Nice bit of cider for a villager having no beer (5)
I believe the answer is:
civil
'nice bit' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'cider for a villager having no beer' is the wordplay.
'cider for' becomes 'ci' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'having no' suggests deleting specific letters.
'beer' becomes 'lager' (type of beer).
'villager' with 'lager' taken out is 'vil'.
'ci'+'vil'='CIVIL'
'of' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for civil that I've seen before include "Nonviolent refusal to obey laws" , "Courteous, polite" , "Relating to citizens" , "Urbane" , "Not rude" .)