Cheers! It's cider festival time... (From Free Press Series)

Cheers! It's cider festival time...

NEVER one to turn down a drink we sent our man Noel Davies along to the Clytha Arms near Abergavenny where thousands of drinkers will flock this weekend for the third Welsh Cider Festival. Bottoms up!

THE next time you're munching on an apple consider this. About six percent of potentially unadulterated alcohol is lurking amid those pips ready to be nurtured into a potent cider brew.

Of course you've got to crush and squeeze those juicy green nuggets and then let the juices ferment for a few weeks before you've got something on your hands with more kick than David Beckham's foot. But by the end of that ancient cider brewing process they'll be standing before you in a pint Uncle Scrumpy would be proud of.

According to Andrew Canning, owner and landlord of the Clytha Arms, cider-making is just as steeped in local history as that Norman aristocrat, William de Braose who got nasty with some guests at Abergavenny Castle in 1175.

The perry-pear cider-maker will be showcasing some of his fruity concoctions at this year's Welsh Cider Festival at the Clytha Arms.

It's the third year drinkers will have flocked to the picturesque, country pub since the inaugural festival in 2001. And this year thousands of drinkers are expected to come along and taste over 30 traditional Welsh ciders and perries as well as tucking into a special cider-based menu.

"It's just grown and grown every year," says Andrew. "Cider-making used to be huge in this area. There were cider presses in Raglan and Usk up until about 20 years ago.

"The trend is starting to grow again. There's a lot of cider makers out there and some very good ones too. The Welsh Cider Festival is a great opportunity for locals to come and taste some of the real McCoy."

Wales' finest cider-makers will be joining Andrew at this year's event where judges will have the unenviable task of deciding which of the brewers has honed the best drink.

Andrew's fruity perry cider - made from pears and not apples - is sure to rank among the big contenders.

"I just got fed up with them falling off the tree in our garden and doing nothing with them. It's great fun making the cider, but it doesn't last for long. I reckon I must have around 100 bottles and ten gallons of perry cider ready for the weekend and it'll be gone by Monday," laughed Andrew.

The cider-making process from start to finish can take up to around four months. As well as using his own fruits, Andrew also brews apples from an ancient orchard, near Llanarth where the trees have stood for 400 years.

Around the autumn time the pears and apples are crushed, pressed and poured into barrels where they ferment and produce a natural alcohol. A week later and the barrels are tightened with air locks and left until the spring when the cider is ready to drink.

"It's a long wait when you think about it. Four months work and it's all gone in one weekend," laughs Andrew.

What a weekend though!

The Welsh Cider Festival runs over the Whitsun Bank Holiday from Saturday lunch time to Monday. On site tent pitches are available for those wanting to soak up the atmosphere long into the evening, while a free bus service is also planned to and from the Clytha Arms. For more information contact Welsh Cider Society secretary Dave Matthews on 029 2075 8193.