Hard Cider, anyone?

[mcscajun]

I'm no beer connoisseur, but I have friends who long ago moved far beyond Budweiser, Rolling Rock (which isn't what it was now that the Latrobe plant was closed), or even Heineken (which, I'm given to understand, like many other imported beers, is better abroad than here).

Microbrews are more their speed, with special emphasis on the darker, more bitter brews. A few even brew their own complex stouts and ales. All of these are way beyond me; I prefer a lighter, crisper beverage. :toast:

I was never any kind of beer drinker, but would occasionally indulge in an Amstel lite if put to it, but I'd never finish even one.

I found hard cider many years ago, but only recently started to explore it, and that isn't easy, given that the demand for cider isn't high (although it's been gaining market share in recent years). Many liquor/package stores don't stock it all, while others may stock a limited quantity of just one (if I'm lucky, two) labels. The most common ones found are Woodchuck, Woodpecker, Hornsby's, and Cider Jack. More adventurous stores may carry Magner's; almost No One carries Doc's Draft Hard Cider (from a small producer in Orange County, NY, thankfully not too far from me.) Most bars/restaurants don't carry any hard cider at all, even those that have gotten more adventurous in their bottled beer selection. I keep asking, though, because those who don't ask, don't get. ;)

All of the ones I mention above are the beer style of hard cider, which I prefer to the champagne style; this latter style is a completely different brew using different yeasts and bottling. Most of the ones I've tried have a decent kick (5% alcohol in most - some imported brews have a higher concentration) and can make an interesting mixer with certain spirits if you're not planning on driving anytime soon. :evilgrin: As is, hard cider goes well with a variety of foods, and incredibly well with spicy BBQ, Chinese Food, or even Pizza. :)

Magner's hard cider from Ireland is one of my favorites.


Lately, I've returned to my first taste of hard cider, the domestic Vermont brew, Woodchuck!


Hard Cider is one of the oldest American products with a long heritage, and I'm glad it's enjoying a resurgence. :) Care for a cold one?

[Kerrytravelers]

1. In fact, I just now finished my Smirnoff Black Cherry, which I also recommend.

[mcscajun]

5. Black Cherry? Intriguing.

:)

I'll have to look for that one, thanks.

[Kerrytravelers]

7. I am full of alachol...

... recommendations.


:evilgrin:

[mcscajun]

9. LOL

Nice last word, there. :) Your first, though, makes me think you Have been imbibing.

alachol?

[Kerrytravelers]

36. Dang! Spellcheck doesn't always work... especially after you've been imbibing!

:devilgrin:

I now have before me eggnog with brandy. Yummm... the end of the holiday season with brandy.

More imbibing...

[mcscajun]

41. Damn. I didn't have One cup/glass of eggnog this holiday season.

If I had, it would have had Rum in it, though.

Is your eggnog commercial or homemade? Do tell. :P

[Kerrytravelers]

42. Commercial... I'd rather spend time mixing it with alachal (teehee) than figuring out how to make it

Yep. The holiday season is one of liquor and hangovers.

Isn't everyone's?

:evilgrin:

[mcscajun]

50. Perhaps I should check out the dairy section tomorrow and see

if there's any current-dated eggnog left in the case. :)

[TheMightyFavog]

10. I love Woodchuck.

It's one of those things that make me consider looking for work in Vermont when I graduate.

[mcscajun]

13. You planning on working for them, or just being close to the source?

:)

[Kerrytravelers]

43. What a flippin' great idea! I should find a job at a brewery!

I'd be a very happy camper!

[mcscajun]

48. It's not my original idea, but it's one of my favorites: Do what you love

You'll enjoy your work, and the money will follow, because what you love you can be Great at. :)

[TheMightyFavog]

44. Close to the source.

[mcscajun]

49. Nothing wrong with Vermont, anyway.

:)

Of course, Woodchuck is in wide distribution. :bounce:

[Call Me Wesley]

2. Never had it.

You should ask MissHoneychurch about 'Äpplewoi' (Apple Wine in the regional dialect), which is the hard cider famous in the German part she lives.

I don't think it's really produced here, although I'm sure I could get it here. But I'm familiar with an offspring of it, 'Calvados.' I'll see if I can get American hard cider here, might want to try it. :)

[mcscajun]

6. Calvados is wonderful. I always keep a bottle on hand for cooking

purposes. Pork and chicken dishes, especially those with apples, are enhanced by a small addition of Calvados to the pan sauce. :p

[Broken_Hero]

3. yummy....

I could use one....:toast:

[mcscajun]

52. Why limit yourself?

OTOH, I don't even have ONE in the house right now, so I can't offer you any. :(

[bertha katzenengel]

4. Hornsby's is the only one I've had. I like it. Ever had a snakebite?

Half Guiness, half hard cider. I think.

