Hello everybody, I know it's been a while but my school semester is wrapping up and now I can resume what I really love to do...drink cider! This review is for Crispin brand Artisanal Honey Crisp Cider. My head hasn't been in the game for a while, but I can not recall ever seeing this brand before. According to their website, Crispin makes several different kinds of ciders. There are four different types of cider in their "Blue Line" hard apple ciders. These include an extra-dry 'european' style cider, a "crisp" cider, a "extra-bright" lite cider, and a draught cider which is presumably the same cider as their "crisp" variety. HOWEVER, Crispin also makes two different kinds of special reserve "artisanal" ciders, one of which is called the Reserve Honey Crisp Cider, and this is the type I purchased today. The other artisanal cider is called "The Saint," and it goes without saying that I am very intrigued.
Nose:
The nose on the honey crisp cider is very nice. It smells sweet but this is not overpowering-it smells more like apple sauce then apples. Im not sure exactly what kinds of apples were used to make this cider, although I recall there actually being a apple varietal call "honey crisp" that I used to buy back in California, and it would make sense if this cider contained some of those. There is very little alcohol on the nose, which is a little surprising considering this cider's alcohol content at 6.5%. Honey is added to this cider, and it is quite apparent, and I would say the cider smells quite floral as well. The nose on this cider is one of the best that I have reviewed.
Appearance:
Another thing I noticed before tasting was the thickness of the cider. Its very thick, and looks as if it has a skin on top (it doesn't), and I have to guess that the honey added to the cider has something to do with this. Also before tasting this cider, I can see that it is quite carbonated. This is because they add carbonated water to it. I'm not sure if that is legit or not, but I know a lot of commercial brands do this. It is very light in color, and were it not for its thickness and cloudiness, it would be indistinguishable from champagne.
Taste:
Ok, now the important part. Firstly, I would like to note that on the bottle, and on the website, Crispin recommends serving this cider over ice. This is definitely not legit in my book. In my limited experience, usually when it is suggested to serve a fermented beverage over ice it is to mask alcohol, and indicates low quality. Anyways, I did not drink this over ice, and I am happy to say that it actually contains its alcohol quite well. I think it would have been greatly unjust to drink this cider over ice. In fact, I think this cider is very balanced. It is not too sweet, a little bit dry, and very easy to drink despite its high alcohol content. The honey makes its presence well-known, but it is somewhat mellow and overall tastes like a barrel of fresh apples. The aftertaste is very good as well, leaving a faint baked-apple taste lingering for some time.
Conclusion:
Crispin Artisanal Reserve Honey Crisp is a very well-rounded cider. One could take issue with Crispin's advice to drink over ice, or the added carbonation, or the "Natural flavors" listed on the ingredient list, but please do not let these foibles disqualify this cider from your shopping cart. I would recommend this cider, and feel that it is one of the most balanced and enjoyable ciders I have tried thus far. I feel this cider legitimately deserves the 8/10 score I award it. It does not stand out extraordinarily in any area, and is not particularly unique, but it tastes good and would be pleasing to many different palettes.
Price Paid: $5.00
ALC Content: 6.5%
Final Score: 8/10
http://www.crispincider.com
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