Over Ice?

Seriously? I don’t think so.

I haven’t been drinking much.

That sounds like something one would say in AA…or before going to AA.

Well, anyway, I haven’t been drinking much. I work. I have kids. I do other things. Unfortunately, that means that I don’t get to try new ciders as often as I’d like. Be that as it may, I decided I’d have at least one day. It’s Sunday after all and, theoretically, nothing else should be drawing on my time (right?).

Okay, I guess that not exactly true. On Friday, I went out with a group of my favorite ladies. We went to Ghyslain Bistro and ate some French inspired food and drank some wine. In general, I’m not a huge fan of traditional wines (you know; the ones made with grapes), but we did have a nice prosecco. I’m not sure what it was specifically, but I had a couple glasses.

Then, yesterday, I went out with Tyson because I love him and enjoy hanging out with him. We went to Texas Roadhouse which is our go-to restaurant when we don’t want to think much and happen to be in Richmond. Their ribs are pretty yummy most of the time, and we can sit in the bar to avoid the madding crowd or the teeming masses. Plus their service tends to be pretty good (some of the best service in Richmond — not too clingy; not too invisible and inattentive). I asked our waiter if they had any ciders. He looked at me funny, and I felt like I needed to explain, “I like hard cider and I was wondering if you had any here.” He said he’d ask the bartender (who was ten feet away) which he did. The bartender looked at him a little funny (I’m assuming in response to the way the waiter asked the question — with a little incredulity) and then replied that they had Angry Orchard. Of course, I then asked “what TYPE of Angry Orchard” to which I got another look of confusion and disorientation. But, bless his heart, that waiter asked the bartender who said, “Just the regular kind,” which I took to mean their Crisp Apple and was right.

I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had the Crisp Apple because I had forgotten how sweet it was. It was VERY sweet. It paired fairly well with the ribs, but man. I felt like I needed to brush my teeth afterward. Even so, it had kick in the right places and wasn’t particularly unpleasant. I think I just expect more out of a straight-up hard apple cider. I hope that cideries are taking note and making plans to stop adding back apple juice and carbon dioxide. Okay, I have less of a problem with the carbon dioxide than the apple juice and the concentrate. But, I guess that’s what you get when you go with a mass produced cider.

So, today, I’m drinking another one — not because I’m excited about it or expected much out of it. In fact, I just had to convince myself to try it because it’s available so widely. Today is Crispin Cider — a brand that was acquired by MillerCoors in 2012. Before I tell you my impressions, you need some background. I don’t have a lot of knowledge of or involvement in the craft beer craze or anything that involves homebrews or whatever. I’ve always relied on the big breweries and big names, for better or worse, to be the gatekeepers of the “spirit world.” It’s only been as I’ve been experimenting with ciders that my eyes have been opened to the fact that good, high quality brews with a sense of integrity are most often small batch, limited distribution products. Things are indeed starting to open up on both beer and cider fronts, but there is definitely something to be said for scouring the country side for those hidden gems that haven’t made it to the shelves of your local package store or grocery store.

Now, back to Crispin. I’m not sure what I was expecting. This is a really pale cider that harkens, in looks, to Corona Light (yuck — just saying). But, the bottle says that it’s best over ice. Sorry, but I don’t do cider over ice. Sometimes, I prefer it on the cool side of lukewarm. But, I did decide to drink this nice and cold — without ice. Um, I can’t imagine how you could drink it over ice and still call it cider. This is one of the most watery taste ciders I’ve ever had.

Listen. It’s totally drinkable. It definitely has a sweet nose to it on the front end. In fact, I could smell the sweet as I was pouring it into the glass (and I was pouring away from myself). That upfront sweet scent, however, is a little deceiving because the first sip is no where near as sweet. But it’s light. Real light. Light on everything.

And on the backend? Nothing. There’s maybe the slightest impression of apple after you swallow. There’s definitely no bitterness or, well, anything. The ingredients mention juice and it’s there, but it’s watered down. Unfortunately. Well, you know what I think about the adding back of apple juice — even if it’s watered down.

So, what’s good about Crispin? I have to imagine that if you were drinking a cider for volume rather than experience, this would be a good choice. If you’re someone that wants to sit out on the patio on a hot summer day and drink until you can’t, this would be a good choice. But, if you want a cider that has some complexity and some charisma, you should keep looking.