Weekend Tastings - Cheap Cider and Fish....ish

How about that GTA storm on Friday, eh? Aside from the fallen trees and some damages the weather got really nice after and stayed cool and sunny for the entire weekend. Sunday was especially nice so I thought it would be to have a few drinks outside on the patio.

Tempt No. 9

I found this one at the LCBO across Sherway Gardens and it took no time for it to win me over with its cool and catchy matte label...and its $1.90 price. 

Well, for $1.90 you do get what you paid for. The aroma does have a healthy dose of sweet strawberries but it also does carry an unpleasant medicinal undertone. The flavour is a bit unbalanced with a mixture of apple and strawberries at the start and some artificial tasting lime right after. Soon after the flavours go away comes a boozy note which lingers well into the finish before it makes way for more of the sweet strawberry flavours...which at this point are a little too sweet and feel a little odd, not quite fake, but odd.

After a few sips I added some ice to the cider, which not made it colder and easier to drink, but also helped turn down the sweetness a little. Though refreshing on a nice sunny day, I think the flavour could be much better or the cider could be improved by adding juice, ice and fresh fruits.

Not the best you can get at the LCBO, but the price is good.

Cost - $1.90 from LCBO

Taste - 6/10

ABV - 4.5%

Kensington Brewing Company FishEye PA

FishEYE PA is not a new beer, but it is new to cans and new to the LCBO. I first had it at the Burger Bar in Kensington Market where it originated last year. In cans, the beer has the same hazy, deep amber color and the same thick, creamy and lacy head.

The aroma is sweet, floral and buttery with a lot of tropical fruits. The taste is similar without the over sweetness or overhoppiness you might find in some similar IPAs. Up front you get a nice tropical fruit flavour with some hops while at the back you get some bittersweet pine, malty and hoppy notes. The finish is bittersweet, but it does seem to lean more towards the bitter side. Some tropical fruits remain, but the majority of the finish is of piney hops. Towards the end of the can some grass notes emerge which tend to add up faster if you have another one.

Overall, a very decent canned version of a pretty good IPA.

Cost - $2.85 from LCBO

Taste - 8.9/10

ABV - 6.5%

Somersby Blackberry Flavoured Cider Review

This cider is light pink in color with a very strong sweet blackberry aroma. Somersby's signature apple aroma is present underneath the blackberry notes assuring you that what you are about to drink is indeed cider...or rather a flavoured cider.

The taste is pretty damn good with a strong blackberry flavour up front and a subtle apple note trailing not too far behind. There is some alcohol in the finish which at only 4.5% ABV should be much more subtle in my opinion.

The finish also carries an odd blackberry flavour making it comparable to that of a diet flavoured soda. There are flavourings and juices on the ingredients list so I would not be too surprised if this comes from one of them. I think the flavour can be easily achieved using a regular Somersby with concentrated blackberry juice from the nearby European store.

On a hot day, this is a very refreshing drink, but I think the flavouring can be done better...still....better than the previous Somersby...I think. Anyways, fantastic on a hot day.

Scores:

Cost - $2.95

Taste - 8.3/10

ABV - 4.5%

Overall - 8.3/10...refreshing and fruity, but with an odd finish

Beaupre Crackling Cider Review

My girlfriend was in Montreal this past weekend and brought me back a bunch of ciders to try...due to the extremely hot weather. She got this one from Mac's (the equivalent over there) for $2.99.

The cider is very pale and carbonated and has a strong fermented apples aroma which I was able to detect from at least 40 cm away while pouring it. Up close the aroma is stronger and some sweetness comes out. The taste is a combination of sweet and sour apples, but most of it comes at the start and in the aftertaste. A moderate alcoholic note comes in soon after the initial apple taste and takes its place until the finish. The finish is tart at the start, but quickly transitions to something sweeter and becomes much better once the apple flavours come return.

