Review of Cascadia Ciderworks United Grapefruit Tangerine cider.  It is my first time trying this one, but I’ve had their Dry cider.

Cider:  Grapefruit Tangerine
Cidery:  Cascadia Ciderworks United
Cidery Location:  Portland OR (at the Reverend Nat’s facility)
ABV:  4.5%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans
Style:  American craft cider from dessert apples, with grapefruit & tangerine concentrates added

 

 

Availability:  I’m guessing this is a seasonal (not year round) release, and as far as I know, Cascadia cider is only sold in Oregon, Washington, and California

Cider Description:  Only the best Ruby Red grapefruits and ripe tangerines are used for this easy-drinking cider.  We use choice ale yeast to ferment apple juice then add enough citrus for a tart kick.

Cidery Description:  The Pacific Northwest grows more apples than anywhere else in the country, so we make hard cider here.  Our ciderworkers use only Cascadia-grown whole apples, never juice from concentrate.

Price:  $3.49 / single can (runs $10.99 / four cans)
Where Bought:  Total Wine
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing.  I had seen this at Bartells (a local drugstore), but this is the first time I saw single cans, so I was game to try it.

First Impression:  Pale orange hue.  Low carbonation.  Very mild orangey scent.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry.  Light to medium bodied.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  Low bitterness.  No tannins, sourness, or funk.  Notes of real tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon.  Moderate length finish.  Low apple flavor and complexity.  Moderate flavor intensity and sessionability.

My Opinion:  I thought this was pretty average.  I’m not the biggest fan of grapefruit, but I think it was more the natural bitterness of the tangerine which I found slightly off-putting with this cider.  It is plenty refreshing though, and relatively flavorful without being sweet.

Most Similar to:  I’ve had a few ciders with grapefruit, but none were really like this – Gumption Citrus Freak, Schilling Grapefruit & Chill, Elemental Hydrogen, and Schilling Peach Grapefruit Habanero.  The only tangerine (and mandarin orange) cider I’ve had is Reverend Nat’s New Moon Mandarin, which was very dry and very mild.  Of those, my favorite was the Elemental Hydrogen.

Closing Notes:  This is a nice spring/summer cider for folks who enjoy both grapefruit & tangerine.

Have you tried Cascadia Grapefruit Tangerine?  What did you think?