This label from a Rochdale cider bottle explains the history of its production. During the Second World War Rochdale cider began to roll off the lines of a small brewery in Stoke, which was then largely apple orchards, rather than the suburbia it has become. By the 1970s it was the only cider brewery in the country. The McCashin family bought the brewery in 1980 and went on to launch a range of craft beers under the Mac’s brand. They sold the Mac’s brand to the brewery giant Lion in 1999. In 2009 the family returned to brewing cider under the Rochdale brand in the original Stoke brewery, and in 2010 they were gearing up for beer production.