Woodchuck Out on a Limb Ginger Lovin’

November 9, 2016November 4, 2016 cidersays Woodchuck cider, cider review, cider tasting, Ginger, ginger lovin', hard cider, Middlebury, Out on a Limb, tasting notes, Vermont, Woodchuck

Review of Woodchuck’s latest Out on a Limb series variety, Ginger Lovin’. I’ve previously tried nearly their entire line-up; see here.

Cider: Ginger Lovin’
Cidery: Woodchuck
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles
Style: American commercial cider with ginger

Availability: semi wide release, for the next few months until a new Out on a Limb release comes out

Cider Description: Sugar and spice and everything…well, lots of spice. Like our favorite redheads, ginger adds a feisty bite to this cider. With zesty citrus undertones, the root and apple pair to Ginger Lovin’ perfection. Enjoy the brand that started the American cider revolution.

Ingredients: Hard cider. Less than 1% of: natural flavor and sulfites.

Cidery Description: Here at the Woodchuck Cidery in Vermont, we handcraft every batch of Woodchuck Hard Cider. Our Cider Makers utilize the highest quality ingredients and meticulously oversee each small batch from start to finish. We reinvigorated American cider in 1991 and continue to lead the category through our commitment to craft innovative and refreshing hard ciders.

Price: n/a (runs about $10 / six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Very light straw yellow hue. Very low carbonation. Smells of candied ginger and spices.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Low acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of very mild ginger (mostly in the finish, but not spicy) with some pie spices and a hint of lemon. Moderate length finish. Low apple flavor. High sessionability. Low flavor intensity. Low complexity.

My Opinion: I’m not at all a ginger fan, so I was surprised that I didn’t mind this. The ginger remains very mild, unlike every other ginger cider I’ve had where it was overpowering.

Most Similar to: I found the ginger in this less intense than ginger ciders from Argus, Apple Outlaw, Finnriver, Locust, Schilling, and Strongbow. It also didn’t have that after taste/bite like most ginger ciders.

Closing Notes: If you like a hint of ginger but don’t want it to be overwhelming or too lingering, this is a good cider choice.

Have you tried Woodchuck Ginger Lovin’? What did you think?

Woodchuck Out on a Limb June and Juice

May 23, 2016May 14, 2016 cidersays review, Woodchuck cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, June & Juice, June and Juice, Juniper, Out on a Limb, Woodchuck

Review of Woodchuck’s newest (8th) Out on a Limb release, June and Juice. It is pegged as a Juniper hard cider. It is infused with juniper berries (which are used in making gin), rose buds, and orange peel. Here is the press release. The ciders rotate every few months in the same six pack. I’ve reviewed a number of their ciders here.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle 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: June and Juice (Out on a Limb)
Cidery: Woodchuck
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles

Availability: Wide release, but only for the next couple months (Out on a Limb rotates varieties).

Cider Description: True apothecary, thy cider art craft. It was Out on a Limb of a juniper tree that we found this new concoction. Like a classic gin, we steeped fresh juniper berries into our small batch hard cider. With a fresh botanical aroma, enjoy a semi-sweet fresh apple taste with notes of juniper and citrus. Gin & Juice? Let’s try June & Juice.

Ingredients: Hard cider, rose bud, orange peel, juniper berries, less than 1% of: natural flavor, citric acid (contains sulfites)

Price: n/a (but it runs ~ $10.99 a six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. No carbonation upon pouring. Smells of honey, floral, herbs, citrus, and vanilla.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Still. Mild tartness and acidity. Hints of tannins and bitterness. No sourness or funk. Notes of floral (rose), orange, and honey, with hints of earthiness and maple. Quick finish. Moderate apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate to high sessionability.

Opinion: This is a unique but approachable cider, refreshing, and great for Spring. I couldn’t detect any gin botanical like flavor from the juniper, which was fine by me as I’m not a fan of gin. The flavor was primarily floral/rose. I liked how it was flavorful but not overly sweet. I think it was a good choice to not carbonate it, as that would have taken away from the flavor (although Woodchuck never seems to use much carbonation). I wonder how well it will sell though, as the Juniper may be a turn-off to many people (I wasn’t expecting to like this one at all, and was pleasantly surprised)….I probably would have played up the rose more.

Most Similar to: Other ciders infused with botanicals or rose petals. Seattle Cider makes a Gin Botanical cider, but I don’t think I’ve tried it. I’ve actually had a number of ciders infused with rose petals though–Elemental Lavender Rose, Elemental Pomegranate Rose, WildCraft Wild Rose, and Finnriver Cranberry Rosehip.

