have more distinctive flavours than ciders made with blends. Just like wine grapes, many apple varieties can produce flavours and aromas of citrus fruits, berries, tropical or stone fruits, creamy, smoky or spicy notes. Varietal ciders are some of the most interesting and memorable ciders and are often our favourites.

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FLAVOUR

Sweetness, Bitterness, Acidity & Tannin are the fundamentals of cider flavour.

If you think about cider in these terms it can help distinguish between different ciders. Sweetness brings fruitiness and fullness. Bitterness can give a cider bite. Acidity can be sharp or sour, punchy, tangy or zingy. Tannin brings structure, dimension and mouth-watering astringency. All of these elements play off one another, for example a sweeter cider may taste quite dry if it contains lots of acid or tannin. The acidity and tannin in high quality cider acts as a foundation for more complex flavour notes.

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LOCALITY

The Best Cider is Local Cider!

Wherever you are in world, try the local cider. Great cider is being made all over the world these days with all sorts of apples. And if you're lucky enough to live in Bristol, surrounded by orchards growing some of the finest apples for cider on the planet, why settle for less? Ask for local craft cider made with local bittersweet apples.  

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