54

Heil Cider

German; 5.3% Alcohol Content.

$3.99 (AUD); Corkers Cellars (East Victoria Park, WA)

I believe that this is first German cider that I have ever tried and given the German expertise in beer, I expected a high quality cider. However, while not a bad cider, once again, this one is just standard. Solid, but not great in every category that matters to me; good apple taste, light on the carbonation, no aftertaste. It’s actually a bit like slightly carbonated alcoholic apple juice.

Rating 7.1

Cider Fifty Three

Black Rat Cider

English; 4.7% Alcohol Content.

$3.99 (AUD); Corkers Cellars (East Victoria Park, WA)

Not bad, but nothing spectacular; a pretty average cider. It has moderate carbonation and a slightly bitter aftertaste. It has a disconcerting name/ packaging combination… it looks like the ‘home brand’ of ciders. This cider is in a can, and until now, I thought that the aluminum tinge improved the cider experience, but it just turns out that the other canned ciders I sampled were good and happened to be in a can. This is ok at best.

Rating 7

52

Harvest Gisborne

Kiwi (New Zealand); 4.7% Alcohol Content.

$3.50 (NZD); Super Liquor (Auckland City, New Zealand)

This cider was bizarre because of the incredibly high levels of carbonation; I actually could not put my finger on a taste because there was so much foam and fizz filling my mouth with each sip, no matter how small or slow. I think it tasted good, but honestly, I was never certain.

Rating 6.6

Cider #51.

Johnny Arrow

Kiwi (New Zealand); 4.5% Alcohol Content.

$2.50 (NZD); Super Liquor (Auckland City, New Zealand)

I cannot remember why I did not write more about Johnny Arrow at the time that I drank it, but it was a pretty run of the mill hard apple cider, nothing too great, nothing too terrible… nothing ventured, nothing gained. The label is pretty cool though.

Rating 7.5

50! Fifty! The Fiftieth Hard Apple Cider!

Whew, half way home and it has been a battle. I'm not sure if I'll make it to 100 ciders, but it will be closer than the doubters would have believed. To commemorate number fifty, I'll switch gears and jump down to New Zealand for a few ciders.

The next three ciders were each hastily (partially) consumed at a bus stop on Karangahape Road (commonly known as K' Road) in Auckland. Normally, I am not a street drinker, but I bought these ciders during a 12 hour layover in the fine Kiwi city and I could not resist checking out the local cider scene.



'Sweet As' Cider

Kiwi (New Zealand); 9% Alcohol Content.

$2 (NZD); Super Liquor (Auckland City, New Zealand)

'Sweet As' Cider (SAC) has a very unique taste; almost like a sweet champagne. The taste is enjoyable, but unlike any cider I have ever tasted before, the high alcohol and carbonation truly make SAC an apple champagne in a can. SAC has a few aesthetic benefits as well; for starters the name is awesome and very culturally relevant; secondly, it's in a can which is always unique and a little fun; finally, SAC is super cheap! $2 in New Zealand is about $1.70 in Australia which is unheard of for a cider, unheard of for anything except an old can of Foster's.

Rating 7.9

The 49th Cider.

Hornsby's Draft Cider

American; 6% Alcohol Content.

$6.99 (USD(For a six pack!)); Schnucks (Ladue, Missouri, USA)

Hornsby Draft Cider is not bad; a little light on the carbonation and slightly bitter in its aftertaste, but a generally good cider and definitely the best American cider that I have tried thusfar; which is not saying a whole lot, but I gotta root for the US to have at least a decent cider... can’t beat the price either!

Rating 7.7

Number 48!

Farnum Hill Extra Dry Cider

American; 7.5% Alcohol Content.

$13.99 (USD); The Wine & Cheese Place (Clayton, Missouri, USA)

This cider is definitely scrumpy in taste, but there is something else intriguing in the taste; something that I cannot define. For Cate’s take, “Yuck! Actually, it’s not bad, but not good.” That pretty much sums up my feelings towards Farnum Hill Cider as well; part of me likes it, but most of me does not.

Rating 6.8