Give the aftertaste a bit of time and a very pleasant apple taste will start forming at the back of your throat. After a minute or two the sensation is comparable to that of having just eaten an apple.

Overall, this is a pretty mid-range tasting cider, but the aftertaste is what got me.

Scores:
Cost - $2.99
Taste - 6.9/10
ABV - 5.5%

Overall - 6.9/10...decent apple

Somersby Apple Cider Review

Here is a new cider I picked up at the start of the weekend from the LCBO in the Liberty Village. I like how they used the word "fruity" to describe the flavour.

The cider is light golden in color and very lively. The aroma truly is fruity, a bit sweet and reminds me a lot of the lightly fermented apple juice you can get at IKEA. The taste is very similar to the juice as well - sweet and fruity with a well defined golden delicious flavour. No wonder why it is sweet, sugar is one of the main ingredients of this cider.

Some booziness appears in the finish which is a turn off, but , the apple flavour quickly overpowers it without any traces. Though I like the sweet character, it feels like I might get a headache after a few of these. If you like the taste of apples and ciders, this might be the thing to try this summer - it is refreshing and delicious...just remember how much sugar there is.

Scores:
Cost - $2.95
Taste - 8.2/10
ABV - 4.5%

Overall - 8.2/10...tastes like sweet golden delicious apples and is very refreshing

Seagram Cider Review

Recently this guy appeared right alongside Seagram's 2012...similar can minus the Mayan figure...if you squint hard enough.

The cider has a light golden color and is medium bubbly. The aroma is of fermented apples and pears with minimal sweetness. The starting taste is light on real apple flavour which doesn't fully appear until the finish. Even in the finish the flavour is light, but feels real, none of that fake apple concentrate. The rest feels a bit too alcoholic for a cider at 5.3%, but not so alcoholic that it will stop you from having a few.

I am on the fence with this one. On one hand I like the real apple flavour in the finish, on the other I think it is a bit too weak. 

Scores:

Cost - $2.95 for a can

Taste - 7/10

ABV - 5.3%

Overall - 7/10...great apple flavour despite it being a bit too weak

Alexander Keith's Original Cider Review

I was a bit surprised to see Alexander Keith's name in the cider/coolers section, but this really is a cider made by Alexander Keith. The cider comes in 6 packs and 473 mL cans and the bottles look fantastic. However, I just wanted to try one before I committed to purchasing more.

The cider is very bubbly, has a straw, light honey color and a very strong aroma. I was able to smell the contents of the can about 60-70 cm away from my face. Upon closer inspection I realized the aroma wasn't as strong as I thought it was. I think I had just created a small cloud of smells while pouring the can into a glass.

The cider smells like sweet apples and pears with a bit of a white wine note. The taste is light and a bit confusing as it starts off like a carbonated white wine with notes of grapes. Soon after, a burst of pear flavours follow, which are then followed by sweet apples and a nice sour kick right before the finish. The finish is crisp and starts off acidic with little flavour, but give it a few minutes and some sweet apple notes will arrive followed by some dryness. The finish also reveals some boozy notes and additional flavours which seem to come from the added acid blend.

Overall, this is a very refreshing cider with a nice crisp finish. Those who don't like sweet ciders will enjoy this one as the acidity is high, but those who seek more flavour should try something else.

Scores:

Cost - $2.95 for a can and $14 for a 6 pack

Taste - 7.2/10

ABV - 5.5%

Overall - 7.2/10...light on flavour, but a very refreshing and crisp cider

Rekorderlig Strawberry Lime Cider Review

I was surprised at how popular the Rekorderlig brand was in Australia. The LCBO carries only a couple of the Rekorderlig products (Elderflower and Wild Berries) and not in all stores, but in Australia I was able to find 4-5 different ones in almost all liquor/bottle stores I went to. The one thing that differs is the alcohol content. Up here the Rekorderlig ciders come in at 7% ABV, whereas down under they sit at a refreshing 4% level. Also, be prepared to fork over $7 for a bottle. We are lucky with our $2.95 cans.

