Well anyway, I emerge yet again from the wonderful world of cider for more reviews, more information, and of course, more apples. Although absent on here, my palate have been consistently blessed with all sorts of ciders and apple drinks, so I have not been neglecting that aspect at least. It's simply the process of me translating though taste impressions and opinion to digital text form. I hope not only my expansions of brands and hard ciders bring a refreshing update here, but my investigation of actual apples varieties as well.
I've been yearning lately for a particularly dry cider, to which I allege the transition of summer to autumn for the desire. Although, to note, I likely did not want dryness to the degree that Commonwealth Ciders Traditional Dry totes. I was just wanting of a cider that matched the sudden drop in temperature and brisk evenings, not overwhelming in its sweetness.
Through a relatively blind investigation, I stumbled into DeMunck's Belgian Style Hard Cider and although the color scheme reminds me of summer, the taste was just where I needed it to be. For explanation, the green shown on the front of the bottle is fairly lively and I can only find myself associating it with a humid early summer day. I get a somewhat organic feel from the slightly more discrete sunflower pattern and seemingly topographical pattern on the primary apple.
DEMUNCK'S BELGIAN STYLE HARD CIDER
http://www.demunckshardcider.com/
- Gluten Free
- ABV ~5%
- Calories ~ 134
- Carbohydrates ~ 10g
- Sugars ~ 8g
My first observation with DeMunck's is its color that surprised me, especially when compared against other ciders. I find the yellow is much softer than usual, the drink being a very light gold color and almost showing signs of a green tint. Visually it may not have the same hue as a majority of other ciders, although liquid color is hardly the most important remark. Fact: No artificial color in THIS cider. (Depressingly enough I touched up the color on the photo here, mostly for the plants in the back, so the color IS less saturated than shown)
The aroma is rather unique too, so I'll stress the differences which are really beginning to pile up. While I do, of course, smell the essence of apple, the scent seems to have another element to it as well. DeMunck's cider boasts using their Belgian Abbey Ale yeast for the fermentation, so this may be the culprit for these differences. I have to admit, the first senses drawn from this reaffirm the detailing on the bottle, a very natural and lacking artificial cider. There are no artificial colors and DeMunck's proudly claim its minimal ingredient list of hard cider, water, carbon dioxide, apple juice as a back sweetener, and sulfates for freshness.
With my rants aside, onto the crucial flavor aspect of DeMunck''s Belgian Style Hard Cider. I bring this full circle back to my aforementioned crave for dry. The first impact, naturally, is the carbonation from the beverage, a short kick to the taste buds to wake up. Once the premier burst of carbonation settles, you're left with a pleasant dry cider. It may sound strange, but my initial comparison is to a dry white wine. I shrugged it off as a bizarre thought at first, but upon the second taste, the thought recurs.
Next on Review: Stella Artois Cidre
