Perry
Encyclopedia
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
s. Perry has been common for centuries in Britain, particularly in the Three Counties
Three Counties
The Three Counties of England are traditionally the three agrarian counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.Including towns and cities such as Worcester, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Hereford, Leominster, Stourbridge and Kidderminster, they extend from the southern boundaries of...
of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
and Worcestershire, and in parts of south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
; and France, especially Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
and Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
.
In more recent years, commercial perry has also been referred to as "pear cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
", though some organisations (such as CAMRA) do not accept this as a name for the traditional drink.
Perry pears and techniques
As with apples specifically grown to make ciderCider apple
Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in cider production. In the UK the Long Ashton Research Station categorised Cider apples in 1903 into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components. For Cider production it is important that the fruit contains...
, special pear cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s are used: in the UK the most commonly used variety of perry pear is the Blakeney Red. They produce fruit that is not of eating quality, but that produces superior perry.
Perry pears
Perry pears are thought to be descended from wild hybrids, known as wildings, between the cultivated pear Pyrus communis subsp. communis, brought to northern Europe by the Romans, and the now-rare wild pear Pyrus communis subsp. pyraster. Perry pears are higher in tanninTannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
and acid than eating or cooking pears, and are generally smaller.
The majority of perry pear varieties in the UK originate from the counties of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, Herefordshire and Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
in the west of England. Of these, most originate in parishes around May Hill
May Hill
May Hill is a hill between Gloucester and Ross-on-Wye, whose summit is on the western edge of Gloucestershire, though its northern slopes are in Herefordshire....
on the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire border. The standard reference work on these varieties of pear was published in 1963 by the Long Ashton Research Station
Long Ashton Research Station
Long Ashton Research Station was an agricultural and horticultural government research centre in the village of Long Ashton near Bristol, UK...
, since when many varieties have become critically endangered or lost. There were over 100 varieties, known by over 200 local names, in Gloucestershire alone. Perry pears were particularly known for their picturesque names, such as the various Huffcap varieties (Hendre Huffcap, Red Huffcap, Black Huffcap, all having an elliptical shape), those named for the effects of their product (Merrylegs, Mumblehead), pears commemorating an individual (Stinking Bishop
Stinking Bishop pear
Stinking Bishop is a variety of pear bred near Dymock, England primarily for perry. The official name of the pear is actually Moorcroft and Stinking Bishop is one of its many other names, including Malvern Pear, Choke Pear, and Choker....
, named for the man who first grew it, or Judge Amphlett, named for Assizes
Assizes (England and Wales)
The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Quarter Sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court...
court judge Richard Amphlett), or those named for the place they grew (Hartpury
Hartpury
Hartpury is a rural parish of with some 270 homes and a population of about 700. It is situated about north of the city of Gloucester, England. Geographically it lies within the Leadon Vale; administratively it is part of the Forest of Dean....
Green, Bosbury
Bosbury
Bosbury is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. It is about north of Ledbury. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 780....
Scarlet, Bartestree
Bartestree
Bartestree is a village in Herefordshire, England, east of Hereford on the A438 road. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English Beorhtwald's tree....
Squash).
Perry pear trees can live to a great age, and can be fully productive for 250 years. They also grow to a considerable height and can have very large canopies; the largest recorded, a tree at Holme Lacy
Holme Lacy
-Etymology:Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse holmr "island" like other places of the name Holme, but from the fairly similar Old English hamm "land in a river-bend". The name was recorded as Hamme in the Domesday Book in 1086...
which still partly survives, covered three quarters of an acre and yielded a crop of 5–7 tons in 1790. Their size often led to them being planted to provide a windbreak for apple orchards.
Making perry
Traditional perry making is broadly similar to traditional cider making, in that the fruit is picked, crushed, and pressed to extract the juice, which is then fermented using the wild yeastYeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
s found on the fruit's skin. The principal differences between perry and cider are that pears must be left for a critical period to mature after picking, and the pomace must be left to stand after initial crushing to lose tannin
Tannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
s, a process analogous to wine maceration
Maceration (wine)
Maceration is the winemaking process where the phenolic materials of the grape— tannins, coloring agents and flavor compounds— are leached from the grape skins, seeds and stems into the must. Maceration is the process by which the red wine receives its red color, since 99% of all grape juice is...
