Review of Woodchuck 802 Lil’ Dry.  It is my first time trying this, but I have had most of their line-up (see here).

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Woodchuck.  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:  802 Collection Lil’ Dry
Cidery:  Woodchuck
Cidery Location:  Middlebury VT
ABV:  5.1%
How Supplied:  four pack of 16oz cans
Style:  American commercial cider from fresh-pressed Vermont apples

Availability:  only in Vermont to start, then limited in Maine and New Hampshire

Cider Description:  A traditional cider made with only fresh pressed Vermont juice from our orchard partners. Enjoy this semi-dry cider with good friends and good company.

See this article for detailed info.

Cidery Description:  Vermont Cider Company is a leading hard cider maker in the United States, with a state of the art cidery located in Middlebury, Vermont. Vermont Cider Company crafts a variety of ciders for a variety of consumers. There’s ultra-craft Vermont Cider Co., iconic Woodchuck, fruit-forward Wyder’s as well as the classic Magners Irish Cider and Blackthorn, rounding out our import offerings. Vermont Cider Company reinvigorated American hard cider in 1991, with the launch of Woodchuck, and stays focused on the category today through our commitment to crafting innovative and refreshing hard ciders.

Price:  n/a (retails for $10.99)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  it showed up

First Impression:  Medium straw yellow hue.  Low carbonation.  Smells of sweet green apple.

Tasting Notes:  On the sweeter side of semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Moderate tartness.  Low acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of green apple, honey, and tropical fruit.  Moderate tart finish.  Moderate apple flavor and flavor intensity.  High sessionability.  Low complexity.

My Opinion:  I really enjoyed it.  Never would have guessed it was Woodchuck actually, as it lacks the characteristics that I associate with every Woodchuck cider, as to me they all have a bit of the same baseline flavor (likely the same apple blend), and a fuller body than expected for the level of sweetness.  This tastes like it was made with a different blend of apples, maybe some heirloom ones thrown in with the dessert ones.  The quality was characteristic of their ‘Vermont Cider Company‘ line (released in 2016 and 2017).

Most Similar to:  Vermont Cider Co, Addison, although this was a touch drier, lighter bodied, and more craft tasting

Side Note:  They previously had a cider called ‘802’, a caramelized brown sugar type cider, but that was discontinued a few years back.  They also did this previously, re-using the name Summer Time, but having it be a different cider, ginger pear instead of blueberry.  As cool as using the ‘802’ area code is, I could see it being confusing.

Closing Notes:  Too bad it doesn’t sound like this will make it out to the PNW (or at least not soon).

Have you tried Woodchuck 802 Lil’ Dry?  What did you think?