To make cider the apples are milled, i.e. reduced to small pieces, and then pressed to release the juice. Using the natural yeast, which covers the apple skin (or introduced yeast) and the sugars contained within the juice, fermentation takes place. Once fermentation is completed the sweet sugars have been converted into alcohol leaving a dry product. Cider can then be sweetened by using unfermented apple juice or artificial sweeteners.

Cider apples are usually more closely related to the wild crab apple than to eating or cooking apples. They are smaller, harder and lack the unblemished attraction of eaters or cookers. If you tried to eat a cider apple you would discover its main difference from eaters or cookers is its tannin level. Tannin is responsible for the astringency of the fruit, making the fruit taste bitter and drying the mouth & making it difficult to swallow.

With traditional orchards, the fruit has ripened by September. Long ash poles (which can be 40 foot long for perry trees) are used to knock the apples & pears from the trees. As it falls it is stacked up in mounds or tumps, covered with straw waiting to be bagged up & sent for milling & pressing. This is a labour intensive process which many growers would welcome help with. A new type of bush tree has been planted; this is a faster growing dwarf variety of tree. Bush trees are laid out in tight rows with wide avenues between them. Harvesting is automated with tractor borne vibrators clamping around the tree trunk & shaking the fruit off. Blowers are used in lining up the fruit between trees and then a machine like an apple combine harvester is used to lift the fruit & discard stones, twigs & leaves.

In the early 1970s, CAMRA coined the term ‘real ale’ to describe traditional draught cask beers. ‘real ale’ distinguishes itself from the processed and highly carbonated beers that were promoted by big brewers at that time.

Real ale is a ‘living’ product, which is typically produced and stored in a cask container. In comparison to other types of beer that kill off the yeast and artificially inject the beer with CO2 before serving. Real ale contains live yeast which continues to condition and ferments the beer until it is served.

Like any artisan product, real ale requires special handling and storing to ensure the quality of taste. Well-kept real ale served at the right temperature should be lively, naturally carbonated and flavourful – representing the pinnacle of brewing art.

Yes, real ale in a bottle (RAIB) where beer meeting our definition of real ale is bottled is widely available. Also, real ale in a can (RAIC) has recently made an appearance. CAMRA has an accreditation scheme for these beers available to all brewers producing them which is based upon laboratory testing. Accreditation will enable the “CAMRA Says this is Real Ale” logo to be used. Real ale is now also increasingly to be found in other, non-traditional containers. Real ale can be put into kegs and smaller one-use containers now known generically as keykegs. CAMRA is introducing a labeling scheme to indicate which beers served from keykegs is real ale.

We were met by Wilf and Jake in their very well appointed bar and shop and treated to a range of beers which covered a full spectrum of tastes and colours.

After leaving the brewery we went on a crawl of some of the pubs of Shrewsbury of which there are a great range serving both local and national ales; the Salopian bar and the Loggerheads being highlights – all in all, another splendid day out for Worcester branch.