[mcscajun]

8. They've got that posted on the Woodchuck site as "Smoothie"

I'd guess the cider helps smooth out the bitterness of a Guiness. It's probably the only way I'd ever try a Guiness, BTW. It's just far too much for me.

Try a Stone Fence sometime if you dare. A shot of rum in a glass of hard cider. I'm not sure if it's because you'll run into a Stone Fence, Jump over one, or turn into same. :evilgrin:

[Lyric]

11. We like Cider Jack best

Woodchuck is okay too.

My SO hates beer and all "malt" beverages, so hard cider is one of the VERY few bottled drinks she'll consume. Unfortunately, our local stores don't carry our favorite Cider Jack brand. :(

[mcscajun]

12. You'll just have to make a beer run to NJ, then.

It's carried in stores here. Not all, and not always.

hmmm...perhaps it's even in PA?

[Lyric]

14. I'm not sure. I know they had it in NY and VA.

*goes to check their locator thingy*

[Critters2]

15. I've never had hard cider, but on a cold winter's night--

the kind we used to have--there's nothing like a hot cup of the not-so-hard variety to warm you up!

[mcscajun]

16. MMmmmmmmmmm, yeah. Hot Mulled Cider is Wonderful.

A great thing to put up in a Crock Pot for arrivals at a cold night's winter party. It makes the house smell great, and wrapping your fingers around a steaming cup and getting outside of some of the contents is wonderfully warming.

If indeed, we ever have another brutally cold winter in which to host such a party!

[Critters2]

17. Mulling spices. My mom always used these, and now they're one of those special smells

that bring her alive in my memory.

Critters
feelin' a little down tonight, apparently

[mcscajun]

18. In that case....

this is for you.

:hug:

My mom's been gone nearly 40 years, so I know.

[Critters2]

19. Thank you. I need that! nt

[DainBramaged]

20. MERRY CHRISTMAS HAPPY NEW YEAR HAPPY SPRING

:toast: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hi: :hug:

[mcscajun]

22. Likewise to you, sir.

:hi:

How much you wanta bet there'll BE no Spring Fever this year, as we'll have had no "Cabin Fever" we need to recover from?

[BrotherBuzz]

21. I like Blackthorn Cider

I like almost all dry hard ciders including the German Apfelwein. I also enjoy scrumpy, fermented from whole crushed apples that produces an unusual bit that may be an acquired taste, but worth pursuing.

[mcscajun]

23. I've read about scrumpy, but never yet seen it or heard about any

locally produced. :(

unusual bit? as in bitter?

[BrotherBuzz]

26. I enjoyed Scrumpy in England

Many years ago, I lived on the outskirts of Bristol in an old converted rectory. Dennis Crocker lived down the lane in an old cottage where he raised ferrets and made enormous amounts of scrumpy for his consumption (he drank ten to twelve pints a day as a farm laborer, then switched to ale when the sun went down!). He was very generous with his drink, but I never consumed more then a pint at at time. Because he fermented all the apple before pressing, his cider picked up a tannin bit from the from the seeds. It was not necessarily bad, just an acquired taste.

[mcscajun]

53. Ten to twelve pints a day!

And he still had the Oomph to raise ferrets?

:wow:

[BrotherBuzz]

54. Rabbits was his source of protein and he hunted with ferrets

Dennis was way over three hundred pound, wore hobnailed boots and could put away the alcohol (think Hagrid from the Harry Potter series). Yes, he not only had the oomph to raise ferrets, he had to oomph to buck straw from sunrise to sunset, or pull weeds by hand from the kale fields, then milk the evening cows, all before his stroll to the pub for his evening ale.

[mcscajun]

57. Hagrid Lives.

:)

[jpak]

73. Blackthorn's my favorite

:thumbsup:

We used to make 30-55 gallons of home squeezed hard cider a year back in the day.

One -40 below winter night, we set out 50 gallons in a wooden barrel and poured off the "good stuff" after it froze.

wicked good (but bad hangovers)...

[mcscajun]

75. -40!?! Damn!

I'd need more than hard cider to get me through that. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[fishwax]

24. I like Hard Cider

my favorite is the Hardcore, which is brewed by the Boston Brew Co. (the Sam Adams people).



Good stuff! :toast:

[mcscajun]

25. Looks tasty!

If anything can be judged tasty through brown glass on an LCD PC monitor.

[smtpgirl]

27. K Draft Cider & Hornsby's Pub Draft Cider for me

Even got my brother-in-law drinking it now.

K & Hornsby's cider is dry, not as sweet as most.

Have been a hard cider fan for about 6 years now. If I drink beer, it is definitely microbrews.

[mcscajun]

30. I've had a bottle or two of K at Virgil's BBQ in Manhattan.

A bit more aroma of apple than taste of it in K; also, a higher alcohol content than many others.

