Blackthorn Cider

Brewed by Matthew Clark Cider
Style: Cider
Bristol, England

Can courtesy of HogTownHarry. Pours a clear golden-orange with a spare diminishing white head. Slightly mild aroma with not much apple, some light wood, sugary sweetness and cheap white wine. Watery flavour of a bland, mild, boring Cider -- not even worth drinking. If you were to have a Cider on ice (and I’m not sure why anyone would), after drinking the Cider and the ice melts, it would taste like this.

This canned English cider has three strikes against it before you tug the ring-pull: it proudly declares the fact it’s filtered, it demands that it be served "extra chilled" and this one came with 13.5% EXTRA FREE - "500ml for the price of 440ml". Hang on, maybe that’s two strikes. [Takes a sip.] Nah, it’s three strikes. It looks as you’d expect a commercial cider to look, with no legs and a thin rim of washing-up liquid suds. The preservative gives it a nasty stench of burning tyre and rotting couch, with some apple concentrate struggling for air. Thin body for the 5.5% abv. That could be a plus in that they haven’t filled it out with sugars, but the result seems very skinny. Rubbery flavours compete with apple puree and a similar nagging chemical sweetener to whatever soils Diet Coke. Bone-dry finish. Dire. Wrong on so many levels. Run away, don’t walk. (500ml can from Camperdown Cellars, Parramatta Rd)

Pours a light orange amber with almost no head. Smells of apple, acidity, fruits. smells like a cider. The taste is green apple all the way. A little cinnamon spipce there too, but not a whole lot. I could probably only drink one of these. Pretty sweet finish and aftertaste.

Light amber color, no head. Aroma is apples, almost a yeastiness to it. Taste is somewhat watery, a little dry, just rather bland, and not exciting.

This cider was pretty awesome I thought. Very dark yellow color, scent of apples. Tastes of apples, and rather sweet, not quite so dry as I was expecting. Nicely carbonated, I enjoyed it.

Bottle (Dry Blackthorn)... Clear, light golden cider with no head. White wine and fresh red apple aroma. Tastes a bit like a dry Brut Champagne. Minimal residual sweetness and good acidity. Medium-bodied with modest carbonation. Tangy, bone-dry finish. I look at all the other descriptions of this cider, written by folks I know and whose judgments I trust... and am surprised and confused. Something doesn’t jive regarding all the sweetness others are encountering. Hmmm? The bottle even states that it’s brewed and bottled in Somerset England by Taunton Cider. Must be an old bottle!

Draught at the pub near the Travel Inn near Kings Lynn. An orangey green coloured cider. The aroma is nasty and sweet with chemicals aplenty. The taste is the same. Crap really.

500ml can from LCBO. My second alcoholic cider. Poured pale into a whiskey glass. Visible carbonation with a light smell of apples and alcohol. Taste is lightly pungent, with a faint taste of apple juice and the taste of alcohol is very present with an ending note of gin. Not a very impressive cider, mostly because the alcohol isn’t hidden too well. The apple isn’t very present either. Wouldn’t buy.