TONIGHT | Free Cider at The Grasshopper

Free Cider at The Grasshopper.

The old adage states that ‘There is no such thing as a free lunch’.

This referred to the 19th century custom of bars in America offering a free lunch to drinkers.

The ‘free’ lunches were loaded with salt to make dinners drink more beer. Well, there are no free lunches on offer but to celebrate Cider Month this October CAMRA are holding a free cider tasting session at The Grasshopper Micropub in Hillside tonight Thursday 18th October 2018.

Ciders come in all shapes and sizes with over 100 different varieties of cider apples rejoicing in names such as Brown Snout, Kingston Black, Foxwhelp and Harry Master’s Jersey. Not all apples are sweet and they can be categorised as Sweet, Bitter, Sharp, Bittersharp or intriguingly Bittersweet.

Each cider will have a unique combination of apples to give it a distinct flavour.

Replace apples with pears and the same can be said for perries.

There are dozens of different varieties of perry pears from sweet through to astringent bittersharp pears that leave bags of flavour in the perry and a not inconsiderable alcohol content.

Cider producers are experimenting with adding fruit juices to ciders and are creating some very exciting new flavours – rhubarb, strawberry, lemon and ginger, pineapple and grapefruit, mango and even chilli. Real ciders now compare very favourably with the pasteurised, filtered, carbonated, industrial products that are often offered in pubs. These are exciting times for cider lovers.

At the tasting session we will have CAMRA cider experts on hand to guide you through the different styles and tastes and find the cider for you. By the end of the session you may well know your Stoke Reds from your Crimson Kings.

Come along and enjoy the cider experience. The event starts at 7pm and the Grasshopper Micropub is a short walk from Hillside train station and is on the 47 bus route. No booking is necessary.