The West Cider

Finding the best cider in BC and beyond


by Leave a comment

Review: Lonetree Cider on tap at Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar

Lonetree Cider Lonetree Cider Lonetree Cider

I don’t actually want to give Lonetree a full review based on this particular tasting.

Frankly, I don’t think what I got was completely indicative of the cider – or maybe it does. This is just my experience…

Arrived at Rogue for a friend’s birthday party and the birthday girl had several drinks in front of her already. She passed me this cider saying, “you like ciders.”

True.

Turns out she was giving it to me because she didn’t like it. I tried to not let it cloud my judgement but I can’t help but think it might have.

Problem 1: The cider was flat. I don’t know how long it was at the table before I got it, but it was chilled enough to think it couldn’t have been too long. Having worked in a bar, I’m more likely to blame this on the establishment rather than the beverage.

Problem 2: The taste fell flat. It bored me. It had no oompf. (How technical of me.) The depth was just lacking. The flavour didn’t last, and any tartness was shallow.  This problem I put on the cider itself.

So, overall? I will try this in a can another time. But unfortunately, I’m in no rush to do so.

I think I gave a better review to the non-alcoholic version.

 


by Leave a comment

Mini review: Alexander Keith’s Original Cider

IMG_3768 IMG_3766

I was never going to like this cider.

A. Premium “flavoured” cider? Why does a cider need “flavour”? That’s what apples are for.

B. “Best served over ice”? So it’s so good it has to be watered down?

C.  The name “Original Cider” just makes me annoyed.

D. How about we ask @BGcanary about other labelling issues from the Alexander Keith’s company?

So how was it?

I sat down with Thayer and Orgle to try this cider brought in from Ontario for me.

This is how the conversation went:

Orgle: smells like apple juice
Me: Looks like pee
Thayer: yes it’s very pale
Me: Served with ice? What the hell!
Me: I really don’t like the after taste. There’s something fakey about it.
Me: Oh boy this is sweet.
O: Maybe you should have it with ice to dilute it.
T: Not really a lot going on. Shallow and pedantic.
T: Not juicy either.
O: That’s pretty dull. Something.. candy like.

Overall: It wasn’t good.

However, I went into it not thinking I’d like it and I didn’t. I prejudged it. But seeing as I brought two other palates in on the tasting, I don’t feel so bad – especially with the unanimous result.

 


by 1 Comment

Review: Sea Cider Perry

Sea Cider Perry Sea Cider Perry

Background:

If I’m trying to focus on BC ciders (and I am), then it’s amazing to think I’ve been plugging away at this for over 6 months and haven’t ran out of ciders to try. That said, a lot of ciders from the Pacific Northwest end up here – and so do the ciders from any of my travels.

Anyways, there are some Sea Ciders I haven’t had on the blog yet, so I might as well offer my thoughts.

Kind: Sea Cider Perry

Size: 750mL glass bottle

Strength: 6% ABV

From: Vancouver Island

Company Description: Can’t find one.

Orgle’s thoughts:

“This cider is fizzy.”

Me: “Is that it?”

“I like it.”

My thoughts:

“Oohh, I like this better than the ginger perry [from Sea Cider.]“

I generally don’t go for pear ciders. They tend to be pretty sweet and I’m definitely a fan of dry ciders.

This one was nice and crisp with pear being the main flavour but not overpowering. I was quite carbonated. Good thing I like that too.

Afterthoughts:

While I haven’t had a lot of pear ciders, this is the best one I’ve had.

Where to buy:

It’s a seasonal cider so I don’t know how many places are still carrying it, but you can try the regular Vancouver haunts.

Sea Cider Perry


by 3 Comments

Review: Eaglemount Raspberry cider

Recently, I had several comments on the blog that I don’t know what I’m doing.  I wanted to address this by saying: I don’t. I really enjoy cider. I’ve tried a lot of ciders from all around the world. I know what I like. I know what I don’t like. I like the encourage ciders from British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. I like to discourage sugary sweet ciders lacking in apple content. 

Are there people doing better reviews out there? Definitely. Maybe I should change the term “review” to “overview” because that’s basically what I am doing. But I already have dozens upon dozens of reviews. I’m not going to change it now. :)

Eaglemount Raspberry Cider Eaglemount Raspberry Cider Eaglemount Raspberry Cider Eaglemount Raspberry Cider

Background:

This was one of the ciders we picked up south of the border last time I did a run.

Kind: Eaglemount Raspberry Cider

Size: 750mL glass bottle

Strength: 8% ABV

From: Olympic Peninsula, Washington State

Company Description: A semisweet slightly sparkling cider with intense fresh raspberry flavor.  Raspberry cider is made with certified organic apples and pure raspberry juice.  This cider is dry enough to be paired with a salad course and just right paired with a dessert course.

Orgle’s thoughts:

“I remember that I tried it, but I don’t remember anything about it.”

My thoughts:

I really like raspberries.

That fact alone made it really easy to like this cider.

It’s fairly sweet but more in a ripe raspberry kind of way. The bottle breaks it down as 80% apple, 20% raspberry.  Probably a good mix – as raspberry would fairly quickly overwhelm the whole flavour.

And to be fair, there’s not a lot of apple to this. It’s still there, but you have to think about tasting it, to get it.

