Magner's cider.

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Norm

Guest
Debian said:
When did Perry suddenly become Pear Cider?

Cider is made from apples, Perry is made from pears.
Half-right, although this common misunderstanding means that the distinction is becoming more esoteric. But then I've been called out on this thread for misrepresenting a cask as a keg so we're already in pedant territory. :biggrin:

The main difference is that Perry is made from certain specific pear varieties. There's other smaller differences, such as pears being left to mature after picking and leaving them after crushing, thus reducing tannins and acidity.

The EU has also got involved, restricting the use of the name Perry to those using the correct process and in the correct location. So people who were selling a drink called Perry have had to, much as those proclaiming the "methode champenoise", come up with a different phrase. People know and understand cider, so the phrase "pear cider" has appeared.

CAMRA is, unsurprisingly, traditional about the drink, saying that pear cider is a pear-flavoured drink, or more specifically a cider-style drink flavoured with pear concentrate, made by industrial cider makers. Equally unsurprisingly, according to Wiki, the National Assoc of Cider Makers feel the terms should be interchangeable. But then they do have a significant vested interest in boosting the perceived quality of their industrial produce. :angry:

So, cider is made from apples, a drink made from certain pear varieties to a specific process in a narrow geographical location is perry and any other fermented drink made with pears or pear concentrate is pear cider.
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Uncle Mort said:
This is one of my niggles as well! :angry:

... and mine...
 
U

User169

Guest
Uncle Mort said:
When I was a student we went through a period of drinking Merrydown and Special Brew snakebites. It was the refreshment equivalent of having your skull beaten repeatedly with a length of two by four. But, strangely, it allowed you to positively enjoy psychobilly music!

It does have a strange effect....

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Debian

New Member
Location
West Midlands
Norm said:
So, cider is made from apples, a drink made from certain pear varieties to a specific process in a narrow geographical location is perry and any other fermented drink made with pears or pear concentrate is pear cider.

But then, in terms of name protection surely this is arse about face?

Calling something that isn't cider, pear cider is surely akin to calling something that isn't champagne.. I dunno, errr.. elderflower champagne for example? So how come the EU bureaucrats have allowed a non-AC name to be used? That's not right.

Neither can I find any reference to any protected name status for Perry made from certain pear varieties... so it's all nonsense really. Cider is made from apples, Perry is made from pears. Calling Perry, pear cider, even if some forms of Perry were AOC controlled, is simply wrong.
 

Norm

Guest
Debian said:
But then, in terms of name protection surely this is arse about face?

Calling something that isn't cider, pear cider is surely akin to calling something that isn't champagne.. I dunno, errr.. elderflower champagne for example? So how come the EU bureaucrats have allowed a non-AC name to be used? That's not right.
I think that's because "cider" hasn't been protected with a Protected Geographical Indication. It is made across too wide an area for there to be a natural home, and, besides, the biggest local areas are northern France and western England, so it would require the English and the French to agree on something.

Never going to happen. :wacko:


Debian said:
Neither can I find any reference to any protected name status for Perry made from certain pear varieties... so it's all nonsense really. Cider is made from apples, Perry is made from pears. Calling Perry, pear cider, even if some forms of Perry were AOC controlled, is simply wrong.
I'm not sure I understand this, as a Google for "perry varieties" turned out 443,000 results. Not all of them will be relevant but the first page, at least, all seemed to be to lists of varieties.

Or did you mean in the definition itself? The DEFRA documents (there's separate definitions for Hereford, Worcs and Glos) say that perry must be "prepared by fermentation of locally grown Perry pears with up to 25% cider apple juice".
 
U

User169

Guest
Norm said:
I think that's because "cider" hasn't been protected with a Protected Geographical Indication. It is made across too wide an area for there to be a natural home, and, besides, the biggest local areas are northern France and western England, so it would require the English and the French to agree on something.

Never going to happen. :wacko:

And the Spanish. Shed loads of cider made in Asturias.
 

potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
Who went and mentioned Pear bloody Cider,this thread should be moved to P+L now:biggrin:
 

pubrunner

Legendary Member
Debian said:
When did Perry suddenly become Pear Cider?

When they found it would help to sell more perry

Debian said:
Cider is made from apples, Perry is made from pears.

Just to muddy the water :ohmy:, a very popular type of apple for making cider is called the 'pearmain'. There are many varieties of pearmain apples and (unsurprisingly) they are pear-shaped.

Back in the 80s, we used to sell Westons Perry. We sometimes did blind tastings with some of our female customers; we offered them a taste of babycham in a wineglass and in another wineglass, there'd be some Westons Perry. They all preferred the Westons Perry.

Babycham came in a tiny bottle (barely a gob full), but because it had a bit of blue foil over the bottle top and a prancing fawn on the label, it was very popular for a time.

Westons sold their Perry in brown ale bottle (over twice the amount for 2/3 the price of babycham) and with a brown ale type (bland) label. It sold poorly. Althought it was better as a product, Westons never realised that our dainty ladies did not want to be seen with what looked like bottles of brown ale.

Further more, the Westons Perry had to be served in a half pint glass, rather than a wineglass. And of course, babycham always had to be served with a cherry on a stick - that would've looked daft in a 1/2 pint glass.
 

pubrunner

Legendary Member
Norm said:
Half-right, although this common misunderstanding means that the distinction is becoming more esoteric. But then I've been called out on this thread for misrepresenting a cask as a keg so we're already in pedant territory. :ohmy:

At least you didn't call a keg, a cask :biggrin:
 
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