Review of Ciderboys British Dry.  I could have sworn I’d tried something from them previously that I picked up traveling (as Ciderboys isn’t distributed near me), but per my list, this appears to be my first time trying anything from them.  I picked it up on a work trip along with a few others.

Cider:  British Dry
Cidery:  Ciderboys
Cidery Location:  Stevens Point, Wisconsin
ABV:  5.0%
How Supplied:  six pack of 12oz bottles
Style:  American British-style cider

 

Availability:  their website says year-round in AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, FL, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, VA, WA, and WI (but their locator says not within 75 miles of me in Western WA, so maybe Eastern WA?)

Cider Description:  Like a dry sense of humor, our English-style dry cider has a refined bite. Not sweet, but bittersweet in the best meaning of the word. Ripe apple aromas teeter on the edge with a crisp sharp zing. Blow the doors off with Ciderboys British Dry.

Cidery Description:  Two very refreshing guys.  One idea.  Create unique hard ciders blending unexpected fresh fruit flavors with the crisp taste of apple.

Price:  ~ $2 / single bottle (runs ~ $8.99 / six pack)
Where Bought:  Total Wine (which was an awesome choice, as I mostly picked up singles of multipacks, which are the easiest to pack and allowed me to pick up more bottles)
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  browsing

First Impression:  Light amber hue.  Low carbonation with foam.  Smells of apple juice.

Tasting Notes:  On the sweeter side of semi-dry.  Light to medium bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Hints of bitterness and tannins.  No sourness or funk.  Notes of both bittersweet and dessert apples, orange, and rich caramel.  Moderate length finish.  High apple flavor and sessionability.  Moderate flavor intensity.  Low to moderate complexity.

My Opinion:  Great!  I’d guess 50% bittersweet cider apples and 50% dessert apples, so no, it doesn’t taste exactly like English cider, but its far better than most U.S. made ciders advertised as English-style, most of which don’t use any cider apples.  I’d say this is a more apple-forward English style which remains clean (no sourness or funk).

Most Similar to:  mixing an apple-forward U.S. made cider with an English cider

Closing Notes:  I wish they sold this near me, as its a really nice offering which I could see drinking often, especially with the price point being less than imported English cider, which is becoming more and more difficult to find in my area.

Have you tried English-style cider?  What did you think?