Gwatkin Yarlington Mill Cider

Brewed by Gwatkin Cider
Style: Cider
Hereford, England

Bottle conditioned. Hazy orange colour. Aroma is cider and apples (quel suprise), taste is very nice; sweet, caramel, quite dry - I’m shocked I like this so much - great mouthfeel. Excellent.

Barrel, Notts Beer Fest 2005. As damn fine as the Gwatkin perry I’d just tried; almost toffee-apple with its sticky sweetness, deep bodied, almost chewy but still the right side of tasty. Who needs beer when you’ve got ciders as good as this ;-)

Dark golden body with a big bubbled head; Deep sweet beautiful nose with a fresh and sour touch; Soft textured medium sweet slightly dry body; Long very drying finish, still being sweet, full and pleasant, lots of wood and a dry apple brett like dry aroma.

Appearance
Clear(1)->Murky(5) : 3   Pale(1)->Dark(5) : 4   Still(1)->Sparkling(5) : 1
Aroma
Intensity : 4  
Yeast : 3   Bread : XX   Hay: 3   Brett : 2   Floral: 3   Wood: 4   Leather: 4   Barnyard : 3   Medicine : 2   Phenols: 2   Cheese : XX   Vinous: 3  
Notes: Caramel : XX   Honey : XX   Applesauce: XX   Appleskin : 2 Pear : 1   Tropical Fruits1  
Flavor
Initial Flavor : Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 3   Finish Dry(1)->Sweet(5) : 2 Juicy: 3   Sourness : 3   Bitterness: XX   Farmy : 3   Complex: XX   Length : XX
Palate
Light(1)->Full(5) : 4   Flat(1)->Fizzy(5) : 1 Chewy: 3   Sharp: 3   Chalk : XX   Astringence : 2   Tea tannins : 3   Alcohol : XX
Comments: I can’t believe the difference between the bottle and the polypin. The latter, for which this rating stands, is as fresh as it gets, full-bodied, fleshy, juicy, soft-edged, perfumey and the list goes on. A delicate beast that is an archetypal English farmhouse cider. The best-selling cider at Middle Farm in bottle form.

Bottle @ CBF 2007. Pours a clear golden yellow. Aroma has lots of apples and a barn-like dustyness to it. Flavour is perfectly balanced between sour and sweet. A little smokyness as well as loads og woodyness as well.

Thanet Cider and Perry Fest 08. Voted cider of the festival by the judges. Nail varnish remover and stale cereal aroma. Nice sour juicy apple in mouth. Alchohol gives it some sweetness. It does get better. Good dry finish. Really quite good character. Good varnish complex aroma. Lovely flavours actually. Some sweetness. Pretty good.

A Mes rate: Boxed stillage @ Planet Thanet. The cider section here was excellent it must be said. This was another cracker. Dark golden colour. Plenty of vintage character. Slight sweetness in a maple syrup type way. Great palate. Very enjoyable cider.

Bottle conditioned (from Southwick Brewhouse, BBE Jun 06). Nice and fruity with characterful but in control wild flavours. Fairly sweet (caramely) but with a smooth balancing acidity. The addition of the yeast smooths and rounds everything off. To my mind a very successful single variety cider despite YM not normally being thought so well of in this respect, must be terroir!