Review of Freyeisen Apfelwein, a german “apple wine”, and the first cider I’ve tried from Germany.

Cider:  Freyeisen Apfelwein German Cider
Cidery:  Freyeisen
Cidery Location:  Frankfurt Germany (Hessen-Rhine-Main)
ABV:  5.5%
How Supplied:  single 330ml bottles (which is a format you don’t see often)
Style:  German Apfelwein

  

Availability:  Unknown

Cider Description:  Produced in the hills near Frankfurt, from the region of Hessen which has centuries of cider culture and tradition. Freyeisen uses a unique blend of local apple varieties, crushed and fermented using traditional methods only. Fine soft carbonation. Fresh, crisp and full of ripe fruits. Scents of honey, orange blossom, apple tree and almonds.

Note that I couldn’t find much info on this cider besides a few reviews online…even the cidery’s website wasn’t working.

Price:  $4 or $5?
Where Bought:  Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing.  Both my husband and I are of German heritage (my husband moreso), so I was quite curious to try a cider from Germany.  This was the most affordable German cider they had (the others were larger format bottles), so I thought I’d start with it.

First Impression:  Medium amber hue.  Low carbonation.  Smells of bittersweet apples, yeast, honey, spice, and oak.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  Mild tannins and bitterness.  No sourness or funk.  I picked up the same notes as the scent, except add vanilla & citrus and subtract spice.  It had a warming effect (tasted like it had a higher ABV than indicated).  Well balanced and crisp flavors tending towards apple-forward.  Medium bodied. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate length finish.

My Opinion:  Pretty tasty, definitely well above average, but not spectacular.  Its an easily likable cider as long as someone isn’t expecting something significantly sweeter.  I found its sessionability to be moderate (not higher mostly due to it tasting like the ABV was on the high end due to a warming effect).

Most Similar to:  It seemed to have characteristics in between that which I’d associate with English & French (Brittany not Normandy) ciders.  I don’t however have any other apfelwein experience to compare to.

Closing Notes:   I’m curious to try other apfelweins!

Have you tried any ciders from Germany?  What did you think?