Below is a list of the most common ciders that we do not recognise as being real:

Most of these ‘ciders’ have nothing to do with real cider except in name and the fact that a minor portion may have see some kind of apple product at some stage in the production process.

We want you to get involved with real cider, so we have listed the ones here to avoid.

Here they are (Source: CAMRA).

Why are they not real cider?

• As it is not craft cider produced using traditional methods.
• Not only does it fill a marketing gap that wasn’t a gap in the first place, but it tastes just like it is – poor commercial cider with added ‘flavour’ and fizz. I’ve tasted some commercial ‘ciders’ that taste like a chemically enhanced fizzy cross between apple juice and cordial.
• Real cider has always been a traditional drink which is produced naturally from apples and is neither carbonated nor pasteurised. Cider is only made from pressed, and fermented apples. Nothing else.

The ingredients listed on a can of Strongbow are:

Fermented apple juice & glucose syrup, water, sugar, carbon dioxide,
acid: E270, E330, antioxidant: E224 (sulphites).

These cider imposters have had most of the alcohol derived rom fermenting corn starch syrup which is then diluted with water. Malic acid is then added in order to get a bit of taste back into it.

Doesn’t sound very appetising does it?

It doesn’t mean that the drinks aren’t refreshing on a hot summers day, however with real cider you will find the majority are organic, free of artificial colours, acids and antioxidants.

The drinks don’t last as long in the bottle, but because they taste of real apples it means the cider doesn’t normally stay in the bottle long before it is enjoyed!