Royal Berkshire

Medium still cider drunk from bag in box at Newark Beer Festival. Complex cider using eating and crab apples so a tastebud challenge in a good way. Slight tartness, acidity and funk. Well worth a try!

Ooh, well! If you like your farmyard whiffs, then this has plenty under the nose - earth and funk a go-go with hints of apricot, figs and fudge. I just love it! What a cider. This version was originally created to celebrate Berkshire’s own Kate Middleton marrying Prince William - and they’ve kept the production up to this day, hence being named after the Royal county of Berkshire (my home too!). The cider is brewed in Bradfield, Berkshire - home to the very posh Bradfield College school and nearby Upper Bucklebury where the Middletons reside. The cider is a hazy, bronze/orange shade and has a bit of fizz to give it something to punch at. On the palate it’s sweet for sure but with a medium-dry mix that balances out the complexity quite well. The length is medium, (wide then thin) and down the middle and fairly short but sharp on the back end. After 2/3 of the bottle I paired this cider with an organic Godminster vintage cheddar and the duo hit the spot. At 7%ABV this cider is incredibly drinkable and I would highly recommended it. It’s medium to light bodied with an apple taste that hits for home. If you like a sweeter cider, you’ll love it so I’m going to give it 5/5. For some, it could be too sweet, but it’s still worth a credible 4/5 in that instance (in the medium sweet cider bracket). And I did think long and hard as to whether I was being biased to my home county roots - and no, I’m not, it’s a great cider and well worth seeking out.

I am drinking the bag in box version. Golden colour, still and pretty cloudy. Rich apple aroma with some oak. Wood and funk in the flavour. Loads of tannins.

Cloudy, yellow, with an oak aroma, overlying crisp fruit. Tart apple, rapidly becoming woody and tannic, with a bitter edge. Over-carbonated, and lacking subtlety. Nevertheless, it is reasonably drinkable, but prepare to feel a little bloated.