Hard ciders are my alcoholic beverage of choice, and I'm always up for trying new flavors, so I've had many different ones. Unfortunately, ciders aren't very popular in the US, although they're slowly gaining popularity. When I visted the UK in 2015, I was right at home because every pub had a large variety of ciders. Below are the flavors I've tasted and my opinions of them.
Blake's - Tropicolada - cider, orange, coconut, pineapple. Tastes like a pinata colada mixed with cider. Pretty good, but the apple clashes slightly. 6.9%
Blake's - Flannel Mouth - a delicious berry cider.
Wicked Grove - Rose - 5% - A rose flavor, but a bit watery.
Artifact Cider Project - 5.4% - Semi dry. Crisp and light, decent flavor.
Photo |
Brand |
Flavor |
Nation |
Alcohol |
Notes
|
|
Ace
|
Blackjack 21
|
USA, California
|
9.0%
|
Gravenstein apple cider aged in oak barrels. Really awful flavor.
|
|
Ace
|
Pineapple
|
USA, California
|
5.0%
|
Has a very sweet pineapple flavor. Delicious.
|
|
Angry Orchard
|
Crisp Apple
|
USA, New York
|
5.0%
|
Decent taste, but unfortunately the bulk of bars in the USA have it as their only cider, so it's very over-played.
|
|
Angry Orchard
|
Crisp Apple Unfiltered
|
USA, New York
|
6.0%
|
Not as sweet. More of an alcohol flavor. Not great.
|
|
Angry Orchard
|
Easy Apple
|
USA, New York
|
4.2%
|
Less sweet than their crisp apple. I prefer it over their original.
|
|
Angry Orchard
|
The Old Fashioned
|
USA, New York
|
6.5%
|
Adds cherry, orange peel, and bourbon for a more robust flavor.
|
|
Angry Orchard
|
Rosé
|
USA, New York
|
5.5%
|
Made from red-fleshed apples for a slightly different flavor.
|
|
Angry Orchard
|
Pear
|
USA, New York
|
5.0%
|
Too sweet. My least favorite of this brand.
|
|
Austin Eastciders
|
Cranberry
|
USA, Texas
|
5.0%
|
Flat cider with only a hint of cranberry. Pretty boring.
|
|
B. Nektar
|
Zombie Killer
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.5%
|
Cider with cherry and honey. Not a fan.
|
|
Barrel + Beam
|
Rightful Cider
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
Dry brut cider. Absolutely awful. Tastes like moldy cheese.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Caramel Apple
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
Has a strong candy-like caramel flavor. Almost too obvious.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
El Chavo
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
Habanero and mango flavor. It's interesting to have heat from the pepper, but I don't care much for the flavor.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Fido
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.8%
|
Raspberry, hops, and grapefruit. A sweet, but tart flavor, very delicious.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Lemonade, Blueberry
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
The blueberry and lemon give it a delicious mix of sour, sweet, and tart.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Lemonade, Strawberry
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
The strawberry and lemon give it a delicious mix of sour and sweet.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Lite, Classic Apple
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
Artificial sweet taste. Tolerable, but not enjoyable.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Lite, Mixed Berry
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
Artificial sweet taste, but with berries. Pretty awful.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Lite, Mojito
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
Artificial sweet taste, but with lime and mint. Disgusting.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Saint Chéri
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.9%
|
Fermented in bourbon barrels and mixed with cherry cider. Quite good.
|
|
Blake's Hard Cider
|
Triple Jam
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
Cider flavored with strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. It's okay.
|
|
Ciderboys
|
First Press
|
USA, Wisconsin
|
5.0%
|
Crisp good flavor, but gives me a headache.
|
|
Ciderboys
|
Grand Mimosa
|
USA, Wisconsin
|
5.0%
|
Cider mixed with orange juice. Gives it a mild sourness. Interesting, but not amazing.
|
|
Ciderboys
|
Mad Bark
|
USA, Wisconsin
|
5.0%
|
Crisp good flavor, but gives me a headache.
|
|
Ciderboys
|
Strawberry Magic
|
USA, Wisconsin
|
5.0%
|
The mixed in strawberry flavor is quite good.
