We’ve been intending to write a post about keeved cider for a while, and finally, here it is. Our keeved ciders are some of our most popular ciders and have won a number of awards. When we do cider tastings, it is the keeved ciders that most people prefer, especially if they are used to drinking sweeter ciders. As with all things though, we all have our personal preferences and I (Jo) much prefer a dry cider, though I can certainly appreciate a quality keeved cider.
What is keeved cider?
So, first of all, what is keeved cider? It is cider that has been made using the natural process of ‘keeving’. Keeving is a traditional method of producing a naturally sweeter and slightly lower alcohol cider, with absolutely no added sugar or sweetener.
How to keeve cider
Cold weather is the first requirement for keeving as the process is most likely to succeed when the natural yeasts work very, very slowly. Once the apples have been picked and pulped, we leave them to stand in a container for at least 24 hours. We then press the pulp as normal, but the juice that is produced should, after standing in a tank for a week or so, separate into three sections. We say ‘should’, as there are often a variety of surprises and disappointments in artisan cidermaking!
The three sections are firstly the sediment that has fallen to the bottom of the tank, then above that is a large section of lovely clear juice, and finally on top of the juice is a foamy brown layer formed by pectin and various nutrients that have been removed from the juice as it has risen to the top. We transfer the lovely clear juice to a fresh tank to continue a slow fermentation, leaving the brown ‘hat’ and the sediment behind.
It is the removal of the nutrients from the juice that will stop fermentation before all of the natural sugars have been turned to alcohol, thereby eventually producing a naturally sweet, slightly lower alcohol cider.
Award-winning keeved ciders
The keeved ciders we have available at the time of writing are:
- Yarlington Mill Keeved 2022 (International Cider Challenge gold medal winner)
- Yarlington Mill & Michelin Keeved 2021 (IWSC bronze medal winner)
- Ellis Bitter & Kingston Black Keeved 2023
Select these keeved ciders when picking your choices for a Fine Cider Mixed Case from our webshop.