Magners Cider
We take a leaf out of William Magners book when it comes to making cider.
We start simple enough, with traditional ingredients. Apples, to be specific. No surprise there. But we get them fresh, 17 different varieties of them, from eating apples to dessert apples to tough little cider apples – all sourced from Irish orchards and local farms. Plus we wait for them to fall from the tree, so they’re nice and ripe. We give them a good scrub, and they’re ready to press.
After pressing, we ferment the juice twice over in wooden vats using the yeast that occurs naturally in fruit. Adding a little sugar to stop it spoiling, we then let it mature in pitch-black darkness, without a trace of light, for 18 months. Finally we cold-filter it for clarity and a crisp refreshing taste. The last stage is easiest: pour it over ice and enjoy.
But what about our other ciders, you ask? Well, the only thing that changes is the fruit we use. For Magners Pear, we use only premium pears, ripened and ready for slow fermentation. If we’re making Magners Golden Draught, we simply use more of the smaller, harder Dabinett and Michelin apples – which create a crisper taste that can be enjoyed super-chilled from the tap, without ice.
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