Peruse the aisles of any local supermarket or independent bottle shop in 2026 and I’ll wager you’ll find a collaborative beer or two on the shelves. A beer with two breweries names on the can or bottle is, if not commonplace, then a frequent sighting throughout the year. From Adnams to Vault City, Holy Goat to Moongazer, you’ll find one or two jointly branded and produced beverages on the shelves. Shift your gaze to the cider aisle, at least in the supermarkets in this instance and you’ll be very hard-pushed to find one of the macro producers looking to share a portion of their juice with another similarly-sized cidermaker. The brand guidelines are stringently adhered to, the shelf space no doubt pre-arranged with certain producers end of aisle, others at eye-level, the occasional bargain to be found at ground level or with a loyalty card discount to tempt you towards it. I understand the protectiveness that multi-million-pound companies feel towards their brand, their house yeast style cider, their target markets, however…pause…breathe…isn’t there something inherently fun about sharing, caring, and playing with established identities? I think so!

It was in the first lockdowns of 2020, and an order through the now sadly deceased online bottle shop Scrattings, that I first discovered Ross Cider and Nightingale Cider’s Dabinett and Bramley Oak Cask cider. With a striking green and pink label, a generous 7.4% abv, and a combination of malic acid and tannin-led apple varieties married together in an oak cask, this bottling introduced me to two producers I regularly cite as two of the best in the UK right now to friends and family. A bottle or two even made it to my friend Mauro of GCB drinks in Belgium last year, in a care package of what I deemed as “top quality” bone dry UK ciders. Sadly, the well has run dry on this particular bottling now, and all good things must pass. Its influence lives on, however. From drinking this bottle, I knew instinctively that Dabinett and Bramley would work harmoniously in almost any oak cask you put them in. Cue one of my favourite Toye’s Cider creations of my fledgling 6 years of production: White Stag Dinner 2024. If you’ve tried it, you know…

There was also the delicious collaboration between Ross Cider and Queer Brewing: Dancing Required – a blend of Dabinett, Somerset Redstreak, Foxwhelp, and Major. Another multi-varietal, barrel-aged beauty, that reminds me of a RossFest a couple of years ago where it was on the bar on tap, and I purposely chose to stand by that tap (I was working on the bar) and encourage every person I served to try this particular cider. It too, has also long since sold out. More dancing is, I suspect, required!

When my friend James, otherwise known as The Cider Critic, went commercial with Chapel Sider, I was proud on so many levels. Driving back from our first Manchester Cider Club together a few years ago, seeing him drop off his first cases of 750ml bottles to Nicky for her brilliant webshop, The Cat In The Glass, it felt very tangible and real for James. I had the same feeling at London Cider Salon 2024, seeing him stand beside Sam Nightingale, with a collaboration cider (or two, nay three) he was releasing with Sam. Chapel Sider and Nightingale Cider on a label together. It cements the friendships we all have in the craft cider scene seeing two makers you respect greatly, offering up a pour of their latest joint-release. Dabinett from James and Red Love from Sam. Lincolnshire and Kent represented in bottling I hope a number of you (at least in the UK) are able to try in the coming months. That James has decided to wrap things up commercially for Chapel Sider fills me with a melancholy ring that comes when a friend of yours leaves the playing field, the game at play now being… up. He’s an absolutely lovely guy, with a heart of gold, possessing a refined palate and vocabulary to describe the drinks he’s reviewing and producing. UK cider has been richer to have him in its ranks. I hope that with the extra time that comes from not producing or selling his Chapel Sider wares, we can entice him back for a few more reviews of other producers’ bottlings in 2026 and beyond. All this is to say, with Autumn 2025 marking the sunset of Chapel Sider, I’m determined to get some of his drinks covered here on Cider Review. Craft producers need all the help they can get in this ever-evolving landscape. If a positive, or critically resonant review, helps inspire our friends in the cidermaking world continue to produce their drinks and feel seen, then I’m all for playing my small part.

