Ardiel – Big John Hop Cider

Cider Profile:

Name: Ardiel – Big John Hop Cider
Sampled September 2020 (Updated December 2021)

Cider Crate Tasting Notes:

Smell: Strong aroma. Crisp apples with some lychee and citrus inspired notes from the hops.
Initial Taste: Minimal bite. Semi-sweet crisp dessert apples with some smooth citrus hops notes. Lemon hints.
After Taste: Remains sweeter, with some reduction in apple flavour. Hops linger a bit and dries out. Tropical notes, predominantly lychee and peach.  Some earthiness.
On ice: Carbonation reduced, some less apple with a thinner body.

Additional Notes:  Big John Hop cider by Ardiel is a very clean, crisp and refreshing hopped cider.   Smoother than most hopped ciders, its light with some dessert apple notes but not sweet.  Becomes drier and more hopped with time. Does not have the same intensity in the elements that it smells like it would have. So refreshing and clean on its own, we don’t feel it needs ice to add those elements.

Rated on a scale of 1-5
Sweet – 3
Sour – 2.5
Crisp – 4
Dry – 3
Fruity – 3.5

Next recommendations:
More Sweet – Pelee Island – Hopping Apple
More Sour – Coffin Ridge – Forbidden Hopped
More Dry – Kings Mill – Hopped
More Crisp – Duxbury – Titled Barn

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