Review of Portland Cider’s new seasonal Concord Grape cider.  This was a follow up to a Concord grape cider they made for the Willamette Week Beer & Cider Pro-Am in October 2017.  It was my first time trying this, but I have had their Passion Fruit, Pearfect Perry, Kinda Dry, Hop’Rageous, London Dry Gin, Apple, Crooked Cock Scrumpy, Strawperry, Pineapple, Sangria, Mojito, and Cranberry.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Portland Cider.  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:  Concord Grape
Cidery:  Portland Cider
Cidery Location:  Portland Oregon
ABV:  5.5%
How Supplied:  22oz bottles (and kegs)
Style:  American craft cider from dessert apples, with Concord grapes

   

Availability:  Seasonally, January thru April, in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado

Cider Description:  A deliciously tart bend of 100% NW apple cider and fresh pressed Concord Grapes. The result is a delightful treat, reminiscent of your childhood grape juice box.
Apple Varieties:  gala, honeycrisp, golden delicious, and fuji

Cidery Description:  Portland Cider Company was started in October 2012 by an Oregonian and a family of British expats with the mission of bringing cider, handcrafted in the English tradition, to the Northwest.

They have two tap rooms in the Portland area.

Price:  n/a (retails for ~ $6.99)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  it showed up

First Impression:  Light purple-red hue.  Very low carbonation.  Smells mild, of grape juice.

Tasting Notes:  On the sweeter side of semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Low to moderate tartness.  Moderate acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of tart green apple (although that wasn’t listed as a variety), purple grape juice, lemon, and pomegranate.  Quick finish.  Moderate apple flavor and flavor intensity.  High sessionability.  Low complexity.

My Opinion:  I enjoyed it – flavorful and refreshing without much sweetness.  The grape flavor was real, but more present in the scent than flavor, and I would have preferred a bit more (I actually picked up more tart apple than grape).

Most Similar to:  Nothing I’ve tried, as it was cider not perry (vs. Elk Horn Brewing Grape Perry), and wasn’t very sweet (vs. Attila Rapture).

Closing Notes:  I prefer Portland Cider’s Sangria, which has more variety in the flavor and is slightly sweeter.

Have you tried Portland Cider Concord Grape?  What did you think?