The selection below encompasses a smattering of what I could find back in Autumn 2025 on The Cat In The Glass in terms of collaborative bottlings. I’m certain there are more out there, please do seek out these and others (and let us know in the comments of any you think we should be covering here on Cider Review). I like the accidental symmetry of my articles here in early 2026, with my second article back in 2025 being a retrospective look at The Cat In The Glass’s collaborative releases. Now, as the new year gets itself going, I have cast the net a little wider, with a few familiar producers who have chosen to go down a similar, friendly, joint release approach. I hope you enjoy!

Little Pomona, When Burum Met Pomona – review

Single variety Dabinett aged in ex-Chardonnay barrels. A blend brought about between Burum Collective and Little Pomona.

How I served: Pulled from the deep dark cellar in my house that is…the garage in November!

Appearance: Slight haze, peachy orange hue, completely still, no mousse.

On the nose: Marmalade, from a freshly opened jar. Orange and apricot entwined in a liquid dance. Autumnal.

In the mouth: Great texture and weight to this drink, there’s a viscosity that is adding so much more to this drink than just a regular cider. Dabinett, when produced right like this, is a standout cider. White pepper, grilled orange slices, festive notes. Super soft pillowy tannins present. Dry and lingering finish. At 7.4% abv, it’s behaving like a big, bold Italian red with each sip. Dabinett meets Amorone perhaps.

In a nutshell: Still, barrel-aged, Dabinett greatness from Helen, Rachel, and Little Pomona.

Mills Brewing x Oliver’s Cider & Perry, Nachmelená Hruška – review

A blend of Red Pear, Red Longdon, Blakeney Red, Winnals Longdon, and Gin perry with Czech grown barley and a quantity of Fuggles hops.

How I served: Straight out the garage in November.

Appearance: Slight haze to a lemon gold. Moderate effervescence, the bottle had a crown cap and beneath it, a cork. Thin mousse around the rim of the glass and centre of liquid.

On the nose: Lemon and lavender shortbread biscuits. A summery aroma. Fuggles hops I have definitely heard of in the beer world but couldn’t pinpoint their unique aromatic characteristics. It’s a citrusy affair. Slight crushed black peppercorn note there too.

In the mouth: Hops really making themselves known, 6.2% abv carrying the flavour compounds. I do love Tom’s hopped ciders and perries, this definitely has more nuance at play with the addition of the Czech barley too. There’s a bitterness on the tongue from the hops, that you don’t quite find in any regular 100% perry. Very reminiscent of lager mouthfeel in fact. Couldn’t say I’m picking out any familiar notes from the perry pears that make up the blend, but it’s so refreshing, nonetheless. Even with that abv, there’s a note of a Radler about this. Again, perhaps that’s the Czech barley at play with the perry pears?

In a nutshell: A perry unlike any other you’ll try. An utterly unique little sipper.

Ross-On-Wye & Nightingale, Foxwhelp Meets Discovery – review

How I served: A few days in the garage which is definitely rocking cellar temperature as the latest storm buffets the house all around.

Appearance: Even chilled down, this was super lively upon popping the cap. Almost to the point of the cider gushing out to the top. A minute in the glass and it’s a very pleasant generous effervescent reverse waterfall in the liquid. Moderate mousse around the rim of the glass. A brand new £1 coin shiny gold hue, good clarity.

On the nose: A sensational aroma of rose hip, raspberry leaf, cranberry sauce. All sorts of floral, fruity high notes. I’d happily have this as a room spray. Late August and early September aromas captured in liquid and bottle. It’s that wistful smell of the end of Summer and start of Autumn. The smell of RossFest!

In the mouth: Lip-smackingly, puckeringly good stuff. Discovery is a happy duel-blend bedfellow, I’ve tried making it with Tom Putt and am very happy with the results. Little Pomona’s famous Disco Nouveau actually has a smidgen of Foxwhelp in it as well. Not sure of the proportions in this blend, but the Foxwhelp is from Ross and the Discovery from Nightingale. 6.8% abv and super clean delivery. Strawberry sherbet gummy laces galore. It’s just so moreish!

