Dan Kelly's Cider - Beer of the Month

For November, our expert columnist, food blogger - and joint author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders - KRISTIN JENSEN has moved away from beer, to offer up a very promising, and seasonal, craft cider

ABOUT THE CIDER MAKER

Boyne Grove Fruit Farm is a family business to the core. Their farm manager, Henry Mallon, has seen four generations work on the farm, and the fifth is on its way. Olan, Fiona and John Paul McNeece, a brothers-and-sister team, are the latest in a long line of apple growers.

Their great-grandfather planted a Bramley orchard as part of his small farm in Co. Armagh in the late 1890s and their grandfather went on to buy his own farm in 1933, also in Armagh.

Their father, Gerry, bought their current orchard in Drogheda, Co. Louth, in 1962 (from the local Cairnes brewing family, coincidentally enough). They currently produce one cider, Dan Kelly’s Cider, named after their great-grandfather on their father’s mother’s side who drove the Dublin–Belfast train that runs through the farm.

It’s made from a blend of their own hand-picked Bramleys and dessert apples and wild yeasts. They also plan to develop single varietals and vintage ciders and are hoping to be open for visits and tours of the cider-making facility in the future. Ones to watch.

ABOUT THE CIDER

Cider style: Medium sweet
ABV: 4.5%
Colour: Golden
Serve in: Pint glass or wine glass
Matches well with: Apple desserts, chicken, curry, pork, roasted vegetables, sausages, seafood

At first glance, you could mistake a glass of Dan Kelly’s Cider for a lager. It has that same golden hue and is darker than many other Irish craft ciders, which tend to be quite pale, like white wine.

The aroma is of apple peels and brown sugar. That same sweetness carries through to the flavour, which is like a toffee apple version of cider, full of golden syrup and caramel notes with a nice tannic bite to balance it and stop it from being too cloying. It’s an easy-drinking cider that is just as nice to sip on its own as it is to match with a meal.

You’d be surprised at how many foods cider can pair with. Pairing a fruity cider like this one with fruity dishes is the easiest, most intuitive match. This applies to both sweet and savoury dishes – an apple crumble or pork with roasted apples will both get a lift when served with an equally fruity cider.

The delicate flavour of cider also plays well with chicken, Asian food, spicy curry (sweet cider only, not dry) and roasted root vegetables, but cider loves pork best of all. Pork belly, sausages, chops, ham and bacon will sing when served with a good cider to drink alongside, as the sweetness of the cider is a classic contrast to the salty pork.

Cider is also a beautiful match with cheese. Cider and a strong Cheddar is the most well-known match, but it also works well with Camembert, Brie and creamy cheeses. Sweet cider can also contrast nicely with salty blue cheeses, such as Bellingham Blue, or try a dry cider with sheep’s milk or goat’s milk cheeses. The earthy mustiness of washed rind cheeses complement those same qualities in sweet cider.

Kristin Jensen is a freelance editor specialising in cookery and food books and has worked with many of Ireland's top food writers and chefs.  She writes the Edible Ireland blog and is a co-founder of the Irish Food Bloggers Association and, together with Caroline Hennessy, is joint author of Slainte! The complete Guide To Irish Craft Beers and Ciders .