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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.