Elgin Beer Project has only been open a few weeks now, but it has made a huge impact on the nightlife scene of Elgin Street in Centretown, Ottawa. Taking over the space of the old pizzeria, Slice and Co, it has become a unique institution of its own – almost exclusively featuring drinks brewed in and near Ottawa. With a modern décor, it becomes a whole different venue when the weather permits the front window-walls to be open. With a variety of cans, bottles and rotating draught taps, the selection is always changing and it is a new experience every visit.
One of frequent companies to be found on the draught list, is County Cider Company– which while not brewed in Ottawa, it can be found just a bit more than 2 hours away in Prince Edward County. While we have had County’s Peach Cider on many occasions, we have not had their experimental Ginger Peach brew that has been found on the taps a few times now. Always ready and eager try a new cider, we went straight to Elgin Beer Project on a rainy day once we saw it was on tap via Instagram.
At 6.1%, this Ginger Peach cider is a rustic golden colour, with a semi-steady upwards stream of small bubbles. There is a strong aroma of ginger amongst the classic County Peach Cider smell, with slight hints of apples.
The initial taste has a medium bite from the carbonation, with the ginger flavour becoming noticeable quite quickly – building and peaking intensity, all within a matter of seconds. Into the aftertaste, the ginger lingers awhile – especially in the throat where it tingles. The earthy and bitter notes from the ginger become more noticeable – as well as the peach flavours from the original cider. While becoming sweeter near the end of its flavour journey, it has a dry finish overall.
We recommend this to fans of the original County Peach Cider who are looking for a new experience and flavours. While we are certain it is the original peach cider with added ginger to it, it is no doubt a unique creation of its own. It has a nice balance of ginger to the other ingredients without it ever being too overpowering on the senses. It is very flavourful and is a good substitute for ginger beer.
We can’t wait to see what other unique flavours County Cider Co. comes up with next and we hope to try them all. At the time of writing this, Elgin Beer Project had a ‘Blackberry Sage’ County Cider in its ‘on deck’ section of Untapped, we so hope to also try that at this lovely venue very soon as well!
