ROB'S APPLE MAX

Hot summer means his cider is too strong for pubs

- By MADDY BAILLIE

A CIDER maker says the long, hot summer has led to bumper apple crop - but it’s producing booze so strong he is unable to sell it to pubs.

The glorious weather has led to higher sugar levels in fruit, which then leads to a higher alcohol content.

As a result, cider makers have been left unable to sell their super-strength booze to the pub industry, despite bumper apple harvests this year.

Rob Clough, owner of Charnwood Cider, in Ulverscroft, said his apples and pears were proving sweeter than ever when harvested.

But he admits this isn’t necessarily a good thing as it has led to a higher alcohol content than normal.

Rob, 45, who has been brewing cider for 20 years, said this year’s crops were unlike any other in recent times, with record levels of sugar in the apples.

He said: “It has really been a vintage bumper crop this year thanks to the hot summer months.

“But some pubs don’t really want to have 8.5 per cent cider. You can only sell it if it’s up to 8.4 per cent anyway because we're a small-scale cider producer.