Cider maker Pulpt has launched a Signature Series, a range of periodic releases showcasing the breadth of flavour and fun that craft cider can provide, throwing down a challenge to macro cider makers.
To kick things off, Pulpt co-founders Al Collar and Jim Wakefield have selected Deuces Wild. Weighing in at 7.9% ABV,
this is an intense, bold, dry, and complex cider made from a single varietal, Chisel Jersey, and a wild fermented blend, both from the 2021 season.
The Chisel is a renowned Somerset bittersweet apple, revered within cider making circles for the intensity of its tannins. It’s not for the faint-hearted and it’s not for the everyday cider drinker, says the maker.
This is precisely what Al and Jim have in mind for the Signature Series. These are not ciders for the mainstream, these are ciders to start a conversation… or finish one.
“We operate in a space with a lot of macro cider makers, thanks to our Tesco listings,” said Al. “We understand it could be easy for people to view Pulpt as just another faceless corporate entity, so we devised the Signature Series to put me and Jim front and centre — quite literally on the can!”
Jim added: “We’re tired of cider being viewed as cheap or rough or only for the summer. We’re frustrated by the lack of vision or aspiration amongst many. And we think the lack of transparency and honesty amongst some within our industry does cider no favours.
“That’s why we never use cheap, tasteless apple juice concentrate, we never use misleading language, and we include the ingredients listing on our packaging.”
Designer Tom Moore was enlisted to create branding with a nod towards music and iconic album covers. He said: “The designs were inspired by Pulpt’s punk-rock ethos, very much DIY and self-made.
“After initial design ideas, the guys were drawn to some bits I had done with their faces and I progressed them until we
had arrived at the can art you see now. In the process, we discovered the Signature Series as a concept, and have some other designs already locked-in for later releases.”
More Signature Series releases will follow.
