Wyder’s Pear Cider

May 31, 2017May 31, 2017 cidersays review, Wyder's cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Middlebury, pear, pear cider, tasting notes, Vermont, Wyder's

Review of Wyder’s Pear cider (previously “Dry Pear”). I’ve tried this before, but pre-blog. I’ve also had their Reposado Pear, Raspberry, and Prickly Pineapple ciders. They sent me a nice sampler of three ciders (plus a cool tote bag!), featuring new labels/packaging.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Wyder’s. 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: Pear
Cidery: Wyder’s Cider (part of Vermont Cider Co.)
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT (at the Woodchuck cidery)
ABV: 4.0%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles (and 22oz bottles)
Style: American commercial apple cider with pear juice

Availability: wide release (in 40 states), year round (they have a locator here)

Cider Description: This light, crisp cider presents a tangy aroma while offering a distinct pear taste, and ends with a lively mouth feel that tickles the tongue.

Cidery Description: We have specialized in eclectic fruit-forward ciders for more than two decades. It’s a pretty hyper-connected world out there, grab a Wyder’s when you’re ready to unplug. Wyder’s wants to be a part of you finding the good in life and your Happy Place. We hope you enjoy, and bring us along!

Price: n/a (although it runs ~$9.99 / six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Initially, browsing, although this time it just showed up.

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Very low carbonation. Smells mild, of candied pear and pineapple.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, bitterness, or tannins. Notes of pear, pineapple, and green apple. Quick finish. Low apple flavor. Moderate pear flavor. High sessionability. Low complexity. Low to moderate flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it, and can definitely see why it is popular. Its easy to drink and refreshing. This would be a nice summer BBQ type cider. It doesn’t really have any complexity though, and is slightly commercial tasting.

Most Similar to: Woodchuck Pear, Crispin Pacific Pear, Spire Mountain Sparkling Pear, Fox Barrel Pacific Pear, Pear UP Pear Essentials, Rambling Route Pear, Scandi Cider Pear, Flatbed Cider Pear, and Finnriver Pear, and Steelhead Peargatory.

Closing Notes: I’m glad to see they dropped the “Dry”, as it isn’t. I think my favorite Wyder’s cider is the Reposado Pear (tequila barrel aged), which is one of the few ciders that pairs well with Mexican food. Hopefully they continue making that one (it wasn’t included in this sample box).

Have you tried Wyder’s cider? What did you think?

Wyder’s Raspberry

May 31, 2017May 31, 2017 cidersays review, Wyder's cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Middlebury, Raspberry, raspberry cider, tasting notes, Vermont, Wyder's

Review of Wyder’s Raspberry cider (previously “Dry Raspberry”). I’ve tried this before (see here). I’ve also had their Reposado Pear, Prickly Pineapple, and Pear ciders. They sent me a nice sampler of three ciders (plus a cool tote bag!), featuring new labels/packaging.

Cider: Raspberry
Cidery: Wyder’s Cider (Vermont Cider Co.
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT (at the Woodchuck cidery)
ABV: 4.0%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles (and 22oz bottles)
Style: American commercial cider with raspberries

Availability: wide release (in 40 states), year round (they have a locator here)

Cider Description: This cider is light in body and features mouthwatering raspberry notes. It retains a dry and sparkling finish.

Price: n/a (although it runs ~$9.99 / six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Initially, browsing, although this time it just showed up.

First Impression: Light pink hue. Nearly still. Smells of mild slightly-candied raspberry.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light bodied. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. The flavor notes are just raspberry, maybe with hints of lemon & floral. Quick finish. Low complexity, flavor intensity, and apple flavor. High sessionability (as expected at only 4% ABV).

My Opinion: I thought it was pretty average, definitely commercial tasting. The flavor was very light and it seemed a bit watered down tasting. I liked that it wasn’t syrupy sweet though. It was refreshing and easy to drink. I almost thought this was a perry wih the flavor profile (especially as Wyder’s makes a couple pear ciders), but the ingredient list said “hard cider”, so I assume it is from apples.

Most Similar to: Woodchuck’s Raspberry cider, which is also only 4% ABV, although slightly sweeter.

Closing Notes: My favorite raspberry ciders remain Schilling Raspberry Smoothie and One Tree Raspberry. Both were very full-bodied, literally smoothie thickness, and quite sweet, but very very flavorful. I also really enjoy Pear UP’s Raspberry Perry (from pears not apples).

