Ciders 70 to 73; The Strongbow Range.

Strongbow; Original, Sweet, Dry, and Clear

English; 5% Alcohol Content.

$3.49(AUD) Each; Liquor Land (Subiaco, WA)

Back in the dark ages of 2009, the only alcoholic beverages that I had come into contact with were spirits, wine, and beer. In those days, I would rarely reach for or order anything other than a beer, but at my local pub, Riley's, there was a product which I assumed was a beer that I had never heard of, but on that fateful night for the sake of trying something new, I ordered a Strongbow. My first cider experience was absolutely mind blowing. Not only had I just finished a pint of some random beer, keep in mind that nearly exclusively drank beer; that first Strongbow was nothing short of a beverage revelation. The sweetness and apple juiciness of that cider were so welcome, but compared to the feeling in ones mouth after drinking beer, the sheer refreshing powers of that cider must have been doubled or trebled. A few years on, I have obviously expanded my alcoholic beverage canon quite a bit, but I will always cherish my first cider experience (with Ben Sommer, in Saint Louis, at Riley's, on August 24th, 2009; ok I made up the date, but everything else about that night is vivid in my memory).

Original- Not nearly as refreshing as I originally remembered it, but an original Strongbow will always hit the spot on a summer's day (or night). With that said, and with nine months of exotic cider sampling under my belt, it's just a bit too... normal. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad, but it falls solidly into the category of the majority of the ciders I have reviewed, just good, but not mind blowing. Rating 8.1

Sweet- I am not a huge fan of the sweet Strongbow; first of all, it is too sweet for my tastes; but more significant than it's sweetness perhaps, is it's lack of bite. The neck label reads, "Sweet: naturally refreshing cider with a rich smooth taste." I don't want a smooth cider, I want a sharp hit of carbonation with a big hit of apple taste without becoming bitter. Sweet Strongbow just doesn't cut it for me. Rating 7.4

Dry- I just can't seem to win with Strongbow; the dry range is too dry and not sweet enough; great carbonation levels, but because of the dryness, it's almost lacking in taste to a certain extent. Rating 7.6

Clear- I have seen the Clear Strongbow around during my time in Australia and I always wondered how it would taste, sadly, it is a great disappointment; I didn't have any expectations (other than that of the Strongbow name), but this is really just poor. In fact, the clear range is almost scrumpy... not much carbonation, a little bitterness, no sweetness, no apple taste. I'm not sure what is good about this cider other than the classy label; but that's about it. Rating 6.9