Front Road Ciderworks – Old Grizzly

Cider Profile:

Name: Front Road Ciderworks – Old Grizzly
Sampled January 2022

Brand: Front Road Ciderworks – Blueberry Hill Estates
Type: Apple – Barrel-aged
Location of Brewing: St. Williams, ON
ABV: 6%
Website Link: blueberry-hill.ca
Ingredients:  N/A
Gluten Free: Yes
Sugar Content:  N/A

Size(s) available: 750mL (bottles)
Availability: Blueberry Hills Retail Store + Online Store
Flavour: Apple
Colour: Transparent, pale sunshine yellow
Carbonation: Large, infrequently streaming


Cider Crate Tasting Notes:

Smell: Light aroma. Smooth, pulpy, sweet, fresh apples. Some oak notes. Mild white wine astringency.
Initial Taste: Minimal bite. Quick acidity. Sharp and bright apples, slight tartness. Mild woody, earthy notes. Vanilla undertones.
After Taste: Apple flavour dissipates. Becomes more white wine forward. Barreling flavours, including wood flavours. Ends dry and mildly astringent. Buttery notes emerge and linger to finish.
On ice: Carbonation reduced. Much less flavour.

Additional Notes: The Old Grizzly from Front Road Ciderworks is a chardonnay barrel-aged cider and it show, especially in the finish. It features a quick splash of fresh apple cider to begin with but really switches to the white wine flavours near the end. Astringent and buttery in taste like a good chardonnay, it also is earthy and quite oak/wood tasting from the barrelling. A thin body throughout.  A very mature cider offering that we assume would appeal to most white wine fans. 

Rated on a scale of 1-5
Sweet – 2
Sour – 3
Crisp – 2
Dry – 4
Fruity – 2.5

Next recommendations:
More Sweet – Niagara Cider – Peach Chardonnay 
More Sour – Kings Mill – Feral Ice
More Dry – West Avenue – Rhineapple
More Crisp – Hard Way – Rogue

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