MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

No Prizes for guessing what I drank last night!

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As a guest of Heineken, owners of the Strongbow Cider brand, we were treated to a taste of their new range of ciders at the Roof Garden Bar in Chapel Street last night.

My first taste of the new Original Dry – 4.5% Alcohol by volume, reminded me of the only Cider that I have really enjoyed – Scrumpy Jack.

Great was my surprise to find out that a subsidiary of Heineken are also the present brewers of Scrumpy Jack and Strongbow.

Scrumpy Jack dry cider has a 6% Alcohol by volume. Previously it was of a stronger ABV of 7.5% but this was changed some years ago due to taxes and licensing. It is currently produced in Hereford by H. P. Bulmer, a subsidiary of Heineken International. Scrumpy Jack is also produced under licence in Devon by Czk1.

It was first produced in 1727 by Symonds Cider and English Wine Company of Stoke Lacy. The family firm was taken over by Greenall Whitley in 1984 and sold to Bulmers in 1989. Exports of Scrumpy Jack began to Ireland in 1990, Spain in 1991 and Sweden in 1992. In 2000, UK sales exceeded 200 million litres. The brand was also publicised by Symonds official sponsorship of the England national rugby union team in the mid-1990s, the English cricket team, and the Cricket World Cup in 1999. The original Stoke Lacey plant closed in 2000.

H.P. Bulmer also produce Strongbow which is the world’s leading cider with a 15 per cent volume share of the global cider market, and a 29 per cent volume share of the UK cider market.

So, I hope they haven’t mixed the recipes!

In 2011, Strongbow Gold, produced in Belgium, was launched across Europe in response to cider’s growing popularity on the continent. In 2012, Strongbow was the highest selling cider in Australia, and was the second highest selling cider in North America.

The majority of Strongbow is produced at Bulmer’s Hereford plant.

PS: Uber was busy last night and very efficient.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.