As expected the cider is pink with an amazingly inviting strawberry aroma. The aroma is so real, strawberries start to circle my head each time I bring it in for a sniff. The lime is almost unnoticeable, but who cares when you have a strawberry aroma as delicious as this. The taste is where this cider earns all of its points. It starts off like a carbonated strawberry juice with a subtle lime undertone. The taste is sweet, but only sweet enough to replicate the delicious sweetness of strawberries. The finish is, you guessed it, lightly sweet but doesn't build up. The lime, overall, is not too noticeable.

The lower ABV makes this an exceptionally refreshing drink not only because there are no boozy notes, but also because the sweetness level is much lower compared to what we have here.

Scores:

Cost - $7
Taste - 8.5/10
ABV - 4%

Overall - 8.5/10...delicious and refreshing cider 

Thornbury Premium Cider Review

So here is another cider I picked up from the LCBO. It comes in 6 packs and retails for $12.95 for one. You may recognize the name Thornbury because these guys used to make Peeler. How is this any different than Peeler? Well, for starters it comes in 6 packs and has a higher alcohol content at 5.3% versus 4%.

The cider has a very pale straw color and pours with a lively head. A sweet apple aroma with a touch of fermentation and a sour twist wafts from the calm surface. The taste starts off on a sweet, golden delicious, note and transitions to a more of a sweet and sour combo. The finish is crisp, refreshing and more sour than sweet though some sweetness remains. There are trace notes of fermenting apples that are traditional to some cider, but the overall taste tries to steer away and succeeds in most cases. On the downside, the sweetness does start to build up and so does the sourness in the aftertaste. A few of these will have you going for the water to kill the sweetness and leave you with a pucker face.

Scores:
Cost - $12.95 for a 6 pack
Taste - 7.9/10
ABV - 5.3%

Overall - 7.9/10...I like this just a bit better than Peeler

A Duo of Ciders

This week was a week filled with traveling and work and not much else. Friday evening on my way out of a town I was traveling to I stopped by the LCBO near 401 and noticed two ciders I have not tried among the dozens of ravaged macro brews trays. The first one I recognized no problem - the new Growers 1927, but the second one was a stranger to me - Pommies, awesome name, awesome bottle and an awesome package.

Growers 1927

Taking its name after the year Growers was established, this premium cider has a very pale straw/yellow color and pours with a lot of fizz. The aroma is completely defined by sweet apples which conjure images of McIntosh (sure these are not as sweet, but this cider reminds me of them) and sweet Golden Delicious apples. The taste is well balanced with a very well defined fresh apple flavour featuring a bit of tartness at the start and some complimentary sweetness at the end. It is not as sweet as other ciders and offers plenty in terms of refreshment on a hot summer night. The finish is once again well balanced, crisp and very refreshing. I already sort of like Growers apple cider, but this is something else, this cider is absolutely fantastic. Instant recommendation.

Scores:
Cost - $2.95 for a can
Taste - 9/10
ABV 5.5%

Pommies Dry Cider

I normally hear about new releases through other bloggers, press releases or the LCBO, but I guess I completely missed this one. Pommies...first time ever hearing of it. The clean look is what got me to buy it.

Coming in a tad paler than Growers, this cider also exhibits the same level of carbonation. The aroma is sweeter and has a very typical fermented apple scent. Pommies is much, much drier than Growers 1927 and also much less sweeter...but only at first. The flavour is more like a typical cider and the fermented part is noticeable. Towards the end some Golden Delicious sweetness can be noticed, but it doesn't really start to pronounce itself until halfway through the bottle. Have a second one and you pictures of golden apples will start dancing around your head. Though the sweetness builds up, it never really lingers for a long time. It is a very weird sensation. Each sip seems sweeter, but several minutes later the sweetness is gone. Have another sip and the sweetness returns sweeter than before. Sure this sounds weird, but when it is hot outside and the cider is cold, you can easily consume the entire pack without thinking twice about the sweetness.

