Raven Ridge Fuji Iced Cider

Brewed by Raven Ridge Cidery
Style: Ice Cider
Kelowna, Canada

Bottle: Poured a deep copper color cider with some great notes of sweet tender apple. I thought the sweetness was very well balance with the apple taste while alcohol was very well hidden. The only negative thing I can say about this ice cider is that it was lacking some of the apple pie character tat I usually very much love in those ciders.

Pours a nearly perfectly crystalline, copper. Thick and viscous, the glycerin legs coat the glass walls. The aroma is a whirlwind of apples, brown sugar, spice, honey, vanilla. The flavor is stunning. An unusual strawberry note at the beginning quickly yields to flavors of honey, fresh apples, some pears, a touch of spices. This is an amazing cider.

[956-20071212] 375mL (w/ blankboy, GregClow, HogTownHarry, jerc, tupalev; Vintage 2005). Apple sauce and sweet sweaty wood aroma. Clear, amber orange body with no head but nice legs. Super sweet baked apple skin flavour has a hint of spice in the finish. Smooth medium body. Lovely cider, plus it hides the alcohol really well.

Bottle (375ml) shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, jerc, mabel & tupalev -- courtesy of jerc & mabel. 2005 vintage. Pours a clear golden-orange with no head. Nice, sweet apple aroma with some wood and honey. Flavour’s the same: sweet apples, some wood and honey but also a bit of white wine. Alcohol’s well hidden. Syrupy mouthfeel, thick bodied. Very delicious, a wonderful treat!

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, blankboy, jerc, mabel and tupalev - jerc & mabel’s bottle. Bright golden colour with a reddish tinge. Aroma of ripe apples, not too sweet & not too tart, very nice. Smooth, syrupy body. Flavour is just fantastic, like baked spiced apples with a touch of dry wine. Yum!

Bottle (375ml). Shared with blankboy, GregClow, jerc, mabel and tupalev, jerc’s bottle - 2005. Lovely - right up there with the La Face offerings. Slightly amber gold, oily-looking, small bubbling cap of foam - lovely lasting legs one this one. Tangy ripe apple aroma, slightly tart, not much oxidation noticeable - fairly sweet, moderately strong alcohol, but it all seems to hang together beautifully. The taste follows - very sweet but balanced by the tang of what reminded me of a very dry white wine - simple, but very nice. Fairly thick and sticky on the tongue, quite ear-warming, with a nice ripe appleskin linger - top drawer for me, well done.

2005 Vintage. Bottle. Golden yellow, syrupy body coats the glass beautifully. Modest alcoholic accent to the aroma, lightly musty sweet apples. (7+) Very sweet, sugary apples in the middle, baked apple skins, light notes of generic fruit. Sticky syrupy smooth medium palate. Very nice, its quite tasty but it lacks the depth and acidity to balance to sweetness and take it to the next level.

Bottle shared with Hogtown Harry, GregClow, Blankboy, Mabel, and Jerc, courtesy of Jerc and Mabel. Let me first start my saying something like this would be best enjoyed post fine meal, not in the middle of a beer tasting. And it really does make me question why ciders and sakes are included in the regular ratebeer format - the beverages could not be any more different - why not start rating wine as well?? Anyway, not to take away from some of these fine Canadian Ice Ciders, as they are terrific, I just got a little discouraged and confused the other day when I looked at the top 50 rated Canadian beers and saw a list of ciders. Anyway, on this one, which was very graciously shared bu J&M from their recent trip. Golden yellow with dark red tints. Decent aroma of cooked apples. The taste really shines though - deep complex cider featuring not just apples, but apple skins. Thick and complex. A warming and rewarding cider.