 TheCheeseMan (500), Saint Cloud, Florida, USA
Apr 5, 2008
First let me say that i love cider. Not quite sure what to make of this beast. The aroma is intoxicating. A cacophony of pepper, chilies, ginger, sweet apples, cinnamon, good grief, this smells both appealing and frightening at the same time. The flavor is wickedly hot, to quote the commercial description, but works on some level. The heat really builds, causing me to believe that this cider is better suited for cooking, as the spices completely overwhelm the palate, pushing away in semblance of elegance and refinement.
HogTownHarry (3141), Toronto (Harbourfront), Ontario, Canada
Jun 8, 2008 Sampled at Applewood. Clear deep gold pour, moderately thick-looking, nice legs. There is sweet iced cider in the aroma of this beast somewhere, but it’s mostly capsicum, black pepper, earthy spicy - not your generic no-flavour pepper - earthy and fresh yessir. Taste - VERY hot, and I don’t care for very hot, but I finished my sample and was looking for more - I can see drinking this as a winter warmer, or doing small shots of it - anyway, there is more apple than in the aroma, somewhat acidic behind the sweetness - this stuff really is probably best suited as a marinade, but Matt at Applewood said you can keep it re-corked in the fridge for a few months after opening, so I’ll cook with it AND drink it. I really liked this!
Oakes (6784), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
May 7, 2008 Bronze colour with a chile and a peppercorn in the glass. Huge black pepper nose with a hint of chile. Apple sweetness and massive hot pepper, with a hint of peppercorn. Kind of burly. Not for everyone, but I like it.
Beerlando (1135), Orlando, Florida, USA
Apr 16, 2008 Courtesy TheCheeseMan. 2005 vintage. Pours a clear, medium golden color with a thick, still body. Some tasters got whole peppercorns and red chilies in their glass, though I did not. Black pepper sears the nose on the first few whiffs, eventually subsiding a bit to allow fresh, sweet, candied apples to emerge. The flavor is spicy as hell, with the peppercorns and chiles thrashing the tongue up front, and sweet and tangy apples providing a cooling, calming effect in the aft. It has a thick, syrupy body, like an ice cider should. Could make for a nice cooking ingredient. Very interesting in small doses. If nothing else, opening this at a party will certainly spark some conversation. A must try.
hopscotch (4379), Vero Beach, Florida, USA
Apr 13, 2008 Bottle... GIABMISGFAB ... This beer rocks!... Clear, dark golden cider. Decent legs. I had the dregs, so there were lots of black peppercorns and other herbals floating and dipping about. The aroma? Wow! Black pepper, chilies, sweet red apples and a plethera of other spicy earthiness. Full-bodied with a syrupy mouthfeel. Sweet and HOT as hell! That’s what I get for waiting for the dregs... apparently, all the hot stuff sinks to the bottom of the bottle. Painful bliss! The finish? Don’t know... my tongue was still on fire! I was able to sweat my way through this one and loved every second of it. Reminds me of my childhood, visiting the M&M Cafe in Albuquerque, NM and ordering the "Red Chile Platter." Kudos to TheCheeseMan for providing this heavenly elixir of death!
jayg (995), Florida, USA
Apr 12, 2008 Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Viscous pour, dark golden color, no head. Strange aroma, crushed peppercorns, dried apples, chiles, heat, benzene. For the taste, all the sweetness or tartness is dominated initially by the black pepper taste, then by an aggressive heat, which was too much for me. An interesting thing to taste, just not my thing.
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