Disclaimer: I love sweet drinks, which is why I turned to cider in the first place. No, they’re not all sweet, but the deck is stacked to sweet, and those are the ones I like. If you don’t like sweet ciders, you don’t like what I like.
Magner’s was my first, and I’m still very fond of it. Not so sweet that it tastes like a Bitch Pop, but pretty sweet. Definitely better on tap, but very drinkable bottled.
Strongbow is amazing. Seriously amazing. Also seriously expensive and hard to find. (Although to be honest, I haven’t looked since cider exploded in popularity; have they brought the price down any?)
I find Angry Orchard hit or miss. It’s never bad, but sometimes it seems a little bland to me. It’s probably just me though; it’s a pretty popular yet respectable brand.
J. K. Scrumpy (which isn’t English made scrumpy, although it’s in the style of) is really good. Still sweet, but more complexity of flavor than your Woodchucks and Hornsbys.
But who am I kidding? I’ll drink Woodchuck and Hornsby too. I ain’t proud.
But not Redd’s. God, that stuff is vile… as well as not being cider. It’s a Bitch Pop (flavored malt beverage) and not even a particularly good one. This coming from a woman who actually enjoys Bacardi Breezers. Don’t judge.
I used to like Hard Core Cider, but haven’t seen it for sale of late. Had a great apple flavor, not too sweet, not too dry.
I now like Angry Orchard and Woodchuck Amber Cider. My wife loves Woodchuck’s Summer Cider, but I like Amber a lot better. I’m finishing up a six pack of Woodchuck’s Fall Harvest Cider, but buying it was a mistake, it’s OK, but the Amber is a hell of a lot better, IMHO.
I’ve tried Strongbow, it’s too dry for my taste but does have a nice flavor.
I’ve tried Johnny Appleseed, didn’t care for it at all. Really bad flavor.
I bought a can of Redd’s to try because it was on sale in individual cans. Haven’t tried it yet, and it sounds like I’m not likely to like it.
I’ve had Woodpecker in the past, but can’t remember a thing about it for good or for ill.
I have heard that adding a bit of Fireball Whiskey to some Angry Orchard is pretty good, thinking of trying it next time I have some Angry Orchard or Woodchuck Amber on hand.
I like trying a lot of different ciders too, but they’re not sold individually and I don’t really like buying a six-pack just to try one and go “bleagh!” So most of the time we try new ones in restaurants/bars which have them on the menu. But few restaurants/bars have more than one hard cider on the menu. Anyone know of a chain restaurant/bar that carries a lot of different hard ciders?
A good number of ciders do come in single bottles, but they are mid-market and up-market ciders. For example the Samuel Smith, the Aspall, the JK Scrumpy, and the Normandy and Basque ciders I mentioned. That said, the individual bottles cost something like $6/bottle for the first three, and more like $10-$20 for the Normandy and Basque ciders (but those come in a champagne bottle. There’s more expensive out there, too, but that’s more of the typical range for those ciders. Actually, Angry Orchard also has a series called “the Cider House Collection” which has ciders in the English, French, and Quebec styles, and also comes in champagne-type bottles.)
I know that probably doesn’t help you, but just want to point out to people looking for some of these ciders that they’re not necessarily being sold as six packs, and they don’t necessarily come in your standard beer bottle.
As for chains with a wide cider selection, I don’t know of any. I’m all ears, but while cider has become popular, I don’t think it’s gone quite that crazy yet. The best I’ve seen is some well-stocked grocery or liquor stores that have a “make your own six pack” deal may often have multiple ciders as part of the deal, so you might be able to take advantage of something like that.
Just checked on Spec’s and see the Vermont one is listed so I can give that a try. My refrigerator currently has Strongbow and Angry Orchard Crisp. I love the angry guy in the Angry Orchard commercials, too. Can’t imagine wanting cinnamon in my cider. Almost as awful as those cinnamon-encrusted pine cones they sell in the fall that make the entryway to so many stores so awful (Michael’s, I’m looking at you).
I’m with you. Fizzy, alcoholic apple juice is not something I want. Unfortunately, that’s all you get from most mass-market ciders, even those that claim “dry” on the label.
You can find dry ciders reminiscent of a dry sparkling wine with apple notes. I’ve enjoyed Albemarle Ciderworks in VA and Farnum Hill Ciders in NH. Were talking corked, 750 ml bottles running $15-20.
The only hard cider I’ve ever had that I can actively not recommend is a type called Wild Apple. I enjoy sweet beer-type drinks like Mike’s Hard once in awhile, but this stuff was way oversweetened to the point that it tasted like candy and left a cloying aftertaste that just wouldn’t go away.
If it’s available in your area, I recommend trying out Blue Mountain cider. They generally only come in the 22 oz. bottles for $6-7 a pop, but they’re good stuff. They make a “Dry Creek” variety which is super-dry to the point of almost tasting like a brut champagne, and they also make an absolutely delicious cherry cider which is like drinking a cherry pie.
The latest trend in cider that I’ve noticed is hopped cider, where they dry-hop the finished cider with aromatic hops to give it a floral (not bitter) hoppy flavor. I’ve tried a few varieties of that, and there’s not a particular brand that comes to mind that I can recommend, but it’s definitely worth tasting.
Of course, if you have even a fundamental knowledge of homebrewing and some basic equipment, you can easily make your own hard cider at home with the preservative-free apple juice of your choice, some champagne yeast, and sugar as desired for extra alcohol content. I brew a dry sparkling type that usually comes out somewhere around 10-11% ABV and would probably benefit from aging for a couple months, though for some strange reason it never seems to last that long.
Since it’s tailgating season, we usually like to have cider on hand for those opposed to beer. Usually it’s tbe AO Apple Ginger (mixed 50/50 with with your favorite Octoberfest for an appropriately fall seasonal beverage), but McKenzie’s black cherry cider caught my eye a couple weeks ago. I liked it, but I love cherry. I haven’t tried their other offerings yet.
About a year ago, we got a case of the Stella Artois Cidre for free. I didn’t like it but everyone else did. Has anyone tried it?
I tried the Stella, piepiepe. I used to like Stella beer so I thought I’d try it; did not like it. Seemed very watery and thin to me. I have the same feeling about the beer now too; I guess my tastes have changed, thanks to drinking some craft beers that have actual flavor. Now I’m looking for the perfect cider. Some good ideas in this thread. Black cherry sounds worth a try.
It unfortunately reminded me of Redd’s Apple Ale. However, my father and I made an apple ale that was surprisingly good. We’re currently making a mead that I hope turns out. Our next project might be a half mead half cider that hopefully tastes similar to Zombie Killer.
I drink cider because I can’t stand the taste of beer. And too many US ciders are made by beer companies and taste like beer made from apples. I’ve been told - not sure how reliably - that the US beer companies use the same yeast to make their cider as they do their beer, while British and European cider companies use a yeast specifically developed for cider.
I’ve had delicious ciders in England that were free of any beer tastes. Recommendations for a cider for those of us who loathe beer?
Add a shot of Fireball (or whatever spiced hard liquor you like) and it kicks that root beer beer up and minimizes that ale-y after taste.
Edit: I should add that I like it enough, but I can only drink one. My brother loves it though. The Fireball makes it taste like Barq’s with all that cinnamon bite.
