Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouché Brut de Normandie

Brewed by Domaine Familial Louis Dupont
Style: Cider
Victot-Pontfol, France

(11/17/08) Bottle at Birreria Paradiso in Washington DC. 5.0%. Hazy golden color with a big white head that falls immediately. Aroma of sour green apples and some barnyard. Sourish flavor, a bit funky, of green apples and a bit of sweet tones. Mouthfeel might be the most carbonated I’ve ever had. Very tasty stuff.

2007 corked 375 into snifter, served at cellar temp %0F. My first REAL cider... here we go. I have feared this for a long time and never seen it happen -- upon opening the cage slowly, the bottle’s pressure forced the cork out once the cage’s counter pressure was released upon me untwisting it! Thankfully, I untwisted the cage slowly due to my fear of this reaction! Thankfully, again, I didn’t loose any liquid. Once the cork popped, tons of bubbles started racing from the bottom of the bottle to the top -- big fat bubbles. Big fizzy very rapidly fading head exactly like that resulting from a hard pour of a sprite. Pale gold body with more raising carbonation than a Macro pale lager!! So much so that it is actually building the head back up. Very earthy aroma with hints of sour apple, a gueuze-is tartness/crispness, oak, and a humid mustyness -- all very subtle on the whole. The flavor is pretty unique and also very subtle in character. Sweet apples upfront that fades into a crist slightly tart dryness that finishes juicy with a flavor that I can only liken the the aroma of Band-Aids, if that makes any sense. Very light body with more carbonation than I have ever encountered (again, like in a sprite). Overall: not quite my thing, but interesting at the very least. Not worth the price IMO, but worth a try at least once. Inoffensive. The Band-Aid flavor has vanished after the first few sips. It just seems like a very subdued beverage. Refreshing in the summer. No trace of alcohol. Almost tastes like it is good for me - like carbonated organic apple juice.

pours nice golden with mild carbonation, smells of (we though, ’paste’ ’alkaselzer’ or ’sulfur’), very delicate apple/yeast combo on mouth and lingering of yeast. Good taste, terrible smell (someone probably really appreciates this smell).

dry slight vinegar nose, bit of yeast character. flavor of nearly overripe apples, but the yeast again really makes this interesting. very funky. good cider, not the run of the mill stuff

07 bottle. Pours a hazy straw color with a fizzy white head that quickly disappears. Nose is apples, plastic, barnyard, and wet dog. Taste is caramel apples and a fleshy sort of fruit after taste that is semi dry and fizzy. Rustic but good.

Pours a golden yellow with a foam white head and champagne-like carbonation. Smells like tart apples and a garbage can. Taste is fairly strong on the vinegar with some sweetness and tartness. I do not know if this is a bad bottle or I just do not like it, but I do not think it is very good.

2007 vintage 750 ML from Malt & Vine. 5.5% ABV. Peaty farm aroma. Bubbles all the way through to the bottom of the glass. Light honey color. Fresh, tart taste of Granny Smith apples, lemon zest, and pecan. A somewhat sweet finish that stays in your cheeks.

Bottle. Yellow colour with some green notes. Vinous bitter apples in aroma. Dry sweet crispy apples in flavour. Body id soft. Good cider indeed.