Illustrating the joy of breaking new ground in the world of fermentation, Herefordshire’s Little Pomona cidery has launched what it says is its most pioneering collection yet.

Little Pomona Autumn Collection

This season’s new releases continue the quest for capturing and sharing the complexity and freshness of apples and pears in both 75cl and 20-litre KeyKeg format.

Established by husband and wife team James and Susanna Forbes in 2015, Little Pomona expanded to its current site on Brook House Farm in 2019. All fermentations occur using natural yeasts, with no dilution, backsweetening, or pasturisation. 

The new range opens with the return of two favourites — Table Perry and Hard Rain Hot Pink 2021. The latest Hot Pink ciderkin marries prized cider variety Kingston Black with Chinook hops from Brook House Farm and local blackcurrant cordial.

Next come two further additions to the Hard Rain range, Simcoe Pear 2021 and Perry-Quette 2021. With Simcoe Pear, whole cone Simcoe hops join a classic blend of perry pears, while the Perry-Quette marries grapes with perry pear varieties.

The cidery’s 140-strong barrel maturation programme plays a role in the next three ciders. Tiny Dancer 2020 drew from these, blended by flying cidermaker and Little Pomona harvest alumn Martin Goodwyn Sharman, one quarter of the Neutral Cider Hotel podcast team.

Taking inspiration from the sherry world, James Forbes has created the world’s first Foxwhelp solera, with Sum of the Parts, Act 1 and Act 2, the first two ciders to emerge. 

Co-fermentation returns with Still Life With Quince 2020, an intensely aromatic, highly food-friendly blend of barrel-aged cider and quince wine. Last but not least, a wine/perry hybrid, To Boldly Go 2020, where Bacchus grapes meet Green Horse and Hendre Huffcap, with carbonic maceration and spontaneous co-fermentation, resulting in a fragrant, complex pét nat.

Little Pomona restarted its keg programme this summer. Prior to the pandemic, James pioneered keg conditioning, allowing ‘live’ cider to be dispensed via KeyKegs, avoiding the need for pasteurisation and backsweetening. This autumn, the keg range has expanded, with Bright Lights and Table Perry joining the original duo, Table Cider and Root & Branch.

With the help of a number of key distributors, more than 150 bottle shops, pubs, and restaurants around the UK stock Little Pomona, many of them listed on the cidery’s stockist page.

The cidery will be holding its 2022 Harvest Open Day on Sunday, 20th November, from noon to 4pm. Along with a chance to taste the Autumn collection, there will be new Cider Club releases, free cidery tours, and mulled cider and food available throughout.