Cider!!!!

[TradingBoiler]

When I lived in England I had several friends who drank nothing but cider and these boys could drink. I went toe-to-toe with them one evening, foregoing my usual drink of choice (ale) for Woodpecker cider and when my hangover subsided nearly two days later I realized why the brand isso aptly named. I can attest to the fact that a very large woodpecker was trapped inside my head and was desperately fighting to peck his way out. There was absolutely no getting around the colossal headache I got from drinking all that cider and I'm guessing it is the high volume of sugar that had something to do with it. My English wife, however, assures me that I'm simply a pussy and that nothing is more glorious than a tall pint of Woodpecker, Bulmers or Strongbow cider on a warm day. To each his own, I guess.

This is a great story haha. Thanks for sharing

[Kalessin]

Strongbow cider... in 2-liter (used to be 3-liter) bottles at the supermarket for around $5.

*sigh* they sure do some things right over in the UK...

[callmeox]

This thread inspired me to pick up some Strongbow after work and it is darn good.

I've avoided ciders in the past since they were overly sweet, but this is superbly dry.

[soonami]

I like dryer cider, and find the ciders from Etienne (they also brew Dupont Saison I think) to have that nice crisp apple flavor without the residual sugar and a nice level of funky, barnyard action going on. It tastes less like apple juice and more like Lambic, which IMO is a great thing. Too bad they are so expensive though.

Of the sweeter ciders, JK is definitely my pick if you can find it. I have friends who really like Doc's Cassis Cider, but that also just tastes like a wine cooler to me.

[tanstaafl2]

I like dryer cider, and find the ciders from Etienne (they also brew Dupont Saison I think) to have that nice crisp apple flavor without the residual sugar and a nice level of funky, barnyard action going on. It tastes less like apple juice and more like Lambic, which IMO is a great thing. Too bad they are so expensive though.

Of the sweeter ciders, JK is definitely my pick if you can find it. I have friends who really like Doc's Cassis Cider, but that also just tastes like a wine cooler to me.

For those who do occasionally like apple on the sweeter side but want to avoid that wine cooler caché you might find Pommeau de Normandie interesting as an alternative to sweet cider. Makes a great dessert beverage with an apple flair. Basically apple juice mixed with young apple brandy that is then allowed to barrel age together for a period of time. It is Pineau des Charentes' country cousin fresh from the apple orchard.

Definitely sweet but also definitely delightful!