Another EU ban

Once again our political masters in the EU have decided that they know better than us and their latest piece of bansturbation is to outlaw the use of Sulphur Dioxide in sterilising brewing and cidermaking equipment, something that has been used since Roman times. Now this would mean a ban on the use of Sodium Metabisulphite - a very useful steriliser that is used at CAMRA beer festivals and in homebrewing and commercial cidermaking to disinfect taps, clean shive and bung holes etc. Sodium Met produces Sulphur Dioxide on contact with water - easily getting rid of any bugs etc. SO2 will also drop out of solution easily so that any beer, cider or apple juice that then goes into that container will loose its sulphurous nose over a period of time. It also does not taint taps as other sterilisers can do.

So why do they want to ban something that has been used for over 2000 years? Well an alternative steriliser being suggested is Hydrogen Peroxide, which is already used commercially in the food industry and also by terrorists to make bombs. Yes, that is correct, the bonkers bureaucrats in Brussels want us to use a bomb-making component at beer festivals! Should be fun buying it in the chemists!




Of course this EUSSR dictate has nothing to do with the largest producers of Hydrogen Peroxide in Europe are based in France and Germany!

It's not a total ban, SO2 use as an additive in cider or wine making, etc, is NOT threatened by this ruling. So we can add it as an ingredient or biocide but not as a sterilising agaent? Bonkers!!!!

Time for a referendum on membership of Europe?

British Drinks aim for European Protection

Four styles of British alcohol are hoping to gain European recognition with protected name status.

Applications for protected  geographic status have been made on behalf of Welsh cider, Welsh perry and Yorkshire beer.

Herefordshire Perry is already protected.

There is also a non-regional application for cask-conditioned ale to be recognised by the system, which already accords protection to Stilton cheese and Melton Mowbray pies.

All four products are in the “initial assessment” phase. This is followed by wider UK consultation, during which time objections will be considered before the European Commission makes a decision on whether to award protected name status.

The only problem I can see with this is that as a cidermaker myself I know that some of the Welsh varieties of cider and pear fruit are, shall we say, not that good for making cider with. That's why most of the orchards still standing have been planted with better varieties of fruit that make a better product. There is also the problem of identifying the fruit - often a local name given to a cider apple is known by another name across the border in Herefordshire. So will PGO Welsh Cider or Perry have to be made with Welsh apple or pear varieties or any varieties grown in Wales? Or will the cider just have to be fermented in Wales just to be called Welsh Cider?

Or alternatively the EU can just stop interfering in our wonderful Welsh ciders and perries so that we can enjoy without being policed by the Fourth Reich?