Excuse the crap photo – tasted in low light and have a phone that desperately needs replacing. Will change pic when I get a better one.

Without being overly dramatic, I think it’s fair to say that Everson’s is to South African cider what Devil’s Peak is to South African beer. The country’s largest craft cider producers are certainly at the forefront of the movement, constantly releasing new products and pushing the boundaries of what we in South Africa think of as cider.

First came apple, then pear and then we saw single varietal ciders, ciders aged in brandy barrels, dry-hopped versions for festivals and a big, powerful beast called Gnarr – South Africa’s first scrumpy. Well, they’re at it again and yesterday I got a hand-delivered sample of Everson’s brand new Pomegranate cider, due to be released in the next couple of weeks.

If you’ve visited an Everson’s stand at a festival over the past few months, you might well have tasted a version of it. The Everson’s team have been blending and tweaking and tasting the recipe and this is the final result. It’s a seriously pretty tipple – deep, deep pink, or perhaps light cherry red (the pic doesn’t do it justice at all). In fact the cherry theme continued throughout – I picked up a definite aroma of stewed cherries along with a whiff of strawberry candy and a touch of rosewater in the background.

The cider has an apple base and is then blended with pomegranate juice post-fermentation. You definitely get plenty of acidity and tartness from the apples. The finish though, is a pretty sweet one, leaving a flavour of cherry-flavoured boiled sweets and a pleasant alcohol kick (it’s 5.5%). It’s a fairly full-bodied beverage, though my version wasn’t carbonated so with a bit of fizz I imagine the body will thin out a little.  For me personally, it’s a touch too sweet, though I do love the tart zing you get when you sip. It’s very drinkable and I can certainly see this being a huge hit. Indeed, the cider is the result of pleas from Everson’s fans to include some sort of berry cider in their line-up. As you’d expect from Everson’s, it’s an expertly-made brew that will make a great pre-braai drink on sunny winter days (or indeed, sunny summer days when we get there again).

Keep an eye on Everson’s social media to find out where the Pomegranate Cider will be available on tap in the coming weeks.

Want to read more about cider? Check out reviews of Windermere Rooibos Wooded, Cluver & Jack and Sxollie Golden Delicious.