05. SEATTLE CIDER BERRY HARD CIDER

Brand: Seattle Cider

Line: Berry Hard Cider

IBUs: N/A

ABV: 6.9%

Origin: Seattle, Washington

Pre-Taste Thoughts

OH BOY was I excited for this! Back in the day, (read: Spring 2017), I found Seattle Cider via my best friend back when we were in school in Spokane. She came home one day with a 4 pack of ultra aesthetically pleasing tall boys and was just raving about this cider she got from the local Safeway. While that cider was their standard semi-sweet blend, (that I also love I might add), there are some seriously high hopes for a seasonal summer cider made by one of my favorite companies, that happens to be local! I've had huckleberry and blackberry hard ciders before, and while they tend to be tart and sweet, I had some great expectations for a semi-sweet berry cider.

First Sip Thoughts

Oh boy oh boy ohhhhh boy. This is not at all what I expected. I want to take a minute to apologize to Seattle Cider for the absolute trash review I'm about to give their only summer cider. The first sip gave me a feeling akin to my first sip of 01. Space Dust IPA, and that's really bad. A bitter, sour taste in my mouth and shiver up my spine is the opposite of an enjoyable first sip experience.

Final Thoughts

I'd like to take yet another moment to apologize to Seattle Cider for a review absolutely tearing them apart. I didn't finish this cider, not even close. I took a few sips to see if it's one of those drinks where you kind of need to warm up to it and let me tell you, it is not. This honestly tastes like someone messed up brewing it and quality control didn't catch this batch. I'm guessing they agree too, because after checking the Seattle Cider website I found that they've changed their summer seasonal cider to Berry Rosé. SC has hit the nail on the head with other brews of theirs, but Berry cider will live on in infamy as one of my least favorite ciders I've ever had.