Cider with Evans

Cranes Cider

Cranes is a small local producer based just south of Cambridge that you can find in several pubs around Cambridge as well as at the Cambridge folk festival normally. They set themselves up to produce a proper healthy version of the fruit 'ciders' (that shall not be named) you get in most pubs. No added sugar and real fruit infused. I intend to get some of the fruity ones at some point, but the 2 straight ciders I've tried from them were pretty decent so they have a good starting point.

Cranes Premium Apple cider

Medium Dry

I hadn't realised until I'd typed this in that I'd sampled this before on draught, so I thought I'd leave this here to compare with the draught version.

Light golden colour, slightly hazy and sparkling

Clean fresh fermented apple pulp nose.

Fresh straight apple flavour. Rolls nicely around the mouth with little or no tannin. Slight citrus and a gentle sweetish aftertaste of green apple with hints of vanilla.

This won’t set the world alight as a cider but it’s a perfect cider for a warm day or a session. It’s a very good alternative for the usual stuff on tap and they also do a range of fruit ciders with no sugar added which is a very good alternative to the sugar filled industrial alcohol crap that pubs currently tend to stock. More pubs should stock it and explain to people why they don't stock the other rubbish IMO.

4.8%
Cranes Cider Cranes Premium Apple cider review
Cranes Cider Cranes Premium Apple cider review

Cranes Premium draught cider

Medium Dry

Pale yellow, slightly hazy & sparkling

Not a huge nose, but a fairly typical appley slightly floral cider

Again slightly floral hint to the flavour but not at all significant, think Parma violets but very slight. The main thrust is a good simple mellow apple taste not at all offensive and very refreshing. No tannin. Slightly on the sweet side of the advertised medium dry more medium to me. Quite decent for a sesh on a hot summers day but won’t set the world alight.

4.8%
Cranes Cider Cranes Premium draught cider review
Cranes Cider Cranes Premium draught cider review

Blueberry and apple

Sweet

Not yet reviewed, watch this space

3.4%
Cranes Cider Blueberry and apple review
Cranes Cider Blueberry and apple review
Cranes Cider Blueberry and apple review

Cranberries and Lime

Medium Sweet

Tizer red clear sparkling

Decent whiff of cranberry on the nose, but no lime

Fruity but not over sweet. Decent cranberry flavour but a little bit artificial.

Very little of the lime comes through but I guess it balances the sweetness. Roll it round the mouth and it goes fairly dry.

Sweet enough to please the kids but not sickly so. You could drink one to break a thirst easily.

3.4%
Cranes Cider Cranberries and Lime review
Cranes Cider Cranberries and Lime review
Cranes Cider Cranberries and Lime review
Cranes Cider Cranberries and Lime review

Wild English Berries

Sweet

Not yet reviewed, watch this space

3.4%
Cranes Cider Wild English Berries review
Cranes Cider Wild English Berries review
Cranes Cider Wild English Berries review

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