Raven Ridge Fuji Iced Cider

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

Pours a clear golden color, the cider sticks to the glass pretty well. Excellent aroma and flavor of sweet apples with some spices and alcohol over a round, liquorous body. Feels like a superb alcoholic apple pie and I like it!

2002 Vintage: Sweet apple sauce, leafy, woody aroma with plenty of pastry dough offset by a tangy underlying character. Clear, deep copper coloured body with excellent legs that coat the sides of the glass. Brown sugar, apple sauce, woody, leafy, herbal notes, some alcohol and a musty overripe apple character that prevents the sweetness from overwhelming. Mild alcohol warming. Syrupy, sweet and sticky, thick rich and luxurious texture without ever becoming cloying or heavy. Thanks to Oakes for sending me back to Montreal with this after Grey Cup 2005. As promised I shared it with a gang, though it had to wait until the last tasting before I moved out to Vancouver! Going Away Party.

2002 375mL bottle shared by Tiggmtl on 8/27/06.
High clarity, moderately viscous appearance, with a strong color of nectarine/apple flesh and deeper amber-honey overtones. Well-formed legs, nice and three-dimensional, with strong retention. Even a touch of frothy bubbles cling to the side of the glass at first.
Sweet and yet with a drying, pungent acidity, which, though reserved, still creates great balance in the nose. Some mustiness, and even a touch of yeast doughiness, like from a freshly baked apple pie. Gobs of honey surge forth as it warms and then a very soft clove/cinnamon finish, with even a hint of dry caramel and vanilla. Wonderful strength to the aroma, with a low amount of alcohol in the nose.
Sticky honey and juicy, mushy red apples congregate on the lips and spread forth in to a heavily coating and comforting sensation as it sits in the mouth. Some vanilla bean infused iced cream-like notes are present, but with a dry, almost tart-like flavor of apple skin (I like David’s suggestion of strudel/pastry) that keeps things balanced. Low spiciness on the finish. With more warming, plenty more juiciness and sweetness emerge, lasting well in to the aftertaste. Moderate alcohol warming. Not too thick/rich/cloying.

2002 vintage. Dark caramel colored, large lasting legs, clear. The typical concentrated apples feel sharp and aptly pointy, while decent tartness ensures its coherence. The sweetness level feels quite reasonable bringing potent emanations of strudel and pastry, spicy cinnamon and french toast, an interesting registry. Comfortable ABV level, sticky palate. Greatly accomplished caramelly cider. A nice apple brand which I was experimenting for the first time.

A clear, light orange paints striking legs on the glass...Honey-smeared apples and warming alcohol honestly announce the ice cider signature...The full, heavy mouthfeel is lip-smacking and satifsying, again exactly what I expect from a quality ice cider...

Aroma:liquorice apple,light cherry,caramel nose... Appearance:clear orange-cooper... Flavor:strong caramel apple,light cherry...

375 ml bottle shared with several Quebecois and one other drunk American at tiggmtl’s going away party in Montreal, from a New Belgium glass. Very dark, oily amber with just a bit of bubbling, long stable legs in the glass creating beautiful entrancing patterns....very sweet aroma, touches of whisky, alcohol and butterscotch amidst the thick apple haze....smooth, juicy and very sweet to the tongue, with little alcohol presence, caramel sugar, a touch of burning at the finish, rather syrupy and very dessert-like (as you’d expect). Truly excellent concoction worthy of comparison with Quebec’s finest.

2002 vintage, thanks TiggMtl for opening this rare find at your farewell tasting.

Caramel gold, great legs that had little tiny bubbles that almost fooled me for a second as being little sugary residues.
Very fruity nose, bing cherries, raspberries and a full, rich tapestry of alcoholic aromas that coats things off well with an almost spicy tang to it.
Round and sweet, but at very acceptable levels, it had a slightly cooked flavor and a bit of brown sugar notes, like an apple crumbler. Perfect amount of acidity to smooth out the sweet, and a hint of booze in the end.
Well, Québec’s cideries have procrastinated too long with getting a controlled appelation for ice ciders, so it was only a matter of time before others get on the bandwagon and start making excellent products. This is one of them.