Cider with a Southland twist
When it comes to preserving Southland history, the Invercargill Brewery has found a delicious way to do it – transforming it into cider.
Last year, Steve Nally and his team gathered heritage apples from throughout the province for the brewery’s annual Cider Making Day and will enjoy the “fruits of their labour” when Heritage Cider brew is launched at this year’s event on April 25.
“It seems very appropriate to unveil it on the anniversary – it’s a nice tradition to create,” Mr Nally said.
He’s now on the hunt for more heritage apples – often found below forgotten trees which were under threat from development such as dairy conversion.
“It is a part of our history and it seems a shame to bulldoze those trees and forget about them,” Mr Nally said.
“By making the cider, we use them and create awareness – the best way to save something is to use it.
“Bring the apples in to the brewery or just let us know where they are and we can pick them up.”
The response last year was “amazing” with apples coming from an array of sources, including a real estate agent who collected windfall apples from an empty house he was marketing and a woman who bought in the cores and peels after doing her annual stewing and preserving.
The result, while not yet finished, had already impressed Mr Nally, an award-winning brewer.
“It’s completely different – there’s nothing else like it in New Zealand at the moment. It’s got lots of flavour and it’s going to be a big cider between 8.5 and 9 percent alcohol.”
Those who donated apples last year will be presented with a bottle of the cider to commemorate their involvement.
A good drink is usually steeped in tradition and Cider Making Day has definitely become one in its own right – every year Mr Nally enlists the help of his strongest mates to hand-press apples and ensure the ritual behind rack and cloth cider remains true.
Cider Making Day is not without mayhem as grown men attempt to crush apples the old-fashioned way, but it’s an eagerly anticipated event.
Creating a cider that’s 100 percent Southland adds to the occasion and the physically-demanding task will take place from 7am to 4pm on Saturday, April 25 at the Wood Street brewery in Invercargill.