Drink to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. Cider is a fermented alcoholic drink made from fruit juice, most commonly and traditionally apple juice, but also the juice of peaches, pears ("Perry" cider) or other fruit. Cider may be made from any variety of apple, but certain cultivars grown solely
Blackthorn Cider The first Blackthorn-branded ciders were produced from the 1960s onwards, and became the company's main product line. In 1996 drinks company Matthew Clark plc, the UK division of Constellation Brands Inc., acquired Taunton Cider and all of its associated brands for £256 million. A non-traditional pasteurised sparkling cider, it resultantly does not fit the definition of "real cider" as defined by the Campaign for Real Ale. Where traditional cider is made with whole pressed apples fermented by the wild yeasts present on the skins, Blackthorn contains apple concentrate, sugar and sweeteners and is fermented with a controlled yeast strain. Presently