Picture the scene, or even a la Mighty Boosh, come with me on a journey through time and space. It’s 1990, and you want to find a good pub to buy cider (or perry) in. Or perhaps you want to find out what the makers in your local area are, or a region you’re imminently visiting on your holidays. It is 1990 after all and Margaret Thatcher is the Prime Minister of Britain, Rowan Atkinson has just debuted his latest creation, Mr Bean, on TV, and Aldi has opened its first supermarket in Britain in the city of Birmingham. Where do you turn for this information? The answer for the time is CAMRA’s Good Cider Guide, a publication that used to sit adjacent to the Good Beer Guide that you can still find updated every year, and a good state of the nation review on cask ale and pubs. Sadly the Good Cider Guide stopped being published back in 2005, but for the purpose of this time-travelling opening paragraph, it’s 1990 and you have a copy of David Kitton’s latest edition right in front of you. Inside you’ll find a few long-form articles to set the scene: Farm Perry Gets Parred Away by John Hallam, Cider Through The Ages by Sara Hicks, Introducing Apple – The No Pressure Group by Mick Lewis. And then it’s on to a county-by-county appraisal of all the good cider pubs in each region that stock the “good cider, basically natural cider” that David Kitton mentions in his opening remarks. A very satisfying way to plan a trip or do some research through the specific lens of good cider pubs and producers! I do hope we see the Good Cider Guide make a reappearance in the years to come from CAMRA, it would show a great statement of intent and energise a whole load of volunteers, like the numerous authors here on Cider Review, to help further the cause of cider and perry.

There are still numerous pubs that you hear about in 2026 that really do fly the flag for good quality cider and perry across the UK. We’ve covered the wonderful Hop Inn in Hornchuch, run by Alison Taffs and Phil Cooke, before on these pages. I’m working out a way to volunteer some time on the bar there later in the year to see first-hand the experiences of selling dry cider to the public. A trip to the Yewtree in Peterstow is always a treat, with a row of 10+ ciders and perries always available on draught, and an incredibly knowledgeable and warm welcome from the Ross on Wye Cider team there. There’s been a bar’s name whispered to me by many folks in the know over the past year or two, somewhere that equally supports local makers of full juice, proper, crafted cider and perry. A place where the cider and perry makers like to go and drink as well as supply their drinks for the bar. It’s a place that, were it in existence back then, would have no doubt appeared in the 1990 edition of the Good Cider Guide, and one that the local CAMRA team in Gloucestershire should definitely be considering for Cider Pub of the year at some point. It’s the Independent Republic of Jolter, in the large village/small market town of Mitchelden, Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Early this August, the stars finally aligned thanks to the organising prowess of my friend Amy Chandler, who corralled and cajoled us to a campsite in the nearby village of Drybrook (and it was very dry and hot on our visit), so that we could visit said establishment and see whether it lived up to its reputation.

After a life-affirming bike ride down an incredibly steep hill from Drybrook to Mitcheldean, we suddenly found ourselves on Jolter’s doorsteps. An imposing Victorian industrial unit, built from that red sandstone you find around the Three Counties (and all around Arran and Glasgow too). The site is occupied by numerous businesses, tucked behind a fish and chip shop and the local library. Right in the centre of it all sits Jolter. An open door beckons you in through a corridor, into what seems like a back-room, that instead opens up to bar itself, complete with floor-to-ceiling shelves of cider and perry bottles, sitting room-esque seating arrangements, a cosy outdoor spot, and a bar that is stocked with so many BIBs of cider and perry you feel like you’re attending a cider festival of some sort! Beer is noticeably absent on first inspection; this is an establishment that prides itself on the range of different ciders and perries on offer. The walls are filled with pomological paraphernalia, as well as a map of the local area and all the producers you will find down single-track lanes tucked behind hedgerows. The light level is comfortable and warm, with an eclectic mixture of music playing on the speakers that ranges from Scott Walker to Daft Punk (the proprietor’s personal playlist). Behind the bar stands said proprietor, Pat Lock, a tall, jovial, welcoming figure who is happy to offer thirds, halves, and pints of anything you can see for sale. I sat down for a few minutes with Pat to find out a bit more about this somewhat living legend establishment and how it came to be.

