I have to put a disclaimer on this, because I don't have any reference for Cider outside of the US and Britain. So, with that in mind I've had to stop drinking beer and I had to go onto only cider. There are worse things I guess. I've found a good amount of little craft cider makers in the Northeast, but don't think its fair to mention those in this type of thread because others might not be able to get them where they are. With no further ado, I would say that Samuel Smiths Organic Apple Cider is hands down the best cider, organic or not in the US and UK. I've had a good number of British ciders as well and none really compare in taste or fullness. Also, its easily available, which is excellent when I get a craving. Any one have a different cider they would like to champion?
Kopparbeg ciders! Delicious, and come in a range of flavours. They're considered a little girly for that reason, and because they tend to sweeter than most other cider brands, but I love them. Now if only they'd lower the damn price of the things. Cider is already more expensive than beer, and Kopparberg is a medium to high price tag for a cider.
I've had my fair share of hard ciders. I find many of the ciders I have tasted to be very sweet and not strong enough in alcoholic content for my liking. I started with Angry Orchard hard cider, which is a very popular cider here in the US. I enjoyed the flavor of Angry Orchard at first because I've only ever drank beer and wine, but eventually I did not like how unnatural and sugary Angry Orchard tasted. I also tried Woodchuck Cider which is a little step above Angry Orchard but still found it to be weak, and a little sour. The best hard cider I've ever tasted has to be Kennebec blended cider. It was exactly what I was looking for--a little tarty, hearty, but still nice and sweet to come off like fresh squeezed cider from a farm. Not like Mott's Apple Juice.
I've had plenty of regional or local hard ciders in California that I like. I actually do enjoy Angry Orchard, but I prefer their seasonal blends because they taste far less artificial than the original version. Reds hard cider is all right when it's the only thing available. I'm pretty sure most local regions have a cider that beats all of the mainstream and nationally available ones. Not everyone has the luxury of tons of options for ciders, though, which is unfortunate.
I went to a craft beer festival this past weekend, and they had several ciders. My favourite was J.K.'s Scrumpy. It's made in Michigan, and is absolutely wonderful.
My boyfriend and I (we're in the US) particularly like the Angry Orchard brand. My friend introduced it to us when she came over to our apartment for dinner and we absolutely loved it. We're not big alcohol drinkers so Angry Orchard has pretty much the right amount for us. We've tried the other Angry Orchard flavors but didn't find one we particularly like. We also tried Crispin, but it's a bit stronger than Angry Orchard. My boyfriend tried this Maple flavored Crispin hard cider and he said it was really really good.
I've had Woodchuck before, and I liked it. I have never heard of Angry Orchard. I will have to look for it the next time I am wanting a drink. I don't drink that often though. I might forget about it, hopefully not!
I love apple cider . Particularly Martinellis Sparkling Apple Cider. That is until I tasted their Grape Sparkling Cider. Martinellis and Welch's kind of have a monopoly on these but I did try a company about 6 months ago . It was even better than Martinellis. I threw away the bottle without remembering the name . I got it at Costco.
