Cider Brothers

Cider Brothers William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Wild Cherry

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Review of William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Wild Cherry, out of Lodi California.  This is one of Cider Brothers’ new flavored William Tell ciders.

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Cider Brothers.  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:  William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Wild Cherry
Cidery:  Cider Brothers
Cidery Location:  Lodi CA
ABV:  6.0%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans
Style:  American commercial cider made from dessert apples, with cherry concentrate

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Availability:  National distribution.

Apple Varieties:  Granny smith, golden russet, gala, fuji, and red delicious (sourced from Washington).

Cider Description:  Very complex flavors with a light cherry color. The generous effervescence carries aromas exploding with sour cherry and cinnamon. Flavors continue on the palate with spice and oak tannins. Medium bodied with rich mouthfeel and a hint of cinnamon.  Pairings: Hard Cheeses, Fatty Duck, Smoked Meats, Burgers with Blue Cheese

Cidery Description:  From early morning through late afternoon, we bring a winemaker’s approach to producing small batches of handcrafted hard apple ciders. It starts with cold fermenting small lots of fresh apple juice to capture the delicate flavors and complex balance that makes this Mother Nature’s most refreshing adult beverage. The result is our refreshing, lightly carbonated artisan cider, produced at our Lodi winery.

The cider brothers are Michael and Paul Scotto.  The Scotto family has been in the wine industry for five generations, and Scotto Cellars is among the 30 largest wineries in California.  They used their wine background when starting to make cider, and by mistake developed a method they call “frost fermentation”.  They put the fresh apple juice into the refrigerated fermenter, as they would do for Chardonnay.  They next morning there was a layer of ice on the inside edges and top of the tank.  They remove the ice (water) and the result was a sweeter cider with more concentrated and rich flavor.  This is more labor and time intensive, but they feel the result is worth it.  (it reminds me of the process for ice cider)

Price:  n/a (runs ~$3 / can)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

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First Impression:  Light red hue.  Very low carbonation upon pouring.  Smells of mild sweet cherry.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Still (no noticeable carbonation).  Medium bodied.  Moderate cherry flavor.  Mild tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Quick finish.  No apple flavor.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  I enjoyed this.  The cherry flavor tasted fairly “real”.  It was flavorful and not too sweet.  However, the flavor is quite simple…I didn’t pick up on anything except cherry, far from what was described (which is fine by me, and typical for a flavored cider made from dessert apples).

Most Similar to:  Other cherry ciders I’ve tried, such as from  Elemental,, Jester & Judge, Julian, Locust, One Tree, Original Sin, Red Tank, Tieton, Washington Gold, and Woodchuck.  My favorites of those are from Washington Gold and Woodchuck (the Private Reserve Barrel Aged Cherry).

Closing Notes:   I enjoyed this cider, but my favorite of the five William Tell ciders remains the Mango Muscat.  I imagine these ciders will do well as they are easy to drink and on the sweeter side.

Have you tried Cider Brothers William Tell?  What did you think?

Cider Brothers William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider

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Review of William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider from Cider Brothers, out of Lodi California.  This is one of Cider Brothers’ original release ciders (also sold as Pacific Coast Cider).

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Cider Brothers.  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:  William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider
Cidery:  Cider Brothers
Cidery Location:  Lodi CA
ABV:  6.0%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans (and 22oz bottles)
Style:  American commercial cider made from dessert apples

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Availability:  National distribution.  I’ve only seen this variety in the Seattle area in large bottles though (under both the William Tell and Pacific Coast Cider brands).

Apple Varieties:  Granny smith, golden russet, gala, fuji, and red delicious (sourced from Washington).

Cider Description:  Beautiful, clean and effervescent with a wisp of pale gold and a tint of green on the edge. The tiny bubbles are very active with enticing apple aromas that jump out of the glass. Green apple, and lemon and lime notes round out the aromatics. Hits the palate with carbonation, tartness and a hint of tannin balanced by ripe green apple and lime, leading to a creamy richness in the finish.  Pairings: Oysters, Charcuterie, Aged Cheeses, Session-Style Drinking

Cidery Description:  From early morning through late afternoon, we bring a winemaker’s approach to producing small batches of handcrafted hard apple ciders. It starts with cold fermenting small lots of fresh apple juice to capture the delicate flavors and complex balance that makes this Mother Nature’s most refreshing adult beverage. The result is our refreshing, lightly carbonated artisan cider, produced at our Lodi winery.

