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Cider Digest #0821
Subject: Cider Digest #821, 8 August 1999
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #821 8 August 1999
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
French Cider ("Chuck Wettergreen")
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Subject: French Cider
From: "Chuck Wettergreen" <chuckmw@mcs.net>
Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 13:30:17 -0500
Recently Wout Klingens <wkling@knoware.nl> and
I took a too-short trip to Brittany on a search for mead
(primarily) and cidre. We were wildly successful. :?>)
We saw cidre in every bar and restaurant we went into,
usually on tap. Every supermarket and hypermarche had
it too. It was wonderful stuff too. The *first day*,
we were out looking, while driving down some back
country farm road while trying to find a mead maker
(Giles Barbe) I spotted a sign by the road saying
"cidre for sale". Wout was driving and I told him to
turn in. Well a half a mile down a dirt road we came
to a Breton farmhouse. Stone house, slate roof,
probably 2-300 years old. Barn the same. We
knocked at the door and a housewife came to the
door and asked us in. She had a little sales display
set up in her foyer.
Her husband and a friend were sitting in the kitchen
smoking and drinking cidre (11:00am!). We asked
about cidre; she opened up one of the three-packs
she was selling , got a coffee cup (the half-spherical
kind with a handle on the side) from the kitchen
(which is what they drink cidre from there) and poured
me a cup. Cloudy, yeasty, slightly sparkling, full-bodied
and flavorful. Wonderful stuff! It was 40 francs for 3
bottles; about $2 a bottle. I said I would take the bottle
she opened and the two others. She said no, that's for
tasting. So she replaced the bottle in the three-pack she
had taken it out of, I paid her, and we were on our way.
We drank a bottle of that cidre a night for the next three
nights. I don't even remember the name, probably just
"Cidre".
We saw every kind of cidre, cloudy, clear, sparkling, still,
Breton, and Norman. We even saw some in 1L PET
bottles (Wout took one of those home to his wife). I liked
the "farm cidre" the best.
Everything was unbelievably inexpensive. We stayed in
B&B's for 200f a night ($33). Really nice old stone house,
slate roof, flower boxes everywhere and a great breakfast
of crepes, strong coffee, OJ, bread, jam, salty Breton butter
and homemade yogurt all included in the price.
I'd love to do it again for longer, but I don't think my wife will let
me. :?>) But you all should!
Cheers,
Chuck
chuckmw@mcs.net
Geneva, IL
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End of Cider Digest #821
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