Shiny Cider – Peach [Her Fathers Cider Bar, Toronto]

Bar Review: Shiny Cider – Peach Cider @ Her Fathers Cider Bar, Toronto, ON
Sampled: Aug 2016

If you ever want to feel like a kid in a candy store as a cider fan, you need to go to Her Fathers Cider Bar in Toronto. With a growing selection of 80+ bottled and canned ciders, and around a dozen dedicated draught taps that are always changing, it always leaves something to be desired. The setting is also quite desirable – with a gorgeous patio, a stunning bar fridge that spans from the floor to the ceiling, all within a charming neighbourhood – it makes the entire experience something you’ll want to continuously repeat.

One of the frequently available ciders on the draught list at Her Fathers is Shiny Cider – a Niagara-on-the-Lake winery and cidery that produces nothing but top quality cider and wine. On the menu the evening we went, were two Shiny Ciders; a Cider Crate favourite Pinot Noir, and a new cider we had not tried from Shiny before, their Peach Cider. This Shiny Cider is a very transparent and pale pink, with almost no carbonation obvious; with a faint peach smell and a slight acidic aroma to the cider. At 9% abv, this peach is packing a surprisingly powerful punch to consume.

Initially, this peach cider is very, very sour – it becomes progressively lip- pucking sour for a few seconds after you first sip it. It is dry, slightly astringent and the raw peach flavour of the stone. After a few moments however, the flavour of the flesh of the peach shines through and the taste becomes much sweeter and somewhat candied. The cider remains tart with some honey and citrus hints detectable in this aftertaste. There is not a long lingering taste, but for what taste experience there is, it is quite the journey on the pallet.

While the cider is initially quite sour, you do become accustomed to this fairly quickly and the lips don’t pucker at the same intensity as your first few sips. Shiny Peach is somewhat dry but it does also become crisper the more you drink. Overall this cider is very refreshing, unique but yet also similar in composure to the original Shiny Cider. It’s no surprise that Shiny Peach makes a frequent appearance on the draught list at Her Fathers – as well as other Shiny ciders too.

Other Reviews at Her Fathers
Twin Pines – Scrumpy

Other Shiny Cider Reviews
Shiny Cider – Pinot Noir