Afterthoughts:

My mouth is watering, thinking of getting this cider again. It’s one of 8 ciders produced by the folks at Eaglemount. They also make a selection of red wines.

Where to buy:

I found this one at Full Throttle Bottles in Seattle – my go-to cider store, but there are other options – almost exclusively in Washington State and none in Canada. Sigh.


by 2 Comments

Review – Summerland Heritage Cider Company – Tuesday’s Original

IMG_3513

Background:

Before I start talking about this cider, which I profiled before I had ever tried it, I have to say I actually got this bottle for free.

This is the second time I’ve gotten free cider. I’m always shocked and amazed that someone would offer me cider. (I hope that it doesn’t hurt my credibility!) Though, frankly, I give almost all local microciders a good review because, frankly, I just like cider.

Free or not, this is a likeable cider. But don’t just take my word for it…

Kind: Summerland Heritage Cider Company – Tuesday’s Original

Strength: 7.7% ABV

From: Summerland, BC

Company Description: Tuesday’s Original is a modern take on classic English cider. Gently sparkling, this off-dry, full-bodied cider is rich in flavour with soft tannins and a lingering finish.

Orgle’s thoughts:

“It’s good. There’s something about the flavour that is a bit unusual. It’s the perfect sweet dry balance for me.”

Thayer’s thoughts:

“It really smells like apple. Very juicy. Appley. It’s not very sweet but what sweetness it has makes it very palatable.”

My thoughts:IMG_3515

This tastes real. Is that weird to say?  It just tastes authentic.  There is no doubt in my mind that someone pressed apples to make this.

The nose is of slight alcohol but the flavour is not boozy.  In fact, I’m glad is has the strength that it does. It really helps to balance the taste and keep things from getting too sweet.

It also has a nice level of carbonation.

Afterthoughts:

Unfortunately, we consumed this while in Whistler one weekend, so my note-taking and photographic experience may have been lacking.

I wanted to also give a shout out to the owners of the Summerland Heritage Cider Company who have been very supportive of this blog in trying to get their cider off the ground. Hopefully they turn into a local cider success story and encourage other apple growers to get on the cider train.

My next bottle will not be free – I’ll definitely get it again.

And you can too… even in Vancouver!

Where to buy:

If you are in Kitsilano, Downtown Vancouver or New Westminster, you can grab some. If not, you’ll be heading to the Summerland area. [Where to buy]


by Leave a comment

Finding Cider: Forage Restaurant

Forage Cider List Forage restaurant

Finding restaurants with ciders other than Strongbow on the menu is always a challenge. Slowly I see other options making it onto menus. Maybe it’s Rock Creek or Red Roof, but even Merridale and Sea Cider.

The latest place was during Dine Out Vancouver, a yearly event in town when restaurants offer up set menus as a way to get you in the door.  Each year, I try to check out at least one place I would otherwise not get to – even though it really isn’t a great representation of a restaurant. This year it was Forage.

(Side note: Interestingly, it’s Apple Month at Forage! I don’t know what that means, but the graphic excited me.)

I was happy to see Sea Cider’s Pippins on the menu. Go figure I had ordered the pork for my main course!

I will do a full review on Pippins another time, but it is just as enjoyable as every other Sea Cider flavour.  It’s a flavourful, bright and aromatic cider – and it really was perfection with pork.

Merridale has a decent list of restaurants with their ciders in the Vancouver area – of note, the Black Frog Pub in Gastown. I think they even have it on special on Sundays.  If you’re on the Island, it’s also at my go-to pub, the Crow and Gate in Cedar.

Edible Canada on Granville Island manages to carry both Merridale and Sea Cider in the restaurant.  That gives me another reason to check out a restaurant not very far from my home.  And here’s the Sea Cider list of liquor stores and restaurants.


by 1 Comment

Review: Alpenfire Organic Pirate’s Plank “Bone Dry” Cider

Alpenfire Organic Pirate’s Plank “Bone Dry” Cider Alpenfire Organic Pirate’s Plank “Bone Dry” Cider

Programming note:

First of all, I recently started a new (temporary) job.  It’s not exactly a 9-5 kind of thing.  It’s more than that.  I have every intention of keeping this blog going through until May 14th when it ends with a bang. However, my expectation of three posts a week is a little harder to accomplish – so I’m now going with at least one a week.

Background:

It’s Christmas all over again! Well, at least that’s when I had this cider, waiting desperately for its review.

Kind: Alpenfire Organic Pirate’s Plank “Bone Dry” Cider
Alpenfire Organic Pirate’s Plank “Bone Dry” Cider

Size: 750mL glass bottle

Strength: 6.9% ABV

From: Washington State

Company Description:  No Apologies Cider! It’ll rob you of your misconceptions.

My thoughts:

Holy shit, that’s a dry-ass cider.

(Does that language take me from a G to a PG rating?)

Anyways, wow.  It’s fantastically dry, with still a sweetness to get you through the sip.

I wish I wrote more down, but let me tell you, I really enjoyed it.  I think Orgle found it a bit too dry – and I could see that as an issue for some people.  But why would you buy something labelled “Organic Pirate’s Plank “Bone Dry” Cider” unless you wanted it dry?

Afterthoughts:

I know I have way more thoughts about a cider as it is being consumed – why did I stop writing them down?

Where to buy:

Pretty easy to find in Washington State – including just across the line in Bellingham at Elizabeth Station.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,077 other followers