Spire Mountain - Dark & Dry Apple Cider

Another week, another awesome cider.  The Aspall cider I reviewed last week is a tough act to follow, but I lucked out by finding Spire Mountain Dark & Dry apple cider.  This is a brand I have never heard of or seen before, probably because it is brewed locally, in Olympia, not too far from Tacoma.  Spire Mountain Ciders make three different types of cider: Pear Cider, Apple Cider, and Dark & Dry Apple Cider.  My local market did not have their regular Apple Cider in stock but they did have the Pear Cider, and of course, the Dark & Dry cider that I have before me now.  The the label of this cider was immediately intriguing.  It says that molasses and brown sugar are used as a sweeteners.  Clearly this is the case, as you can see in the picture the cider is indeed quite dark.  After the first taste, I can tell that the cider is also pretty sweet, and not all that dry, betraying the claims on its label.  Nonetheless, at first taste, I like it.  The brown sugar and molasses ingredients make for a very unique flavor, a flavor unlike other ciders I have tried.  The apple flavor still comes through nicely, and is very tart.  My favorite part about this cider is its aftertaste.  Very awesome, with a touch of molasses.   

I would have to say that this cider is hard to compare against other ciders I have tried.  I do like it though, and I would recommend it, but not to a first-time cider drinker, because its taste is much different than most ciders one would come across.  I paid $3.19 for a 22oz bottle of this cider, and that seems to be a pretty good value to me.  --On par with many other ciders of this size.  I would have scored this cider a bit higher, but I feel that it really could be much better if it was less sweet and more dry.  I give Spire Mountain Dark & Dry Apple Cider an 8 out of 10.  

Price Paid: $3.19

ALC content:  5%

Final Score:  8/10