J.K.'s Northern Neighbour Farmhouse Cider Saskatoon Cuvée

Hello there! Long time no see. First of all, we want to apologize for the lack of a post lack week. Liz has a class Wednesday nights and my third shift job has been changing my sleep schedule around and last week just got away from us. I promise, we are back and it won't happen again!

This week we have another cider from J.K.'s Farmhouse. This one is called Saskatoon Cuvée and has an alcohol by volume of 5.5%. Here's what J.K. had to say about it's own brew:
We invite you to celebrate a collaboration of a few passionate American and Canadian farmers. The fruits of their labour are presented in this bottle, a family reunion of sorts. This delightful cider is made from Michigan apples and a unique Canadian prairie apple, the Saskatoon. Gathered by J.K. from family orchards in Michigan and Saskatchewan, this natural cider has been carefully fermented here at Almar Orchards using our traditional methods. We hope you enjoy sharing this cider that knows no borders with friends, family, and neighbours.

Chivalry dictates: ladies first:

This cider is so deliciously sweet, it reminds me of the perfect summer day spent reading on the porch. Yes, I love to read books. Real books with pages. Sorry! Back to the cider. I can taste the two different apples; it starts out warm and smooth, and ends fairly sweet. The closer the cider comes to room temperature, it becomes less sweet. I am enjoying this cider, and I could see myself picking this up to enjoy on my own. Sorry, Rob! I just think it would be great for some me-time. I'm giving Saskatoon Cuvée three apples.

What do I think? Why thank you for asking! Here goes:

Just like that coworker you hate to see on Monday mornings, this cider is sweet and very upbeat. There is a lot to this cider and not much about it is negative. The sweetness is matched with a full flavor and a warm fuzzy feeling. The tartness is very dull and allows you to take very large sips. I feel like there is some kind of grape infused with this as well because of the way it pours. The blend of apples in this one make it hard to distinguish which apple is which, but they blend nicely. All in all, this cider was definitely a treat.

There you have it! After a week off, we're back in business. Hopefully we can pick up right were we left off. Hope you have some cider of your own to enjoy this week. Tell us what you thought about yours and be sure to share your cider, it's too good to keep to yourself.

Happy Tasting!
- Liz & Rob

Oliver Beanblossom Raspberry Hard Cider

Happy early Valentines Day! Hopefully everyone has got someone to spend the day with. If not, trust me, you're probably better off saving your money and time... Just kidding, honey! (or am I?) Let's move on before I ruin any more relationships. What cider do we have for you this week? Well let's get to it!

This week we have Oliver Beanblossom Raspberry Hard Cider brought to us by Oliver Cider Works in Lawrenceburg, IN. Packing a punch at 8% alcohol by volume, Oliver has this to say about their own brew:
We create hard cider with our blend of apples and natural flavors, cooly fermented, delicious, bright like the noon day sun, magical as Beanblossom Hard Cider should be.

Since Liz picked this one out at the store, she can go first:

I don't know what has happened to me, but the fruity drinks aren't much my style anymore. The raspberry in this is tasty, don't get me wrong. I think it might be a little bit too much, though? It's smooth, sweet, a little tart, and it's a bit dry at the end. I can taste the apple wine at the very end after the heavy raspberry has subsided. I didn't expect to really like this all that much. Surprisingly, I think it's decent. For me it falls right in the middle at 2.5 apples.

Now it's my turn:
It's good, I'll say that, but it's too sweet for me. The raspberry overpowers the cider qualities but it still goes down smooth. The tartness of the apple eventually cuts off the taste of the raspberry. To me, this kind of tastes like Mike's Hard Raspberry. The biggest difference being Oliver seems to have a little less sugar. Not being a big raspberry fan, Oliver gets the benefit of the doubt from me. Also the high alcohol by volume helps make this one receive three out of five raspberry- I mean apples.

There you have it; another week, another cider. Thanks for stopping by and tell your friends! Also, if you have had a cider recently that has blown your mind, let us know. We usually just end up going to the local grocery store for our ciders, but eventually we will run out. So if there is something out there that is a little harder to find but totally worth it, we don't want to miss out on that. Comment below or email us at DeCidersBlog@gmail.com. See you next week for another cider adventure!

