Mike's Hard Smashed Apple Cider Crisp Apple

It's finally fall weather here in Wisconsin, which makes it so much more enjoyable to have a cider at night. The air is cooler and the leaves are about to start changing. This is the weather where it should be almost illegal to not enjoy a nice hard cider.

Before you close your browser, just know that we didn't go searching for a Mike's Hard version of apple cider. It just kind of threw itself in front of us at the store. If you didn't know, Mike's Hard Beverage Company makes hard lemonades. They are based out of Memphis, Tennessee. The bottle has a very short description: Naturally fermented with Washington apples. Mike's Hard hits the scales at 5% alcohol by volume.

Since I go first all the time, let's have Rob get to the front of the line. In his own words, here is the man of the hour:
Well, I hate to be be a know it all, but when I found out Mike's made a cider, I knew what it was going to taste like. Maybe I'm not that intuitive; if you've ever hard a Mike's Hard Lemonade, you can probably imagine what it tastes like, too. In the case that you have no imagination, Mike's Hard Smashed Apple Cider is VERY sugary. My first sip was reminiscent of apple sauce, but then the trademark Mike's bite kicks in. In the end I could see this as a gateway drug to other ciders, but hopefully the gut rot the next day wouldn't discourage you from ciders, but rather encourage you to try something better.  Mike's rolls in at 1.5 apples for Rob.

Mike's is just as I expected it to be. Watered down, and incredibly sweet. It tastes like one of those kid's apple juice boxes got the sour powder from sour straws added to it. And maybe a cup or three of sugar. I'm not sure what makes it "crisp" apple cider other than the pang at the back of your tongue. Like other Mike's products, the concept sounds good: hard lemonade is usually delicious, but I can't handle half of one by Mike's. With this one, smashed apple cider sounds like it would be very homey and comfortable. It's just the opposite. And the more I drink, the more my tongue feels like I've eaten six Warheads candies in a row. I can't see myself drinking more than one, and I'm not sure I will finish this one with how sweet it is. I struggled with my apples on this one, and have settled on 1.5.

Has anyone else had any not-so-great cider experiences? Any surprisingly good experiences? Let us know! We would love to hear from you wonderful readers.

Thanks, and until next time, Happy Tasting!
-Rob & Liz

Harpoon Cider

Good evening Cider lovers! It's Wednesday again so it's time for another cider review. Last week we posted one of the better ciders we've come across in our adventures, but this week not so much... But let's not be so negative, let's start with the essential information!

Harpoon Brewery in Boston, MA has brought us the cleverly named Harpoon Cider for this week's tasting. Harpoon Cider is like most other fish in the cider pond, wrapped in a dark brown 12 ounce bottle containing 4.8% alcohol by volume. Harpoon Brewery has this to say about Harpoon Cider:

Our cider is made from pure apple juice, freshly pressed from a blend of local apples. Enjoy!

On to the reviews! Liz is up first:

The first thing I noticed as soon as I opened the bottle before I had even put the bottle to my lips is that it smells like beer. I couldn't smell a hint of cider. I took a sip and it was a bit sweet at first and then all I could taste is iron. The iron taste went away a few seconds after I swallowed, but then my tongue just felt dry as if I'd chugged a glass of very dry red wine that I would normally use for cooking. This wasn't at all what I expected to taste from a cider.  I personally do not like anything dry, and I really can't stand that iron taste. I give Harpoon one lonely, dry apple. 

What did I think? How thoughtful, thanks for asking!

This is a very heavy cider. At first, the smell didn't even seem reminiscent of a cider, it smelled more like a PBR (completely different blog)! There is also a lot of iron to this cider. The taste reminds me of apple sauce, but that's about it. It's not very sweet and doesn't leave a great taste after you sip. Not too many good things to say about this one... Better throw this one back and let it mature.

It looks like this wasn't our greatest catch. Thank goodness there are plenty of fish in the sea - I mean, plenty of ciders in our fridge. 

Happy Tasting!

-Liz & Rob

Crispin The Saint Artisanal Reserve

Happy Cider Day! This has been a fantastic week so far. For Liz, because it's her birthday week. That means being spoiled. Who doesn't like being spoiled? For Rob, well, maybe it hasn't been as fantastic after working 9 days in a row so far.

We want to take a quick moment to thank you, our readers, for taking time out of your day to read our blog! We would love to say, "Hi!" to each of you, but that's not really possible. It's a weird feeling to see that your words are being read by people from all over the world. Thank you for your continued support!

Enough mushy-gushy feelings. Onto the Cider! This week we're talking about Crispin. The Saint Artisanal Reserve, to be exact. The Crispin Cider Co. in Colfax, CA says this about The Saint: Elevated Hard Cider. Naturally fermented with Belgian Trappist beer yeast using a premium blend of unpasteurized fresh-pressed apple juice, Not from concentrate, with no added malt, spirit or grape alcohols. Experience a sweetly floral to herbal aromatic bouquet and an elegant yeasty flavor with a sustained mouth-feel that develops a subtle spicy complexity. The Saint Artisanal Reserve, Unfiltered Cloudy Hard Cider, uses racked apple-wine smoothed with pure organic maple syrup, a kiss of apple juice, with no added sugar, colorants, sorbate, or benzoate preservatives. Best served cool in a tulip glass for bold, crisp refreshment.