. After initial fermentation, the drink undergoes a secondary malolactic fermentation
Malolactic fermentation
Malolactic fermentation is a process in winemaking where tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation tends to create a rounder, fuller mouthfeel. It has been said that malic acid tastes of green apples...
while maturing.
Perry pears often have higher levels of sugar than cider apples, including unfermentable sugars such as sorbitol
Sorbitol
Sorbitol, also known as glucitol, Sorbogem® and Sorbo®, is a sugar alcohol that the human body metabolizes slowly. It can be obtained by reduction of glucose, changing the aldehyde group to a hydroxyl group. Sorbitol is found in apples, pears, peaches, and prunes...
, which can give the finished drink a residual sweetness. They also have a very different tannin content to cider apples, with a predominance of astringent over bitter flavours. The presence of sorbitol can give perry a mild laxative
Laxative
Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and/or bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under...
effect, seen in the names of some perry pear varieties such as the "Lightning Pear"; reputed to go straight through 'like lightning'.
Perry from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire made from traditional recipes now forms a European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
Protected Geographical Indication.
History of perry
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, but perry making seems to have become well established in what is today France following the collapse of the Roman empire; references to perry making in its later heartland of England do not appear before the Norman Conquest. In the mediaeval period, France retained its association with pear growing, and the majority of pears consumed in England were in fact imported from France.
By the sixteenth and seventeenth century, however, perry making had become well established in the west of England, where the climate and soil was especially suitable for pear cultivation. In the three counties of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in particular, as well as in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
across the Welsh border, it was found that perry pears grew well in conditions where cider apple
Cider apple
Cider apples are a group of apple cultivars grown for their use in cider production. In the UK the Long Ashton Research Station categorised Cider apples in 1903 into four main types according to the nature of their flavour components. For Cider production it is important that the fruit contains...
trees would not. Smaller amounts were also produced in other cider-producing areas such as Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. Perry may have grown in popularity after the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, when the large numbers of soldiers billeted in the Three Counties became acquainted with it, and reached a zenith of popularity during the eighteenth century, when intermittent conflicts with France made the importing of wine difficult. Many farms and estates had their own orchards, and many varieties of pear developed that were unique to particular parishes or villages.
Whereas perry in England remained an overwhelmingly dry, still drink served from the cask, Normandy perry (poiré) developed a bottle-fermented, sparkling style with a good deal of sweetness.
Modern commercial perries
The production of traditional perry began to decline during the 20th century, in part due to changing farming practises – perry pears could be difficult and labour-intensive to crop, and orchards took many years to mature. The industry was, however, to a certain degree revived by modern commercial perry making techniques, developed by Francis Showering of the firm Showerings of Shepton MalletShepton Mallet
Shepton Mallet is a small rural town and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset in South West England. Situated approximately south of Bristol and east of Wells, the town is estimated to have a population of 9,700. It contains the administrative headquarters of Mendip District Council...
, Somerset, in the creation of their sparkling branded perry Babycham
Babycham
Babycham is the trade name of a light, sparkling perry invented by Francis Edwin Showering , a brewer in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England; the name is now owned by Constellation Europe Limited. Launched in the United Kingdom in 1953, the drink was marketed with pioneering television...
. Babycham, the first mass-produced branded perry, was developed by Showering from application of the Long Ashton Institute's research, and was formerly produced from authentic perry pears, though is today produced from concentrate, the firm's pear orchards having now been dug up. Aimed at the female drinker at a time when wine was not commonly available in UK pubs, Babycham was sold in miniature Champagne-style bottles; the drink was for many years a strong seller and made a fortune for the Showering family. Another competing brand of light perry, Lambrini
Lambrini
Lambrini is a brand of light perry, created by Wallasey born John Halewood and is manufactured in Liverpool by Halewood International Limited. It has been marketed under the slogan, "Lambrini girls just wanna have fun," and currently dominates the commercial light perry market.-Products:Lambrini is...