Hornsby's was my "house cider" until I went to Ireland in 2005; then Magner's (known in Ireland as Bulmer's) took over for the past two years.

I'm glad to have shaken more than a few cider fans out of the apple trees tonight. :)

[gordontron]

47. yeah I was going to say

I went to ireland and the cider everywhere was
but it has the same logo as that magners so I was confused. cheers!

[jmm]

28. I love Magners.

A few years ago one of my friends was telling me how she loved Irish bars because all you had to do was order a soda and then everybody would offer to buy you a "real" drink. I thought she was joking but we went out soon after she said that and sure enough we had strange men and women insisting we had to let them buy us their favorite drinks. That was the night I discovered Magners :beer:.

[mcscajun]

33. NOW you tell me!

:smacks head: Where were you when I was planning my Ireland trips?

:rofl:

To think of all the drinks I could have had back in February '05 or '06!

Seriously, though, my experience was pretty good in Ireland. It was a bartender in Galway on our first night out, who put me onto Bulmer's. :toast:

I'm not planning on Ireland this year; I wonder what ciders are available in Louisiana? :evilgrin:

[cwydro]

29. Your poll

did not give a choice for someone who has not tried it..but now will.

Will let you know.

[mcscajun]

31. How about option #4?

"I am curious about Hard Cider. I'm going to try it soon." -- set up just for you and others who haven't had it yet.

I'm happy to have piqued your interest. :)

[cwydro]

38. You know

I figured I missed something...probably because I am drinking something harder yet!

But I will...and sorry.:hi:

[mcscajun]

40. LOL

gotcha! :beer:

[cwydro]

45. Yep,

gonna try it.

Will let ya know!:toast:

[Aristus]

32. I LOVE hard cider, and here is my favorite:

They make apple and pear cider. YUM! :9 Hard Cider is light, crisp, refreshing and DEE-licious! :beer:

It's like soda pop, only with an alcohol kick.

[mcscajun]

35. Apple and Pear in one beverage?

Hmmmm.

[Aristus]

46. No. That's not a beverage label; its the company logo. They make apple cider AND pear cider.

The respective labels for the ciders have only an apple or only a pear. Capice?

And it is yummmmmmmy! :beer:

[mcscajun]

51. Good. 'Cause I'm an apple fan, but pear I'm not so keen on.

Capito.

[Deja Q]

34. Oi, I'll take anything hard!

:rofl:

[China_cat]

37. I've never had commercial hard cider.

Where I grew up the guy up the road had the cider press and we had our apples (mostly windfalls for the best cider) pressed by him. The cider was dark and cloudy and had bits of stuff floating in it and tasted amazing. And went hard in no time at all. Then it not only tasted amazing but did nice things to your head at the same time.

Then there was the vinegar made from half-hard cider. My stepfather's mother had a mother-of-vinegar that must have weighed 5 lbs and turned out 20 to 30 gallons of vinegar a year. (Again, for the whole neighborhood.)

[mcscajun]

39. Lucky you!

I grew up in The Bronx; no cider presses, or indeed, apple trees, for a long, long way away.

Sounds delightful, though.

[ironflange]

55. We love it

We get lots of different kinds from the Okanagan in BC. I like extra dry apple mostly, though there are peach and nectarine ones that are really good too. There are lots of questionable ones too, I've never tried the grapefruit but the black cherry tastes something like cough syrup. An apple cider with a little shot of Dr. McGillicuddy's Cinnamon Schnapps in it is mighty tasty.

A few years ago, I made a batch of extra dry cider from scratch, meaning I shredded my own apples for it. Hot damn, it was good! I don't know why I haven't done it again, well, it was pretty messy.

[mcscajun]

58. "An apple cider with a little shot of Dr. McGillicuddy's Cinnamon Schnapps in it is mighty tasty."

I may have to get a bottle of Dr. McGillicuddy's right away. :)

[T_i_B]

56. Magners? "hard" cider?

Oh come off it! Magners is just Irn-Bru served with a large iceberg to cover the taste. The success of Magners is down mainly to the (admittedly very good) advertising of the product.

If it's cider you want then go for some proper scrumpy. Be warned though, it's very strong and very sulphurous and it will make you go mad.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scrumpy/cider/

[mcscajun]

59. "Irn-Bru" ??

Never heard of it; it's possible it's never made it to these shores.

As for scrumpy, someone else mentioned it upthread, and while I've certainly heard of it, I've never heard of a source for it here in the American Northeast. :shrug:

[T_i_B]

69. What is Irn-Bru?

It's a soft drink, slightly pinkish in colour that tastes mostly of sweetness and chemicals.

As to scrumpy, I'm sure you can find somebody in the US with a Cider press, although that might be easier said then done. You will find that scrumpy is a VERY different sort of drink to commercial fizzy ciders, which are really little more then sweet lagers IMHO.