Closing Notes: I’m impressed, especially coming from such a large commercial cidery (side note – I don’t get how they can call themselves craft and say they do small batches?). This is probably my favorite Out on a Limb so far…many of them have been too out there for me.

Have you tried any Woodchuck Out on a Limb varieties? What did you think?

Woodchuck Out on a Limb Campfire Pancakes

February 2, 2016February 2, 2016 cidersays review, Woodchuck Campfire Pancakes, cider, cider review, hard cider, maple, Out on a Limb, smoke, Vermont, Woodchuck

Review of Woodchuck’s newest (7th) Out on a Limb release, Campfire Pancakes, a smoked maple cider (more info from Woodchuck here). The ciders rotate every few months in the same six pack. They were nice enough to send me a sample bottle. I’ve reviewed a number of their ciders here.

Cider: Campfire Pancakes (Out on a Limb)
Cidery: Woodchuck
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles

Availability: Wide release, but only until April or whenever they run out (as Out on a Limb rotates varieties).

Cider Description: Campfire Pancakes brings you our small batch hard cider with an infusion of smoked apple pomace. Topped off with a dash of Vermont Maple Syrup, this cider brings forward a delightfully smoky and sweet taste. LoVermont? Then you’ll love Campfire Pancakes.

Price: n/a (but it runs $9-11 a six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Medium straw yellow. Light carbonation with large bubbles. Smells like smoke flavor, maple flavor, and apple candy.

Opinion: Sweet. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Medium bodied. It begins with the scent (but not flavor) of smoke, then apple juice with real maple and literally a starchy pancake-like flavor, then finishes with fake maple. The maple scent in the air is quite strong. Quick finish. Moderate apple influence. High sessionability.

Most Similar to: Not much. There are a handful of maple ciders (such as Seattle Cider Oaked Maple, Crispin The Saint, and Downeast Maple Blend) and smoked ciders (such as Alpenfire Smoke, Tieton Smoked Pumpkin, and Woodchuck Smoked Apple), but nothing like this.

Closing Notes: I was really looking forward to this cider as I love maple, and love smoked ciders (such as Alpenfire Smoke), but it was disappointing. It overall seemed very fake. Although they used real maple syrup and smoked pommace, there is the less than 1% natural flavor listed, and I think they somehow even added maple aroma. The fake maple scent lingered in the air after finishing the cider and putting away the glass. I think that without the fakeness and with some barrel aging, a maple cider can be awesome. Hopefully they will make an Out on a Limb cider more along the lines of Gumption or Winter Chill, which I enjoy.

Have you tried Woodchuck Campfire Pancakes? What did you think?

Woodchuck Oopsy Daisy

June 29, 2015July 12, 2015 cidersays review, Woodchuck apple, apple cider, chamomile, cider, cider review, hard apple cider, hard cider, hard cider review, honey, Oopsy Daisy, Out on a Limb, review, Woodchuck

This is a very unique and tasty Out on a Limb release from Woodchuck.

Cider: Oopsy Daisy
Cidery: Woodchuck
Cidery Location: Middlebury, VT
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles
Availability: limited release (flavors in Out on a Limb rotate)

Description on Bottle: You ever screw something up? Oops. We all have. Bring on the stress mixed anxiety. Our advice? Take a moment, breathe deep and sip a Woodchuck Oopsy Daisy. This crisp cider is infused with the actual chamomile flowers after fermentation imparting the calming essence of Chamomile with notes of honey throughout. Sit back, sip, relax, and let the calm wash that stress away.

Price: $8.99 / six pack
Where Bought: Total Wine
How Found: Started to look for it after reading it on Facebook from Woodchuck. Note that it can take awhile between when Woodchuck announces a flavor and it is stocked, especially if you are on the other side of the country. Also, with Out on a Limb, stores are often waiting until they are out of the previous flavor to stock the next one. Today I got lucky and was able to pick up both Oopsy Daisy and their newest Out on a Limb release, Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy, which was just announced this past week!
Where Drank: home

Opinion: I pick up a lot more honey than chamomile flavor in this. I like it! Very unique. There is an appropriate amount of sweetness in my opinion, a bit less than many of their flavors (they have been releasing some drier varieties of late, I imagine to appeal to more folks as many say all Woodchuck varieties are sweet). This unique sort of flavor is something you see more with the small cideries, not the large ones, so its nice to see, and is a great value in my opinion. The most similar cider I’ve probably tried is Angry Orchard Elderflower, their 2014 summer release (this year they had Summer Honey), and it was still quite different.