The cider brothers are Michael and Paul Scotto.  The Scotto family has been in the wine industry for five generations, and Scotto Cellars is among the 30 largest wineries in California.  They used their wine background when starting to make cider, and by mistake developed a method they call “frost fermentation”.  They put the fresh apple juice into the refrigerated fermenter, as they would do for Chardonnay.  They next morning there was a layer of ice on the inside edges and top of the tank.  They remove the ice (water) and the result was a sweeter cider with more concentrated and rich flavor.  This is more labor and time intensive, but they feel the result is worth it.  (it reminds me of the process for ice cider)

Price:  n/a (runs ~$3 / can)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

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First Impression:  Very light straw yellow.  Very low carbonation upon pouring.  Smells of green apple candy, citrus, and floral.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Still (no perceptible carbonation).  Mild to moderate tartness.  Moderate acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of green apple, citrus, mineral, blossom, and floral.  Medium bodied.  Quick finish.  Low apple flavor.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  I definitely got the ubiquitous green apple Jolly Rancher candy flavor here, although less so than the version of this cider with Pinot Grigio.  I was also surprised by how sweet it tasted vs. the listed 7 grams of sugar per 12oz (which would be dry to semi-dry).  The long ingredient list is a bit disappointing too (sugar, water, natural flavor…).

Most Similar to:  Woodchuck Granny Smith, Cider Brothers William Tell Hard Apple Cider with Pinot Grigio, and other sweeter green apple type ciders.

Closing Notes:   Although I didn’t really care for this cider, plenty of other folks do.  What one person dislikes about a cider is what another person enjoys.  Its always nice to try new ciders.  So far their Mango Muscat continues to be my favorite, although I still have a can of the cherry variety left to try.

Have you tried Cider Brothers William Tell?  What did you think?

Cider Brothers William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Pinot Grigio

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Review of William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Pinot Grigio from Cider Brothers, out of Lodi California.  This is one of Cider Brothers’ original release ciders (also sold as Pacific Coast Cider).

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Cider Brothers.  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:  William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Pinot Grigio
Cidery:  Cider Brothers
Cidery Location:  Lodi CA
ABV:  6.5%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans (and 22oz bottles)
Style:  American commercial cider made from dessert apples, with 15% Pinot Grigio grape wine

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Availability:  National distribution.  I’ve only seen this variety in the Seattle area in large bottles though (under both the William Tell and Pacific Coast Cider brands).

Apple Varieties:  Granny smith, golden russet, gala, fuji, and red delicious (sourced from Washington).

Cider Description:  DRY HARD APPLE WITH PINOT GRIGIO is a unique blend of freshly fermented Hard Apple Cider and premium California Pinot Grigio. We start with fresh juice from five types of apples and ferment it in three lots, each with different yeast to add flavor complexity. Then comes the creative touch: we add 15% of our Pinot Grigio and then Frost Ferment the blend to concentrate the fresh apple and wine character and enhance the flavors. If Frost Fermentation doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because we invented this technique to create our Pinot Grigio cider.

With pale straw color & perfect clarity. The candied apple aromas are layered with hints of crisp Pinot Grigio. Significant effervescence hits the palate with candied apple flavors and lime, citrus and Pinot Grigio accents, followed by a soft, lingering finish and a little tannic bite.

Pairings: White Meats, Asia-Themed Pork, Crab and Shrimp.

Cidery Description:  From early morning through late afternoon, we bring a winemaker’s approach to producing small batches of handcrafted hard apple ciders. It starts with cold fermenting small lots of fresh apple juice to capture the delicate flavors and complex balance that makes this Mother Nature’s most refreshing adult beverage. The result is our refreshing, lightly carbonated artisan cider, produced at our Lodi winery.

