Beaver Valley – Flagship [Bar Volo]

Bar Review: Beaver Valley Flagship @ Bar Volo, Toronto, ON
Sampled: May 2016

We have written quite a bit on Bar Volo previously, as it is one of our favourite Toronto destinations for craft ciders and beverages. Recently they announced they would be shutting their doors in September so that another condo structure can be built along Yonge Street. This of course made us and many other Bar Volo fans very sad, saying that closing this institution would be taking away from the character of the infamous Yonge Street. While the end of an era is coming, we must remind people they will be opening a new location concept in Little Italy very soon; as well, there are still a few months to enjoy the glory that is Bar Volo so go as often as you can before the doors close, as we plan to do.

On a recent trip to Bar Volo, we were excited to see that Beaver Valley’s Flagship cider was available on tap, as we had not previously had the opportunity to try this cider or brand yet. Beaver Valley’s Flagship is a strong golden colour with small carbonation bubbles and light foam. While it is faint smelling, it is nothing but pure apple aromas that emanate.The initial taste is musty, astringent with a sharp sour bite. There is a slight tingle on the tongue amongst the many strong apple flavours that come through. Within a few seconds, some sweeter notes emerge, with some of the sour tastes becoming more tart. The Flagship Cider is quite dry, with tanginess lingering in the mouth for a while; as well as having some orange and citrus undertones.

Beaver Valley’s Flagship is a very easy drinking cider and it fits quite well into the traditional hard cider category. It’s bursting with apple flavour with a slight sparkle in the mouth. We feel it would be not only enjoyable on its own, but also as a base for cider cocktails. We look forward to hopefully trying their pear and cranberry blends in the very near future, as their flagship cider was a great introduction for us at The Cider Crate to Beaver Valley Ciders.