Local Press Apple & Cherry

From a company called Collective Arts that makes ciders, beer, spirits and energy drinks. This cider is made from with apple cider and Ontario-grown Montmorency cherries. They call it a "tart cherry cider" and it is. It has a deep red colour like a Beaujolais and a faint cherry bouquet. The cherry flavour is intense and dry initially; the cherry lingers slightly and it finishes dry. (They also make a pure cider, their "flagship," made with Ontario-grown northern Spy, Ida Red and Spartan apples, which they describe as "refreshing, crisp, [and] clean.")

This is on par with the West Avenue Cherriosity though not as good as the exceptional Loch Mór Sour Cherry or the Goldkehlchen Sauerkirsche. 5.8% ABV. My rating 7/10

Dragon's Gold Dry Craft

From Heritage Cider in Barrie, Ontario this is an interesting cider. Unlike most commercial cider it is cloudy like a scrumpy with a pale yellow-gold colour and a light old-apple bouquet. Taste is lighter than expected but is a pleasant off-dry old apple taste with a good after taste. 8/10

Thornbury Craft Strong (125)

For my 125th cider comes this is very strong cider from Thornsbury at 7.1%. It has a very faint yellow colour like a white wine and a very faint apple bouquet. They state on their website that this cider has a "bright, crisp apple flavor, just like biting into a fresh apple." Well, not quite. The taste is off-dry to lightly sweet and the taste is quite light. This is sweeter than any apple I've ever eaten and sweeter than I like. 6.5/10

Duxbury Heritage 1650

This is a pure apple cider made on an longstanding family farm near Meaford, Ontario. Their description for this cider: "Heritage 1650 honours the first North American cider by including some of the very apple varieties from that inaugural batch, crafted over 365 years ago"

Light champagne colour with a light dry apple bouquet. Taste is light apple and just off dry. It has a good sweet/tart balance, and finishes with a drier aftertaste. Very good. 8/10

Bumper Crop Crisp Apple

From B.C. is a new offering from Vancouver. They call it a "flavoured cider," and their ingredient list refers to added "natural" flavour. But it a strange that of all the ciders I've tried that add "natural" flavour, they invariably have an artificial apple bouquet and flavour. The taste is similar to cheap apple candy. The other ingredients are carbonated water and cider (in that order), so the flavouring is to make up for the cider being diluted. Also, it is called "crisp" but is a sweet cider! 4/10

Coffin Ridge Forbidden Hopped Dry

From Coffin Ridge Winery is the second of their ciders that I've tried. It has a mild apple bouquet and a light yellow-amber colour. The taste is a just off-dry and mild apple taste. It has a slight additional taste that I can't identify but is familiar. The ingredients are fermented apple juice, sugar, hops and sulphites (though I'm not sure what the difference is between "fermented apple juice" and cider). 7/10

Liberty Village Extra Dry

This Liberty Village offering is labelled "extra dry" and it is. It has a light amber colour and light apple bouquet. The taste is dry but quite light as is the alcohol content at 4.5%. It is made from 100% apples with no additives. I like the dryness but the taste is too light. 6.5/10