|
|
Ciderboys
|
Tropical Wave
|
USA, Wisconsin
|
5.0%
|
Cider flavored with passion fruit, orange, and guava. Basically candy in a bottle. Very sweet, and very yummy.
|
|
Crispin
|
Original
|
USA, Wisconsin
|
5.0%
|
|
|
JK's Farmhouse
|
Honeycrisp Haze
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
An interesting flavor that is both dry, sweet, and sour as you drink it.
|
|
Northern Oak
|
The O.G.
|
USA, Michigan
|
|
A good sweet apple cider.
|
|
Northern Oak
|
Blu Berry
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
A good sweet apple cider infused with blueberry.
|
|
Redd's
|
Apple-Ale
|
USA
|
5.0%
|
Mix of beer and cider. Not awful, but not great.
|
|
Redd's
|
Blueberry Ale
|
USA
|
5.0%
|
Mix of beer, cider, and blueberry. A bit sickly.
|
|
Redd's
|
Strawberry Ale
|
USA
|
5.0%
|
Mix of beer, cider, and strawberry. A bit sickly.
|
|
Redd's
|
Wicked Apple
|
USA
|
8.0%
|
Same taste as Redd's Apple-Ale, but with 8% alcohol instead of 5%. Gave me a headache.
|
|
Rekorderlig
|
Pear
|
Sweden
|
4.5%
|
Starts out really good and refreshing, but becomes sickly near the end.
|
|
Rekorderlig
|
Wild Berries
|
Sweden
|
4.0%
|
A delicious berry blend.
|
|
Resort Pike
|
MK's Ultra
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.5%
|
Apple cider sweetened with brown sugar and caramel. Has a cream soda taste which is quite yummy.
|
|
St. Julian
|
Forbidden Fruit, Original
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.5%
|
|
|
Starcut Ciders
|
Magpie
|
USA, Michigan
|
4.3%
|
Cider with cinnamon added. Not unpleasant, but I only taste the cinnamon.
|
|
Starcut Ciders
|
Mosa
|
USA, Michigan
|
4.3%
|
Cider with orange juice. Makes it a little sweeter and sourer. Not bad, but not great.
|
|
Starcut Ciders
|
Octorock
|
USA, Michigan
|
4.9%
|
Sweet delicious cider.
|
|
Starcut Ciders
|
Pulsar
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.4%
|
Dry cider with Pinot Noir yeast. It's okay.
|
|
Starcut Ciders
|
Squishy
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.3%
|
The cherries give it an enjoyable tartness.
|
|
Stella Artois
|
Cidre
|
Belgium
|
4.5%
|
Good crisp cider, slightly dry, not too sweet.
|
|
Strongbow
|
Cherry Blossom
|
England
|
4.5%
|
Adds a hint of cherry. Makes it a bit sweeter, but still a good flavor.
|
|
Strongbow
|
Gold Apple
|
England
|
5.0%
|
My favorite cider. Absolutely delicious semi-sweet flavor.
|
|
Strongbow
|
Honey
|
England
|
5.0%
|
Although sweeter, it's a flavorful mild sweetness.
|
|
Strongbow
|
Orange Blossom
|
England
|
4.5%
|
Adds a hint of orange for a delicious citrus flavor.
|
|
Tandem Ciders
|
The Green Man
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
Dry and tart. Pretty good, but almost no carbonation.
|
|
Virtue Cider
|
Brut
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.7%
|
Made with brut apples. Dry and boring.
|
|
Virtue Cider
|
Lapinette
|
USA, Michigan
|
6.2%
|
A Norman-style cidre brut, aged in French oak barrels. Quite watery.
|
|
Virtue Cider
|
Michigan Apple
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.5%
|
Semi-dry, great flavor.
|
|
Virtue Cider
|
Michigan Cherry
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
Cider with cherry added. Very delicious.
|
|
Virtue Cider
|
Michigan Honey
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
Added honey for a semi-sweet addition. Very good.
|
|
Virtue Cider
|
Rosé
|
USA, Michigan
|
5.0%
|
Made with rosé apples. Bland and almost no carbonation.
|
|
Woodchuck
|
Granny Smith
|
USA, Vermont
|
5.0%
|
Made with granny smith apples for a delicious tart flavor.
|
I held a party which involved a double blind cider tasting which you can read about here: Cider Tasting 2021.