Hallets Real Cider

Hallets Real Cider is the first Welsh cider I’ve reviewed. Hallets is a tiny company making this a bit of a rare breed. Being a small company they embrace seasonality. The flavours change  with the seasons and that is just the beginning of what makes Hallets Real Cider exciting.

Hallets cider is based down in old south Wales. The climate there is very similar to many other orchards to the south of the Bristol Channel where many of the UK’s cider and eating apples are grown. The difference with the orchards that Hallets source their apples from, is the altitude. Apples tend not to be fond of high altitudes but if an apple tree has a hard life, the juice it produces tends to have a little more character.

What sets Hallets Real Cider apart is the Keeving technique. This technique is often difficult to master. The results of the Keeving process gives you a crystal clear cider. Keeving doesn’t allow the cider to ferment to a dry state. Normally Keeved cider are low in alcohol but Hallets Real Cider is 6%.

Hallets then let the cider mature in the bottle for at least 3 months. While waiting in the bottle secondly fermentation occurs. Adding bubbles and mellowing the flavour.

The yeast is all natural. This means that no yeast is added to the batches. Instead the yeast come from the skins of the apple and floating in the air around time of pressing.

The Nose

Fresh leafy greens like Rocket come to mind. This makes it a really fresh summery smell. I don’t think I’ve ever encounter a cider with this smell, I’m putting it down to the wild yeast which would be unique to Hallets cider house.

The Taste

Thanks to the Keeving technique a natural sweetness comes though with a slight pepperiness from that Rocket like flavour. Fresh cherry and Apple flavours. That sweetness coupled with pepperiness this would make it well suited to a barbecue with a steak and salad.

Final Thoughts on Hallets Real Cider

I’m drinking Hallets Real Cider at the wrong time of year. It’s a few degrees above freezing here in the UK. Some ciders lend themselves for the colder weather but I would love to take a bottle of this back to Sydney with me and fire up the barbie and match this with a peppered steak or even a pork sausage.

I’m not sure what vintage I’m drinking today but I would happily come back to this next season.

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