Review of Portland Cider’s three current canned varieties – Apple, Hop’Rageous, and Sangria.  I’ve tried these all before, but had previously only had Hop’Rageous and Sangria in bottles (see my previous reviews of Apple, Hop’Rageous, and Sangria).  Their Sangria is new to cans (and is currently also still sold in 22oz bottles), but the Apple and Hop’Rageous have been around in cans for awhile (and “Apple” has only ever been sold in cans).  I have also tried their Passion Fruit, Pearfect Perry, Kinda Dry, London Dry Gin, Crooked Cock Scrumpy, Strawperry, Pineapple, Mojito, and Cranberry ciders.

>>This is a review of sample cans 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:  Apple, Hop’Rageous, and Sangria
Cidery:  Portland Cider
Cidery Location:  Portland Oregon
ABV:  5.5% or 6.5%
How Supplied:  four or six pack of 12oz cans of a single variety (it appears they are moving from four packs to boxed six packs)
Style:  American craft cider from dessert apples, with nothing (Apple), Citra hops (Hop’Rageous), or fruit added (Sangria)

 

Availability:  year round, in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado

Descriptions:
Apple –  An authentic medium-dry cider classic, bursting with juicy crisp apple taste.
Hop’Rageous –  Dry hopped with Citra Hops then infused with bitter orange peel to reinforce the citrus notes. Delicious & Hop’Rageous!
Sangria –  Blend our delicious cider with the juices of orange, strawberry, pear, passionfruit, elderberry, and lime, to get our Sangria cider. It’s your new favorite fruit punch, for grown-ups!

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 ~ $7.99 / four pack)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  it showed up

Apple:  Medium straw yellow hue.  Low carbonation.  Smells mild, of tart apples with a hint of honey.  On the sweeter side of semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Low to moderate tartness and acidity.  No sourness, bitterness, funk, or tannins.  The flavor was pure apple with hints of honey & citrus.  Quick finish.  Mild to moderate flavor intensity.  Low complexity.  Moderate apple flavor.  High sessionability.  I liked how this had a lot of juicy apple flavor without tasting like alcoholic apple juice (which I think many commercial ciders do) or being too sweet.  Most similar to Jester & Judge American Apple.

Hop’Rageous:  Light straw yellow hue.  Very low carbonation.  Smells mild, of citrus and floral with a hint of hops.  On the drier side of semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Low tartness and acidity.  No sourness, bitterness, funk or tannins.  The flavor was very citrus (orange and lemon) with hints of hops and floral.  Moderate length finish with more citrus than hops.  Mild to moderate flavor intensity, complexity, and apple flavor.  High sessionability.  I liked how refreshing it was, with only a mild hops flavor, and lacking bitterness.  I used to think I didn’t like hopped ciders, as I don’t like beer and the first couple hopped ciders I tried were very intense, but since then I’ve found a few hopped ciders I enjoy, like this one.  Most similar to Tod Creek Mala-Hop and Incline The Explorer.

Sangria:  Pink hue.  Moderate carbonation.  Smells deliciously fruity.  On the drier side of semi-sweet.  Light bodied.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  No sourness, bitterness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of strawberry, kiwi, white grape, lime, and passion fruit.  Moderate length finish.  Low apple flavor.  Moderate flavor intensity.  High sessionability.  Low complexity.  I liked the flavor variety and complexity, with all the different fruit flavors.  This would be perfect in summer!  Most similar to Bull Run Strawberry Fields and Portland Cider Strawperry.

Closing Notes:  Canned cider is becoming popular, and I’m seeing a lot of cideries launch with only canned products, add cans to their lineup, or switch to cans, even cideries that you’d never expect to.

Have you tried Portland Cider’s canned ciders?  What did you think?