Scores:
Cost - $12.95 for a 4 pack
Taste - 8.5/10
ABV - 5%

Overall - I really liked Pommies cider, but I will pick Growers 1927 over it...it is just so well balanced.

Growers Granny Smith Apple Cider Review

It is cider time. Actually, a 6 pack of Growers has been sitting in my fridge for a couple of weeks now and I finally got over my laziness, took a photo and cracked one of these open. I love granny smith apples and I do love a good cider so this sounds like a great combo so far...

As seen in the photo, the cider is very pale in color and just a touch hazy. The aroma is very promising with a crisp, sour, granny smith-like tone and just the right amount of sweetness. But that's all it was - promising. The taste is fairly different from the aroma, though the sour, apple tone is still there. I was half expecting sour apple juice, but what I got instead was a combination of dry white wine, some apple cider and club soda...not that this sounds horrible. In fact, I have actually tried mixing it and works great, but you really have to get the right proportions. Back to the cider, the carbonation is so much that it irritates my throat if I drink it too fast. The alcohol is not perfectly mixed and it comes out. The one thing that saves this cider is its amazing finish. Once you swallow, the cider really opens up. The granny smith flavours come to life, the sweetness hits the right level and the overall crispness is extremely refreshing. I spent more time enjoying the finish than drinking this cider. It is quite a rollercoaster this one. The aroma is inviting, but then each sip is mediocre and slightly disappointing, and finally you get to the finish, which is the reward for taking each sip. This is not the greatest cider, but there is potential.

Scores:
Cost - $10.95 for a 6 pack
Taste - 6.5/10 for the taste, 9.5/10 for the finish
ABV - 7%

Overall - 7.25/10...75% from the taste and 25% from the finish

Samuel Smith's Organic Cider Review

Samuel Smith's Organic Cider is one of the new fall 2010 LCBO additions. It is made from organically grown apples with cane sugar and retails for $4.95, which is pretty pricey for a 550 mL bottle.

The cider is, well, pale straw in color and well carbonated. The aroma is of sweet apples with a slight vinegar scent. The taste is absolutely stunning. It tastes like no other cider I have tried. It can only be described as an apple juice mixed with some club soda with some citric acid added. I have no idea where the alcohol comes from, but this is still is 5% ABV. Due to the cane sugar, the cider does get a little sweet by the end of the bottle, but the apple sourness helps a little. The one thing I should note is the thickness of the cider. It is a little more syrupy than other ciders I have tried, but it is still pretty damn good.

Scores:

Cost - $4.95 for a 550 mL bottle

Taste - 8.2/10

Overall - 8.2/10...solid cider, but a little syrupy and a bit pricey

Rekorderlig Elderflower Cider Review

I have another cider for today and this one is new from Rekorderlig.

Since this is a pear based cider with elderflower, it has a champagne, very pale yellow color and pours with a medium, very bubbly head, which takes a few seconds to go down. Its aroma is sweet and heavy on the elderflower with a distant, slightly sour pear note. Much like its Wildberry cousin, it has a very sweet taste with most of the flavour coming in at the start. Along with the sweet flavour comes the strong, 7% ABV taste, which disappears rather quickly once the less sweet and slightly sour pear flavour comes in midway. The finish is sweet and a touch sour. Overall this is a great new cider, but on the downside, it is still very sweet.

Scores:
Cost - $2.85 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 7.9/10

Overall - 7.9/10...sweet, but a solid cider

Growers Peach Cider Review

OK, not quite a peach cider, but more a peach flavoured cider, but I will let this slide. Yes, another review and another cider. That is two in a row.

