Review of William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Wild Cherry, out of Lodi California.  This is one of Cider Brothers’ new flavored William Tell ciders.

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Cider Brothers.  Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free.  The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue.  I love free stuff, especially cider!  Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here?  Contact me.<<

Cider:  William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Wild Cherry
Cidery:  Cider Brothers
Cidery Location:  Lodi CA
ABV:  6.0%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans
Style:  American commercial cider made from dessert apples, with cherry concentrate

  

Availability:  National distribution.

Apple Varieties:  Granny smith, golden russet, gala, fuji, and red delicious (sourced from Washington).

Cider Description:  Very complex flavors with a light cherry color. The generous effervescence carries aromas exploding with sour cherry and cinnamon. Flavors continue on the palate with spice and oak tannins. Medium bodied with rich mouthfeel and a hint of cinnamon.  Pairings: Hard Cheeses, Fatty Duck, Smoked Meats, Burgers with Blue Cheese

Cidery Description:  From early morning through late afternoon, we bring a winemaker’s approach to producing small batches of handcrafted hard apple ciders. It starts with cold fermenting small lots of fresh apple juice to capture the delicate flavors and complex balance that makes this Mother Nature’s most refreshing adult beverage. The result is our refreshing, lightly carbonated artisan cider, produced at our Lodi winery.

The cider brothers are Michael and Paul Scotto.  The Scotto family has been in the wine industry for five generations, and Scotto Cellars is among the 30 largest wineries in California.  They used their wine background when starting to make cider, and by mistake developed a method they call “frost fermentation”.  They put the fresh apple juice into the refrigerated fermenter, as they would do for Chardonnay.  They next morning there was a layer of ice on the inside edges and top of the tank.  They remove the ice (water) and the result was a sweeter cider with more concentrated and rich flavor.  This is more labor and time intensive, but they feel the result is worth it.  (it reminds me of the process for ice cider)

Price:  n/a (runs ~$3 / can)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

First Impression:  Light red hue.  Very low carbonation upon pouring.  Smells of mild sweet cherry.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Still (no noticeable carbonation).  Medium bodied.  Moderate cherry flavor.  Mild tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Quick finish.  No apple flavor.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  I enjoyed this.  The cherry flavor tasted fairly “real”.  It was flavorful and not too sweet.  However, the flavor is quite simple…I didn’t pick up on anything except cherry, far from what was described (which is fine by me, and typical for a flavored cider made from dessert apples).

Most Similar to:  Other cherry ciders I’ve tried, such as from  Elemental,, Jester & Judge, Julian, Locust, One Tree, Original Sin, Red Tank, Tieton, Washington Gold, and Woodchuck.  My favorites of those are from Washington Gold and Woodchuck (the Private Reserve Barrel Aged Cherry).

Closing Notes:   I enjoyed this cider, but my favorite of the five William Tell ciders remains the Mango Muscat.  I imagine these ciders will do well as they are easy to drink and on the sweeter side.

Have you tried Cider Brothers William Tell?  What did you think?