It took me about half the bottle to figure out whether I liked it or not, which is unusual for me. Usually by the second sip I’ve made my decision. But, I liked this one enough to pick up a six pack (originally I only bought a single bottle), but not stock up on it. I love when shops offer single bottles of six pack varieties! Its worth the extra markup. The unfortunate thing with Out on a Limb is that they are limited releases, with no guarantees of a variety ever coming back. The good thing though is you get different varieties with the store only stocking essentially one cider. Oopsy Daisy is good for someone who wants to try an herbal cider without it being overwhelming. I don’t think someone needs to like Chamomile tea to enjoy this (I don’t). GIve it a try, if you can still find it!

Note that the Woodchuck Out on a Limb series keeps the same packaging but rotates ciders every month or two, so check the bottle neck before assuming it is the same cider as you’ve seen before. So far they have had:

Chocolate Raspberry
Splitter Splinter (with bittersweet apples and aged in whiskey barrels; not bad but I like Barrel Select better as this one was a bit tart)
Cheeky Cherry (apparently identical to their cellar series Sour Cherry release but 5.5% instead of 6.9%)
Oopsy Daisy
Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy (their take on a summer shandy, with lemon juice & lemongrass)

Have you tried Oopsy Daisy? What did you think?

Woodchuck Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy

June 28, 2015July 12, 2015 cidersays review, Woodchuck apple, apple cider, cider, cider review, hard apple cider, hard cider, hard cider review, Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy, lemon, lemongrass, Out on a Limb, review, Woodchuck

This is Woodchuck’s newest Out on a Limb release:

Cider: Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy
Cidery: Woodchuck
Cidery Location: Middlebury, VT
ABV: 4.2%
How Supplied: 6 pack of 12oz bottles
Availability: limited release (flavors in Out on a Limb rotate)

Description on Bottle: After a crazy day under the sun, grab a cider – your hammock is calling! We’ve taken a spin on the traditional shandy and made it our own. Our “cider shandy” starts with out small batch hard cider and infuses fresh lemon juice and lemongrass, crafting a well-balanced session cider with sweet and tart in every sip.

Price: $8.99 / six pack (although I only picked up a single bottle for under $2)
Where Bought: Total Wine
How Found: Started to look for it after reading it on Facebook from Woodchuck. Note that it can take awhile between when Woodchuck announces a flavor and it is stocked, especially if you are on the other side of the country. Also, with Out on a Limb, stores are often waiting until they are out of the previous flavor to stock the next one. I got lucky and was able to find Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy even though it was just announced this past week!
Where Drank: home

Opinion: This is Woodchuck’s take on a summer shandy (traditionally a mix of beer & lemonade, but other mixers can be used). It was created using a mix of McIntosh, Empire, & Cortland apples, and is infused with fresh lemon juice and lemongrass. They call this a session cider, which typically refers to low alcohol content beers (cider in this case) suitable for extended drinking sessions. The ABV (alcohol by volume) is 4.2% in this case, where other Woodchuck varieties typically run between 5% and 6.9%. Woodchuck previously had “Crisp”, a 3.2% ABV session cider, which I actually thought was quite tasty, and good for drinking multiple bottles as it only came in at 120 calories per 12 oz. With the bump up to 4.2% ABV for this variety, the calories only bump to 140…not bad! Also, only 9 grams of sugar, much lower than most of their other ciders.

I think Woodchuck went a bit too “Out on a Limb” with this one, as its definitely “Lemon Crazy”! I love lemon, yet I find this cider is overwhelming with lemon flavor, and finishes a bit too tart. I’ve never been a fan of tart ciders, such as green apple. I like the relatively low level of sweetness though. I think if they toned down the lemon a bit it would be very nice. It smells really nice, with only a hint of lemon, but the overwhelming lemon flavor lingers on the tongue. I would however call it refreshing. I would only recommend this to people who really like lemon, and like a tart cider.

Chocolate Raspberry
Splitter Splinter (with bittersweet apples and aged in whiskey barrels; not bad but I like Barrel Select better as this one was a bit tart)
Cheeky Cherry (apparently identical to their cellar series Sour Cherry release but 5.5% instead of 6.9%)
Oopsy Daisy (chamomile & honey)
Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy

Have you tried Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy? What did you think?

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