Stable Cider Awards Tasting Session

On Monday 24th June I got to attend one of my top must go to events and where better than my favourite Stable branch on Poole Quay! The Stable run cider awards each year and after attending last years, I knew I had to go to this years too. The difference this year though is that each Stable branch is holding a Stable Cider Awards Tasting evening.

On arriving there was no one else in the bar area, even though it was 5.30pm, the weather was bloody lovely outside and the quay full of passers by. Both Beth and Bryony were on shift and always welcoming as ever!!

The event was held in the restaurant area on the first floor. If I’m not sat downstairs in the windows at the bar when here, you’ll always find me in the windows upstairs looking out over the view. Oh and what a view it was this week. There were four of us attending the event, myself, Jackie, James and Abi. Each of us having different tastes in cider. Definitely makes for a good evening and chit chat. There was also another table of people who came along to enjoy the cider fun.

With 10 ciders to taste we were in the right hands with Beth our cider master talking us through each cider and answering any questions as we went along.

Over the course of the evening Beth informed us that we would be drinking up to 1 of your 5 a day. Why? As all the ciders we were trying were made from 100% apple juice. That pretty inpressive when she was only counting our measurements as a gentlemen’s inch. Safe to say on our table a gentlemens inch was half a small glass or slightly more.

Here is a run down of the ciders tasted and what you can go and vote on when you next visiting a Stable branch near you.

1. Cockeyed, Mad Jack 5% – West country cider. This is a cloudy number and smells completely different to it’s taste. Tastes just like apple juice with a subtle cider hint at the end. At 5% it could be lethal if you were drinking it all night.

2. Bumble Bee Hard Cider, 4.5% – Made from British apples this west country cider from Somerset is not one for me. It’s got a very smokey taste to it, maybe one for those who like a smokey whiskey.

3. Hallets pX – This is known as a west country cider, however is made in Wales in Sherry casks. It has a smell just like wine and a slight wine taste alongside the normal cider notes.

4. Night Bird Cider, Nightingales, 4.9% – tastes just like an apple pie. I would say this is a sweet cider. So not one for those who like their ciders with more body to it. Made in Kent using Kentish apples.

5. Silly Moo – A Sussex made, cloudy cider. With a name like that you’d expect cow to be apart of the cider making process, right? Well yes they are.

6. Dudda’s Good Tun Cider, Apricot, 4% – A Kent cider. Made using fresh apricot juice alongside the tradition cider making process with apples, this is quite a modern cider.

7. No.8 Rhubarb Cider, Crafty Nectar – Made in the West Country, this is Crafty Nectar’s 2nd cider out. I love rhubarb drinks at the moment and this would be amazing on tap on a hot summers day.

8. Ramdon Perry – This little pear number is made in Luxembourg. Using Aspen trees which are over 100yrs old, these trees are as big as Oak trees. Thats alot of fruit and alot of perry! I used to drink alot of perry but for me tradition cider is now a must. Sorry. Don’t drink to much if you do try this one though, as perry is a natural laxative.

9. Murmuration, Pilton – This is a keeved cider and very nice. This cider is made using American style apples. Its light and crisp and a little bubbly.

10. Gospel Green, 8.2% – This bring us to the last one, the champagne cider. Made the same way as champagne, this is served in champagne flutes. Originally the champagne method was founded in the Forest of Dean and someone knicked the idea and took it back to France. Great for a special occasion.

20190624_182021(0)7976626366555558143.jpg

Now you’ve seen my run down here are my top three which I voted for: Cockeyed, Gospel Green and No.8.
Save to say three voting cards were needed!!

We also learnt while there that ciders are normally served cellar cool at 10 degrees.

If you like your cider a particular way in taste, look or type, you will notice that when the guys and girls behind the bar help you find a cider, they will not use sweet, medium or dry to describe them. Why? Because sweet to someone might be medium to someone else and so on. Now thats pretty cool!!

Jackie, James, Abi and myself stayed on to have a bit to eat. Top of my list to try from the new menu was The King Crabber and my god did it live up to the sell out reputation it has. With crab, mozerella, garlic alioe, chilli, sour dough base this pizza has become a new favourite alongside Blazing Saddle. Definitely another 10/10 for the pizzas at The Stable.