A Glass of Cider to Start Things Off

Good morrow folks. I woke up this morning, and decided to enjoy a nice glass of cider as my first drink of the morning. What? I'm turning twenty-one. There will be much drinking today, and it may as well start early! Unfortunately, the liquor store not being open, I couldn't pick up a nice bottle of Champaign or anything else, for that matter, but chose to enjoy a glass of Woodchuck Draft Cider's granny smith varietal cider. Here is my review. It should be similar in format to the other reviews I will write:

Woodchuck Draft Cider: Granny Smith Cider

Tasting conditions: It was stored for a while at room temperature in dark conditions for a while before I had the chance to drink it. Traditional 16oz pint glass. I enjoyed it as the first drink of the morning on my twenty-first birthday.

Eye: This is a little light in comparison to other ciders: a pale wheat color. Like other ciders, and some beers, it comes in a squat glass bottle, green in this case. The label continues this coloration in two shades of green. There is cute picture of a green tinged marmot (perhaps he’s jealous?) enjoying a green apple on the label. Do I sense a theme here? My only complaint about the packaging is it’s a bit, well, green and bland. On the pour, there is a little head, but it dies down quite quickly. On the other hand, it bubbles fairly continuously, much like Champaign. In fact, I would say if this came to me in a flute, I would assume, based on sight, that that was what it was.

Nose: The comparison to Champaign continues through the nose. There is a little fruitiness there, and a bit of must, and a lot of what I associate with carbonation in fermented fruit drinks.

Mouth: Even in the mouth, it might be mistaken for Champaign. I would say that this compares favorably to something like, say, an extra brut from a house like Korbel. The carbonation was somewhat evident on the tongue, and while it got more apple-y as I drank more, for the first sip or two, you could easily have given this to me in a flute, and I would have assumed you had bought Champaign. As I enjoyed more of it, I found more depth of flavor, with a little apple, approaching a profile that was reminiscent of say, Strongbow. However, I must say that it seems fairly one dimensional to me.

Conclusion: This is a decent cider, but I would not hurry to keep it in stock. Woodchuck brews significantly more complex, cidery ciders than this. On the other hand, since it could have been mistaken for Champaign, I think that it may have been appropriate for the occasion on which I drank it.

Picture will be forthcoming soon.