The bottle in this picture looks quite small, but really, it's a whopping 22 ounces.  Almost twice as much as the normal bottle of delicious apple goodness. It also rolls in at 6.9% alcohol by volume.

Birthday girl goes first? Why not. Liz says that it’s very sweet at first, and then becomes dry and slightly chalky, like a white wine but it maintains a very smooth, welcoming flavor throughout. It has quite a large amount of sediment, too. Even though it is called out in the description, she says that she can't taste the maple, but feels a heaviness on her tongue that is reminiscent of true maple syrup. If it weren't so chalky, she would have considered giving this one a full bushel. Alas, Liz isn't a huge fan of the chalky dry wines. 4 apples it is.

As for myself, this is my favorite cider we've had since we started this little endeavor. It tastes like an apple moscato, but it doesn't have that sweet afterbite you would expect of a wine or cider. The cloudy beverage leaves a bit of a sediment at the bottom of the bottle but if that doesn't bother you, you'll be hard pressed not to chug this cider! The great thing about this bottle is it won't take too many to get you tipsy, giant bottle and high alcohol by volume make this a party all on it's own! I struggled for a while as to whether or not to give this one a perfect score. It may be my favorite, but it isn't quite perfect. 4.5 apples for this Saint.

Has anyone else had The Saint? What did you think about it and it's sediment? Let us know! Thank you again to all of our visitors.

We would also like to take a quick moment to thank all of the brave men and women who sacrifice their time, effort, love, sweat, tears, and even their lives every day for our freedoms. We are truly grateful for your sacrifices.

Until next week, Happy Tasting!
-Rob & Liz

Somersby Hard Apple Cider

Good evening cider lovers! Actually, I have no idea what time you'll be reading this, but as the saying goes, it's 5 o'clock somewhere! So crack open a cider and look at what new adventure we've had this past week.

Liz and I decided to take a bit of charge in our personal lives, and I bought a bike this week. Bike as in bicycle, not a motorcycle. We are hoping that before the weather gets too cold here in Wisconsin to take a bike ride and have a picnic, complete with a cider tasting. Pictures from our bicycling, picnic and cider adventure will come soon!

Back to the point. This week we decided to try a cider from Carlsberg Breweries out of Croatia! This little guy is imported by Crown Imports LLC in Chicago. The only thing the bottle has to say for itself is that it has a "Refreshingly Crisp Taste." We were so excited to try this one we forgot to take a photo until after we had demolished it.

Ladies first! Here's what Liz had to say:
Out of the gate, Somersby smells like one of those bright green caramel apple pops that are a B to eat but are super delicious. First sip is tart and sweet, and it kind of reminds me momentarily of a green jolly rancher, but it mellows out a little bit after it's left your tongue. It is pretty light and if I could call a taste "happy," that's what I would call this one.  I can honestly say I will be happy to pick this one up at the grocery store next time I need to stock the fridge. I'll give Somersby 4 tart apples!

And as for me?
This cider made me have a double take when I first took a sip. It is incredibly easy to drink! At first it is sweet and smooth like apple juice, and then it finishes fairly tart like an apple Jolly Rancher. There isn't much fizz to it so I could see how this would be easy to drink fast. I haven't had a cider like this before so being a cider lover outside of this blog, I look forward to running into this cider again someday! It gets 3.5 apples today.

If you were worried, our new-found health kick of biking will not interfere with us enjoying ciders. Everything in moderation, right? We agree. Biking can definitely be moderated. Cider is non-negotiable.

Happy Tasting!
- Rob & Liz

Ace Apple Hard Cider

This week has been a bit more relaxed, and thankfully we had time to sit back and enjoy this new cider. But our busy lives aren't what you're here to read about, our Cider Adventures are!

Ace Apple Hard Cider is brought to us by California Cider Co out of Sebastapol, California. It racks up at 5% alcohol by volume. California Cider Co has this to say, "Ace Apple Cider is a premium hard cider made in the heart of Sonoma County's apple orchards. Unlike most other cider brands, Ace is fermented from only pure apple juice. This gives the cider its fresh natural apple taste… Enjoy this alternative to beer or wine."

Mr. Rob isn't as wordy this week, he's getting straight to the point. What did he say, you ask? Oh, fine, twist my arm. Here it is:
To me, this is as close as it gets to a stereotypical cider. It's not very sweet so it has a rich full bodied taste. It's fairly tart and doesn't linger on the tongue to long after your sip. The only draw back is I slight hint of iron as you sip away. Either way, this cider gets a 3 of a kind!

And little ol' me. Finally, a cider that doesn't taste like water! Ace Apple Cider reminds me of a very flavorful dark red apple. It's got a bit of a tart flavor at the end that hits right in the back of your mouth. This one is much heavier than the other ciders we've been trying lately, which is an awesome change of pace. It does have a little bit of an iron taste to it, though. Ace, you're not high or low today, but you're right in the middle at 3 apples.