In a nutshell: A perfectly poised dual blend that elevates both its constituent cider apple varieties above their singular positions. Yummy!

Nightingale & Chapel Sider, Two Birds Part 1 – review

A still blend of Red Love and Dabinett

How I served: Freshly pulled from the chilly garage.

Appearance: Still rich rosé hue. No effervescence, perfectly clear.

On the nose: Rose Turkish delight – the White Witch of Narnia must be just around the corner.

In the mouth: Red Love in the driving seat here, I wouldn’t necessarily twig that Dabinett was in the mix blind tasting this at first. There’s astringency on the finish, but up front it’s crisp cranberry juice and more malic acid than tannin bomb. 7.2% abv is a bold percentage, and I like seeing Sam and James’ joint vision shining strong. It’s akin to a slightly tannic-led Rosé wine. As the still presentation of the two reviewed here today, I’m intrigued to see what a bit of fizz does to the mix.

In a nutshell: Provence meets Kent & Lincolnshire in a glass. Sun’s out, Two Birds out.

Nightingale & Chapel Sider, Two Birds Part 2 – review

A sparkling blend of Red Love and Dabinett.

How I served: Garage temperature, November style, which is roughly cellar temperature.

Appearance: This version definitely has some sparkle to it, but the effervescence dies down almost instantaneously in the glass. There’s no mousse, and the smallest sign of bubbles rising from the base to the top of the glass. In the bottle however, the cider is hissing and bubbling away even after 5 minutes. Even greater clarity than the still version, rosewood mahogany hue.

On the nose: Part 2 is skewing more sparkling cranberry juice aroma than the rose Turkish Delight of Part 1.

In the mouth: Oh, this is fascinating! The sparkling version here is noticeably more cider-familiar than the still. I’m not getting any hints of Provence rosé, it’s all about the Dabinett with a side portion of Red Love. There’s that lovely familiar orange marmalade note, but with a cranberry and red gooseberry frisson attached. 7.8% abv so the strength has gone a bit up in this sparkling version.

In a nutshell: We’re in more familiar cider-profile territory here, a great example of Dabinett and how it interacts with other drastically different apples like Red Love.

Conclusions

This has been a great selection of bottlings to delve into. Some, like the Olivers x Mills Brewing collab, I’ve wanted to try for ages. I’ve a few friends on Untappd who regular check-in anything and everything that both cidermaker and brewer release, and it’s taken me up till now to take the plunge and experience a perry unlike any other I’ve tried before. The Little Pomona and Burum collab offer a snapshot of a time with James and Susanna both at the helm, their humongous and generous spirits always willing to come, open-armed and smiling, doors open, to the next generation of inquisitive cider and perry producers. Helen, James, and Susanna are perfectly encapsulated in that bottling. It was at the inaugural London Cider Salon, held downstairs in the Corner Bar, that I first tried that delicious Discovery and Foxwhelp blend from Albert and Sam. It’s another duel-blend that reveals the partnership that specific varieties of apples can excel at. I love the artwork, and adore the aroma that is captured in botte of that time of year when Discovery and Foxwhelp are both ripe and ready to be harvested.

I’m not sure we’ll see a macro producer collaborative blend any time soon at the supermarket. Behind most of these much bigger producers is an even larger parent company that has no interest in CAMRA Beer and Cider festivals, local cultivars expressed in single variety form, or sharing logo space with another…competitor. At the craft cidermaker level, I’ve found it very rare to be truly competing with another maker – you happen to be caring enough about fruit growing locally to your home, and the alchemy of turning that fruit into a delicious product in the months following harvest, that there’s no real competition at play. Each drink is an idiosyncratic expression of its maker, and in the rare occasion that maker decides to jointly present a new release with a fellow cidermaker, well…that is something to be celebrated and cherished. Our true friends are often few and fleeting in life, so we quite rightly hold on to them tightly. Here’s to friendship and collaboration.