The cider has a champagne-like pale color and a strong peach aroma, which reminds me of peach schnapps. The taste is much lighter and definitely not as sweet as peach schnapps. It is crisp with a strong peach flavour at the start and an acidic apple one at the end. The peach flavour comes back in the aftertaste and creates a very pleasant and refreshing sensation. The 7% ABV is not noticeable at first, but half way through the bottle, one starts to notice the alcohol flavour and effects.

Scores:
Cost - $10.95 for a 6-pack...cheap!!!
Taste - 8/10

Overall - 8.1/10...crisp peach flavour with a nice sour apple kick at the end

Waupoos Premium Cider Review

I got another cider for today's review. This was a leftover from last weekend's LCBO run and I thought it would make a nice addition to the cider section. Unlike some of the other ciders that I have reviewed, this one is at 6.5% ABV, making it one of the stronger ones you can get from LCBO.

The Waupoos cider is pale straw in color and slightly cloudy. On the nose are mostly sour apples with some sweeter ones in the distance. Some grassy notes can also be detected as well as some other unknowns which resemble artificial sweeteners. Though 6.5% ABV, the taste is surprisingly free of any alcohol tones. It is crisp with a nice and light sour apple flavour. There is a touch of sweetness, but it gets lost in the brief sea of sourness. The finish is surprisingly clean, and very crisp. I have to say that this cider is not bad at all. If it had a bit more flavour, I would call this one of the best ciders you can buy from the LCBO.

Scores:
Cost - $13.35 CAD for a 4 -pack
Taste - 8/10

Overall - 8.1/10...this gets an extra 0.1 for the pleasant surprise

William's Sir Perry Berry Strawberry Flavoured Pear Cider Review

I like William's Sir Perry Pear Cider. In fact, it is one of my favorites so when I saw this new addition to the family, I had to get one and try it.

As expected, the cider is light red in color and has a sweet strawberry aroma...though it smells a little fake. The main aroma is still, of course, pears. The taste is not what I expected. It is not good, not good at all. It is sweet and has a very weird and raunchy latex taste. Once that goes away, the strawberries and pears can be tasted, but the overall taste and finish is poor. I hate to say this, but this is just not good. I will stick to the original William's Pear Cider.

Scores:
Cost - $2.85 for a 500 mL can
Taste - 4/10

Overall - 4/10...tastes like a latex glove

William Premium Cider Review

Aaah, cider! It's great on a hot day like today. William cider is a new LCBO, or at least one that I have never seen before, and retails for $2.75 CAD. I have noticed that some of the new products that appear on the LCBO shelves are moving towards being organic.

Organic or not, this cider has a beautiful pale golden/straw color, almost identical to that of plain apple juice. The aroma resembles that of champagne with a strong apple influence. The taste...is fantastic, absolutely fantastic. It is not as ranky as some other ciders, nor is it overly sweet like others. The taste starts off light, slightly sweet with the taste of fresh apples coming in shortly after. Towards the end, the apple taste intensifies to give the finish a crisp apple taste without any of the rotten apple taste. The more I drank this cider, the stronger the taste of apples became, but it never got ranky or too sweet. Towards the end of the can, it seemed like I had just had a glass of apple juice mixed with some carbonated water...except for the light buzz I was experiencing, that was a reminder that what I just had contained 5.2% ABV. This was an absolutely delight to drink and I strongly recommend it if you like cider, or would like to get into ciders.

Scores:
Cost - $2.75 CAD for a 473 mL can
Taste - 8.8/10

Overall - 8.9/10...have a 0.1 for the surprise factor

William's Sir Perry Pear Cider Review

Aaah, yes, another cider review. Today I am trying a pear based cider from the United Kingdom. Many of the LCBO stores I have seen carry this so it should not be a problem finding one near you. A 500 mL can costs $2.85 CAD.

