Apples and pears - cider and brandy!

Well, for those of you who have done the trip over to see the glacier Folgefonna at Hardanger fjord, you may remember the numerous orchards of apple, pear and plum that we passed on the way. The area around Hardanger fjord has a microclimate, which makes it extremely good for growing fruit trees. Of course, they produce so many apples that not all go into the shops as fruit. Many will be transformed into applejuice which can be bought online from Hardanger Saft og Siderfabrikk (Hardanger Juice and Cider Concern) for NOK100 per 3 liters (a little more expensive than the ordinary variety, but I am sure it tastes very different!).

Lekve Apple farm

Cider has been produced on many farms since Viking times, but it is a strong brew they make here.
Norwegian cider has an alcohol content of 10 to 10.5, which is as much as red wine and much higher
than English cider which is around 5%, though I am sure there are some stronger local brews!)

As a result any Hardangar cider has to be sold through the state controlled Wine Monopoly shops, which kind of limits the market.  Farms can get an alcohol license and serve their cider with food, but
they cannot sell you a bottle.  Quite frustrating for tourists who have no idea about the alcohol laws
here in Norway.

You can find Wine Monopoly shops in most large towns and they open at 10 am Monday to Saturday, and close at 3pm every Saturday and 5pm Monday to Friday. No late night opening here,
and no opening on Sunday or the day before a public holiday or election. Nope, you are not supposed to over indulge in alcohol here! We could discuss the Norwegian attitude to alcohol, but that is not what this post is about!

No actually, it is about some Norwegian apple growers taking things a step further, than apple juice and cider! They have invested a huge amount of money over the past 6 years to produce a brand new
apple brandy, Hardanger Brennevin.

Craftily, they have spoken to some of the top cider and Calvados producers from Normandy, France so it should be good!  The brandy actually takes 3 years to produce. First you take 450 liters of Cider
and dsitill it down to 45 liters 70 proof apple spirit. The spirit is then matured for 3 years in oak barrels which have previously been used to ferment wine, developing aroma, colour and of course 
flavour. At the end of this lengthy process the spirit is blended to reduce the alcohol content to a 40 
proof apple brandy.

Cider and apple brandy from Hardanger are the first alcholic drinks to receive protected regional
status (as in the French Certificat d'origine). Quite a coup really. According to Nils Lekve at Lekve
Farm, where the brandy is produced, this is just the first of many innovative apple based products he
would like to produce.

I am not sure how far away from Hardanger the brandy will actually get - probably not to a wine shop outside of this country for quite some time. You never know though. Until then I guess you will have
to visit us and try it here! Also, for cider lovers everywhere, here is a date for your diary. The 2012
Cider Festival will take place from 5-7 October at Øystese, just north of Norheimsundt at the top of
Hardanger fjord.

Of course, apple brandy is one thing, but if the Hardangar cider producers made a cider with a lower alcohol content, i.e. under 5%, they would be able to sell it at the local supermarket or even on the farm itself without any problem. As it is, at the moment the only way you can taste the cider is if you go to a farm which serves food and has an alcohol licence.

Below some pictures from a trip last August to Agertunet, in Hardanger cider country. The 'tun' (old Norse name for farm) dates back to the 1200's. It was a typical Norwegian microclimate day wet, warm and foggy!