Hard Cider

I consider myself lucky not to have a drinking problems. Which is kind of wierd because there are other things with which I find moderation difficult, including food and sometimes even sleep. If you can drink without negative consequences I say more power to you. There are other things in life with which you may be better off, but this isn’t the place to discuss all of that. I’ll just wish for folks to find a little corner of happiness in thier day.

We use the term ‘soft drink’ for the stuff you would call soda. I have never heard of a British drink made _ with _ scrumpy - nothing that’s available nationally fits that description at least not that I know of. Maybe a regional thing from the one of the three cider making counties; Cornwall, Devon or Somerset? Sounds nice whatever it is.

There is a Stella Artois cider now, mass produced but good.

I got to within spitting distance of full blown alcoholism. When I woke up in a corn field instead of my bed, after a series of similar experiences, which were getting closer together, I just stopped drinking for six months. I love good wine with good food and the occasional cider etc and not having it in my life was a real pain - you only need to stop for a few days to understand how much drink is apart of life, especially if you are a detective, sad to say with that side of the police being institutionally boozey. So I re-introduced it cautiously and have never been drunk since and that was fifteen years ago. My wife never has more than two glasses of anything so I just follow her and, for me, its worked out.

I’m lucky enough to live a few miles away from Middle Farm in Sussex. Not only do they brew their own cider (including a particularly fine one fermented in rum casks) but they have a staggering array of brews from all over the country which you can buy straight from the barrel. http://www.middlefarm.com/cider-and-perry.html

alcohol is actualy better when done mildly. The problem is the perfect place makes it harder to not have another drink or two.

Drink triggers something, when you have got to a pleasant state, that urges you to drink more, maybe you are getting closer and closer to your uninhibited self, which, clearly, has no inhibitions about drinking more. I now have what almost feels like a pre-programmed shut off, past the second drink and thats it, stop. I think I created a kind of aversion therapy thing sub-conscioulsy.

 I think for myself part of my brain still measures things by when I used to drink alot. It has problems understanding that another beer is a lot more beer.

Luckily I simply get to a point of optimal tipsiness, maybe a bit overwhelmed,  and I feel like “Yeah, I don’t need another. I’ll enjoy this while it lasts.” I don’t like the thought of losing control.

I’m a big fan of cider. I can’t drink beer (coeliac) or red wine (other gut problems) so I just go through litres of the stuff. I really like French ciders, but the easiest available here that I like are Magners/Bulmers, or Rekorderlieg. Great stuff. :wink:

We use the term ‘soft drink’ for the stuff you would call soda. I have never heard of a British drink made _ with _ scrumpy - nothing that’s available nationally fits that description at least not that I know of. Maybe a regional thing from the one of the three cider making counties; Cornwall, Devon or Somerset? Sounds nice whatever it is.

I wonder if he means snakebite (cider and beer mixed in equal proportions)?

MrNemo- I’ll have to look for some French ones around here, haven’t seen any yet but here’s hoping. So where are you located? I ask to make the search for those others easier.

I wish my memory was a bit clearer, but it might be snakebite then. If so, what type of beer would they use?

I’ve noticed that a lot of the domestic ciders are pretty tart, probably because of the citric acid etc they add. So many are not something I’d buy very often. Also some have a distinct vineger(sp?) taste which I dislike, unless it’s a very faint trace. One time I tried a Crispin and it had that taste, probably not worth buying again-for me. So far my fave is a domestic scrumpy, no offensive characteristics. From looking at the labels of many bottles, they are often only partially cider, mixed with a few other ingredients. Must keep up the search, I guess…

Its typically made with lager of some sort.

Ah, makes sense. A heavy ale might not mix so well, now as I think about it, maybe an IPA could work (I crave hops).

My only disappointment with the ciders is that it seems the good ones are pretty expensive, at least around here. Are they really that costly to produce?

@bish777 - In the part of the world I grew up in you would sometimes hear people asking for a pint of diesel. What they meant was snakebite with a shot of blackcurrant syrup in it, which turned the mixture the same shade as agricultural tax-exempt diesel (which is dyed red in the UK). Probably tasted pretty similar, too.

I think it must be snakebite, where I come from they would have half a pint of chilled Special Brew or Kestrel super and half a pint of Strongbow…ok, that’s how I have it. 

I want to try that. I find a lot of beer and beer like drinks mix well.

yep snakebite is half cider half beer where i am from …  @sloth357   you should try a bit of that blackcurrant syrup in a guinness    lovely stuff  .

@jpsks - Guinness and blackcurrant? You’d need to be careful where you asked for that. Try it in an Irish pub and they’d probably sling you out for insulting the Guinness!

I`m quite partial to black rat, but I believe it may be an acquired taste…

I vaguely recall hearing that- but snakebit was the main one I heard, and guiness and black. (I hail from the west country.)

@bish777 - In the part of the world I grew up in you would sometimes hear people asking for a pint of diesel. What they meant was snakebite with a shot of blackcurrant syrup in it, which turned the mixture the same shade as agricultural tax-exempt diesel (which is dyed red in the UK). Probably tasted pretty similar, too.

Definitely “drink for thought”(forgive me). Seriously, now there’s a few new things for me to try, thank’s folks!