The cider brothers are Michael and Paul Scotto.  The Scotto family has been in the wine industry for five generations, and Scotto Cellars is among the 30 largest wineries in California.  They used their wine background when starting to make cider, and by mistake developed a method they call “frost fermentation”.  They put the fresh apple juice into the refrigerated fermenter, as they would do for Chardonnay.  They next morning there was a layer of ice on the inside edges and top of the tank.  They remove the ice (water) and the result was a sweeter cider with more concentrated and rich flavor.  This is more labor and time intensive, but they feel the result is worth it.  (it reminds me of the process for ice cider)

Price:  n/a (runs ~$3 / can)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

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First Impression:  Very light straw yellow with a slight green tint.  Very low carbonation upon pouring with some large clinging bubbles.  Smells of green apple candy, citrus, and white grape.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Still (no perceptible carbonation).  Mild tartness.  Moderate acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of green apple, citrus, white grape, mineral, blossom, and floral.  Although it is full-flavored, it also tastes a bit watered down, yet medium bodied…my palate was a bit confused!  Quick finish.  Low apple influence.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  Although I enjoyed the first part of the first couple sips, I definitely got the ubiquitous green apple Jolly Rancher candy flavor here.  I was also surprised by how sweet it tasted vs. the listed 6 grams of sugar per 12oz (which would be dry to semi-dry).  The long ingredient list is a bit disappointing too (sugar, water, natural flavor…).

Most Similar to:  Woodchuck Granny Smith, and other sweeter green apple type ciders.

Closing Notes:   Although I didn’t really care for this cider, plenty of other folks do (even Cider Journal gave it 3.5/5 stars!).  What one person dislikes about a cider is what another person enjoys.  Its always nice to try new ciders.  So far their Mango Muscat continues to be my favorite, although I still have cans of the original and cherry varieties left to try.

Have you tried Cider Brothers William Tell?  What did you think?

Cider Brothers William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Strawberry

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Review of Cider Brothers’ William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Strawberry.  This is one of the ciders in Cider Brothers’ new line of flavored canned William Tell ciders.  They started with only William Tell Dry Hard Apple with Pinot Grigio and Pacific Coast Cider Hard Apple Cider.  Now the William Tell line also includes this one, Apple Mango Muscat, and Cherry.

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Cider Brothers.  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:  William Tell Dry Hard Apple Cider with Strawberry
Cidery:  Cider Brothers
Cidery Location:  Lodi CA
ABV:  6.0%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans
Style:  American commercial cider made from dessert apples, with strawberry concentrate

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Availability:  National distribution (although the bottled William Tell Dry Hard Apple with Pinot Grigio and Pacific Coast Cider Hard Apple Cider are probably more commonly seen).  We get both of those in the Seattle area, but I haven’t seen these canned William Tell ciders yet.

Apple Varieties:  Granny smith, golden russet, gala, fuji, and red delicious (sourced from Washington).

Cider Description:  Resembles a crisp Rose wine in color and taste. Fruity aromas of fresh strawberries, vanilla cream and honey lead to sweet citrus, melon and mineral flavors. Medium bodied and very well balanced. Starts slightly sweet but finishes dry, soft and lingering.  Pairings: Fresh Fruit, Goats Milk Cheeses, Spicy Latin and Asian Appetizers.

Cidery Description:  From early morning through late afternoon, we bring a winemaker’s approach to producing small batches of handcrafted hard apple ciders. It starts with cold fermenting small lots of fresh apple juice to capture the delicate flavors and complex balance that makes this Mother Nature’s most refreshing adult beverage. The result is our refreshing, lightly carbonated artisan cider, produced at our Lodi winery.

The cider brothers are Michael and Paul Scotto.  The Scotto family has been in the wine industry for five generations, and Scotto Cellars is among the 30 largest wineries in California.  They used their wine background when starting to make cider, and by mistake developed a method they call “frost fermentation”.  They put the fresh apple juice into the refrigerated fermenter, as they would do for Chardonnay.  They next morning there was a layer of ice on the inside edges and top of the tank.  They remove the ice (water) and the result was a sweeter cider with more concentrated and rich flavor.  This is more labor and time intensive, but they feel the result is worth it.  (it reminds me of the process for ice cider)

Price:  n/a (runs ~$3 / can)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

2016-04-10 17.28.18.jpg

First Impression:  Light red hue.  Very low carbonation with foam upon pouring.  Smells of candied strawberry.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Still.  Light to medium bodied.  Low tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Moderately flavored, primarily strawberry with some cherry, watermelon, and hints of green apple.  Quick finish.  Low apple influence.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  I found this plenty drinkable, but the flavor didn’t excite me, and it was a bit candied tasting (although not overly sweet).  Higher carbonation probably would have helped.  I didn’t pick up all the flavor notes mentioned in the description (vanilla cream, honey, citrus, melon, mineral).

