Vilkmergés Craft Semi-dry Sidras

From Panevéžys, Lithuania. Pale amber colour like ginger ale with a light natural apple bouquet. Semi-sweet taste of light apple of a general generic commercial type but not too much. Ingredients are apple juice, water, sugar, CO2, citric acid, flavorings, etc. 5.4% ABV. My rating 6.5/10.

Iļģuciema Premium

From Riga, Latvia. Made from water and apple concentrate. Dark amber colour with a fairly strong apple bouquet, slightly artificial. Has a typical commercial sweet apple taste though not too artificial. 5.7% ABV. My rating 6.5/10. ģ

Piebalgas Semi-dry Pear

From Juanpiebalga, Latvia. Very pale yellow colour with a light pear bouquet. Initially light but natural pear taste and semi-sweet but not overly sweet for a perry. One of the better perries that I’ve tried. 5.0% ABV. My rating 7/0.

Lielvārdes Sparkling Semi-sweet Craft Sidrs

This cider is made by a company based in Riga. Pale amber colour like ginger ale with a “commercial” apple bouquet. For a semi-sweet cider it is not overly sweet. Taste is somewhat artificial apple but better than most. Label on can also refers to this as “sparkling cider with apple flavour,” but does not list ingredients. The company’s website states that they were trying to emulate English ciders. 5.6% ABV. My rating 6.5/10.

Happy Joe Extra Dry Pear

Dark amber colour unusual for a Perry and with an intense pear bouquet. Lightly sweet pear taste. Ingredients are water, cider, concentrated pear juice and sugar. 4.5% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Happy Joe Dry

Pale amber, like ginger ale, with a sweet artificial bouquet. For a “dry” cider it is initially sweet with an artificial apple taste and with an odd aftertaste. Labelled as “premium English style cider” - which it is definitely not. 4.7% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Tanker Õunasiider

Tanker is an Estonian cider maker. Their basic apple cider is labeled dry. It is dark amber in colour with a fresh apple bouquet. Taste is light apple, a little artificial; it is off-dry and finishes a little sweeter. Õuna means apple. 5.5% ABV. My rating 6.5/10.

Mull Kuiv Siider

From by OÜ City Cider in Tallinn, Estonia, made from 100% Estonian apples and 100% juice.  Pale yellow in colour with a nice old apple bouquet. There is an initial old apple taste that finishes a little sweeter to off-dry with a lingering clean varietal apple flavour. Kuiv means dry. 5.5% ABV. My rating 8/10.

Vaski Muusa 8 Ice Cider

From Finland this is an ice cider made from frozen apples and refrozen juice. Aged briefly in oak barrels. Amber colour with a light sweet apple bouquet. Taste is sweet light apple with a slight nutty sherry-like taste. 8.0% ABV. My rating 7.5/10.

Vaski Punomo

Medium yellow colour with an old apple bouquet. Taste is a strong old apple, off-dry, which lingers. 4.5% ABV. My rating 7/10.

Vaski Sour Cider

A very different cider, noted as being inspired by the ciders of Spain, especially the Basque region. It is fermented completely dry and unfiltered so it is slightly cloudy. They also note the “twist of vinegary bite.” The colour is light amber with a sharp bouquet that is lightly acidic or vinegary. Taste is very dry and tart with a light vinegar aftertaste. Very intense so may be okay with certain foods but not on its own. 6.5% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Vaski Saaga

From Halikko, Finland, tried at the cidery with the proprietor. This is medium amber with a pronounced old apple bouquet. Taste is firm old apple with a drier slightly astringent finish. Dry enough to be better with food. 7.5% ABV. My rating 6.5/10.

Vaski Sauna

From Halikko, Finland. Medium yellow colour slightly cloudy with a light old apple bouquet. Taste starts dry and lightly apple flavour and lightly astringent. It then finishes drier. 5.0% ABV. My rating 6.5/10.

Crowmoor Dry

Light amber in colour and and a light apple bouquet. Taste is off-dry with a light musty aftertaste. 4.7% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Happy Joe Dry White Riesling Flavoured

One of the more unusual ciders I’ve tried; this is a Riesling flavoured cider! Pale yellow wine coloured with a floral bouquet. It has a nice effervescences and there is a distinct floral taste with a hint of citrus but, surprisingly, finishes off-dry. The only ingredients listed on the label that could account for the so-called Riesling taste are citric acid and natural flavours. 5.4% ABV. My rating 6.5/10.

Åkre Edel Rosésider Med Bringebær

A Norwegian cider (tried in Norway) made by Garden Åkre (post@aakre-gard.no) that translates “rosé cider with raspberries”. Pale rosé colour like rosé wine, with a light bouquet. For a fruit added cider it is on the dry side. Noticeable red berry taste and quite effervescent, and finishes drier and slightly tannic. 4.7% ABV. My rating 8.5/10.

Samuel Smith’s Organic

From Tadcaster, North Yorkshire in the UK (that I tried in Oslo). It has a light amber colour with a distinct but light old apple bouquet. Initial taste is light and off-dry with a light astringent finish and kind of sour apple aftertaste. Made with water and “organic apple concentrate” - so much for authentic! 5.0% ABV. My rating 6.5/10.

