Sun-Loving Apples

With the apple harvest in full swing at Thatchers, we find out how the gloriously hot summer sunshine has been perfect for their cider apples……

The sun has certainly helped ripen the apples, boosting their natural sugar levels, whilst the recent rain has given the trees some much needed nourishment.  Just as importantly, the warmth of the sun has helped develop the tannins in the bittersweet varieties, which gives depth and body to our ciders.

That’s good news for Hazy Hog lovers, as our traditional English cloudy cider is made with 100% bittersweet apples! 

With a warm spring, the frothy apple blossom stayed on the trees longer, giving the bees, plenty of time to do the essential work of pollination for a good crop.  The first apple varieties started ripening in August, with all the flavour concentrated into slightly smaller fruit, but the later varieties being harvested now have had the benefit of the recent rain, giving the trees some much needed nourishment. 

Crafted with friends and fellow family business, Thatchers, at their home on Myrtle Farm in Somerset, our Hazy Hog is a gently sparkling, full-flavoured cider with a fine haze.  Made using traditional methods and fermented in oak vats to intensify the flavour, Hazy Hog is made to be enjoyed on beautiful hazy, lazy English summer days….and even the overcast days will become refreshingly cloudy!

Pouring fresh at the Brewery Shop and Tap now.   Or available in bottles from the Brewery Shop, alongside our range of Thatchers ciders.  If you are in the vicinity of Sandford in the West Country, we thoroughly recommend you book a tour of Thatchers!

To follow the story of the apple harvest or all the news from the Brewery, sign up to our newsletter below or follow us @HogsBackBrewery on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.