Happy Tasting!
- Liz & Rob

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

B. Nektar's Zombie Killer Cherry Cyser

You may think I spelled that wrong but it really is Cyser. And yes, it does say Zombie Killer. Although I may be getting ahead of myself. WE'RE BAAAAAACK! I was sick last week. As in hugging the porcelain throne for two days. Sorry for the visual. I'm all better, though. Hopefully you are all handling this cold and flu season better than I am. Thankfully Rob hasn't gotten sick (yet - knock on wood).

On to the cider! Zombie Killer comes to us from B. Nektar out of Ferndale, Michigan. Zombie Killer stumbles in at 6% alcohol by volume. What is Zombie Killer? Glad you asked. B. Nektar says:
An apple-honey wine with cherry juice added. Dedicated to the freaks and the geeks! What started as a top-secret experiment with Michigan honey, cherries and apple cider became a viral epidemic. It won't be easy to survive, so gram your weapons and don't forgt this bottle for backup! Serve cold... zombies hate the cold... B. WARE GRrrHaarrhUrrgh...

Since Rob has been so great while I was ill, he can go first. I know it's not a big deal, buuuut, let's just pretend it is.
Woo-hoo! Zombies! They're in these days, right? Anyways, this 'Cyser' was quite the treat. Out of the apple, cherry, and honey included in this cider, the cherry was subtle. I couldn't really taste it, but I can only assume it played a role in making this as delicious as it is. The apple flavor is nice and sweet with the honey that really neutralizes the tartness before it becomes overwhelming. I believe this one is best enjoyed as cold as possible, so drink it fast or over ice. As it warmed up, the iron became more prevalent. Still, I was very happy with this one and can't wait to pick it up again! 4 outta 5 reanimated apples from me.

As for me? I might have some different thoughts than Rob...
I think the cherry notes in this are great. They're prominent, but not overpowering. Unfortunately, with how sweet the  cherry, honey and the cider is, it's teetering on the edge of juice rather than a cider. I want to like this so much more, but the sweetness is just holding me back. I am going to give the Zombie Killer three solid apples.

If anyone has suggestions for something we haven't tried yet, let us know! We're always looking for some new ciders (duh, Liz).

Stay warm and Happy Tasting!
- Rob & Liz

Calling in sick...

Sorry guys and gals, we are going to have to take another bye week... Liz has been home from work the past couple of days with some kind of stomach bug. Adding alcohol would not yield a positive result. We'll be back next week unless it's contagious, in which case I will be sick. Let's hope not!

Happy Tasting!
-Liz & Rob

Thistly Cross Scottish Cider

Top of the morning to ya! Wait a minute, that's Irish, and we have Scottish cider this week. I screwed it up already! Sorry guys, it's not even morning... Either way, let's continue with the business at hand.

How's winter treating everyone? Anyone travel to some exotic places to escape the cold? Not me, I love the winter! However, the last vacation Liz and I traveled for was a great one. We've mentioned it before, but in 2012 we traveled over to the United Kingdom for a week. We spent half of our stay in England, and the other half in Scotland. The whole experience was amazing, but our time in Edinburgh, Scotland is something we yearn to return to as soon as we can! So when I was shopping around for this weeks cider, I was more than happy to bring a little bit of Scotland home with me.

This Scottish Cider from the Thistly Cross Cidershed comes to us from Dunbar, Scotland. It's imported for our drinking pleasure by USA Importer Orchard Gate in Raleigh, NC (thanks guys!). On the bottle, they keep it strictly business letting us know that this one packs a fair punch at 6.2% alcohol by volume. As you can see in the picture below, they do give you a little pamphlet about themselves and the brew you are about to enjoy. Here's a little bit of what they had to say about their Scottish Cider.
Thistly Cross is at the forefront of the craft cider movement in Britain, and the first and only Scottish cidermaker recognized by the Association of Cidermakers.
Thistly Cross Cider promises full and real fruit flavor. Brewed in small batches, we slow ferment our ciders for a strong taste profile, and mature for smoothness and a beautiful depth of color that varies from fruit to fruit, season to season.

