Bristol University set to offer a module in cider making to students

As a Bristol student it is your responsibility to choke down a cider now and again. You might have even done the famous 10 before 10.

You can now do more than just drink the sweet nectar, because The University of Bristol is planning to offer a module in cider making to students studying biological sciences.

Biology students have been invited by master’s student, Alex Graham, to assist him in his boozy biology for the past two years and the subject could now be rolled out further.

The master’s student has even now scored a job at Thatchers working in their laboratories. I assume it is unfortunately more complex than taste testing.

Professor Keith Edwards, from the School of Biological Sciences, discusses the complexity of brewing cider and the challenges that cider companies face when trying to make a consistent product.

“They have to take what is a variable crop in terms of the amount of acid, the amount of sugar in the crop and turn it into a product that you don’t notice changes one year to the next.

That is incredibly complex.”

Third year biology student, Alex Reeve, is part of the group of students that have been helping Mr Graham.

Alex Reeve told the BBC that he believes the module will attract people “due to the love of the science”.

The University of Bristol has a long history around cider making, through the now closed Long Ashton Research Station, and which has been fundamental in terms of supporting local industry in terms of apple and cider research.

If you love cider make sure to look out for the opportunity to head out of the Queens Library and into a lab to study some apples.

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