Bewit is the Dinnington Docks own Cider, produced less than a mile from the pub by the Dinnington Cider Press, from Apples that come from their own orchard or just over the road from a neighbouring orchard. So, we should start by explaining the name – why Bewit?
Dinnington means the settlement of the Dynne’s people, and back in 1086 the manor was held by Siward the falconer, much later in the 1500’s it became part of the Poulett manor… bear with me… So, our pub crest features feathers, they are in recognition of Siward. A Bewit (as well as being a great pint of cider) is a slip of leather by which bells are attached to a raptors leg, used for training in falconry. So Bewit is in recognition of the history of the Dynne’s people and the origin of the manor held by Siward the falconer. This cider is truly rooted in Dinnington.
Dinnington Cider Press is a true family business run by the Jaffé family, Ben Jaffé initially trained as a crop geneticist at the John Innes Centre going on to plant a standard orchard in Dinnington in 2011 with over 25 traditional West Country cider varieties. After attending a course at the Cider and Perry Academy in 2018 he then started producing craft ciders using a combination of traditional and modern methods. The ciders are made in small batches using apples harvested from his orchard and other local standard orchards on which there have been no chemical applications. Varieties of cider apple used include Kingstone Black, Fillabarrel, Tremletts Bitter, Dabinett, Foxwhelp and Crimson King. Both wild and commercial yeasts are utilised in the various fermentation techniques followed by a period of maturation.
Currently available direct from our cellar, we will be bottling a proportion of the next harvest and making those available for off sale, maybe along with a Dinnington Docks branded glass.
As you might know we keep all our beers as local as possible and we continue to invest in improving our wonderful and iconic Somerset institution. We have also fully refurbished our cellar, attaining 100% Cask Marque scores for both Bar and Cellar… Good beer and cider well served is truly my passion. Bewit represents another step on that journey. The feedback from our locals and new guests alike has been amazing with credit to Ben, his family and above all his craft as a cider maker.
Without giving the game away… another milestone will be a draft product produced just yards from the pub, but for that I need to hone my craft. More to follow on that front in the future.
