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Urgent! Pear Cider needed
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 00:15
by Steve&Julie
Does anyone know a Supermarket around Le Boulou Ceret etc. where I can get pear cider (Magners, Bulmers, Gaymers or by anyone else) or is it called something else in France (no suggestions please!).
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 09:31
by john
From time to time Lidl in Spain,when they do one of their British Promotion Weeks,sell Magners or similar. I've also seen it in one of the booze-o-ramas in La Jonquera too,though I can't remember which.
Never seen it in France though. Your best bet would be the Asian place in Mas Guerido
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 10:09
by blackduff
Check with Coopers Epicerie. You might find it there.
Blackduff
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 12:21
by Roger O
Cidre de poires Kerisac (bretonne)
http://www.kerisac.com/nos-cidres.htm
Poiré Kerisac 75 cl (Alc 3 % vol)
Le Poiré Kerisac est un véritable cidre de poire. Faiblement alcoolisé (3°),
il est très rafraîchissant, et offre une note originale au palais.
Délicatement fruité, le poiré Kerisac accompagne parfaitement une tarte aux fruits, ou une
amandine. Vous pouvez également réaliser de délicieux cocktails à base de poiré Kerisac.
is very good, and I've seen it in Géant (Carcassonne)
You could try Auchan and Leclerc (being breton) may stock it.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 12:22
by john
Does anyone know what is the difference between perry and pear cider?
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 12:26
by Arthur and Lyn
John
I don't think there is a difference, pear cider has always been called perry. I think it may have something to do with the variety of pear its made from.
Arthur
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 12:34
by thumbelina
Perry is made from perry pears.
pear cider can be made from any variety of pears plus it can have apple juice and pear flavouring added.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 13:46
by Arthur and Lyn
Thumbers
That is interesting, I don't think I have ever seen pear cider, although I have never really looked for it. The most famous Perry Cider is or was Babycham ( not sure if its still going). That said I have tasted normal or REAL Perry and I like it.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 14:55
by Roger O
The only perry I ever knew was a mason!!
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 15:51
by john
Arthur and Lyn wrote:Thumbers
That is interesting, I don't think I have ever seen pear cider, although I have never really looked for it. The most famous Perry Cider is or was Babycham ( not sure if its still going). That said I have tasted normal or REAL Perry and I like it.
Think this answers your point as well as mine Arthur. Apparently they are the same thing;
Ref Wikipedia:
The brewers Brothers, Gaymers and Bulmers now all have their own brands of pear cider, and Tesco is also increasing the number of pear ciders that it sells.[12] The brewers see the term "pear cider" as being more understandable to the younger 18-34 demographic, and as differentiating their products from previous brands associated with the word perry, such as Babycham and Lambrini which are either associated with the female market or have fallen out of fashion.[14]
National Association of Cider Makers, on the other hand, insist that the terms perry and pear cider are interchangeable.[16] Its own rules specify that perry or pear cider may contain no more than 25% apple juice.[14][17]
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 16:29
by thumbelina
Apparently they are the same thing
With respect, I wish to disagree.
If perry has to be made from 100% perry pears and pear cider can be made from any pear juice it clearly ISN'T the same thing.
The Cider Makers Association
may have decided that perry producers can call their product pear cider if they choose to, (great for marketing purposes for the perry producers!) but that still doesn't change the fact that they are
not the exact same product.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 16:37
by Kathy
To give a balanced view on this
Ref Wikipedia also says
CAMRA defines perry and pear cider as quite different drinks, stating that "pear cider" as made by the large industrial cidermakers is merely a pear-flavoured drink, or more specifically a cider-style drink flavoured with pear concentrate, whereas "perry" should be made by traditional methods from perry pears only.
The question is who has more to gain from declaring that both ciders are the same?
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 16:41
by thumbelina
The perry makers, one would assume.
Previously they were a niche market product. Now they will be seen as an 'artisan' pear cider and benefit from the mass marketing of the manufactured product by the big boys.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 17:02
by blackduff
Is this the same as the "British Sherry", which really isn't a sherry.
Sherry has to come from Jerez (Spanish name which is pronounced as "Sherry").
But, the British Sherry isn't the same.
Confusing! Maybe can sort this out!
Blackduff
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 17:08
by john
Interesting point BD. Is "sherry" a protected name like "champagne","stilton" ,"parma ham" etc?
As regards drinks,for example all lager/ale is beer. But not all beer is lager or ale.
Still,re perry,I think ,on balance,I'd rather take the recommendation of the National Association of Cider Makers than people who speculate with home-spun theories.....
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 17:11
by blackduff
Waitrose has a wide range of ciders and perry, a first-cousin made from the juice of pears, that will suit every event in the summertime when a long, refreshing drink is called for.
Floral and fruity, cider is refreshing and reviving, and as satisfying after a long, hot walk or a morning's gardening as it is cooling. Like any other drink, though, there is no one typical cider: there are numerous fermented apple drinks which may be as rough as a country scrumpy, or refined and elegant enough to serve as an apéritif, even as an alternative to Champagne on special occasions. Cider is a country drink, celebrating the great English traditions of both apples and artisan skills.
Perry is made in the same way as cider, but from Perry pears, rather than apples. Perry trees are often 200 or more years old and this drink is as traditional as cider. Perry is fragrant on the palate, pale and lightly sparkling.
http://www.waitrose.com/drink/ciderandperry/index.aspx
This same site gives a big page about sherry and it's name(s).
Blackduff
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 20:08
by Santiago
I have no idea where you can get Pear Cider around here but I am intrigued to know why you would want it and why Cidre Breton woudn't be a decent substitute (No, Roger that is not an excuse to go on about all things Breton
).
