Fox Barrel: Ginger and Blackcurrant Pear Cider

This week Bailey and Hawke wanted to try something a little exotic. Fox Barrel's Ginger and Blackcurrant Pear Cider with Organic honey is what we chose. This cider is unfiltered, and contains 6.5% ABV. You can find this cider and all the Fox Barrel products at: http://foxbarrel.com/cider/

Color:

The color of this cider is a very rich berry red. It is a tiny bit cloudy because it is an unfiltered cider, but it is very bold. Hawke remarked that it reminds him of a very rich cranberry juice. Bailey rates this with a 4/5 apples. Hawke gives it a 4/5 apples also.

Smell:
The aroma of this cider is very fruity and enticing. Bailey said that it brought back memories of her adolescent  days when she had a love affair with wine coolers. Hawke also enjoyed the smell, but added that the fruit smells all mixed together and you couldn't really determine one from another. Bailey rates this with a 3/5 apples. Hawke also gives it a 3/5.

Flavor / Complexity:
Bailey was very impressed with this cider after she sampled it. There is a very pungent ginger taste right away, and a little spicy kick to it from the blackcurrant. The pear and any other fruit juices, take a back seat to the spices. Hawke thought that it tasted like a mix of pear and grapefruit juice with a lot of ginger mixed in. He did not detect the spicy kick that Bailey did. Bailey rates this cider with a 4/5 apples. Hawke gives it a 3/5 apples.

Aftertaste:
Bailey enjoyed this aftertaste. It was very fizzy and tickled her tongue a bit. She mostly tasted the strong ginger in the aftertaste. Hawke agreed, not tasting anything but ginger and lots of it. Bailey rates it with a 4/5 apples. Hawke also gives it a 4/5 apples.

Price:
$6-8 Bailey thinks that this cider has a lot of flavor and is totally worth the price. She rates it with a 5/5 apples. Hawke thinks this is very reasonable and rates it with a 4/5 apples.

Overall:
We both feel that this cider has a lot of kick and pizzazz! If you are looking for something new and different this would be a great cider to try. Usually Hawke and Bailey are not big on pear ciders, but this one has won us over. The only area of improvement we have for this cider would be to lessen the amount of ginger in this cider, and allow the great flavors of the fruit juice to come forward a little bit.
Bailey gives this cider a 20/25 apples, or a Green Apple!

Hawke gives this cider an 18/25 apples, or a Yellow Apple!

Woodchuck Private Reserve Belgian White

This came to us as a special surprise. We had first heard of this Cider a couple of weeks back, but were unable to locate it in our area. A store did come through for us though, and we managed to get our hands on this beverage. 


This cider is made with Belgian Beer yeast, coriander, and orange peel. It is as interesting as it sounds. You can navigate their website here: www.woodchuck.com 

Color:
 Bailey thinks this cider looks like apricot nectar because of the unfiltered cloudiness and the orange tint. It makes her mouth water just looking at it. Hawke was impressed with the color. It was not dull, and the cloudiness betrayed no large particles. Hawke 5/5 Bailey 5/5 

Smell:
There are so many smells to take in when you inhale the essence of this cider, and each one of them are very robust. You can faintly smell the yeast, which usually bailey would be opposed to (she doesn't like beer) but it isn't overpowering. Second, you can detect the sweet smell of the apples. The last, but definitely not least is the orange aroma. These smells perfectly blend together, and are very appetizing indeed. Hawke detected the smell of apples, along with another more mysterious fruit smell. It was not unappealing, but pleasant.
 Hawke 5/5     Bailey  5/5

Flavor  / Complexity:
Bailey takes more than one sip when trying this delectable cider. She is very surprised by the first taste that hits her. It's almost as if you are taking a drink of beer, but the taste is so smooth it doesn't result in a lemon face as any beer would usually make her produce. There is no bitterness to this cider. The next flavor is the apple cider, a mix of sweet and tangy apple goodness. The last is of the orange, that starts very mild and builds in the aftertaste. Once you take one sip, you won't be able to put this bottle down.
Hawke 5/5     Bailey 5/5

Aftertaste:
The aftertaste that Bailey gets the most is of the orange flavor. It almost tastes juicy...the only way she can describe it. It reminds her of a burst of flavor that you would get from biting into a popping boba, the little tapioca balls of juice that the frozen yogurt places have as toppings. The orange flavor is very sweet, and it leaves you wanting more. Hawke thinks that this after taste is quick, but flavorful. Many of the previous ciders have had a a strong, or bitter aftertaste, and in one case no aftertaste at all. This offers a good balance between all possibilities, while not compromising the flavor. Hawke 5/5     Bailey 5/5

Price:
 $11-13 Bailey thinks that the price is a little steep, but it is a new product, and with the quality of this cider, she thinks it is worth it. Hawke is feeling a tad bit more lenient, and feels like that the price would go down if it because a year round blend. Hawke 4/5   Bailey  4/5

Overall:
This would make an awesome summer drink. It's like drinking an everlasting gobstopper of apple and orange goodness! We know that this is currently a private stock reserve, but we would very much like it to become a regular product, or possibly a seasonal. This cider offers and ideal balance of all the above categories. Not too sweet, not too bold, no bitter after taste. Of all the ciders we have tried so far, this is Bailey's favorite!
 Hawke 24/25 Bailey 24/25  both rate this with a green apple!