A modern, hoppy twist on traditional cidermaking, Sandford Orchards has launched Pip Hop. A vibrant, fruity relaunch of a dry-hopped cider they first crafted a decade ago, Pip Hop (ABV 5.5%) perfectly bridges the gap between craft cider and beer. Pip Hop is available from sandfordorchards.co.uk, in a case of 12 x 330ml cans, priced at £39.
On the nose, Pip Hop offers an inviting aroma of fresh hops. On the palate, this translates into the juicy, authentic cider apple flavours that Sandford Orchards is famous for, culminating in a satisfyingly crisp, hoppy finish.
Crafted from a bittersweet base cider, it is carefully steeped with modern British Jester hops and Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand to create a unique blend. The result is a twist on a traditional cider that is lively, fruity and floral, designed to appeal to both dedicated cider lovers and craft beer enthusiasts.
Michael Troy, sales director at Sandford Orchards, comments: “Bringing back this dry-hopped blend has been a passion project for us, but it coincides with the recent growth for beers cut with fruit. Pip Hop just approaches it from the other angle – it’s an apple cider cut with hops. By combining our traditional bittersweet cider apples with the bold and juicy notes of Jester and Nelson hops, we’ve created something that feels fresh and unique. We have also released a small run of kegs that went down really well with drinkers at the London Craft Beer Festival and is proving popular with bars in Devon and Bristol who are putting it on their rotational lines”.
Founded in 2002, Sandford Orchards takes a natural and low impact approach to producing cider. Combining tradition and innovation, they produce an award-winning range of session, traditional, fine and fruit ciders, including Red Zero which has been named ‘Best Non-Alcoholic Cider in the World 2026.’
