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Author Topic: Angry Orchard Crisp Apple  (Read 4294 times)

Offline gmac

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Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
« on: July 11, 2012, 11:03:33 am »
I was in St Louis yesterday and I went to the hotel bar hoping that they still had Tank 7 on tap.  They did not.  Instead, they had Angry Orchard Crisp Apple which I'd never heard of.  I asked the blond behind the bar to tell me a bit about it.  "It's beer with apple in it" she said.  "Huh", I replied.  "Are you sure?".  "Yes" she said confidently.  So I ordered one.  Well, there was no beer in it, that's for damn sure.  I asked her if she'd tried it and apparently tasting the beverages you're serving isn't necessary at this particular hotel.  Another guy, with a distinctly British accent, joined me down the bar and asked the same questions, and got the same reply.  "This is cider" he said after tasting it and I nodded at him in agreement.

So, as a cider (not a beer with apple in it), how was it?  Personally, it was slightly too sweet for my tastes.  The website says that it's a blend of a whole bunch of apples but the mention Fuji specifically as adding sweetness and it is definitely sweet.  I'm no cider expert but the cider I make and have had is clearly drier and a bit less cloying.  It was a nice colour, brilliantly clear and not excessively carbonated.  It's not flat but it certainly isn't a sparkling cider.  The apple taste was very pronounced and I wonder if they are stopping fermentation and then back sweetening with the Fuji cider to get it so sweet and apple forward.

In general I'd say it was a very nice cider, a bit sweet for my tastes and thus not quite as refreshing as I'd want on a real hot day on the patio but for an evening drink it was good.  Much better than beer with apple in it.

Offline majorvices

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Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2012, 01:21:31 pm »
One of the beers I have brewed several times is a smoked apple amber, basically an alt in which I smoke the entire grain bill over apple then sparge with apple cider from a local farm. The beer does set a pectic haze, but I'm thinking about trying some pectic enzyme in it next time.

Just thought I'd share that since it is a beer with apple in it. I've even gone as far as adding smoked apples to the mash.

Offline gmac

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Re: Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
« Reply #2 on: July 11, 2012, 02:46:32 pm »
Uh oh...didn't mean to offend the apple beer brewers out there.  Niagara brewery had an apple ale that was very good and I liked it a lot until they went out of business.  It was intended more as a comment on the state of St Louis bar staff and their expertise.

Offline majorvices

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Re: Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2012, 03:24:44 pm »
Yeah, that can go just about anywhere though - even the best beer towns. But no worries, I just wanted to put my beer idea out there.  ;)