Have you tried Wyder’s cider? What did you think?

Wyder’s Prickly Pineapple

May 31, 2017May 31, 2017 cidersays review, Wyder's cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Middlebury, pineapple cider, Prickly Pineapple, tasting notes, Vermont, Wyder's

Review of Wyder’s Prickly Pineapple, with pineapple and prickly pear juices. I’ve tried this previously (see here). I’ve also had their Reposado Pear, Raspberry, and Pear ciders. They sent me a nice sampler of three ciders (plus a cool tote bag!), featuring new labels/packaging.

Cider: Prickly Pineapple
Cidery: Wyder’s (Vermont Cider Co.)
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT (at the Woodchuck facility)
ABV: 5.0%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles
Style: American commercial cider from dessert apples, with pineapple and prickly pear juices

Availability: wide release (in 40 states), year round (they have a locator here)

Cider Description: An exotic duet, this cider combines the juices from both prickly pear cacti and pineapples. Tickling the tongue, each sip brings forward a light and sweet taste like a refreshing pina colada. Satisfy those fruit forward senses with Wyder’s^® Prickly Pineapple.

Price: n/a (although it runs $9.99 / six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Initially, I looked for it after reading about it on Facebook. This time it just showed up.

First Impression: Light straw yellow with a hint of green. Low carbonation. Smells of pineapple candy.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to sweet. Medium to full bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of pineapple, green apple, and a little something unique which I assume is the prickly pear juice (kinda like passion fruit?). Quick finish. High sessionabiliy. Low apple flavor. Moderate to high flavor intensity. Low complexity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it, as its a bit unique, and nice and flavorful. Definitely on the sweeter and commercial tasting end though.

Most Similar to: Other sweeter pineapple flavored ciders, such as Schilling Trouble in Paradise (which has passion fruit), Ace Pineapple, and Jester & Judge Pineapple Express.

Random Thought: Has anyone made a cider with coconut? I bet pineapple coconut would be fun.

Have you tried Wyder’s Cider? What did you think?

Wyder’s Dry Raspberry

April 28, 2017April 19, 2017 cidersays review, Wyder's cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Raspberry, tasting notes, Vermont, Wyder's

Review of Wyder’s Raspberry cider. I don’t remember having tried this before (or at least I haven’t reviewed it), although I’ve had their Dry Pear, Reposado Pear, and Prickly Pineapple ciders.

Cider: Dry Raspberry
Cidery: Wyder’s Cider
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT (at the Woodchuck cidery)
ABV: 4.0%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles (and 22oz bottles)
Style: American commercial cider with raspberries

Availability: wide release, year round

Cider Description: This cider is light in body and features mouthwatering raspberry notes. It retains a dry and sparkling finish.

Price: ~$2 / single bottle (runs ~$9.99 / six pack)
Where Bought: Total Wine?
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I couldn’t remember having tried it.

First Impression: Light pink hue. Nearly still. Smells of mild slightly-candied raspberry.

Most Similar to: Woodchuck’s Raspberry cider, which is also only 4% ABV, although slightly sweeter.

Random Note: This is yet another mis-named cider…at 12 grams of sugar per 12oz, it is far from “dry”. It is not the most egregious mis-use of the “dry” label though.

Have you tried Wyder’s cider? What did you think?

Wyder’s Prickly Pineapple

September 7, 2016September 4, 2016 cidersays review, Wyder's cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, pineapple, prickly pear, Prickly Pineapple, Wyder's

Review of Wyder’s newest cider, Prickly Pineapple, with pineapple and prickly pear juices. I’ve previously tried their other three ciders (Dry Raspberry, Dry Pear, and Reposado)

Cider: Prickly Pineapple
Cidery: Wyder’s
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT (they are from British Columbia Canada, but their U.S. ciders are made at the Woodchuck facility)
ABV: 5.0%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles
Style: American commercial cider from dessert apples, with pineapple and prickly pear juices

Availability: wide release, as of August (they have a locator here)

Price: ~ $2 / single bottle (runs $9.99 / six pack)
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had been on the lookout since reading about it on Facebook

First Impression: Light straw yellow with a hint of green. Low carbonation. Smells of pineapple candy.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to sweet. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of pineapple, green apple, and a little something unique which I assume is the prickly pear juice. Quick finish. High sessionabiliy. low apple flavor. Moderate to high flavor intensity. Low complexity.