And, hey! It's not minutes before midnight this week! See, I told you it wouldn't be as late. You thought I was bluffing...

In the next few weeks we're hoping to have some guests give us their perspective on ciders, so keep your eyes peeled for that! I hope you enjoyed our silly little puns. We're so punny. Eh? Eh? Fine, I fold.

Once again, Happy Tasting!
-Rob & Liz

Michelob Ultra Light Cider

It's still technically Wednesday here in Wisconsin! It was a busy day for us. Rob is on his way to work right now, and I just got home and am covered in glitter. Why? Because I went to the Ke$ha concert and had the best time ever. And now I'm currently getting glitter all over Rob's computer. Whoops! 

He did the hard work tonight and drafted this sweet thing for us, and I'm swooping in to finish it. Michelob Ultra Light Cider is on the docket tonight. They only have two words to describe it: light cider. That's why we're here tonight to tell you all about this light cider. Take a peek at the bottle. 

Since I'm full of glitter, that means I go first. Hey, no one said my rules had to make sense!
It honestly tastes like the person who came up with this one had never had cider before. And by cider, I am including the non-spiked stuff at your grandma's holiday parties. It even reminds me of a terribly watered down juice pouch. There's also a weird aftertaste. I honestly can't even describe it, other than saying it makes the back of my mouth feel dirty. And yes, I have brushed my teeth today, thank you very much (and no, it's not a weird taste from after the Ke$ha concert because I tried this one before the concert). I wouldn't pay for this at a bar, and even if it were the ladies-night choice, I'd pass. That's why I give it one very lonely apple.

As for Rob, in his own words, which he graciously typed out for me before he left for work: Once again, I'll take the shallow path and start with the looks. This bottle is not as good looking as the Stella, but it's not far off. Once again it's a clear glass bottle with white labels, this time with light green, which matches the liquid contained inside. Enough about appearances, how does it taste? This cider seems to be of the granny smith variety, which makes it incredibly sweet. After your sip you are left with the tartness you'd come to expect from green apples. Unfortunately, this is only made worse by how light the overall drink is. Also, being fairly fizzy, the cider comes across as apple flavored sparkling water, meets wine cooler. All in all, two apples.

There you have it, folks. Glitter, apples, and all. Next week we won't be so close to Thursday, we promise.

As always, Happy Tasting!
-Rob & Liz

Stella Artois Cidre

Do you know what day it is? IT'S HUMP DAY! Time for another cider adventure with Liz and Rob. Unfortunately, Liz has had a rough day at work and is currently passed out for the night. That means it's up to Rob to make it happen this week! Oh boy... This is a lot of pressure, but I think I can handle it. However, I'm sure we are both going to miss Liz by the end of this post!

Anyway, on to the matter at hand! This week our cider, or rather 'Cidre', comes to us from global brew-masters at Anheuser-Busch. Bottled in Baldwinsville, NY, Stella Artois Cidre comes in at 4.5% alcohol by volume. For those of you afflicted with A.D.D., the description provided on the bottle is short and to the point; "Premium cider made with hand-picked apples". Sounds like we are go for tasting!

Contrary to popular belief, I am in fact a gentleman. So this week, it's ladies first:
Liz says Stella Artois Cidre is one is a sweet one. But it's a good sweet, with a little tartness at the end that hits you right in the back of the jaw. I was actually kind of surprised at how dry it was. The more I drink it, the dryer my tongue gets, so I am finding myself drinking this one quite quickly. It's pretty light, too. For the name, I had almost expected a little bit more of a stand-out flavor or something a little bit more different. After my first few sips, I felt a bit warm in the stomach, too, which is nice. With how sweet it is I wasn't expecting that. I would probably order one of these at the bar if I were in a laid-back mood. This one doesn't scream "party mode" to me.
Even though she wasn't inspired to party, she was still impressed enough to hand out 3.5 apples

The first thing I want to mention about Stella Artois Cidre is in regards to its appearance. The clear glass bottle with white label and golden accents compliment the beverage perfectly. I love the way this cider is packaged! Something makes this bottle pop out to me unlike most of the other ciders out there (usually with dark labels on brown glass bottles). As much as the bottle makes it stand out, the taste is something different to me as well. It's not too sweet and is relatively dry. If you allow some air in as you sip, the fizz tickles the back of  your throat on the way down. All in all, I am a fan of this cider because you can also taste a hint of the regular lager version of Stella Artois mixed in.
I gave Stella Artois Cidre 4 beautiful Apples.

I hope you enjoyed my first post as much as the impending grammar Nazi's will enjoy picking it apart. As always, Liz and Rob can be reached at decidersblog@gmail.com for constuctive (or harsh) criticism, cider suggestions, or questions in regard to the meaning of life. I have to say, I'm proud of going the entire post before shouting "HEY STELLA! STELLLLLAA!!!" It's been fun, but I'm sure we all miss Liz...

Until next week, Happy Tasting!
-Liz & Rob