Review of Portland Cider’s Pineapple Rosé.  It is my first time trying this, but I have had much of their line-up (see here).

>>This is a review of a sample can 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:  Pineapple Rosé
Cidery:  Portland Cider Company
Cidery Location:  Portland Oregon
ABV:  5.2%
How Supplied:  12oz cans (and draft, plus 19.2oz cans are coming in mid-April)
Style:  American craft cider from dessert apples, with pineapple and blueberry

  

Availability:  seasonal, March thru August 2019, in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California

Cider Description:  The juicy and delicate pineapple fruit works beautifully with a hint of blueberry juice, creating an elegant cider on par with the rosé wine that so many love.

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. It has two taproom locations: Portland Cider House at 3638 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97214; and Taproom & Cidery at 8925 SE Jannsen Rd, Bldg. F, Clackamas, OR 97015.  Visit www.PortlandCider.com and follow @PortlandCider on social media.

Price:  n/a (although it’ll probably run ~ $10.99 / six pack)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  it showed up

First Impression:  Smells sweet and fruity.  Very low carbonation.  Hint of peach hue.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Medium bodied.  Low tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of pineapple with hints of green apple and strawberry (I didn’t really pick up any blueberry).  Quick finish.  Low apple flavor and complexity.  Low to moderate flavor intensity.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  I liked it.  Significantly more pineapple than berry.  Super easy to drink.  I was surprised to see the can say 20 grams of sugar, as it tasted less sweet (although the body was what I’d expect for that level of sweetness).  It was a bit less intensely flavored than I prefer and I’d expect with a sweeter cider.

Most Similar to:  a sweeter but less intensely flavored version of 2 Towns Pacific Pineapple plus a hint of strawberry

Closing Notes:  Rosé sure is the hottest cider trend – seems like nearly every cidery has one now.  On that note, I’m surprised they didn’t add a bit more blueberry if they were trying to go for a rosé look, as it was barely rosé.

Have you tried Portland Cider Pineapple Rosé?  What did you think?