Review of Tod Creek’s Coastal Blue, a blueberry cider.  It is my first time trying this, but I’ve had their Tod Cider Vancouver Island and Mala-Hop.

Cider:  Coastal Blue (blueberry)
Cidery:  Tod Creek Cider
Cidery Location:  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
ABV:  6.0%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans
Style:  Canadian craft cider from dessert apples, with local wild blueberries

  

Availability:  Western British Columbia, Canada, such as in Victoria and Vancouver (see here)

Cider Description:  We add local blueberry juice to our craft cider for an amazing west coast taste!

Cidery Description:  Victoria’s newest Craft Cider maker. We are a farm based micro-cidery producing quality craft cider from apples sourced locally and throughout BC…We have grown so much in the last year because of the support of the private liquor stores, and restaurants, that have been carrying our cider. Many thanks to them, and please visit them to buy your cider. Or swing by our onsite store and tour our cidery at the same time!  (in Victoria)

Price:  I don’t remember (somewhere between $10 & $15 CAN?), but it was a good deal with the exchange rate being $1 CAD to $0.80 USD
Where Bought:  The Strath in Victoria B.C. Canada
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  A friend brought some to me a couple years ago.  This time when I was in Victoria (cruise port stop), I spotted the blueberry variety, and picked some up as I had heard online that it was popular.

First Impression:  Deep red/pink/purple hue.  Nearly still.  Smells tart with a hint of berry.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry.  High tartness.  Moderate to high acidity.  Low bitterness.  Hints of tannins and sourness.  No funk.  Notes of blueberry, blackberry, pomegranate, lemon, and green apple.  Moderate length tart finish.  Moderate sessionability, complexity, and flavor intensity.  Low apple flavor.

My Opinion:  I didn’t really care for this one as it was so tart (even more than Tod Creek’s flagship Tod Cider, a semi-dry citrusy cider).  I was also surprised that it was fairly dry, but as Tod Creek’s other ciders are around the same level of sweetness, I shouldn’t have been.  The blueberry flavor was nice though.

Most Similar to:  Ole Swede Blueberry (which was also semi-dry and very tart, but had some different flavor notes).  Most blueberry ciders I’ve tried were much sweeter, like Locust Smoked Blueberry, Schilling Blueberry Cobbler, and Woodchuck Summer Time.  I’ve also tried one which was completely dry and a bit sour, WildCraft Blue River Blueberry.

Closing Notes:  I’d recommend this to folks who like drier tart ciders which still retain a good bit of fruitiness.

Have you tried Tod Creek Coastal Blue?  What did you think?