I sure do enjoy cider!, I am working on my 3rd Strongbow, I prefer Strongbow or Blackthorn (I feel fine in the morning, other brands that I have tried hurt me). What is your favorite brand and why?.
unclviny
I forgot which one I had in a bar, but it was a green apple cider, with the extra sweet/tart/sourness you would expect from Granny Smith apples. It was really refreshing, and a nice change from beer once in a while. Came in a green bottle. Which one was that?
My gal’s favorite brand is Hard Dickens Cider. But a little too much sometimes. Sometimes I try to get her all the Hard Dickens Cider I can, but she still wants more Hard Dickens Cider.
:rolleyes:
I like Strongbow and Blackthorn. Haven’t really had any other ones, except a locally-produced (southern Ontario) brand called County, which is far and away my favourite. I doubt if you can get it outside of Ontario, though.
Woodchuck. It’s all the people I mooch off of keep around.
Only one I’ve tried was Woodchuck. It was delicious, though it seemed to contain a lot more sugar than beer does; I got a sugar-headache not long after drinking it.
I’m very fond of Hornsby’s at the moment. Woodchuck is the only other one I’ve had though.
-Lil
I float Guinness on Spire Mtn. Pear Cider – like a Black & Tan, but using pear cider for the tan. It’s quite tasty. My local tavern calls this combination a ‘Snakebite’, but to me a ‘Snakebite’ is a mixed drink: Yukon Jack with fresh squeezed lime juice.
Quick recommendation: If you like cider and see some from Normandy, get it. All of the French ciders that I’ve tried are much better than the American ciders I’ve had. Places like Whole Foods or other snobby groceries or wine shops will often have one or more French ciders.
Gotta agree with unclviny on Strongbow or Blackthorn.
Danalan, it always amuses me the sheer number of drinks that are named snakebite. Here, probably the most common drink of the student community is Snakey-B, which is Snakebite and Blackcurrent, Snakebite being half lager-half cider. What we call Snakey-B, however, I have also heard called Diesel. There seems to be no logic whatsoever to it.
Strongbow is nice.
Another favourite of mine is Gaymer’s Olde English Cyder. I like Gaymer’s Special K Cider as well (it’s quite strong at over 8% alcohol), although part of it is probably the cool black bottle.
French ciders (mostly from Normandy) are also quite nice Cidraie Cidre Blond, Cidre de Normandie Brut, Vallé de la Vire Brut are some I have tried although I can never remember which one is best. I think the ciders from Normandy generally go very well with food.
I’ve tried - at some point or other - most of the ciders available in the UK. For me, it’s a no-brainer; Scrumpy Jack [sub](incidentally the official cider of the England Cricket Team)[/sub] is gorgeous. It’s also 6%, so you’d better go easy (as my nephew found out on his 18th birthday last Sunday - I did warn him but apparently such warnings only apply to idjits, not to him.
Ohh, I like Strongbow. Haven’t seen it here though - mind you, I don’t go to bars, so it’s not surprising.
At home (Alberta, Canada) we were able to get Grower’s Cider, made in British Columbia. They made all kinds, but their dry Pear and Raspberry were the best.
I don’t like Woodchuck, not a bit.
If you ever get to Normandy you will see roadside signs inviting you for a tasting ( just as you see wine-tasting in the rest of France). That cider is the real thing and well worth stopping for. Most of these places also sell Calvados which is a potent brandy distilled from cider apples.
Are there any Brits here who have tried Grower’s, and if so, would you call it a real cider? I’ve always identified it more as a cooler.