The cider is pale straw in color and pours like any other cider - tons of carbonation and no head of course. Even though this is a pear based cider, the aroma is not much different from the regular, apple based cider. The fermented pears give off an aroma similar to that of fermented apples with the exception of a very, very distant pear scent. In fact, it is so distant, I will say that this smells a lot like a regular apple cider. The taste brings out the differences and this is where the pear flavour shines...OK, it doesn't shine, but it is definitely a lot more noticeable than in the aroma. Like other ciders the taste is crisp and just a touch sweet. The finish is acidic and the pear flavour lingers for a long time which creates a pleasurable sensation. I like this cider, I like it more than I liked Rekorderlig earlier this week. The taste is not too sweet so I can see myself consuming more than one can per sitting.

Scores:
Cost - $2.85 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 8.8/10

Overall - 8.8/10...crisp, acidic taste with subtle pear flavour, excellent cider

Rekorderlig Wild Berries Cider Review

Since the cider section lacks content I decided to get some and post some reviews. Tonight I am having Rekorderlig, a party favorite of mine for two reasons - tastes great and has a high alcoholic content. A can of it costs $2.80 CAD and most LCBO stores carry it.

The cider has a pale pink color and pours like a soft drink - very fizzy. The aroma is composed of the sweet notes of berries with a distant sour kick from the pears and apples. The taste is sweet and similar to that of berry soft drinks. The berries are most noticeable at the beginning and get replaced by the taste of apples at the end. The finish is cream soda-like, sweet and the berries make a second appearance in the aftertaste. Unlike some good beers that are 7% ABV, where the alcohol taste is masked nicely, the alcohol taste in this cider is strong. In addition to the higher alcohol content, paired with the added sugar, can give you a harsh headache so be careful how many of these you consume in a night. The cider is very carbonated which renders chugging impossible or quite painful.

If you are not a fan of ciders because of the raunchy apple aroma and taste some have, give this one a chance. The berries knock the aroma and taste of apples right out of the can.

Scores:
Cost - $2.80 CAD for a 500 mL can
Taste - 7.9/10

Overall - 7.9/10...goes down easy, no raunchiness, but beware of the sweetness

Peeler Premium Light Cider Review

It has a been a very long time since we have reviewed a cider on this blog so I decided to do something about this. A couple of weeks ago I got a 4 pack of a local cider produced in Thornbury, Ontario. The 4 pack costs $11.95 CAD, which is a bit steep for four 341 mL bottles.

This cider is not like anything I have ever had. Its color is pale yellow with a tint of light green almost like white wine or champagne. For a light cider, the aroma is quite strong. The taste is strong, but not as strong as some other ciders I have had. It is quite bubbly, which gives it a very soft drink-like feel. With the help of the carbonation, the finish is crisp and a touch dry. This is a great introductory cider for people who have never had any before. I would buy it again, but I will check my bank account before splurging $12 on only 4 bottles.

Scores:
Cost - $11.95 CAD for a 4 pack of 341 mL bottles
Taste - 7.8/10

Overall - 7.8/10...great introductory cider with champagne/sparkling wine-like properties

Magner's Original Irish Cider Review

I've decided to switch things up a bit here, and take a little detour from beer into the world of macrobrewed cider. Ciders are refreshing on a hot day and offer something sweet. Today I have Magner's Original Irish Cider, which I found to be a popular choice in England. It's called Bulmer's in Ireland.

The can suggests serving it over ice, so this is what I have done. It's a nice orange color, a little darker than I'm used to seeing from this type of cider. The taste is a little different from what I'm used to as well. It is quite sweet and doesn't have much of the tartness that you'd expect from cider. It's certainly quite refreshing and there is no hint of the 5% ABV. It can't be directly compared with beer on the taste scale, but it's good for what it is. I could see myself drinking a few of these, since it has a light taste. I will be scoring it based on the refreshment and lightness, not on our usual expectations for beer.

Scores:
Cost - $2.95 for 500 mL can
Taste - 7.5/10

Overall - 7.5/10...refreshing and delicious, but a little too sweet and lacking any complex flavors.