Cider Review: I’m here in the Independent Republic of Jolter finally, after all these years of hearing about it with Pat the proprietor. Jolter Press was your cider-making venture before?

Pat Lock: Yes, that’s right, active mainly between 2014 to 2024. Towards the end, a variety of sort of health reasons meant that I’d seriously considered stopping it but couldn’t. I decided to put all my efforts into Jolter when it was upstairs in this building, and then the opportunity came to move downstairs, and that’s what happened in October last year.

CR: So, Independent Republic of Jolter was born in 2025. How’s it been going on the ground floor since October?

Pat Lock: The only comparable figures for a quarter down here compared to upstairs is it’s 33% up, a third up business-wise. It’s been a really big increase in footfall, but a lot of it was because it was actually 37 steps to navigate to us upstairs. People were finding it difficult, I was starting to find it really difficult. There was a goods lift, but that was temperamental. We’ve now got an outside area as well. It’s got history as a bar, so it’s continuing that. There hasn’t been a bar here for about 6 years. That’s where we’re at.

CR: What was the building originally used for? It’s very distinctive!

Pat Lock: The building originally was Wintle’s Brewery, and then certain bits have been hiked off and have housed bits of Rank Xerox over the years, which was a major employer in Mitchell Dean. There’s been other small businesses here. This particular bit, the Mews, is Mitchell Dean Enterprise workshops. It encourages small businesses to sort of get going.

CR: For those of us outside the Three Counties, we think of this as a mecca for cider and perry bars and production. What’s it like being one of the only cider and perry bars in the area? You’re actually quite uncommon here, aren’t you?

Pat Lock: A cider and perry-only bar, I mean, it doesn’t really exist really. Mitcheldean is hardly the centre of World Cider either. It’s got Ross-on-Wye on its doorstep, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Hereford fairly nearby. In a way, the Forest of Dean has more in common with Herefordshire in some ways than Gloucestershire – the county it’s actually in. I just started as a producer, got somewhere, wondered about hiring a room, licensing it, making it a tap room, it just started from that. It’s just done its own thing ever since.

CR: What’s your programming style for the bar? You’ve got a selection of bottles and BIBs around us I see. What are you looking for from producers?

Pat Lock: Occasionally, you do have a good run on something. I’m determined not to go too far down the dark sweet side, really. I think everyone over time graduates drier in their taste preferences. One of our concessions I have made is that I do now have little bottles of wine in Prosecco, but that is it. There’s no spirits, there’s no beer. So it’s not a bar, I search. In terms of what the local producers offer, it’s whatever they’ve got will be considered. They tend to make dry, you know, and that’s the way this goes. So, for instance, tonight, we’ve got a couple of lads out the back who started coming here about 3 months ago. They’re still on what I would consider fairly customer-friendly ciders. That will change over time. It always happens and they go a bit drier.

CR: Before you know it, they’re requesting Tardive Foresteir and Flakey Bark!

Pat Lock: Ha! And even that’s not enough eventually!

CR: What have been some of your highlights since you’ve opened the bar down here. There must have been some really memorable moments?

Pat Lock: Without doubt it has to be on May 9th this year, we’d hosted an evening with Kevin Minchew, a famous old name around these parts. Everything about the night was magic. There’s no point describing it. If you were here, you know, and if you weren’t here, just talk to someone who was here, because it was magic in a bottle, really. That was Jolter at its best. One of the things here is that there is a family. They kind of police it for me on my behalf. When I moved down from upstairs, I put the call out could anyone help? Because obviously I couldn’t do it myself. 24 people turned up to help, there’s a real cider community here. The best thing I’ve ever done, really, is from 30 litres of cider,  this is what’s happened. I think honestly, if I can do it, and if you love what you do, then anyone can do it.

