CiderCzar

I’m going to come out of my “retirement “ to say that this is the worst Vitue Cider I’ve ever tasted. It’s sweet and only 5.5% with nothing else to show for it except for the cool can. I didn’t even want to spend money on the North Side version because it contains hops. #shame Bring back Prince Hal!!!

Yeah... so this happened some weeks ago. I got a four pack of these cute Strongbow tasters. Gold Apple and Rosé were perfectly drinkable. But the artisanal blend was too sweet and the Cherry Blossom was just too sweet and had almost a pharmaceutically artificial strong cherry taste.

“Cot in the act” from 2 town ciderhouse. Cider with apriCOT. Very nice!

Here’s “serious scrump”, 11% imperial cider from the makers of Ginga-Ninja (which I haven’t seen for some time now). Very pleasant aroma with just a slight hint of yeast/fermentation. It’s on a sweeter side but sweetness doesn’t stay on your tongue. Somewhat flatter than most American ciders. While drinking it I noticed the strength just like one notices the higher percentage Belgian ales that are somewhat “hard” to drink. Worth a try though - it very reasonably priced for a 0.5 liter bottle.

They did it!!! Vander Mill cidrerie created something that is very close to those French ciders I love be so much. It doesn’t have the same super fresh fruity aroma but the taste and crispness is there. Sweeter than your typical VM ciders but not offensive. It’s also a lower alcohol (4.5%) “session cider” - you’re supposed to be able drink a lot of them in one session (long football or baseball game). It is also the first VM Cider (for me) to come in a smaller 6-pack format cans. I heard that the “normal” 4-packs will be available too. Now all they have to do is change the spelling to look more French - Vandie maybe? (ir)regardless - get it and enjoy it

Vander Mill guys finally joined the cherry race with their “cherry chuckle”. It’s a nice cider, like what you would expect from VM but not phenomenal or peculiar in any way. I think out of all cherry ciders I tried recently Virtue was the most interesting and I would like to revisit it and pick a winner!

Other ciders I tried in December and failed to blog about! 1. Bluebird from Æppel trœw out in WI. I’m sorry but I don’t remember anything striking about it, can’t say anything bad either. 2. Argus apple bomb from Austin, TX was very nice, crisp and refreshing! Recommended!

Sorry for the long silence. Finally got my hands on Coffe cider from Stem and tried to mix it with liquors. Kahlua was a success! I didn’t measure carefully but basically added enough of Kahlua so I can start tasting a little of The sweetness it added to the drink. It also cranked up the coffee-ness and was delicious in every aspect. Addition of an ice cube is a plus and makes it look like a cocktail. The other liquor I thought would work beautifully was Bailey’s (Irish cream liquor). I like my coffee with milk or cream so I though why not? So here’s why - cider and cream liquor don’t mix! It all curdled and looked terrible and unappetizing and did’t alter the taste.

I’m pretty sure I hade this Blake’s “Archimedes” on tap long time ago and posted about it. But I’m going to start from scratch because I found that Blake’s ciders vary from batch to batch and of course there will be difference between the tap and canned cider. So... it’s vanilla and elderberry cider. It’s definitely on a sweet side. Beautiful color and smells nice when freshly poured. However as the drink warms up the smell becomes borderline unpleasant. Wouldn’t even call it funky. Which is the only con. Pros: owl (!), color, very drinkable.

There’s nothing subtle about this cider from One Tree. It’s opaque, with strong (and borderline unpleasant) aroma. Strongly carbonated, and... it’s hard to drink. It feels too “syrupy” and sticky. I’d compare it to undiluted pomegranate juice. Worth a try though! Make sure you have at least one person to split this bottle with - I can’t imagine myself enjoying the whole thing alone!

I tried many a berry-flavored ciders last night. Side by side Uncle John’s seasonal blueberry and a cherry one. Blueberry taste is very strong and overpowering. I still prefer vander mill blue gold. The cherry cider was better balanced and the apples were singing “lead vocals” in this beverage. Both are perfectly enjoyable ciders. I also finally tried the Virtue “Michigan cherry” cider and this is awesome. My now second favorite Virtue cider after “Prince Hal”. Very nice balance of apple and cherry. Dry without being tart. Great discovery when I got disappointed in Blake’s “wake fire” which seems to be inconsistent from batch to batch. Highly recommend!

Just in time for Halloween here is Black Phillip from Blake's. A delightful cider with cranberries (not sure if I taste them) and blood orange (definitely taste that) flavors. It's also only 4.5% alcohol which means one can drink a few of these without getting too impaired. Highly recommended!

Drank some interesting ciders last night! And heard and discussed a lot about ciders from Ivana of STEM ciders out in Fort Collins, CO. The lighter is the “Coffee cider” that smells of delicious freshly ground coffee. (It actually has a caffeine but I didn’t feel any buzz and fell asleep as well as I normally do). As I normally drink my coffee sweet with every deep I expected something sweeter but this cider is dry but I wouldn’t call it dry. As it warmed up I started feeling a bitter aftertaste like from coffee. Very interesting and both me and D. started thinking what kind of cocktails can be made using it. The other, darker and redder cider is a raspberry one. It’s nice but had the same problem as the Stem peach cider I wrote about earlier - the taste goes away quickly. Also it felt as if the cider and the raspberry flavor where two separate ingredients that somehow didn’t blend together properly… I will definitely try to get the coffee cider in cans to experiment with mixing it with something! Thank you , Ivana!!!

It was only yesterday that I drank this cider but I don't remember anything in particular about it to write. I'm sorry! It was nice and refreshing. Made somewhere in NY state.

Farmhouse Cider from Cider Creek. Nice clear NY cider. On a sweet side but it doesn't linger.

And another peach cider that didn't impress me. this on is from "Stem". It smells strongly of peach. Sweetish taste but once you swallowed it there's nothing in your mouth. Kind of tastes watered-down when it goes down. Verdict: pass this one by if no other option is available.

So why is it that I refuse to love Vandermill ginger-peach cider? Not enough ginger or peach? I don't know. It's ok and I only order it at restaurant because there's no other cider available...