Cider in the US, Spring 2011 experiences

I came to East Lansing from Vancouver to spend May and June working at MSU. My first stop picking up supplies was a drug store - which had two rows of beer in it (unusual for a Canadian). They also had some cider (in the US, "hard cider") which I enjoy more than beer so I thought I would try it out.

My first choice was Woodchuck Amber which is nice, very similar to Grower's cider made in BC. At an organic grocery store, I found "JK's solstice hard cider" which is really fantastic (like that cloudy apple juice you get with a bit of spice in it and a smooth kick - it is sweet so avoid it if you don't like that) but a bit expensive. With two successes I tried out some others. Hornsby's was barely potable but I managed to choke it down. "Woodchuck Spring" was so terrible I can't finish it. Imagine someone adding a large dollop of Aunt Jemima's syrup to your cider... I shudder just to think of it. I will leave the rest it in my room when I leave with a warning that it tastes foul, only to be opened in an emergency. 

Next group was a pair of Crispin's. The first was their artisanal reserve with honey. It is a scrumpy (cloudy) and although probably too sweet for many, I liked it. It reminded me of the "neuer wein" I had in Neustadt while living in Germany (many years ago). This one was nice over ice. The one on the right above is their basic style I guess, billed as "traditional dry English cider". It was similar in taste to Strongbow but less dry and darker in colour - I liked it better. And who is that attractive child in the middle? Must be adopted...

The last selection for this trip is shown above. I added Strongbow just to see how it compared to Crispin above. Actually, they are basically the same and also the Magners above. These English/Irish ciders are all quite nice. Then I tried the "special" Crispin on the right, aged in Tennessee whiskey casks. That small bottle was $9. I guess I was expecting it to be fantastic - but frankly if it were that good it would be bad news, because I would go broke buying it. Luckily it was actually pretty foul (maybe my palate is not refined enough?) and I am happy enough with that.