Yep Bangbang, the hard cider in Britain is really good (although they just call it cider).
Most pubs in England and Scotland will have cider on tap (it has the alcohol content of a strong beer), if not, they certainly have some in bottles.
The stuff on tap is generally sold in pints, or halves, and costs about the same as the bitter.
Have found the domestic stuff in bottles, in grocery or liquor stores, in a few places in the country, and most, but not all of it is good.
Can make it easily yourself if you can find the freshly crushed cider at a farm stand or grocery store, you know the stuff you buy in the plastic jugs. But it cannot contain preservatives.
You can do it without any fancy brewing equipment, like fermentation locks. Just take out some of the cider (a small glassfull), dissolve in some sugar, and pour the solution back in.
Put the jug in a fridge with the top screwed down loosely (to let the carbon dioxide gas, produced from the natural yeast, escape), and let sit for two months or so.
The stuff by Christmas will be clear and have a bit of carbonation.
But you have to read the ingredients to make sure there are no preservatives (anything on the label that sounds like a chemical, probably is.)
The only other way is to crush your own apples, which I am becoming tempted to do.
The stuff is that good.
Barbara
