Strongbow Cider

Brewed by Bulmers Cider (S&N, Heineken)
Style: Cider
Hereford, England

On tap at the Cavern Club, Liverpool. As a student, I used to drink Strongbow by the gallon. Now I’m not so sure why. It tastes almost nothing like real cider. It’s yellow and very fizzy with an aroma of candy and yeast (the latter shouldn’t be present in a cider at all). The flavour is very sweet with a sour finish, almost like sour candy -- green apple Jolly Ranchers, maybe? It’s quite cloying and sickly. Its saving grace is that it’s preferable to mass produced lagers.

Draught. Weak apple aroma. Clear golden colour, sparkling. Small fizzy head. The flavour is tart and citric, citric apple. Hint of puke and quite vinous.

Can, bottle, tap...sharp tasting, sticky in the mouth, largely sweet. Good is you are looking to get completely rat-arsed with a hangover to challenge paracetemol.

Pours clear yellow no head. Medium light apple and very light alcohol aroma. Balanced juice taste. Light body. Little hint of alcohol. Aftertaste is kinda like grape wine. A half pint can be felt in the legs.

bottle. the label says dry cider. the label lies. this is a sweet sugary cider. "alcoholic apple juice for nerds" is what it should say. ah-boo.

355 ml. Clear and shiny golden with a small disc of bubbles. Faint watery apple juice aroma. Flavor is tart apple cider, with an occasional unsettling dash of something along the lines of eucalyptus or menthol. Light body is watery, tingly with medium carbonation, and an almost lip-puckering dry finish. Decent summertime refreshment.

Pale yellow with very thin head. Aroma of apple, somewhat dry. Taste of apple cider, somewhat sour with a tart dry finish.

What can I tell ya? Had it on tap in 4 countries, out of the can in two, and damned if it isn’t my international go-to. Say what you want about the shallow flavor, the monotone palatte, the sweetness - this beer approaches Guinness, Stella and Bud in its ubiquity, and that is a hell of a claim for a cider to make.