What is the collective noun for a group of Cidermakers? An orchard? A bushel? A blossom? I’m willing to settle on a Salon of Cidermakers for the purpose of this article. Last weekend was my first attending Cider Salon in Bristol – after viewing the event from afar the previous few years and turning down an opportunity at GBBF the same day (still love you London, will be back next year). I opted for the public transport option to get there from Norfolk, booking my train tickets nicely in advance to get some decently priced seats – only to find 4 days from the event that my train would be cancelled due to train strikes. Tis the flavour of public transport on the weekends in the UK at the moment it would seem. Best laid plans then involved staying at my sister’s house in London the night before, heading out of London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads bright an early on Saturday morning. Bim bam bosh!

Three floors up at the Left Handed Giant Brewpub was where I found myself for Gabe Cook’s excellent fringe event – World of Cider – a chance to meet makers from the US, Hungary, and Norway in more intimate surrounds than the Trinity Centre later in the day. The pacing of this event was spot on. Albermarle Ciderworks from Virginia, USA introduced us to their Dabinett & Harrison blend, Wickson SVC, and then their newly released Crab Apple Medley (only just released a fortnight ago in the US, but being consumed here in Bristol by those at the event). Abaliget Garden Projects from Hungary, a husband-and-wife team who I strongly recommend following online, debuted their Vespa Perry bottling, from a single red-fleshed perry pear tree near their Hungarian cidery. Blake’s Hard Cider Co. from Michigan, USA showcased their 9% abv Gold Rush SVC in a 750ml bottle – in marked contrast to their roughly 5 million litre per year output of sweeter cider for the wider market. Then we had Tall Ship’s ex-barleywine-barrel-aged Dabinett SVC from Norway, with a flavour profile I don’t think I’ve ever tried from a cider. Wrapping it up was Presque Isle Farm (PIF for their fans) in North Michigan, USA, another husband-and-wife team, whose Farmhouse Cider was incredibly well-received (a blend of Kingston Black, Brown Snout, Bulmers Norman, and Northern Spy).

I had wanted to attend this event as it has been too long since I last saw Gabe in-person (he’s a great host for these events). I understand the breadth of producers from the USA and Canada at this year’s Salon was due to Gabe hosting the Cider Institute of North America for a week-long tour of cidermakers in the UK. A tip of the glass to him for coinciding this with the main Cider Salon event as it added to an astounding array of producers on show. Linking back to Adam’s article this Wednesday, I can also confirm that the World of Cider event did indeed have water and spittoons at every table – something I needed to utilise when sampling 9% abv ciders before midday. The timing of this fringe event also allowed for a trip to The Stable, next to the Watershed Cinema in Bristol, which prides itself on being run by Cider Loving Pizza Makers. I can’t think of many other restaurants which proudly market themselves as both a Pizza and a Cider venue. The place was heaving on a wet Saturday afternoon – but the obligatory pizza was enjoyed before the main Salon event took place up the road at the Trinity Centre. As a veteran of many a good whisky festival, I can attest to the importance of a full stomach before something like this. 

Adam has already eloquently summed up most of the atmosphere that the Cider Salon has to offer, and as a returning visitor to the event, his perspective is one I’ve used as inspiration to visit myself this year from his previous articles here on Cider Review. As a first timer some thoughts: I absolutely love the scale of the event – 30+ producers showcasing 3 of their bottlings on each table really works. This scale didn’t match up to the time available in the Trinity Centre for me, however. 12pm – 3pm just wasn’t enough time to get around everyone, have chats with each maker, meet friendly faces in-person for the first time that have previously just been avatars on twitter or over the phone (Ian, Felix, and Aga special shoutout). I think I visited about half of the producers that were attending Cider Salon this year. If we could have a little bit more time next year, coupled with spittoons and water available in the Trinity Centre, that would be amazing.

As the day had been quite a wet one (an understatement), the upstairs of the Trinity Centre where the UK cidermakers were located was essentially a cider sauna, sandwiched by the most beautiful stained-glass windows (which I forgot to take a picture of). Hats off to all the producers up there for the three hours we were roaming their stalls as mugginess levels were ramped up to 11. All the more reason for a nice cold cider or perry.

To sum up: a great day out in Bristol that felt both local and international; one which has furthered my appreciation and respect for cider and perrymakers from all around the world.