[mcscajun]

74. Well, there are certainly plenty of cider presses in the US farm

country, and I'm not too far from a number of orchards. I'll have to start my hunt next August or so as the local apple harvest begins.

[T_i_B]

82. Sounds like you have the right idea!

Although I would reiterate that real scrumpy is a very different creature indeed to the likes of Magners & Strongbow. :-)

[OrwellwasRight]

60. Woot woot for cider!! Three cheers!!

Woodchuck is good, but I prefer Wyders and Ace. Also, did you know you can get cider in a 40? Now that's cool. Also, try pear if you have not done so!

[mcscajun]

62. Cider in a 40?

What is this strange language you speak? :)

[OrwellwasRight]

64. I saw several when I was shopping for a six pack on Christmas night.

I believe they had 40 oz bottles of a couple of different brands. I was about to buy them and show up to the party with some vintage 80s gold chains when I located the sixers (which I would not have to explain)

[mcscajun]

65. Hmmm...perhaps I'd better make some detours on my next trip to

VA.

Where should I be looking, pray tell? :)

[OrwellwasRight]

66. I ended up at some random suburban liquor store in El Cajon, CA.

Couldn't even tell you the name. But cider is growing in market share, so I'd say you have a pretty good chance of finding it at the first or second place you go.

BTW, I have had debates with people about the meaning of the word "liquor store," so let me be clear: in CA, where I grew up and developed my language skills, liquor store is a generic term that can be applied to many a place that sells, among other things, liquid products between 1 and 200 proof that is used to get a person tipsy or even drunk. A typical liquor store has just a few aisles and many refrigerated cases and sells beer, wine, hard alcohol, snacks, sundries, and sometimes even has a deli.

[mcscajun]

67. In NYC, you can buy beer in supermarkets, but you must go to a

Liquor store to buy wine or whiskey.

In NJ, even beer, or for our purposes, hard cider, can only be sold in liquor stores. This of course, has led some chains, Shop-Rite most notably, to place their own liquor store adjacent (but with a separate entrance that can be shut down independently of the supermarket, to conform to closing laws) to the main supermarket, enabling one-stop shopping of a sort (*but with two checkouts*).

As to my question before, I looked at your profile and assumed (wrongly) that you'd made your purchase near D.C. Ah, well.

[OrwellwasRight]

68. I haven't seen any cider 40s in DC area yet, but

my local Giant supermarket sells Hornsby's and Woodchuck 6 packs, as do the multi-purpose liquor stores (that are similar in scope to CA liquor stores) here in DC.

Also, one Sunday, when I could not find any liquor stores open in DC, I rode the metro out to Rosslyn, first stop in No. VA on the Orange/Blue line, and found cider sixers at the convenience store conveniently located at the top of the metro entrance.

And, yup, CA is frequently where I spend my holidays.

[ulysses]

61. strongbow!

Good stuff. :thumbsup:

[mcscajun]

63. Looks good. I'll have to see where that one is distributed.

Have never encountered it.

[grace0418]

70. I *LOVE* hard cider. I was never much of a beer drinker. And while I enjoy

wine, I'm not always in the mood for it. Cider is great, light and refreshing, fruity but not cloying, goes well with lots of different foods. YUM!

I haven't had too many I didn't enjoy, but yes Woodchuck and Magners are fine choices. I like pear cider too. Just had one the other night with an Irish stew. It was lovely.

[mcscajun]

78. Cider and Irish (lamb) Stew - Perfect Together.

YUM!

[grace0418]

84. Stop! You're making me hungry!

It's cold today, so that sounds like the perfect dinner!

[mcscajun]

85. Sorry.

And you're right; it is. :)

[lukasahero]

71. Woodchuck's Granny Smith is a staple in my house

Never been a beer drinker but sometimes the occassion just calls for it. This is my substitute. :toast:

[mcscajun]

79. How does it compare to Woodchuck Amber?

Sharper, sweeter, crisper, how? Inquiring taste buds want to know. :P

[lukasahero]

80. I'm really bad at the language of taste but I'll try

I think it's a bit "brighter" and certainly more tart (you definitely know it's made from Granny Smith apples - picture drinking one. :) ) I think it's a little sweeter as well but I haven't had an amber in a long time...

[mcscajun]

83. Thanks. That gives me a notion of what I might experience.

I'm pretty much an Amber devotee.

[tigereye]

72. I'm going to bookmark this, since I love hard cider

but never know which different ones to try! Thanks.


I once had some on tap? in Ohio and it was the best I've ever tasted. Wish I could remember what kind.

[mcscajun]

77. I bookmarked this about 20 replies ago...

:) Who knew this was going to turn into such a resource list? :bounce:

Maybe someone else will pop up and let us know what's on tap in Ohio. ;)

[sweetheart]

76. magners yes nt

[Name removed]

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