Gales Hard Cider The Chieftans Blend

Brewed by Thomas Family Winery
Style: Cider
Madison, Indiana USA

Pale golden color, slightly hazy. Mildly carbonated. Aroma is apple wine (a combination of weak apple juice mixed with a generic white wine). Flavor is just like the aroma, starting with apple, then becoming pleasantly tart, and then moving toward a wine-like and lightly woody finish. The aftertaste is somewhat sour and acidic. My wife thinks that the finish and after taste are reminiscent of gueze or moldy cheese. Body is slightly heavier than water and the carbonation and alcohol are nearly undetectable. When I initially poured this I was careful not to distrurb the yeast cake in the bottom. After the initial glasses, I swirled up the yeast in the bottom and poured the final glass. With the yeast mixed in, the color is like pear juice. Aroma is apples with a faint amount of yeast. The flavor is more tart and more like white wine than apples. The wood/oak flavor seems to come through a little more as well. The Gales Hard Cider "The Chieftans Blend" has a lot more character than the regular Gales Hard Cider. The apple aroma and flavor are more pronounced and the tartness is a welcomed twist. 750 mL brown bottle (7% alcohol), $6.99 from the Thomas Family Winery.