Most Similar to:  The only other strawberry cider I’ve had is Bull Run Strawberry Fields.  I prefer the flavor on that one.  Both are semi-dry to semi-sweet and quite similar, but the Bull Run cider flavor seems more “real”.

Closing Notes:   So far of the William Tell line I prefer the Apple Mango Muscat, although I have three more to try.

Have you tried William Tell cider?  What did you think?

Cider Brothers William Tell Apple Mango Muscat Cider

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Review of William Tell Apple Mango Muscat Cider from Cider Brothers, out of Lodi California.  Here is a nice writeup Cider Brothers did on the cider industry, and here is an article on them from Cidercraft Magazine.  This is one of the ciders in Cider Brothers’ new line of flavored canned William Tell ciders.  They started with only William Tell Dry Hard Apple with Pinot Grigio and Pacific Coast Cider Hard Apple Cider.  Now the William Tell line also includes this one, Strawberry, and Cherry.

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Cider Brothers.  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:  William Tell Apple Mango Muscat Cider
Cidery:  Cider Brothers
Cidery Location:  Lodi CA
ABV:  6.0%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans
Style:  American commercial cider made from dessert apples, with mango concentrate and muscat wine (moscato)

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Availability:  National distribution (although the bottled William Tell Dry Hard Apple with Pinot Grigio and Pacific Coast Cider Hard Apple Cider are probably more commonly seen).  We get both of those in the Seattle area, but I haven’t seen these canned William Tell ciders yet.

Apple Varieties:  Primarily granny smith, with some golden russet, gala, fuji, and red delicious (sourced from Washington).

Cider Description:  Cider never tasted like this crisp, new creation: our unique blend of hand crafted hard apple cider, delicately floral Muscat wine and lush, tropical mango. Crack open a can today for instant sunshine and a perfect pouring partner!  Pairings: Spicy treats, well seasoned meats and almost any tasty sweets!

Cidery Description:  From early morning through late afternoon, we bring a winemaker’s approach to producing small batches of handcrafted hard apple ciders. It starts with cold fermenting small lots of fresh apple juice to capture the delicate flavors and complex balance that makes this Mother Nature’s most refreshing adult beverage. The result is our refreshing, lightly carbonated artisan cider, produced at our Lodi winery.

The cider brothers are Michael and Paul Scotto.  The Scotto family has been in the wine industry for five generations, and Scotto Cellars is among the 30 largest wineries in California.  They used their wine background when starting to make cider, and by mistake developed a method they call “frost fermentation”.  They put the fresh apple juice into the refrigerated fermenter, as they would do for Chardonnay.  They next morning there was a layer of ice on the inside edges and top of the tank.  They remove the ice (water) and the result was a sweeter cider with more concentrated and rich flavor.  This is more labor and time intensive, but they feel the result is worth it.  (it reminds me of the process for ice cider)

Price:  n/a (runs ~$3 / can)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

2016-04-09 17.59.17.jpg

First Impression:  Light straw yellow.  Low carbonation upon pouring.  Smells sweet and fruity, with lots of mango and some apple, tropical fruit, and honey.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to sweet.  Low tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Medium bodied.  The flavor is quite mango-forward, with some muscat grape, honey, tropical fruit, stone fruit, honey, and green apple notes.  Moderate length finish.  Moderate apple influence.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  I really liked the mango.  This was nice, but I think I would have liked less sweetness (it has 17 grams of sugar per 12oz) and higher carbonation.  I imagine this will sell great though, as sweet and flavorful ciders do well.

Most Similar to:  I haven’t had any ciders with mango oddly enough (I think its a great cider flavor).  2 Towns made one with muscat grapes though, Cidre Moscato.

Closing Notes:   Enjoyable.  Definitely easy to drink and nice for spring & summer.  I look forward to trying the other four sample cans of William Tell varieties they sent!  As a side note, I think the Cider Brothers vs. William Tell vs. Pacific Coast Cider thing can be a bit confusing for consumers…I didn’t really get it at first that William Tell and Pacific Coast Cider are both ciders from Cider Brothers, and now the William Tell line has multiple ciders (and I’ve seen the same confusion online).

Have you tried Cider Brothers William Tell?  What did you think?