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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Thatcher's Green Goblin

After a holiday hiatus we're back!

A new cider that has appeared in the local stores in Chicago is Green Goblin. Upon spotting this cider, Bailey was instantly intrigued by its label art. Upon reading the label, she declared that 'this was the next one to sample.' This is an oak aged English cider made with Somerset apples and matured in 100 year old oak vats. It has an ABV of 6%. It promises full flavor and a bittersweet dry finish.

Color: Upon pouring, Bailey was immediately taken by the color from the cider. She enjoys the dark amber color, which is very clear with few bubbles. She comments that this one of her favorite cider colors. Hawke felt that this is a rich gold color. Very unexpected for english cider, as many of the english ciders we've seen have been pale. Bailey: 5/5 Hawke: 5/5

Smell: Bailey detected a slightly sour smell mixed with a sweet apple/woodsy finish. She decided that this was a good scent, but it was not the best smell she has sampled. Hawke felt, upon smelling, that this was a very sweetly sour smell, that was almost overwhelming. He did not detect any apple flavor in the scent unfortunately. Bailey:4/5 Hawke: 3/5

Taste: Bailey enjoyed this flavor upon sampling it. She described it as a pleasant sour with slightly bitter tones. The oak barrels give it a bold flavor. She decided that this is a good cider for beer lovers in her opinion as it is not very sweet. Upon tasting this cider, Hawke detected a sour flavor that was strong but not overwhelming. This flavor started off strong, then became relatively mild after. He also did not really feel any apple flavor, which surprised him. Bailey: 5/5 Hawke: 4/5

Aftertaste: Bailey detected the woodsy flavor dissipating quickly, to a mix of sour and sweet apple flavor. She was quite pleased with the aftertaste. The aftertaste was a good sweet flavor according to Hawke. It has minor notes of apple with a hint of woodsy flavor. The after taste was slightly dry, but not overwhelmingly dry as some ciders have been, as well the aftertaste did not linger as much as it could have. Bailey:4/5 Hawke: 4/5

Price: 3-5 Bailey likes the price of the cider. It is a very fair price in her opinion. Especially considering that a 12oz bottle of Woodchuck or Angry Orchard is ~6 at a bar. Hawke agrees with this, as the price is very good. It surprised both of them that the cider was good for the price, as many times low cost ciders tend to have strange or strong flavors that come with them.  The quality to price is quite good. Bailey: 5/5 Hawke: 5/5

Overall: Bailey enjoyed this cider. The flavor, color and price made this cider very atractive to her. She plans to get more of this cider next time it is available. Bailey gave this cider a 23/25 or a green apple.

Hawke also liked this cider, but not as much as Bailey. It would definitely be a cider that he does not turn down.  Hawke gave this cider a  21/25 or a green apple.