Perry is fermented pear juice; just as cider is fermented apple and mead is fermented honey. Perry is one of the most subtle and sublime drinks around. The problem with most commercially available perrys is that… one, easily available eating pears do not make for a good fermented beverage, two the product is so delicate that even the lowest amounts of sulfites can overwhelm the aroma and flavor and three perry (not pear flavored apple cider) is so unknown in the U.S. it is hard to find the right market for it. The good news is that Oliver’s is made with made with 100% English varietal perry (not eating) pears and the 8 months it spends in the oak barrels completely ages out any of the sulfite aroma and flavors you find in most perry (and craft ciders).
Oliver’s Herefordshire Dry Perry is a straw yellow color. The aroma is slightly perfumey with a nice tart pear quality. The dry flavor is lightly acidic up front then moves to an easy pear flavor that moves to a tannic texture and finishes with a dry elderberry cardamom spicy end with wood notes. This is not something you would pair with beef, pork, or even chicken but would have alone as an aperitif, with a mild white fish or shrimp with no cocktail sauce. Its 7.3% makes it a good drinker by its self on a hot day but do not overwhelm it.
# posted by Beer_Matt @ 10:07 PM
