Review of Common Cider Company’s Hibiscus Saison cider.  My husband picked this up for me in Northern California, and its the first cider I’ve tried from them.

Cider:  Hibiscus Saison
Cidery:  Common Cider Company
Cidery Location:  Drytown CA
ABV:  6.5%
How Supplied:  four pack of slim 12oz cans
Style:  American craft cider from dessert apples with hibiscus flower extract

 

Availability:  Northern CA and Las Vegas NV, per their Locator page

Cider Description:  Hibiscus Saison pours a rosy red color with a bubbly head. The aroma is light & floral with hints of sweet apples and hibiscus.

It won Silver in the “Specialty Cider and Perry” category at GLINTCAP 2016.

Cidery Description:  We don’t brew ciders, we craft moments. If it has anything to do with bringing people together, sparking conversation, bolstering friendships, and creating memories, it has everything to do with our approach to cider.

Just ask Fran. As founder of Common Cider, Fran Toves was inspired into the cider realm by a simple desire: to utilize her foodies’ passion for flavor experimentation and her love of shared times to create something rare and delicious. Her dream was a portfolio of ciders painstakingly designed to pair beautifully with food while moving people to find common ground and celebrate the simple act of being human. In 2012, Fran shared her dream with the world at homebrew competition in Reno, NV. And the response, three ciders placing in the top 10, was all the validation she needed to go all in. Thus Common Cider was born.

In Fran’s world, flavor is everything. Surprising flavor, adventurous flavor, flavor as gift to one’s family and friends. And it’s in the “layering of flavors,” as Fran likes to call it, where her artistry fully expressed. Only the juiciest, fresh-pressed, locally sourced apples. Only the choicest, natural fruit extracts and botanicals – local and organic wherever possible. Flavor profiles that lean more towards wine than beer. Light, crisp, a sweetness hinted but never overstated.

These are ciders that taste like poems, enjoy them in the spirit of togetherness. Common ciders are naturally low in sugar, gluten-free, and feature slightly lower-than-typical alcohol levels (6.5%).

See this article for more information.

Price:  ~ $10 / 4 pack
Where Bought:  a grocery store outside of Sacramento CA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  I looked online for ciders available in Northern California and made my husband a list.

First Impression:  Medium red orange hue.  Nearly still (no carbonation).  Smells mild – fruity, floral, and tart.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry.  Light to medium bodied.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Moderate length finish.  Notes of pomegranate, strawberry, floral, honey, cranberry, and cherry.  Low apple flavor.  Moderate sessionability.  Moderate flavor intensity.

My Opinion:  Nice.  However, it wasn’t what I expected…way more fruity than floral.  The cidermaker said the use of Belgian Saison yeast helps retain more flavor in the cider, and I agree–the flavor was more intense than typically found with a semi-dry cider.

Most Similar to:  Elemental  Oxygen (Pomegranate) cider, which was also fruity and tart. I’ve had a few floral infused ciders, but this cider didn’t really line up with those.

Closing Notes:   I’m glad I got to try it.  This is a nice summer cider.

Have you tried Common Cider?  What did you think?