West Avenue – Midnight in Bruxelles (2015)

Cider Profile:

Name: West Avenue – Midnight in Bruxelles (2015)
Sampled November 2023

Cider Crate Tasting Notes:

Smell: Medium aroma. Astringent cognac. Some sweetness.
Initial Taste: No bite. Astringent cognac quickly greets you but is not overpowering. Thick, caramel and caramelized apple notes. Coffee and date hints.
After Taste: Belgian candy sugar notes are noticeable after astringency weakens. Dark chocolate notes emerge at the finish and linger, along with some cognac whisps.
On ice: Mostly stripped of astringency – booziness goes away. More of a focus on candied notes.

Additional Notes:  If you’re a fan of Belgian trappist and abbey style beers, you might possibly love West Avenue’s fortified cider Midnight in Bruxelles that uses the same type of Belgian candi sugar found in these styles of beers. Fermented in cognac barrels, you most definitely are greeted with those flavours and the spirit astringency first and heavily. Once that mellows however, you get a lot of unique flavour notes like caramel, dates, and coffee. The apples taste aged and a bit dank. The promised Belgian candi sugar really shines in the after taste, and makes the whole experience brighter and sweeter from this point. It ends on some dark chocolate notes and some lingering cognac notes, but little astringency at the finish.

Rated on a scale of 1-5
Sweet – 3.5
Sour – 3
Crisp – 3.5
Dry – 2
Fruity – 4

Next recommendations:
More Sweet – County Cider – PEC Ice Cider
More Sour –
More Dry – 401 Cider – Fig Seasonal Cider
More Crisp – 

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