Review of Ramborn Cider’s Perry.  This is my first time trying anything from this Luxembourg cidery.  By the way, for folks like me who don’t know anything about Luxembourg except that it is somewhere in Europe – it is a small country bordered by Germany, Belgium, and France.  They have a climate similar to Germany, and are between the latitudes of Normandy France and Somerset England (thanks Real Cider Reviews for that info!).

A cidery rep (Adie Kaye, head of marketing) was kind enough to bring me some samples all that way.  We had actually got in touch by e-mail over a year ago (a few months after they launched), and he messaged me again as he was attending Cider Summit Seattle to scope it out in preparation for getting a booth at the Chicago version next year.

>>This is a review of a bottle gifted to Cider Says by Ramborn.  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:  Perry
Cidery:  Ramborn Cider
Cidery Location:  Born, Luxembourg
ABV:  5.8%
How Supplied:  four packs of 330ml bottles
Style:  perry from true perry pears grown in Luxembourg

 

Availability:  Mostly in Europe (especially Luxembourg & England), although they are just starting to come to the U.S., as they launched in Milwaukee Wisconsin in August 2017.

Cider Description:  Ramborn Perry is made with pears from very old traditional orchards, including Bongert Altenhoven in Bettenbourg.  It was created as part of Ramborn’s commitment to protecting and reviving the many unique varieties of fruit that grow in the region.  These traditional pear varieties – including Mostbirne and Nelchesbirne – have been carefully selected and pressed to create a perry rich in tannins, and full of subtle fruit flavour.

Cidery Description:  Ramborn is the first Luxembourgish cider producer. We only ferment the freshly pressed juice of apples and pears grown exclusively in traditional orchards of large, standard trees. No concentrate. No industrial plantations.

This cidery started in 2016, are named after the local “Rambo” apple, and their farm accepts visitors (see here).  I found a neat trip report from the Cider Sleuth (see here), as well as an article more about the cidery and tasting room / education center in general (see here), plus an article on the distribution of Ramborn (see here), which is through Ansay International at least to Wisconsin as of now.

Price:  n/a (and unknown really)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  the cidery contacted me

First Impression:  Moderate straw yellow hue with a hint of peach.  Moderate carbonation, large bubbles.  Smells of canned pear with tropical fruit.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Light to medium bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Low to moderate tannins, mostly on the finish, and especially as I continued drinking it.  No bitterness, sourness, or funk.  Notes of canned pear, dried pear, mango, pineapple, and guava.  Moderate length finish.  Moderate to strong pear flavor.  Moderate complexity, sessionability, and flavor intensity.

My Opinion:  I really enjoyed it!  The level of sweetness was exactly to my preference, it was flavorful, and even slightly complex and tannic.

Most Similar to:  I’ve tried over 30 perries, but this is one of my favorites, as it is both approachable and complex.  It reminded me a bit of AEppeltreow Perry and Snowdrift Seckel Perry.

Closing Notes:  I look forward to trying more from them!  Hopefully they are available in the Seattle area soon.

Have you tried Ramborn Cider?  What did you think?