, is manufactured in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
by Halewood International, and marketed under the slogan "Lambrini Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". It now dominates the light perry market and has a somewhat downmarket image in Britain. The Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
drinks company, Cantrell & Cochrane, Plc (C&C), more famous for its Magners and Bulmers
Bulmers (Republic of Ireland)
Magners is a brand of cider produced in County Tipperary, in Ireland, by the C&C Group. The Magners product range includes the cider varieties: Magners Original, Magners Light, Magners Pear and Magners Berry. The cider was originally produced as "Bulmers" and continues to be sold under that name...
ciders, launched a similar light perry, Ritz, in 1986.
Like commercial pale lager
Pale lager
Pale lager is a very pale to golden-coloured beer with a well attenuated body and a varying degree of noble hop bitterness. The brewing process for this beer developed in the mid 19th century when Gabriel Sedlmayr took pale ale brewing techniques back to the Spaten Brewery in Germany and applied it...
and commercial cider
Cider
Cider or cyder is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. Cider varies in alcohol content from 2% abv to 8.5% abv or more in traditional English ciders. In some regions, such as Germany and America, cider may be termed "apple wine"...
, commercial perry is highly standardised, and today often contains large quantities of cereal adjuncts such as corn syrup
Corn syrup
Corn syrup is a food syrup, which is made from the starch of maize and contains varying amounts of maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor...
or invert sugar. It is also generally of lower strength, and sweeter, than traditional perry, and is artificially carbonated to give a sparkling finish. However, unlike traditional perry it is a consistent product: the nature of perry pears means that it is very difficult to produce traditional perry in commercial quantities. Traditional perry was overwhelmingly a drink made on farms for home consumption, or to sell in small quantities either at the farm gate or to local inns.
Decline and revival of traditional perry
Both English perry making, and the orchards that supplied it, suffered a catastrophic decline in the second half of the 20th century as a result of changing tastes and agricultural practises (in South Gloucestershire alone, an estimated 90% of orchards were lost in the last 75 years). Many pear orchards were also lost to Fire blight in the 1970s and 1980s. As well as the clearing of orchards, the decline of day labouring on farms meant that the manpower to harvest perry pears – as well as its traditional consumers – disappeared. It also lost popularity due to makers turning to dessert or general purpose pears in its manufacture rather than perry pears, resulting in a thin and tasteless product. In the UK prior to 2007, the small amounts of traditional perry still produced were mainly consumed by people living in farming communities.However, perry (under the name "pear cider", below) has in very recent times exploded in popularity, with around 2.5 million British consumers purchasing it in one year. In addition, various organisations have been actively seeking out old perry pear trees and orchards and rediscovering lost varieties, many of which now exist only as single trees on isolated farms; for example, the Welsh Cider Society recently rediscovered the old Monmouthshire varieties "Burgundy" and the "Potato Pear" as well as a number of further types unrecorded up to that point.
One may also find perry distilled, in a similar style to applejack
Applejack (beverage)
Applejack is a strong alcoholic beverage produced from apples, popular in the American colonial period.Applejack was historically made by concentrating hard cider, either by the traditional method of freeze distillation or by true evaporative distillation. The term applejack derives from jacking, a...
.
Pear cider
"Pear cider" has in recent years been used as an alternative name to perry. According to the BBC, the term was first used when BrothersBrothers Cider
Brothers Cider is a brand of pear cider originating in Somerset in South West England, available at music festivals, pubs, bars and stores across the United Kingdom. It is now available internationally in countries such as Turkey, Singapore and Australia....
was sold at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
in 1995: nobody understood what perry was and were told that it was "like cider, but made from pears".
