Wednesday, March 26, 2025

La Gijonesa

Made by Bodegas Valente of Montevideo was this one cider that I found. It has a pale yellow colour with a very light apple bouquet. Taste is not as sweet as expected but at the limit of sweetness that I like. Slight old apple taste that finished less sweet. Cost was very reasonable at 100 pesos or $3.50 for a 1.5 lire bottle! My rating 6.5/10.

From their description: "Gijonesa cider is made from fresh apples and tastes like you're drinking juice directly from an apple. It's delicious, refreshing and will keep you cool all summer long!"

Friday, March 14, 2025

Isidra

Isidra is a sparkling Argentinean cider by Cerveza Patagonia. Amber in colour with a oaky sweet bouquet. The taste is lightly sweet with old apple notes and with a mild tannic finish. Quite nice. 5.3% ABV. My rating 7.5/10

Rama Caída

This Argentinean cider was either off or had a terrible flavour. The “bouquet” was of cider vinegar and it tasted like cider with a hint of sweetness and not much apple taste. Date is labeled 29/08/22; is that Aug 22/2029 or Aug 29/2022? If one liked the taste of vinegar with some sweetness, this would be an okay drink. 4.0% ABV. My rating 4/10.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Pommies Sem-Dry Mimosa

This is a very different type of cider - one with added orange juice like the popular raddlers. The colour is like pale orange juice similar to Orangina with a light apple bouquet. The taste is semi-sweet with a nice combination of a cider with a hint of orange. It might make a refreshing summertime drink! 5.5% ABV. My rating 7/10

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Cowbell Black Cherry

A second Cowbell cider, this one flavoured. The ingredients are cider, cherry juice, natural flavour (black cherry), and purple carrot juice. The colour is a pale cherry with a strong artificial cherry candy or cherry soda bouquet. Taste is initially artificial cherry that is semi-sweet but finishes a little drier. 5.0% ABV. My rating 6.0/10

Friday, February 7, 2025

Yip Mango

This cider from Yip cider of New Brunswick has a pale yellow colour with a very light apple and tropical bouquet. It is semi-sweet with a very light apple, but the only hint of mango is a finishing tartness. 6.0% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Yip Blueberry Picnic

This cider from Yip cider of New Brunswick has a deep reddish-blue colour with a very light berry bouquet. It is semi-sweet with a light blueberry flavour and a lingering aftertaste. 5.0% ABV. My rating 7.5/10.

Friday, January 31, 2025

Yip Cranberry

Also called "bogberry," this is another Yip cider from New Brunswick. Some cans are labelled "cranberry" and some "bogberry". It has a bright cranberry colour but an odd artificial bouquet even though the ingredients listed are just cider and cranberries. The taste is a light berry with a quite a bit of astringency, but with an odd artificial taste. 5.0% ABV. My rating 5.5/10.

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Growers 1927 Extra Dry

Another from Growers that may be different from their 1927 Premium Dry or their Century Dry, but I'm not sure. The label refers to this as a "flavoured cider"; the ingredients are cider, natural flavour and caramel. It has a very light amber colour like a Chardonnay wine, and a light artificial apple bouquet. Taste is a light artificial apple flavour like an apple flavoured candy, though not as sweet, but it is FAR from "extra dry"! This is at best an off-dry to sweet cider.

I have noticed that most, if not all, ciders that I've tried that have the addition of "natural flavours" taste artificial, i.e., imitation flavour: a sign of a poorly made cider. 5.5% ABV. I would give it rating of 4 for the misleading labeling as "extra dry" but 5.5 for what it is.

Monday, January 20, 2025

Reinhart's Blackberry

Another Reinhardt cider from Stayner, Ontario. This flavoured cider is labelled "blackberry" but the flavour ingredients include only blueberry concentrate and natural flavours, and also carrot concentrate! It has  a cherry red colour and a a berry-grape bouquet. Unfortunately, for all these supposedly natural flavourings it tastes like grape and berry soda pop though not quite as sweet. 7% ABV. 5.5/10

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Stock & Row Cold Tea

Another Stock & Row cider, this one flavoured with black raspberry tea. It is noted as being zero sugar but is sweetened with stevia. It is light amber coloured with a light blackberry bouquet. It has an initial off-dry blackberry taste that is a little artificial but not overly so, much like most blackberry teas, and it finishes slightly drier. For a flavoured cider it is not bad. 4.0% ABV. 7/10

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Yip Hopped

Another from Yip, comes a distinctively different hopped cider. A clear pale yellow colour and a pronounced floral bouquet. The initial off-dry floral taste initially that finishes with a light astringency. 6% ABV. 6.5/10

Sunday, January 5, 2025

Yip

From Long Reach, New Brunswick comes this very light colour cider with a light apple bouquet. Taste is initially lightly tart and dry that follows with a slightly tropical aftertaste which is pleasant. They state on the can that it is made from New Brunswick apples but does specify species. They have been making cider since 1964! 6% ABV. 8.5/10