Nanny Ogg's Scumble

[RathDarkblade]

(No, I mean the drink Nanny makes in the books, not the drink made IRL).

So it recently came to my attention that a drink called scrumpy (quite a strong alcoholic cider) was and is made traditionally in places like Somerset and Devon. (Simplicity drinks a couple of glasses of it in Dodger, apparently with no ill effects).

Scumble is obviously based on scrumpy, but takes it to its logical conclusion, to the point where it is known wherever men topple backwards into ditches as 'suicider'.

I'm rather surprised at this, because I've tried apple cider here in Australia, but although it was slightly stronger than apple juice, it wasn't as potent as scrumpy (or even Somerset/Devon cider). So my question is this: what made Somerset (or Devon) folk so upset that they had to develop a drink that strong? :-\

I mean, sure, I don't live in the UK and don't know all its peculiarities. But I just read about the March, and the fact that the word came from the name "Mercia" (or maybe the other way about....?) ... so ... was it living on the March, i.e. the England/Wales border, and having to deal with soldiers (Anglo-Saxon axemen, Norman horsemen, Offa and his his dyke to stop cattle rustlers from Powys and Gwynedd, etc.) marching all over their land and nicking all their stuff every so often that made people in Somerset and Devon think something like "You know what, naff it! Let's make a drink so ridiculously strong that we can just forget all about it, or else use it to poison these troublemakers!"? (... well ... other than the word "naff", of course).

Just wondering. Can anyone please enlighten this poor old Fourecksian?

 

[Tonyblack]

My parent were from the West of England - Somerset. Scrumpy was very much part of the culture there. I remember my dad saying that, first the Canadians and then the Americans, thought they were drinking some apple based drink they knew from home. They were not prepared for the real scrumpy.

These days, pubs in some parts of the West Country, have signs saying that scrumpy is only for sales to locals.

My dad was never keen on scrumpy, and said that he could tell a beer glass in a pub had previously held scrumpy, because the scrumpy had etched itself into the glass.

 

[Tonyblack]

I would just add that cider, the alcoholic drink is served widely in pubs in the UK. It tends to be made from apples grown in the West Country and as far north are Hereford, a county that is particularly famous for cider making.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Hmm ... I'd never tried English cider, but Dr. google tells me that it's very alcoholic -- artisanal or "farmhouse/traditional" ciders can reach 10-12%, or "oak-aged" ciders can be 6-9%. But the mass-produced stuff (like Strongbow) is 4-5%, like a beer.

So that's my question: why make a drink that's so strong? My hypothesis was because it's made on the border between England and Wales, with all the baggage that entails ... but I'm currently reading a history of the Normans that includes some detail about life in the medieval Welsh Marches, so maybe that's why.

Also, I've noted that "traditional" scrumpy uses sour apples (like Granny Smith - is that right?) to produce a very tart taste, but "commercial" versions often add lemon juice. Has that also been your experience, Tony?

 

[Tonyblack]

I'm not a cider or a scrumpy drinker. I've had commercially made cider and, while it can be refreshing, it always gave me a headache. I've never tried scrumpy.

 

[Penfold]

Traditional scrumpy can be deceptively very alcoholic and also can contain sediment when the jug has been rested. I never got on with it as it gave me really bad runs. It was very tasty and refreshing, though, if memory from my drinking days serves me correctly.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

When I went down to Wincanton for Hogwatch, I would occasionally pop into Uncle Tom's Cabin, the nearest pub to the the Shop a few doors up which Bernard would drink in, it was a scrumpy pub which also sold beer they would serve newcomers with only a half pint size as it was quite strong, started at 7.5 % ABV there was 3 or four pumps with different scrumpy ciders. it was nice but two pints were enough for me.

 

[RathDarkblade]

Fair enough. 7.5% ABV sounds strong to me (the strongest beer here is about 4-5%), but personally, I've never been able to see the point of beer; it just tastes like bitter water to me. *shrug* Wine was the same, it just tastes like vinegar. I guess I never developed the so-called "palate" for it.

Strangely, I can drink vodka and liqueurs just fine (and enjoy them), even though they're more alcoholic. But one shot of vodka (or one glass of liqueur) is enough. Most of the time I prefer water or sugar-free soda.

 

[Tonyblack]

I do recall drinking a mixture of White Lightning Cider (8.4%) and Carlsberg Special Brew Beer (9.0%). Oh the happy days of drinking like an idiot!