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Branch Cider (https://www.branchcider.com) is a Bristol based cider company.  It was founded by Ed Gibson who is also the co-founder of the The Apple cider bar/boat we were at last night.  After founding The Apple in 2006, he later spent time in Austin Texas where he started the award winning Austin Eastciders cidery (https://austineastciders.com/).  Upon his return to Bristol, he came across “Far Orchard”, one of the closest orchards to the city that was planted in 1951 by cider maker Redvers Coate of Coates Cider to showcase Somerset cider apple varieties.  In the intervening years it was maintained by retired surgeon, Christopher Ackroyd, before it was finally sold to the current owners.  In an effort slow the tide of lost orchards in the West Country, Ed and a group of like minded individuals started a crowdfunding campaign to buy a years harvest and then borrowed equipment and fermentor space to create their first batch of cider (https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-bristols-cider-orchard).

With the resulting popularity of the cider, in 2024 they were able to build an onsite cidery and tasting area where they showcase the ciders created from this orchard as well as as ciders using apples from their 100 ORCHARDS project where they aim to save 100 of the most important traditional orchards in the UK and create 100 new ones.

During our visit it was stated this orchard consists of 1112 mostly standard trees on 19 acres.

 Their target fermentation involves 6lbs of pressed apples for every finished pint of apple cider. Much more labor intensive than the industrial cider producers who are bringing in apple concentrate from Turkey, China and elsewhere.

Like many West Country ciders, their general style is to ferment dry then backsweeten with cane sugar and then pasteurize.  They use a cultured white wine yeast (that they did not want to share!)..  Much of their fermentations are in IBC tanks where they spend a minimum of 6 months.  They will often blend their current years cider with cider from previous years to balance flavours and acidity.  

The first 2 ciders tasted were both “Browns Apple”. A single variety cider at 5.5%.  

The first “Browns Apple” is an non-backsweetened version taken directly from the fermentor.  Served with simple syrup on the side to allow for customized sweetening to taste.   

It was pale amber. Toasty, fresh apple aroma. Tart, green apple flavours and slightly sour. Using a refractometer it was 5 brix. Dry.

We then followed up with a 4 year old version of this same cider. We were told it was back sweetened to 1.012 and then force carbonated.

Similar Pale amber.  Faint apple nose.  Delicious complex apple and tropical fruit flavours.  7 brix.  Off dry.  Absolutely fantastic.  It was my favorite of the ciders we tasted here.

We then moved to the same 4 year comparison between their Harry Masters Jersey single varietal.  6.2%.

Harry Masters Jersey – Dry from fermentor

Deep gold.  Strong green apple aroma.  Strong green apple flavour, some grapefruit notes.  Moderate high tannins.  Dry and very sharp.  5 brix.

Harry masters Jersey – finished 4 years old, carbonated.  Sweetened around 1.012

Forgot to take a photo.

Slight Brett.  Apple aromas.  Moderate high apple aromas.  Still quite sharp. Off dry 7 brix.

We then tasted a 4 year old Yarlington blend

2022 Yarlington (25% dabinette, tiny amount Crimson King) – from fermenter

Cloudy orange gold.  Spicy, fruity nose.  Citrus, faint apple aromas with a sweet-tart astringent finish. 7 brix

Farmboy (all trees – Yarlington, Dabinette, Crimson king, Hang down, Ashton brown jersey, Sweet Alfred, Sweet coppin). 

Deep orange.  Cinnamon, fruity nose. Slight tea flavour.  Slightly thin.  Semi-Sweet.  Mild-mod tannins. 7 brix.

Branch orchard dry – 5%.  Light carbonation.

Deep gold.  Caramel, apple aroma.  Semi-sweet. 6.5 brix.  Very pleasant mild apple flavour.  Mild tannins.

Very nice, more character than the store cans versions.

Bristol blend.  5%. Light carbonation

Blend of 15 of the 18 apples grown in the orchard.

Slight cloudy gold. Faint apple nose. Faint apple flavour. .Fairly sweet. Mild tannins. 7.5 brix.

Wester – 5% carbonated

85% Ashton brown jersey. 15% dabinette.

Slight cloudy deep yellow. Faint green apple nose. 7 brix. Fairly sweet (say med). Mild Brett. Very nice flavour.

Ashton brown jersey is a hyper local apple. Originally found here and really only grown in any quantities in the local region.

My favourite cider of this visit was the 4 year old Brown apple single varietal. It was lovely to walk this mature orchard and see what a supportive community can do not only keep an orchard alive but actually result in the building of a cidery!

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