THE rise of ‘craft ales’ has sparked a revolution in how people take their tipple – and now Hogan’s Cider in Alcester is leading the way by doing the same for the growing taste in cider.
The Haselor-based business recently trialled four new ciders at the Craft Beer Rising festival in the Trumans Brewery in London – to a rapturous response.
Based on this feedback the company, ten years old this year, is set to roll the new flavours out to UK consumers as spring dawns.
“There’s been a huge change in the beer industry in the UK in the way micro breweries have sprung up everywhere, in fact I think per head of population this country has more breweries than any other country in the world,” said company boss Alan Hogan.
“As a result people are changing their drinking habits – instead of a pub having three of four beers they might have 10 or 12 and change these regularly, and we’re doing the same thing with cider.
The result is four new ciders to complement the already successful dry, medium, sweet and mulled varieties the company currently sells alongside its perry.
There’s a ‘keeved’ cider where the yeast is restricted, producing a rich, natural fructose sweetness, a ‘brett’ cider which creates a lip-smackingly tasty drink, a deliciously refreshing elderflower cider, ideal for lazy summer days, and a ‘hopped’ variety which makes for a tastily different drink.
Sold in recyclable plastic key kegs and made from apples picked at Castlemorton near Malvern, they’re tailor-made for the small volume high taste ‘craft’ market and are set to go into production on site in Haselor.
From there they will go to UK consumers and for export to countries as diverse as Russia, Latvia and Hong Kong to Norway, Ireland and America.
“It’s strange, it’s like a switch is thrown around this time of year and people turn from beer to cider and then switch back to beer around about September/October time,” said Mr Hogan.
Visit www.hoganscider.co.uk for more information.
