Something different for me this month and a box of cider!

I’ve gone for the Intro to Little Pomona box, and as a bonus for all of February, if you lock in any Little Pomona box you’ll get a voucher for a free tour, tasting and cheese matching at their cidery, which you can use between April and September. 

These four 750ml bottles are all really different and fascinating for a flavour nerd like me. I had a quick sip in my opening video, but I needed much more time to really taste my way through them, and I was rewarded by some of the most complex and wonderful drinks I’ve tasted in a long time. 

Hard Rain Hot Pink 2022 is only 3.4% but you’d never guess that from the taste. It’s an impressive, impactful ciderkin (that’s a weak cider) blended with blackcurrant cordial made local to the cidery, and matured with Simcoe hops. There’s all the tangy apples, tart blackcurrant, the pungent hops, a nice refreshing fizz and a light acidity. This is nothing like a cider and black you may have drunk growing up!

The Table Perry (7% ABV) is the first drink I’ve ever been told to use a sieve when pouring it out, and that’s because of the ‘perry diamonds.’ This is just natural tannins which clump after bottling, and while they’re fine to drink, you can just use a little sieve or tea strainer to remove them. And that’s a good idea because it leaves you with a much crisper perry. This has a lovely pear flavour, juicy fruit but also light tannins and dryness, with some tropical fruitiness, all of which reminded me of a beautiful pet nat sparking wine. This is one of the best drinks I’ve had recently. 

Balls Bittersweet 2021 (7.9%ABV ) is named after an unusual Herefordshire apple, and this cider is aged in third-use oak barrels. It’s really dry, tannic, has some light smokiness, even a creaminess, and a really nice fizz. Every sip gave me something different to think about and enjoy, and let me taste an apple I’d never even heard of before. Lovely!

Still Life with Quince 2020 (7.1%) is an apple and quince wine and it’s really aromatic with the apple and the quince, plus a really tropical quality and something creamy, like funky papaya or even some blue cheesiness (in a good way!). It’s a still cider and another one that’s remarkably complex. It’s reminiscent of old lambic.

This is a brilliant box for anyone interested in cider and perry, and for drinkers who love sour beers, sparkling wines and natural wines. I think you’ll be really impressed with this box.

I know Glasgow’s Overtone Brewing Co. for the excellent hoppy beers that they’ve been brewing since 2018, so it was a nice surprise to see a selection box of styles in this one – a Lager, Hopfenweisse, Oatmeal Stout, fruited Gose, and some Pales and IPAs. Here are six that stood out for me.

Place of Light. A 5% hazy Pale Ale with Mosaic, Ekuanot Cryo, Simcoe and El Dorado hops. The foam on this was sticky with hops – I love it! It’s the sort of beer that you know is very good from the first sip, but don’t realise just how good it is until you finish it and immediately want more. It’s got a beautiful soft mouthfeel (like most of the beers in this box). The hops give tropical fruit, peaches and apricot, and there’s fruity yeast esters as well. Superb!

Hopfensee. This is a Hopfenweisse, a German-style Weissbier that’s hopped like an IPA. The Simcoe, Eureka and Citra hops dominate the aroma, with juicy stone fruits, then the Weissbier comes later with its distinctive spicy and fruity yeast. The wheat beer base and the Weissbier yeast transform the hops and gives us some new aromas we wouldn’t find in an IPA with the same hop additions. 

Northern Hemisphere. With Ekuanot, Mosaic and Simcoe, this DDH IPA is exactly the sort of beer I hoped and expected to get in this box. Thick, hazy and juicy, there’s orange, peach and tropical fruit, fruit candy yeast esters (they’ve got a pretty estery yeast at Overtone – I like it!), and a grip of bitterness at the end. 

Gold ‘n’ Gose. A Gose with golden berry, prickly pear and passion fruit. Some people might want this more fruity, or more sweet, or more sour, but it was just right for me: it has an elegance which gives it a great balance without ever being too intense in any direction. The tangy tropical fruit comes through more as you drink it. 

Pizzicato. A Premium Lager brewed with Saaz Lupomax – I’ve never had Saaz in this intensified hop form before, and the aroma is wonderful. I love Saaz hops, and this is the most pure version of the hop aroma I’ve experienced. Wow! I feel like the balance is out overall: too sweet (or not bitter enough), a bit to hazy for crispness, and lacking carbonation. It’s close to being great, but not quite. 

Porridge on the Road. This Oatmeal Stout is one of the best dark beers I’ve drunk all year. The foam is a delicious dark brown colour, and the aroma is a treat of heavily roasted malts, fruity dark chocolate, chocolate truffles, and espresso, which carries through into the flavour. There’s big roastiness first, then the body is so soft and silky smooth. It’s a magic trick of intense flavour first, then softness at the end. Exceptional!

Overtone have really impressed me with this box, as they usually tend to do! If you’d like to give them a try, head over to their profile and get them lined up!