Real cider is a long-established traditional drink which is produced naturally from apples and is neither carbonated or pasteurised. Perry is the equivalent drink made from perry pears.
Recognising that this traditional drink was facing a similar threat of extinction to that which real ale faced in the 1970s, CAMRA set up a cider and perry committee within CAMRA to inform consumers about the choice of real cider and perry available and to encourage the producers to continue production.
Most well known ciders in the UK are cold, fizzy keg products which have been produced artificially rather than naturally. However, thanks to CAMRA, the hard work of real cider & perry producers and, ironically, the raising of cider's profile with drinkers brought about by the marketing budgets of those artificial products, the availability of the real thing is increasing both in the Trafford & Hulme area and nationally.
In 2020 they simplified the definition of real cider to say:-
CAMRA defines real Cider or Perry as being fermented from the whole juice of fresh pressed apples or pears, without the use of concentrated or chaptalised juices.
The word ‘chaptalised’ as used in the definition refers to a process where the alcohol level in a cider or perry is increased by the addition of sugar to an unnatural level for storage, before it is diluted with water to the desired alcohol content for sale.
Real cider and perry are now available at all of Trafford & Hulme's beer festivals (and at most CAMRA festivals nationwide) and in many pubs across the area.
You can find out more about real Cider and Perry on the CAMRA web site here