My Opinion: Not bad for a commercial cider, as its a bit unique, and nice and flavorful. Definitely on the sweeter end though. I don’t exactly agree it tastes like a pina colada, but its definitely not just a pineapple cider. Side note – has anyone tried to do anything coconut with a cider? I bet pineapple coconut would be good.

Most Similar to: Other sweeter pineapple flavored ciders, such as Schilling Trouble in Paradise, Ace Pineapple and Jester & Judge Pineapple Express.

Closing Notes: I imagine this will sell well.

Have you tried Wyder’s Prickly Pineapple? What did you think?

Wyder’s Reposado

May 3, 2016April 29, 2016 cidersays review, Wyder's barrel aged, cider, hard cider, pear cider, Reposado, tequila, Wyder's

Review of Wyder’s Reposado, a pear cider aged in tequila barrels.

Cider: Reposado
Cidery: Wyder’s
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT (Woodchuck facility)
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles (and kegs)
Style: commercial American pear cider, aged in tequila barrels

Availability: Wide release

Cider Description: Reposado. The name given to tequilas aged between two and twelve months in oak barrels. The wood aging smoothes out the tequila while infusing it with subtle oak notes. Wyder’s® Reposado Pear cider is an adventurous tango with the classic blue agave based spirit. Traditional Wyder’s® Pear cider infused with smooth subtle oak laden tequila notes. Refreshing pear cider crafted with some inspiration from south of the border.

Cidery Description: Wyder’s® Hard Cider has specialized in eclectic fruit-forward ciders for more than two decades. We figured it was about time our look on the outside of the bottle, matched the artful reality of what is inside the bottle! The liquid remains unchanged; we just updated our look to better fit what we are all about. It’s a pretty hyper-connected world out there, grab a Wyder’s when you’re ready to unplug. We hope you enjoy.

Price: ~$2 / single bottle
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I’ve tried this a few times before.

First Impression: Pale straw yellow. Still (no carbonation). Smells of tequila, oak, pear, and sugar.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of sweet pear, tequila, oak, lime, and honey. Very smooth. Medium to long warming finish. Moderate to strong pear flavor. Moderate overall flavor intensity. Moderate sessionability. Mild to moderate barrel influence. High spirit influence.

My Opinion: This is a simple but tasty cider that goes especially well with Mexican food, something that can be said about very few ciders. Its a tad on the sweet side for my tastes though.

Most Similar to: Nothing I know of, although I’ve heard of another cideries doing tequila barrel aged ciders (even of one with pineapple, from Cooked Halo.

Closing Notes: This isn’t a cider I’d want to drink all the time, but its definitely enjoyable when the mood strikes. I paired it with some taco salad.

Have you tried Wyder’s Reposado? What did you think?

Seattle International Beerfest 2015 Trip Report

July 11, 2015November 28, 2015 cidersays Anthem, Aspall, Crispin, event, local, Rev Nat's, review, Samuel Smith's, Wyder's aspall, beer, beerfest, cider, Crispin, reverend nat's, Sam Smith's, seattle, trip report, washington, weekend, Wyder's

What a lovely day to be outside drinking cider in Seattle! Luckily we had some cloud cover and it cooled off from the high 80s we’ve had of late to the low 70s.

Although this was obviously a beer event, they had 10 cider choices out of the approximately 200 selections. This was a three day event and we thankfully had the foresight to get there not too long after they opened at noon on the first day (Friday). Yay for an excuse to take off work! As the day went on it got only more crowded, and I can only expect the same for the rest of the weekend.

Fisher Plaza in Seattle Center near the International Fountain was a great venue choice. The event was mostly outside on the lawn, but there was also an inside portion. Inside even had real restrooms (although there were also port a potties outside). Sadly they did not allow outside beverages, even sealed bottles of water, so we dumped them and eventually found the water bottle fill station by the restrooms (otherwise it was $1 or $2 from a food vendor).

They housed the bottled selections inside and all the taps outside. Most taps were coolers with two taps per cooler. There was some seating & shade thankfully, so the blanket I brought wasn’t necessary (although it would be when they were busy). There were numbered Tables with four selections per Table, and the event program listed all the beer/cider details and location. This was very very well organized, especially compared to many tasting events I’ve been to. I imagine Saturday afternoon here will be a zoo though!