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 20:31
by Chris
A Breton friend of mine makes pear cider by mashing up his windfall pears by hand then leaves them to ferment in a black bin bag in the sun, then he distills the juice in an old pressure cooker connected to a length of rubber hose which is coiled inside a barrel of water.
I can honestly say that it is the most horrible beverage I have ever tasted. But he seems to enjoy it.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 20:38
by blackduff
john wrote:Interesting point BD. Is "sherry" a protected name like "champagne","stilton" ,"parma ham" etc?
As regards drinks,for example all lager/ale is beer. But not all beer is lager or ale.
Still,re perry,I think ,on balance,I'd rather take the recommendation of the National Association of Cider Makers than people who speculate with home-spun theories.....
Sherry..
The Spanish now own the name outright. From 1996 ‘British sherry’ and ‘Irish sherry’ ceased to exist. At least in the EU, the only wines that can be sold as sherry come from the triangle of vineyard land between the Andalucian towns of inland Jerez de La Frontera, and Sanlucar de Barrameda and Puerto de Santa Maria by the sea.
http://www.scalan.co.uk/Sherry.htm
The British Sherry was terrible anyway.
Blackduff
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 21:06
by polremy
Santiago wrote:I have no idea where you can get Pear Cider around here but I am intrigued to know why you would want it and why Cidre Breton woudn't be a decent substitute (No, Roger that is not an excuse to go on about all things Breton
).
Just what I was thinking, Santiago.
Can't imagine any situation calling for an urgent need for pear cider specifically.
Do tell us!
ps The first time I was ever inebriated was after drinking Babycham - such small glasses but really quite potent.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 21:29
by john
Wasn't the British sherry called QC,which apparently stood for "Quality Counts" ?
Never a truer word........
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 21:32
by polremy
john wrote:
Wasn't the British sherry called QC,which apparently stood for "Quality Counts" ?
Never a truer word........
I remember my parents raving about Cyprus sherry.
Was that rubbish too?
Must have been cheap if they could afford to drink it.
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 21:37
by Roger O
Santiago wrote:I have no idea where you can get Pear Cider around here but I am intrigued to know why you would want it and why Cidre Breton woudn't be a decent substitute (No, Roger that is not an excuse to go on about all things Breton
).
Actually, my personal favourites are from Burrow Hill
http://www.ciderbrandy.co.uk/productspage.html
Ciders
Cider has been sold at Burrow Hill for at least the last 150 years. All the ciders we produce are made from pure juice pressed from fresh Somerset grown apples in the autumn. (No Chinese concentrate here). We still sell cider straight from the barrel. We also produce a slightly sparkling litre flagon and a half litre sparkling bottle which is a blend of at least 11 varieties.
Some cider is made in a similar way to Champagne. We call it Bottle Fermented, and some claim the method predates Champagne. This cider is fermented in bottles and matured for up to two years. The tops of the bottles are then frozen and the yeast disgorged. The result is a very fine sparkling cider which Jilly Goolden described on BBC Food and Drink as one of the best ciders in England - "this has got muscles, this has got brawn. I think that it is gorgeous", she said.
grapes are not the only source of heavenly pleasure!!
Scroll through this lot:
http://www.ciderbrandy.co.uk/shop.html
There used to be - maybe still is - a famous pub in Torquay called "The Hole in the Wall" where we locals used to watch the tourists down about 4 pints of local scrumpy thinking it was 3% common cider - get outside and fall flat on their faces!
The scrumpy was at very least 6% and after a quick "gallon" of that...
My real personal favourite - but difficult to get here!!!!
Bottle Fermented Sparkling Cider - made by "Methode Traditional"
75cl Kingston Black
A dry, complex cider with a sharp fruit finish. Good enough to grace any dinner table (8%) - £8.00
(better than the Breton stuff - but don't tell them!!!! heh!)
Posted: Sun 13 Jun 2010 23:14
by Archies Beard
The growth in the sale of pear cider began through Ikea selling Kopperberg. This became very popular with a younger crowd and as ever the bigger brewers joined in. It is of course ordinary cider with pear flavouring and bears little or no relation to Perry other than the word pear.
It is one of the growth, trendy, drinks of the moment in the UK. Poassibly the only reason for the flavouring with pear is to hide the poor quality cider. stick with Westons organic cider, 500ml £1.50 & 6.5%.
Posted: Mon 14 Jun 2010 00:16
by Steve&Julie
The reason I want some pear cider is because I love it! Its light and refreshing especially served with ice in hot weather and doesn't give me a hangover like wine. I visited a friend in Bristol recently who introduced me to Strawberry cider which was 7% vol and extremely tasty, but I could only drink 2 bottles of that as it got a bit sweet. You can't seem to get it up North.
We are visiting for 3 weeks soon and wanted to know if I could get any locally.
Where do you get the breton Cider from?
Posted: Mon 14 Jun 2010 10:19
by interiors66
i know where you are coming from, like you i am partial to a pint or 2 of cider over ice. having lived here now for a number of years it is one of the things i miss and i go out of my way to bring some back if i have the chance. finding ciders such as strongbow here is a challenge so getting a pear cider such as magners i think would be imposible. i know of most of the shops that sell english cider in the area but when they get it in it doesnt stay on the shelves that long.
i have tried the french ciders and to honest they are not to my taste , my advice is bring it with you to avoid disapointment!
Posted: Mon 14 Jun 2010 10:36
by polremy
Talk about coincidence - saw an advert for Magners on tele last night.
Quite funny it was too.
Thought of you!