Another 'Help for Heroes' cider. I am glad they are getting support, but the sceptical me wonders why a cider needs a crutch to lean on... OK. Benefit of the doubt time (maybe I have been exposed to too many marketing people recently and am coming at it from the wrong angle!!)
Browsing their website, it says that "the cider maker and his supporters..." also make Bulmers, Strongbow, Scrumpy Jack and Woodpecker. So is this a Bulmers cider then? Or have Bulmers lost bunch of their makers? I don't know the answer to this so cannot commit either way (its nigh on impossible to Google it out), but I must admit I am intrigued:-) What difference does this make to the cider? None. It will be tried in the same way as anything else. In fact, it was tried last night before I Googled the company; so it got a fair go from me and a score too before writing this (and I don't change scores!).
Well, its super clear and moderately sparkling. A light gold colour too. however, in the first glass it smelled of my dishwasher... so second glass was the one that counted:-) And it is faintly apple juice - not so much cider.
The reason it smells of apple juice is that it mostly tastes of apple juice. It has a very mild tannin - very faint I ought to say, with an equally faint/mild acid going on behind it. I would say its a medium in style - theres plenty of sweetness.
Sadly, there is virtually no aftertaste to the drink either.
Not overly impressed or disappointed with it myself. It is very safe and to me has more in common with the commodity ciders than anything crafted. Its all a bit processed.
This is (I think) certainy not the sort of thing a pilgrim would have drunk Weren't most pilgrims intensely religious in any case? Therefore, they wouldn't have drunk much cider at all. I suspect I have history all wrong and the original pilgrims were on some massive pub crawl... OK. Too far:-)
It scored 49/100, which puts it right in the middle of the commodity cider rankings. Hereford Pilgrim, if I am wrong about this cider please do correct me!
Just a note to say how much i like your blog and reviews. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI thought this had a rather odd perfumey note which I didn't like at all.
ReplyDeleteI have to confess that this review is not exactly very descriptive - although the scoring is sound for it.
ReplyDeleteI have found with some ciders where 'apple juice' is the aim of the taste (i.e. adjusted or heavily sweetened) the cider takes on quasi-floral notes which are neither cidery nor floral. I am guessing that is what you have here.
Thanks for the comment though!
It's all for a great cause you morons
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment - to be honest I was waiting for someone to say that... although as a 'cider' review it focusses more on the cider than the cause it supports (I am sure you understand that... being that this site is called 'cider pages' and not 'charitable cause pages'...
ReplyDeleteThe other point - which to me is a bit more important - is that whatever the cause, this cider should stand on it's feet and be good. I would think that to a degree it is more important that it is a good cider - bearing in mind the worthy cause. After all, some people would buy it just because of the cause... so to a degree the cider is banking off the name of the cause.
It isn't a great cider, sadly. And do you know - that doesn't affect the good cause. It just means that this isn't a great cider. I can think of better ways of donating to Help for Heroes (though I am sure that they must make money from those who don't look beyond the label).
Cheers
Just because it is being sold in aid of a worthwhile cause doesn't mean it is exempt from normal standards of criticism. Indeed I thought I would give it a try partly because of the association with Help for Heroes and found it disappointing, which arguably does the cause no good. I wouldn't expect it to be the world's most cutting-edge cider, but even accessible ciders can be much better than this.
ReplyDeleteI actually really liked this cider. I love how fruity it is - I agree the first glass is a little strange but grew to love it by the end of the bottle.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment - these reviews are always going to be subjective! However, the cider itself panders towards the lowest common denominator - mass appeal through low juice content, sweetness and 'apple flavour'. Full juice ciders dont often taste of apple juice - the juice itself has gone through a massive change by the action of the yeast during the several months it takes to ferment and mature.
ReplyDeleteMay I suggest that you go for a medium dry next time - something by Sheppy's or even Henneys r Orchard Pig (these are all available in supermarkets. Let me know what you think - less appley, but a stack more interesting charisma.
All the best