The use of the term "pear cider", instead of perry, has given a new commercial lease of life to a drink that was practically extinct; in two years sales of the drink increased from 3.4 million pounds to 46 million pounds. The brewers Brothers, Gaymers
Gaymer Cider Company
The Gaymer Cider Company produces and markets Cider. It is owned by C&C Group plc since 2010, who also owns Magners Cider, Bulmers Cider in Ireland and Tennents in Scotland.-History:The Gaymer family had a cider making business in Banham, Norfolk, from 1680...
and Bulmers/Magners
Bulmers
Bulmers Cider is one of a number of brands owned by H. P. Bulmer of Hereford. It is one of the leading premium bottled cider brands in the UK with a number of variants including Bulmers Original & Pear.-History:...
now all have their own brands of pear cider, and Tesco
Tesco
Tesco plc is a global grocery and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest retailer in the world measured by revenues and the second-largest measured by profits...
is also increasing the number of pear ciders that it sells. The brewers see the term "pear cider" as being more understandable to the younger 18–34 demographic, and as differentiating their products from previous brands associated with the word perry, such as Babycham and Lambrini which are either associated with the female market or have fallen out of fashion.
CAMRA defines perry and pear cider as quite different drinks, stating that "pear cider" as made by the large industrial cidermakers is merely a pear-flavoured drink, or more specifically a cider-style drink flavoured with pear concentrate, whereas "perry" should be made by traditional methods from perry pears only. (It should be noted that Brothers, Bulmers and other pear ciders are made from pear concentrate, often imported.) Others, including the National Association of Cider Makers
National Association of Cider Makers
The National Association of Cider Makers is an industry trade group that represents the UK cider industry.-History:It was formed in 1920. The UK cider industry produces around 130 million UK gallons a year. 45% of all apples grown in the UK are used for cider making. Excise duty was introduced in...
, on the other hand, insist that the terms perry and pear cider are interchangeable. Its own rules specify that perry or pear cider may contain no more than 25% apple juice.
Perry in Sweden
As 'Pear cider', the drink is popular in SwedenSweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
with brands such as Briska, Kopparberg, Herrljunga Cider
Herrljunga Cider
Herrljunga Cider is Sweden's best selling cider .Herrljunga Brewery produces the leading low alcohol cider in Sweden and the company was founded in 1911. The company is under the fourth generation of family ownership and currently produces cider not just under its own brands but for other companies...
, Rekorderlig Cider, and Gravendals being present.
Perry in Australia
The beverage is also becoming increasingly popular in Australia. Small local manufacturers are beginning to appear such as Gypsy Cider, brewed by 2 Brothers Brewery in Melbourne, Henry's of Harcourt (VIC) and LOBO Cider in the Adelaide Hills. Few traditional European Perry pears are available, it is believed that Moorcroft, Gin, Green Horse & Yellow Huffcap varieties are in Australia.Unfortunately eating pears are generally used with differing results in Australia. Australian Food Standards permit up to 25% of apple juice in Perry or Pear cider. The importation of pear ciders from abroad include brands such as Weston's
Weston's Cider
H. Weston & Sons Limited is a cider producer based in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, England. The company has been making cider in the same place since 1878 and sells more than 150 ciders and perrys, including both organic and low alcohol varieties.'Stowford Press' is Westons Cider's most popular...
, St Helier, Magners, Rekorderlig and Kopparberg now available. The only true Perry imported comes from Weston's
Weston's Cider
H. Weston & Sons Limited is a cider producer based in Much Marcle, Herefordshire, England. The company has been making cider in the same place since 1878 and sells more than 150 ciders and perrys, including both organic and low alcohol varieties.'Stowford Press' is Westons Cider's most popular...
where it also has the European Union Geographical indication protection. Weston's also import an Organic Pear Cider into Australia.
Perry In New Zealand
New Zealand is seeing a surge in the popularity of Pear Cider with Old Mout Cidery and Monteiths Brewery each producing a pear cider. Old Mout have taken this one step further by producing a Scrumpy Pear Cider.External links
- Apple Cider and Perry Producers in UK
- Real Perry on the ukcider Wiki
- Out of the Pear Orchard and Into the Glass from National Public Radio
- Overview of making perry at home
- The Three Counties Cider and Perry Association
- The Holme Lacy Perry Pear, that in 1790 was recorded as producing 5–7 tons of fruit