I have a feeling that liz should go first because she talks about Scotland all the time. I'm sure she's more than excited to give this one a go:

Thistly Cross is definitely not thistly. It is so incredibly smooth, a bit heavy, a bit sweet, and has that almost caramel-like flavor of an almost perfectly fermented apple. Even with all of those fantastic things, I feel like it's missing something. I don't think it's quite sweet enough, maybe. It could use just a little bit of tartness. Pour me a tall one, because I think this is one of my favorite ciders I have ever tasted. I am giving Thistly Cross Scottish Cider 4.5 apples.  

Now it's my turn:

First thing I noticed is that Thistly Cross smells like a regular beer. It pours with the texture of a regular beer as well, but it is noticably sweeter. Another nice thing is that nothing about this one is overwhelming. Towards the end of the sip there is just a hint of iron and the tartness is mellow throughout the sip. I also get the impression that this cider could be enjoyed bottle after bottle and wouldn't be a problem at all. Being so smooth but heavy, Thistly Cross gets 4 outta 5 from me.

I guess everything from Scotland is having a lasting impression on us, find out if it does the same for you! There ya have it, another cider adventure in the books. Tune in next week and as always, drink responsibly. I'm going to go find some haggis to enjoy now...

Happy Tasting!

-Liz & Rob

Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear

Thank you! We can't say it enough. It doesn't matter if you're here every week, or here by accident. Family, friend, complete stranger, thank you. This past week we passed one thousand page views! At first I didn't really know if this was really going to work or if anyone was actually going to read these (you might just be here for the pictures), but thanks for stopping by. On to the business at hand.

If you live in the United States (shout-out to our readers in England, Russia, Germany, and a number of other countries) you're probably loving this polar vortex. Hopefully you've managed to thaw out long enough to enjoy some cider. This week we've got another offering from Fox Barrel. Tonight we find ourselves drinking their Blackberry Pear cider. The cider comes to us from Colfax, CA and it weighs in at 4.5% alcohol by volume. Fox Barrel has this to say about their brew:
Blackberry infused fermented pear cider from pure pear juice. Naturally fermented using 100% pear juice, not from pear juice concentrate or pear-flavored hard apple cider. Filtered cold for extra purity, and infused with natural blackberry juice. With no added colorants, sugar, sorbate, or benzoate preservatives. No added malt, spirit, grape or apple alcohols. Naturally elegant, refreshingly adult with an authentic blackberry dark-fruit taste and a sweet-sharp fresh tang. Mouthwatering juicy complexity. Luscious pear-berry bouquet.

Let's move on to our own thoughts. Liz goes first, because it may be crazy cold outside, but no one is as cool as she is, or crazy...
It's tart, it's sweet, it's kind of dry… it is not what I expected, but it is totally refreshing. Going into this one I was not sure what to think. The other two Fox Barrels we did were such opposites. The tartness and sweetness really gets you right as you swallow, but the dry and fruity flavor sticks around. I think this would be great with dessert. Really, I'm just saying that because I want dessert. I give it 3 apples.

What did I have to say about Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear? Oh, how thoughtful, thanks for asking!
I honestly don't know what I was expecting going into this cider, but boy was I surprised. It's very, very sweet but I think it's delicious! The blackberry and pear are perfectly fused and become reminiscent of wine part of the way through your sip. It finishes smooth and leaves a small taste of blackberry on your tongue after you've gone a minute without a sip. I'm not saying I could spend a whole night chugging bottle after bottle of Fox Barrel, but one here or there would be nice. It's also worth mentioning that the bottle is very good looking and leaves me thinking, what does the fox drink? 3.5 apples outta 5 for me!

I hate to be all gushy but it really does mean a lot to both Liz and myself that you are visiting our blog, and we would love to hear from you as well. As always you can comment below, or email us at DeCidersblog@gmail.com. Once again, thanks a bunch and stop by every Wednesday night for more Cider Adventures!

Happy Tasting!
-Liz & Rob