Gaymer Cider Co's Blackthorne

Hello cider lovers! Welcome to February. January just flew by for us. Hopefully you are all making the best of the winter season.

To paraphrase one of my favorite movies, this week's cider is, Bigger, Yellow, Different. Yes, I did just go there. And if you don't know what that's from, I might cry inside.

Onward to the cider. Blackthorne comes to us out of England from Gaymer Cider Co. Ltd. As you can see, it's made from English cider apples. At 6% alcohol by volume, it's not too hard, not too sally. This one is a bit different, though, since it's in a can. We've never done a canned cider before here at DeCider's, and we were kind of excited to see if Blackthorne would get us on the canned cider bandwagon. First, though, we should probably tell you what they have to say about themselves:
A distinctive crisp, dry taste.
Yeah, a short and to the point description. Nice!

Rob's up to bat first. He said:
I don't know what happened here… I tend to be a fan of dry ciders, but Blackthorn is its own kind of dry cider. For starters, it doesn't pop and fizz when you open the can. Secondly, the smell makes me reconsider what I'm about to do. And last but not least, the taste is bland. Like I said earlier it is dry, so it goes down smooth and not sharp like most sweet ciders; almost as if it's flat. There is an iron after-taste as well. All this leaves me wanting something else. Unfortunately, from the same country that gave us Strongbow, Blackthorn falls short of my expectations lands with one and a half apples.

Thanks, Rob. How can I save this one?
Blackthorn sounded like it would be good. The name was edgy, the description sounded interesting, the alcohol content was decent. And then I tried it. It tastes like the can it came in. A liquid version of apple sauce, with that dry sandpaper-tongue afterward. There's a bit of a sweet note right in the middle, but it leaves as quickly as it showed up. I kept trying to drink this to give it more of a chance, but every time I take a swig, I am instantly reminded why I shouldn't. Maybe we got a bad set of cans? Maybe it's just like this always. I'm honestly so sad about this one. I had such high hopes. I'm giving Blackthorn one thorny, lonely apple.

Sorry for the bad apple this week, guys and gals. Do you have any good ones we should be looking for? Let us know!

Happy Tasting,
- Rob & Liz