CR: So, if we could find an Independent Republic of Jolter business/franchise across every town and city in the UK, the country would be a richer place for it?

Pat Lock:  Yeah, just make sure that you get rubbish furniture. Don’t go overboard, and people kind of like it. Keep it simple. Everybody’s welcome. Everybody gets one chance. Just keep drinking the good stuff and promote it as well. I think it is important to get cider from your local area. That is what makes this place stand out, you know, because it’s all from the Three Counties.

CR: Have you had any discoveries that, even though you’ve grown up and lived around here, anything that you’ve discovered in the last year by stocking it on the bar?

Pat Lock: Yes, one of them was via a customer, within his family, is Sudley Cider. When it came out, I thought, wow, that’s my new favourite dry cider. They’re just not on the radar at all. You know, I mean, if you think Jolter’s not on the radar, try Sudley Cider it. You won’t find the website. I think it’s great. There’s a culture of one-man bands. Sometimes the enthusiasm will die out a little bit after a couple of years, but everyone seems to come back in the end and, you know, here you end up with a scenario where people come in once a week or 2 or 3 times a week. Sometimes you’ll see them every month, sometimes every 6 months, or they check in after a year because they kind of like the atmosphere and the goodwill there is around cider. It attracts a really different crowd. It’s not a normal bar.

CR: It feels like I’m in your sitting room, but it’s also a bar, but it’s also something else.

Pat Lock: Yeah, I’m sorry about the mess!

CR: What are your plans for the rest of 2026?

Pat Lock: There’s a quiz coming up to raise money for Forest Pulse, a charity that supports children and young people with disabilities. I’ve got to balance my day job as well. It’s a case of keeping this place open 3 days a week and just keep doing that. There isn’t any mad rush to be anything or do anything as such. Thursday, Friday,  andSaturday from 2pm till 11pm. That’s when we’re open. Going back to what I think the achievements have been by opening this place… it’s just the very fact that it’s now not unusual to sell a bottle of Artistraw or Gregg’s Pit in Mitcheldean. There’s a lot of willingness to try ciders that folk hadn’t heard of, it’s opening up an exciting little world. And I said, as you know, we are currently living through a golden age of cider!

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My thanks to Pat for taking the time to sit with me and have a chat, the bar was certainly nice and busy that day with various folk from local regional CAMRA branches popping in for a chat and a pint, alongside a good contingent of Mitcheldeaners. It wouldn’t be a Cider Review article without a couple of few reviews of the drinks I tried there, so here’s a few which are almost certainly only to be found in BIB format and at the Independent Republic of Jolter.

Totemic Cider & Perry, Merrylegs Blend – review

A blend of Merrylegs, Winnal’s Longdon, Hendre Huffcap, and New Meadow from newcomer to the scene, Matt Smith, who also now works alongside James Forbes at Little Pomona. 

How I served: Straight from the BIB in the perfectly cellar-like temperature of the Independent Republic of Jolter.

Appearance: Peachy hazy hue, completely still, no mousse. A stable product in BIB, which is what we’re wanting to see.

On the nose: A waft of sun-ripened stone fruit, we’re talking apricot and peach here, with a hint of that longed-for velichor perry aroma.

In the mouth: Absolute stone fruit explosion, apricot and peach abound with a good deal of pear thrown in too. Medium sweet in its presentation, it may be dry, there may be sorbitol, do I mind? Not in the slightest. 5.5% abv is a relatively gentle alcohol amount to arise from the 2025 harvest season in full juice, wild ferment, perry terms.

In a nutshell: Seek out Totemic as it becomes more widely available, there are bottles now starting to do the rounds too. The orchards Matt is picking from, and the ensuing fruit selection, make him a super interesting micro-producer to watch!

Rob’s Cider, Catface – review

Ellis Bitter & Friends blend.