Crowmoor Extra Dry

From Kerava, Finland (though I tried in Oslo) comes this cider with a medium amber colour and a light bouquet. It has a medium apple taste that is initially dry and finishes very dry with a kind of light tannic finish. Very different and good. 4.7% ABV. My rating 7/10.

Top Rated Ciders

After trying my 200th cider I thought it would be a good time to do a list of the ciders I've rated 9 or higher. So far 9.5 is the highest.

Stonewell Dry (9.5)
Wignac (9.5)
West Avenue Little Mac (9.5)
Bridge Farm Sparkling Pear Cider (9.5)
Stonewell Medium Dry
Loch Mór Harrison Danforth Road series
Fils de Pomme
Dunkertons Organic Perry
Christian Drouin Cidre Bouché Brut de Normandie
Loch Mór Sour Cherry
A Tortured Path
Goldkehlchen Sauerkirsche
Ruwet
Vieni Sparkling Cider
Rock Creek Dry
Spy Golden Eye
Savanna Dry

En Svensk Pear (200)

My two hundredth cider comes from Sweden. En Svensk Päron has a very pale yellow colour like a vinho verde. It has a very faint pear bouquet. Light pear taste that is semi-sweet but low for a perry. Quite refreshing. 4.5% ABV. My rating 7.5/10.

Golden Cider Company

Tried at the Vasa Museum, Stockholm. Medium yellow colour with a fresh apple bouquet. Nice fresh apple flavour a little sweeter than I like but quite good. 4.2% ABV. My rating 7/10.

Cidraie Original

Tried in Stockholm, this French cider is made by Louis Raison of Domagné, Bretagne. It has a deep yellow color like an oaked Chardonnay and an intense apple bouquet. It has an old apple, typically “French” taste. Semi-sweet taste that finishes slightly drier. Very nice if a little sweeter than I usually like. 4.0% ABV. My rating 8/10.

Opre’

I tried two ciders from Slovakian cider maker Opre’: regular and Metzen. They are hard to find – I finally found some at 100 piv craft beer bar & shop, Medená 33, Bratislava.

The regular cider is made from 100% apple juice. Bright yellow colour and light fresh apple bouquet. Full flavour with slight apple skin notes. Semi-sweet at first finishes drier. 4.7% ABV. My rating 7.5/10.

Metzen has a medium yellow colour like Chardonnay and a dry old apple bouquet. Taste is dry with a light old apple taste with a little tannic finish. A little too old apple for me. ABV 7.0%. My rating 6.5/10.

From their website:

"We have made this unprecedented Slovak apple cider Opre' Metzen Cider from apple fruits of exceptional yet old varieties, which are rare to find nowadays. Fermentation of 100 % apple juice in an honest craft way created a 7 % dry cider. Metzen will enchant lovers of straight cider without any flavours. Its name comes from an ancient legend in which the brave Matilda (or Metzen) knocked down a local dragon. Best served chilled."

Stari Lisac

This Croatian cider is made by a company part of the Heineken group. This might explain its very commercial formula and taste.

Tried it at The Beertija Bar in Zagreb. Stari Lisac means old fox. Deep yellow like an oaked Chard. Strong apple bouquet. Slightly artificial taste and semi-sweet. Finishes with sweet apple. Not pure cider - 1st ingredient is water. Made by Heineken or a subsidiary. 4.5% ABV. My rating 6/10.

Aspall Pip & Wild Sparkling Cyder

Had in Zagreb, looks to be bottled in Croatia but part of Aspall UK (see label). Pale yellow colour; bouquet is artificial apple like Sommersby. Taste is like apple candy, sweetness is 7/10. Aftertaste is mostly sweetness. 4.0% ABV. My rating 5/10.

Malner Bora

Tried in Sir William’s Pub, Ljubljana. Pale yellow colour like a Chardonnay. Bouquet is light slightly musty old apple. Taste is intially medium sweet with medium apple then finishes drier and quite good aftertaste. 5.9% ABV. My rating 7/10.

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International Cider Festivals and Awards

The Cider Explorer is a good resource for ciders around the world.

Nordic International Cider Awards in Riga, Latvia.

International Natural Cider Awards in Madeira

International Cider Challenge in London

Cider World Awards 2021 in Frankfurt

POLISH CIDER MAKERS

Cydr Radosny in Piskorzów, Poland has won awards at the Nordic International Cider Awards in Riga, Latvia, and at the International Natural Cider Awards in Madeira, Spain.

Lubelski Cider, Poland

Tabun
Cydr Chyliczki
Cydr Ignaców
Cydrownia Zywer
Pfeiffer’s Cider
Filomelos
Cydr Pełnia
Cydr Swoszowicki
Cydr Lorek

Bertrand Monnerie Cidre Fermier du Pays de Brocéliande

This sparkling cider is made by multi-award winning cider house, Bertrand Monnerie, that is situated just west of Rennes in Brittany in the north-west of France. They have 32 hectares of organic orchards on the edge of the Brocéliande forest.

Colour is a dark amber with a strong fresh apple and light spice bouquet. It has that very French pronounced apple flavour immediately and follows with apple skin and light spice. They don't show this bottle on their website so it may be for export (the label is in English), but, by description, it seems to be their "Raw Cider" which the darkness of the one I had would indicate. 6% ABV. My rating 8.5/10.

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!"

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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