This is a dog friendly event and we saw many many dogs. They even had water bowls out for them, which I’m sure was appreciated. There were also games to check out, which appeared to also be appreciated. We saw lots of people just hanging out listening to the live music. Others were more obviously beer aficionados. There was even a smoking tent which kept the smell contained, although the cigar area at the top of the hill allowed cigar smoke to waft down a bit.

before the crowds…

This event was staffed by volunteers, who gave up three hours of their time to serve beer & cider in exchange for a free t-shirt and entry to the event. Tastes of beer & cider (4oz) cost between 1 and 7 tickets each, depending on the product cost, with a ticket worth $1. Most selections were 2-3 tickets, but there were plenty of 1 ticket and 4-7 ticket selections. They also offered some pints for 3 tickets, including Crispin Blackberry Pear. I would have loved to have the brewers and cider makers at this event, but alas it was focused more on quantity and supposedly international & rare finds, than connecting drinkers with makers.

Lots of yummy food choices, although I was really craving a soft pretzel or pizza or something. BBQ, gyros, burgers, burritos, grilled cheese, hot dogs, etc. I ended up with a hot dog while my two drinking companions (hubby & friend) had Gyros. We later snacked on some kettle corn and even a weird buckwheat pancake with butter & sugar confection (Miri’s Poffers). There were also a few non-food vendors, everything from engraved growlers to beer themed t-shirts to beef jerky.

And now, on to the cider tasting notes…I ended up trying six ciders, four of which I hadn’t tried before.

(1) Aspall Dry Cider (bottle, 6.8%, from England, 3 tickets). Dry English draft style cider. This was the surprising winner of the day! I would call it semi-dry. Very crisp & smooth with a traditional English cider taste. I found it to be pretty similar to Crispin Browns Lane. I plan to try another selection of theirs which is available near me (the only one), Aspall Blush cider.

(2) Reverend Nat’s Hopland #5 / Envy (draft, 10.2%, from OR, 2 tickets). Intensely hopped cider with 11 hops varieties. I didn’t expect to like this as I don’t like hops, but thought I might as well try it. It has an unfiltered look to it, a bit orange and hazy. Very very hoppy, both smell & taste! It was also a bit boozy, which is to be expected at over 10%. I really couldn’t pick up anything in this besides hops. My companions tried it and couldn’t even taste that it was cider. This is definitely a beer drinker’s cider. Unfortunately after a couple sips it got dumped out, as it wasn’t even drinkable for my two beer loving companions.

(3) Wyder’s Reposado Pear (draft, 6.9%, from VT, 1 ticket). Tequila barrel aged pear cider. I’ve had this at home a number of times and was curious if it would taste any different on tap than bottled. Surprisingly, not. If anything I didn’t like it as much on tap as it seemed to have less carbonation. For me this cider starts off with pear and finishes with tequila. Its smooth, and sweet to semi-sweet. I think its quite tasty.

(4) Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider (bottle, 5%, from England, 2 tickets). This was pretty unremarkable for me. It had a definite sweet apple scent, but tasted semi-dry. It had a very quick finish to it and was overall quite plain. I think there is much better cider to be had for the cost.

(5) Anthem “Raz & Boyz” (draft, unknown ABV but I’d guess 5-6%, from OR, 2 tickets). This was Wandering Angus’ mystery cider selection, from their Anthem line. I really don’t have any info on it, as it wasn’t in the event program and it appears to be brand new (no information even online). I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a new selection they released for the first time for the International Beerfest for Portland & Seattle, as they are from OR. All I could go off of was the name they scrawled on the small white board lol, so this likely isn’t even the cider’s real name. Very very tart! Semi-dry to dry. Brilliant red color. I only picked up raspberry, no boysenberry. It was more palatable once it opened up a bit by the end of the tasting glass. One of my companions thought it would be much better as a beer mixer than on its own, as it was just too dry & tart. I had fun watching people take their first sip after getting a glass of it, as most scrunched up their face!

(6) Crispin Blackberry Pear (draft, 5%, from CA, 3 tickets for a full pint). Pear cider with blackberry. This was something else I’ve had at home but was curious if it was any different on tap (and I was out of new ciders to try). This is a sweet fairly straight forward blackberry & pear cider. Smooth, easy to drink, and slightly tart. This appeared to be a very popular selection, and I saw more folks with this in their pint glass than beer! It was actually a good deal too for $3 a pint as this cider runs about $9 for a four pack of 12oz bottles. Plus it really hit the spot to finish out the day.

