History: Located in Suffolk, England, Aspall has been run by the Chevallier family for eight generations. Over these almost 300 years, the family has focused on making cider the traditional way. Taking attributes from a variety of apples, Perronelle’s Blush is made from 100% fresh pressed English apples with a splash of blackberry liquer. Importer Smiling Mad Dog says that fruitiness is proving popular with the Thai palate. If you’ve grown tired of the craft beers flooding Bangkok, you may want to try out the growing range of interesting ciders coming to town.

Appearance: Clear in color, it has a light amber tone with very little in the way of bubbles. As you’d expect from a cider, there’s no head to speak of.

Smell: Not as strong as some mainstream ciders, the dominant aroma is of overripe apples but there is definitely an undertone of berries.
Mouthfeel: Mildly effervescent at first, it quickly fades to leave a fruity but clean taste on the palate.

Taste: An overwhelming hit of apple is really all we get initially. However, the lingering flavor is of slightly sour berries, clearly a result of the acidic blackberry liquer.

Overall: The refreshing fruity flavors of good cider certainly make a lot of sense in hot Bangkok, but it is something of an acquired taste. It has the potential to be a little sickening if you drink a lot but it should be a big hit for fans of fruit beers. Nick Measures

Lowdown: B400, 50cl, 4%

Get it at: Beerosophy, Beerology, HOBs, Niche Cafe’ Bangkok, Nikko Cafe and Moon Glass.