The Official Commercial Cider Thread

[mwd]

Cider is having a resurgence in popularity so thought it a good time to have a thread dedicated to commercial offerings. Tell us the ones you recommend.

Westons Oak Barrel Vintage Herefordshire Cider 8.2%AV $6.99 from Dans for 500ml good cider good value.

 

[mje1980]

I just can't do apple cider. I like the first one, but the second one gives me heartburn. Is this from the sulphides?. I'm not talking 5 seeds either, most of the uk or Irish ones do the same. I don't seem to have a problem with pear though.

Will look out for the above.

 

[Ferg]

A few of my favourites, most can be found in the price wine store in Essendon for those in Melbourne:

Willie Smiths Organic Cider
Henneys Vintage Cider
Duck & Bull (Henry of Harcourt) + any of his single variety which you can only get at the cellar door
Gwynt y Ddraig - Dabinett & Orchard Gold

 

[barls]

old mout
small acres
green goblin

 

[jeremy]

Sheppys Ciders were always my favorite OS, anyone seen them here?!

Westons Vintage is nice, but it would be great to get west country cider at a better price, ASDA sells it 2 bottles for 3 pounds, and at Dan Murphys it costs me $7 for 1. Seems half reasonable but then a bottle of Wolf Blass Cab Sauv costs more in Dan Murphys than ASDA as well...

 

[pk.sax]

Westons tastes like fizzy apple alcohol to me. Headache giver.

I liked aspall and napoleone ciders from dan's.

 

[bmarshall]

Kellybrook apple or pear.
Coldstream 5% from the brewery.

 

[spilver]

Just moved to Melbourne from Brissie for the great weather,
There is a great selection of local ciders in offer here and I have been on a sampling frenzy since arriving.
Outside of my own kegs two that have stood out for me are the Two brothers brewery Gypsy Pear cider.
I'm not usually a pear cider drinker, but this one is more dry and I think being a brewed pear rather than a pear flavoured cider is what is working.
Great on tap, yet to try it bottled.
Another one I came across unexpectedly as swmbo had to stop for a coffee break while shopping dragged me in to a cafe, I had a go at the cloudy on their menu, made just around the corner at East 9th brewery.
The cloudy cider I think was apple and pear was a good sweet but dry and the pleasant surprise I got after two 500ml servings was the enjoyable 8% which got me through the rest of the shopping trip quite well.
Will be touring around town and the hills hopping from tap to tap, so will keep on posting my tasty apple adventures.

 

[indica86]

Wife had a four pack of Coldstream Apple Cider last night and really enjoyed it. Quickly quaffed the lot.
Crisp and easy drinking, perfect for the weather up here.

 

[Alex.Tas]

Barls, Old mount is great huh. I really enjoy their fejoa cider. Cant seem to source this one in Tassie though. Is it available on the Big Island?

 

[Greg.L]

Down in Geelong there is "flying brick cider". Tried some recently, it was pretty good.

 

[heyhey]

Barls, Old mount is great huh. I really enjoy their fejoa cider. Cant seem to source this one in Tassie though. Is it available on the Big Island?

Old Mout is good cider, I really like the Boysencider. I reckon I drank 10L of the stuff in a week when I was over NZ way last.

 

[JDW81]

Just moved to Melbourne from Brissie for the great weather

:icon_offtopic: Really? The weather in Melbourne is rubbish. I could understand moving for a host of other reasons, but from Brisbane to Melbourne for the weather just doesn't make sense to me (yes I have lived in both places).

 

[simchop84]

I know I will get grilled for this but I like 5 seeds also really enjoy Monteith pear.

 

[manticle]

Henneys (vintage, still etc)
Aspall
Sam Smiths
Ciderie d'anneville cidre traditionnel
Schloss apfelwein (not strictly cider but good for the funky cider lovers)
Henry of Harcourt
Napoleone traditional ( from memory - lomng time since I tried it)
Two metres tall
Prickly moses naturally fermented (not sure on availability)

 

[///]

Outside of my own kegs two that have stood out for me are the Two brothers brewery Gypsy Pear cider.
.

Had this about 18 months ago, was great. Put on a 30l leg at the pub, sold in <3 hours.

 

[spilver]

Had a Barossa far apple cider on tap yesterday,
Not real good. It was a bit sweet and dull.
Also had a mountain goat two step cider from the bottle, much better. Medium dry and not too sweet.
Reminded me a lot like dirty granny. It had a pretty high dose of carbing tho, may have added to the sharpness.
Looking forward to finding more to add here later today....

 

[brettprevans]

well i stand corrected on commercial cider. Ive finally had a few great ones.

seven oaks Farmhouse Pink Lady Apple Cider - 2.7%.
beautiful aroma and lovely semi sweet taste. perfect for a hot summer day or for your missus. i think of it as the Rose of cider.
Nice complexity that Im assuming comes from a farmhouse/traditional cider yeast.


Harcourts Farmhouse Pear Cider - 6%
A semi dry cider (ie some sweetness but not enough to be a semi sweet and not dry enough to be a dry).
Champagne characteristics


Etienne Dupont Normandy Cider - 5%
wow. just wow. i have no words to describe this. unfortunately I lost my tasting notes .

​edit. all highly recommended.



Forgot one - Matilda Bay Dirty Granny.
NOT Recommended. - avg commercial cider. better than strongbow etc but average. theres also a disclaimer on the bottle saying that granny smith apples may or may not have been used. what a fkn cop out.

 

[manticle]

If anyone thinks out of curiosity they might try the new Kirin cider with a hint of fuji apple - save yourself the trouble. I have never had 5 seeds and I haven't tried a strongbow for about 20 years but this stuff is at the top of my 'bland fizzy soda water with an apple waved over it' list.

Wasn't expecting much but even so................

 

[Tahoose]

We tried all of the Kirin ciders, the only one worth buying again is the "Fuji apple with ume' ", so much in fact that the local first choice has barely had stock of that particular flavour but has had plenty of all the others...

I'd recommend trying this particular flavour