Bonnington Cider is racked

Double filtered for your drinking pleasure!

Well, nine months after it went into the barrel as innocent old apple juice, Bonnington & Partners Cider batch #1 was racked today. Racking is the process where the fermenting tanks are drained, the sediment at the bottom is rinsed out, and the cider put back into the vats for its final run to the bottle.


The cider has come out exactly at the correct specific gravity. So, next weekend, into the bottle it goes!

Our cider Plant Manager couldn not, however, wait, and (much to the chagrin of his wife) is seen here drinking pint #1, straight from the bottom of the barrel to you.

The real stuff is actually a good deal clearer than this muck! Still don't taste too bad though.

O Arr O Arr O Eh

Bonnington CIDER is go

Andrew, Bonnington's contract Orchardist, loads the raw juice into the Brewery's dray.

In a new adjunct to beer brewing operations, Bonnington Brewery and associated entities today commissioned the fermentation of it's first batch of apple cider.

The Huon Valley orchards from where the juice is sourced. Click for full size.

With a secret mix of varieties sourced from the Huon Valley, south of Hobart, an initial quantity of 250 litres is now fermenting in locations scattered around the capital. Ready for drinking around Christmas 2009, we're anticipating a medium dry scrumpy of around 7% abv. Watch this space for progress.

There's an album of photos right here.

Bonnington. It's Beer. And Cider