Crispin Georgia

Rob and I are sitting here thinking about how it could be getting warmer sooner, and along comes Crispin's Georgia cider! GEORGIA! It has to be warmer there than it is in Wisconsin, right? HAS to be.

With the weather, coupled with myself being super sick last week, and Rob having a cold this week, we were hoping to get a pick-me-up with this Georgia cider. 6.2% alcohol by volume for this little peach. The description on the back of the bottle is long. Are you ready? Okay, here it goes:
Cider with a little devil in it, but the dog doesn't bite. The sound of the rain and the distant midnight train brings Georgia to mind. An elegant, spicy blend of Colfax Classic apple-wine superbly aged in Bourbon American whisky barrels. The final blend is finished with Georgia peach-juice, a hint of mint and a kiss of Tupelo honey aged in Bourbon barrels. Full whisky notes right up front, layered, very smooth, toasted oak tannins and vanilla. Velvety peach and a hint of mint julep. Blended straight from whisky barrels. Give a solid bottoms-up tilt and swirl to disperse sediment evenly to best enjoy whisky aromas and unique bouquet. Best enjoyed at cellar temperature, 50/55F. With or without 1 or 2 ice cubes. Age-worthy.

Poor Rob isn't feeling well this week, so we will let him go first.

Whoa. Holy Whiskey Batman! This isn't really much of a cider... The bourbon in the brew overwhelmingly masks the apple wine that is advertised on the bottle. There is a large amount of honey in it that cuts down on the power of the bourbon. Also the hint of mint seems to linger on your lips after your sip. This is a very distinct cider and we've only had one like it. But even the Woodchuck Private Barrel Select was closer to a traditional cider than this. I really feel like I am drinking a powerful whisky and coke with this one, but smoother. It was different, but not necessarily in a good way (in my opinion). 2 apples. If you like bourbon, give it a shot.

I can't think of anything witty, so I'll come out and say it - I like  don't like bourbon. I can't taste any of the Georgia peaches, and I can barely taste any of the honey. I feel like I should be taking this as a shot, not sipping it like a beer. I have taken all of three sips, and I can't take any more. Bourbon is not for this girl. I was so excited for the peach that was called out, and I am sadly not getting any. This also really doesn't taste anything like a cider. Everything we've tried thus far for Crispin has been pretty dang good. Sadly, Georgia does not follow the same path. I am giving Georgia one lonely, bruised peach - I mean, apple. 

Thanks for hangin' in there with us while I was sick. If you've got any cider suggestions, we are happy to hear (taste) them! Let us know. And as always...

Happy Tasting!

-Rob & Liz

Down with the sickness...

I'm sorry everyone, but once again we will not have a cider review for this week. Liz has some sort of virus that is giving her a terrible sore-throat. She went to the doctor and they gave her some medication so she shouldn't be drinking. As long as I don't catch it, we will be back next week. Catch up on the blogs you missed in the mean time. I guess this means zero apples...?

Happy Tasting!
- Liz & Rob

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