How I served: Straight from the BIB in the perfectly cellar-like temperature of the Independent Republic of Jolter.

Appearance: Brilliant clarity, still, no mousse, brassy gold coin hue. Rob’s labels and accompanying illustrations are things to seek out on his bottles and BIBs alike – I think his muse this year may hail from the village of Clifford.

On the nose: An aroma that makes you smile and think “now there’s a proper cider”. Very fresh, estery fruity notes, autumnal piles of apples in the orchard.

In the mouth: Much softer tannins than I was expecting given the Ellis Bitter component, perhaps the Friends in the blend are doing some heavy lifting? Mega juicy and fresh, with a great mouthfeel. 6.2% abv so a decent, naturally arrived at alcoholic strength to the proceedings.

In a nutshell: Just the kind of full juice, wild fermented cider you’d expect and hope to find in the Forest of Dean, part of a proud tradition.

Conclusion

The versatility and variability of cider and perry is evident to those that choose to venture down the rabbit hole and seek out different orchard blends and single varieties of these drinks. If you’re lucky, you’ll find them at drinks festivals across the UK; on the shelves of physical and digital bottle shops to have delivered to your home; and in places like the Independent Republic of Jolter in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire. The irony is, for someone like myself, based as I am in Norfolk, in East Anglia, I view the Three Counties as a place with near-mythical status when it comes to really brilliant cider and perry bars and pubs. Surely every village and town in the area would stock something hyper-local and decent, when you are so close to so many of the UK’s best cider and perry producers? The reality is of course somewhat different. The world of CAMRA’s Good Cider Guide, and the number of pubs it featured in the 1990 edition loaned to me, has changed drastically. The Jolters of this world in 2026 are still gems to be sought out and cherished – vital avenues for small but passionate cidermakers to sell their drinks to a crowd that actually cares. It’s the easiest thing in the world to take a white label, macro-produced product, tie it in to your multi-million pound TV series, and take shelf space in all the local delis, cheesemongers, and farm shops, from producers who actually make the stuff. If it’s raising the profile of cider again, a mini-Magners effect if you will, then I see some level of marketing and sales positivity there for the sector, but I know who I’ll be looking out for and spending my money on.

I was really impressed by the set-up Pat has at Jolter, the atmosphere was just right, the word-of-mouth recommendations he’s picked up are wholly justified. I hope his local CAMRA branch pay him a visit and he’s in the running for regional cider pub of the year when the time comes, because if not there, with the support he gives to local cidermakers within 20 miles of his establishment, then where? As I left the campsite in Drybrook I was staying at with Amy the morning after our Jolter visit, there was a smell of smoke on the air. The UK and much of Europe had a notably prolonged dry and hot summer this year, with wildfires breaking out left, right, and centre. I’ve never heard so many fire engine sirens over a summer if I’m honest. The mild smell of smoke grew the further away I drove from Drybrook. After 10 minutes, I had to wrap a t-shirt around my nose and mouth, the air for miles and miles either side of the road was thick with dark grey smoke, hanging over the fields and woodland like an ominous, toxic mist. That level of smoke in the air stayed as I drove for a good 20 minutes – I’ve never seen anything like it. It was claustrophobic in its pervasiveness. When I’d passed signs to Upton Bishop, Kempley, and Dymock, and had gotten close to my destination in the village of Pendock, only then, did the air start to clear, nearly 20 miles away from the campsite. It was caused by a massive wildfire in the Brecon Beacons, miles to the west of us. Summers in the UK are changing, I never remember anything like this as a child or teenager growing up. It’s that threat of fire coupled with the real lack of rainfall that has unnerved me this summer. At the time of writing this article, rain has thankfully returned to the weekly forecast, but for a while back in August, things felt dangerous in the countryside in a way I haven’t felt before. I hope that the orchards, and orbiting cidermakers that look after them, have made the best of it so far in 2026 and that their trees are all showing resilience and life-affirming determination to carry on and make the best of it.