Sorry I don’t have photos of the draft ciders, but they unfortunately didn’t have info sheets nor was there a surface to take a photo on…

Overall, I highly recommend this Seattle-area tasting event. It’ll be a crowd pleaser for beer & cider lovers alike. It was unfortunately a bit spendy though: $95 for advance purchase admission for three with 60 tickets, $15 for parking, and food & souvenirs. Still a great way to spend the day though. We ended up getting one pack of 40 tickets for one person and two packs of 10 tickets each for two people, which worked out well to share. Although you can buy extra tickets, the “Big Deal” as they called it (advance purchase only) essentially gave you 10 free tickets, and having the tickets in advance encouraged us to go big and try some of the more expensive stuff (vs. having to shell out extra money for single tickets).

My best advice is to arrive Friday afternoon when they open at noon, as around 4pm the crowds really picked up. Other advantages of arriving Friday are that you have in & out privileges (just need your wristband & tasting glass), and they may run out of some selections. Looking forward to next year!

Cider at Seattle International Beerfest

June 30, 2015November 28, 2015 cidersays event, local Ace, apple, apple cider, aspall, beer, beerfest, cider, cider tasting, Crispin, event, festival, hard apple cider, rev nat's, samuel smith's, seattle, seattle international beerfest, wandering angus, Wyder's

I’m looking forward to attending the Seattle International Beerfest at Seattle Center, July 10-12 2015. Hubby and I are even planning to take the day off work so we can get there right when they open at noon on Friday, to hopefully beat the crowds and ensure we get to taste everything we want. This unfortunately isn’t an event which has representatives from the breweries & cideries (beer & cider is served by volunteers), but it is still a great opportunity to drink some cider (and beer).

Entry gets you a wristband, tasting glass, and a specific number of tickets. Advance sales are $25 (10 tickets) or $45 (40 tickets). At the door it is $30 cash (10 tickets). Additional tickets are sold for $1 each. Beer & cider tastes (4oz) cost between 1 and 7 tickets each depending on their cost, where most are 1-3 tickets. There are also a few selections to get a full pint for only $3, including Crispin Blackberry (I assume they mean Blackberry Pear). Note that not all selections are on tap (some are bottles). There will be music and food trucks. This event is appealing as it appears more spread out than many, which often crowd folks into a small location. If you are going, I’d recommend planning ahead what you want to taste; this helpful map even includes their locations and the number of tickets each will cost.

Ciders they plan to have:

Ace Pinapple (draft, 5% ABV, from CA, 1 ticket) – a very sweet but tasty pineapple cider; I like this one

Aspall Dry Cider (bottle, 6,8%, from England, 3 tickets) – dry English Draft style cider; I haven’t tried anything from them, so it’ll be on my list

Ace Blackjack 21 (bottle, 9%, from CA, 4 tickets) – a Chardonnay barrel cider which was a special release for their 21st birthday; this one was pretty good, but not worth the $15+ a bottle in my opinion

Crispin Blackberry (draft, 5%, from CA, only available as a pint for 3 tickets?) – I assume this is blackberry pear; I like this one – yummy and easy to drink, not too sweet

Crispin The Saint (bottle, 6.9%, from CA, 2 tickets) – part of their artisinal reserves, and has beer yeast & maple syrup; not a fan of this one as it tasted a bit like beer

Crispin Venus Reigns (bottle, 6.9%, from CA, 3 tickets) – wine barrel aged pear cider; I like this one, and surprisingly didn’t pick up much red wine taste, more berry/fruit – see my review

Rev Nat’s Hopland #5 / Envy (draft, 10.2%, from OR, 2 tickets) – a hopped cider in his 7 Deadly Sins collection; I haven’t tried it as I don’t like hopped ciders, but this would be a good time to have a taste as this stuff is pricey ($15), and for 2 tickets that is a good deal!

Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider (bottle, 5%, from England, 2 tickets) – apparently a plain cider which I haven’t gotten around to trying, so this will be on my list; my hubby likes their fruit ales

Wandering Angus Unspecified Variety (draft, TBD, from OR, TBD tickets) – no info given; a new release?; I’ll try it, although I haven’t liked two others from them (Wickson & Bloom, both too dry for my tastes, Wickson moreso)

Wyder’s Reposado Pear (draft, 6.9%, from VT, 1 ticket) – tequila barrel aged pear cider; I like this one – very smooth, and goes well with Mexican food, which can not often be said about cider!

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