Westons – Caple Rd Cider

Caple Rd Cider is a new product to the Australian Cider market from the English Cider makers Weston’s. It breaks a few traditions for Weston’s, this is their first canned cider and first from any of the UK big players.

Weston’s’ Caple Rd Cider took out the best new world cider at the Australian Cider Awards. New world is an interesting category for this cider. When I think new world cider, I think of the big acids from Pink Ladies, Granny Smiths and Galas made in “the colonies” Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. I think light, bright and fizzy ciders suited to a hot climate and food pairings. When I think old world ciders, I think about the ciders made in the same way for hundreds of years in France, Spain and the UK. Famed for their heavier, dank flavours from bittersweet and bitter sharp apples.

Caple Rd has aspects of both. Old world apples in a new world presentation in the can and with more fizz. Maybe it’s a middle world cider but that just sounds like it be a New Zealand cider drunk on by the hobbits.

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I have got to say the label on the can has a lot of detail about how the cider was made and what goes into it. I have never seen another cider that lists the pitching rate for yeast. I’ve seem a similar faux official label the Dr Pilkington’s Cider. But full credit to Westons for helping to both educate drinkers as to what is going in to a product. But what does 70 Acidity units mean?

Back in July I had the opportunity to visit the Weston’s Cider Mill on my tour of the UK, where I saw the massive Oak and stainless-steel vats. On the an unusually hot July day these stainless-steel tanks were getting frothy with a bit of extra fermentation. My guide on the day, Matt, told me that many of their ciders need to be cut with water in order to bring the booze level down.

The Nose

Lots of caramels and wet autumn leaves and a little oak, seems like there could be a far old whack of Kingston Blacks. The side of the can says serve it well chilled, unfortunately at that temp there is basically no scent.

The Taste

There is a similar theme to the scent changing with its temperature. When super chilled, the bitterness of the Bittersweet apples shines through. As it warms the sweetness of those same apples comes into play leaving a long sticky sweet finish in the Caple Rd Cider. The sweetness reminds of a Royal Gala apple. There is a bit of a thinness to cider maybe the result of some added water to bring the alcohol down.

Final Thoughts on Weston’s Caple Rd

This is a tough one for me because it is so temperature dependent. When it’s nice and cold it’s a simple and refreshing cider that’s very easy to drink. But you have to drink it quickly, once it starts to warm it’s much more complex. Complexity is not quality. A warmer Caple Rd isn’t a good place.

At the recent Australian Cider Awards the Weston’s Caple Rd took out the best new world cider. It must have had a good chill on it.

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