Cider #3: Red Branch's Hard Black Cherry Cider

Cherry Cider??? B'uuuh??? Yup you read that right, CHERRY Cider! Black Cherry cider that is! Ciders don't only come in apple flavors, there's several fruits that ciders can be mixed with, most of the popular ones are Pear and Raspberry. I first found this Cherry cider at the big So. California Renaissance Pleasure Faire, but it was only available at 1 or 2 booths and sold out FAST! As luck would have it, I stumbled upon it at BevMo in Irvine!

Made by Red Branch Cider Company, out of Sunnyvale, California. They're mainly known for their Mead (which I totally need to try!) but offer several flavors of Cider. Their website looks to still be under construction, but here it is for info:

http://www.rabbitsfootmeadery.com/about.html 

What's neat about this Cider is the bottle it comes in! A re-sealable pressure cork top! First opening up the bottle you get a nice "POP",  like a small version of a champagne bottle being opened. A very sweet cherry smell with just a hint of cider. The first pour had very minimal bubbles and fuzz that quickly went away and left a slight pinkish- red color. Very bright and lively.

Surprisingly it's a very smooth, non-tart Cider. I was expecting the typical "bite" most cherry drinks have. I'm also happy to report that it doesn't taste anything like a cough syrup or any medicine. Also lacks the fake cherry flavor most alcoholic drinks suffer from.

Just a very slight taste of apple, with a nice strong taste of freshly picked cherries, without the "winey" after flavor. The use of honey is what finishes off the smoothness of this Cider. I would consider this more of a "dessert" cider and would be AWESOME with Chocolate cake!

I give this a 4.5 our of 5 apples!

16oz., 6.9% alc./vol. $6.00

-Jeff

Next up Cider #2! Samuel Smith's Organic Cider

For my second Cider, I picked up a bottle of Samuel Smith's Organic Cider.

http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith_organic_cider.html

Bottled in N. York, England by Samuel Smith Brewery, founded in 1758 and one of the few remaining independent breweries in England. What is unique and neat about this Cider is the fact that it's made from Organic Apple Juice and Organic Cane Sugar. The smell of fresh crisp apples came out of the bottle as soon as I opened it with a hint of wine, that did not pass on to the flavor. A very light golden color with a nice bit of carbonation, not as much as the Julian Cider, or Sparkling Ciders. A nice crisp flavor with just a touch of tart, but that goes away rather quickly and a nice apple aftertaste. And no thin film on the tongue afterward, found in some Ciders. Overall a very nice refreshing Cider that I will add to my fav list!

I purchased my bottle at the local BevMo

18.7oz "Victorian Pint" Bottle

5% alc./vol.  $4.39.


- Jeff

First up! Julian Hard Cider

My first Hard cider to test and review is Julian Hard Cider, coming from Julian, California.

Julian Hard Cider

Using a recipe dating back to 1670 and following the early colonist's process, Julian Hard Cider is the closest to historical ciders. They have a Cider Saloon in Julian (totally have to make the hour road trip out to Julian ASAP!), but I found my bottle at the local BevMo in San Diego.

It's a 22oz bottle at 6.99% alcohol, for $6.79

Opening the bottle, a strong smell of tarty apples came out. Slightly carbonated, it looked similar to a sparkling cider with the bubbles. A bright and lively fizz topped off the glass. The first taste was tart with a following of strong apple after taste. And got smoother as it went. But does have one of the tartiest first tastes of Ciders I've had.

Overall a little more tart than I like, but was a very good cider and would be amazing on a 

hot day or with a shepherd's pie at dinner.

I give this 4 out of 5 apples!

- Jeff

Welcome to the Schnockered Apple!

Welcome to my new blog: The Schnockered Apple! This blog will follow my adventures of seeking out and reviewing new Hard Ciders!

Most people are unaware of Hard Ciders and usually scoff at the idea of drinking it and that it's a "kiddie" drink. In actuality Hard Ciders were the number 1 drink in early Europe and dates all the way back to the Celts! It was easy to make and people chose to drink it over the dirty local water. In early colonial America, it was the most popular drink. The colonists grew the apples to drink and not eat. John Adams regularly drank it for breakfast to help sooth his stomach.

As people moved out west, it was harder to grow apple trees and the popularity of German Beers grew, when Prohibition eventually hit, it was one of the last nails in the coffin for Hard Cider in the US. In the 1990's several microbreweries started using old family recipes and the popularity started growing. Now several big cideries are popping up all over the US, Canada and the UK, and are even available at local big chain grocery stores.

Hard Ciders usually have higher alcohol percentages than standard beers, so that frat guy in the bar making fun of you for ordering Cider is the one with the "kiddie" drink! I've seen beer drinkers switch to cider and get....well, SCHNOCKERED! I hope to help inform and gather more Cider lovers with this blog and I hope you all enjoy the adventures to come!!!

- Jeff