Woodpecker Cider

Brewed by Bulmers Cider (Heineken UK)
Style: Cider
Hereford, England

Serve in Flute, Lager glass

12oz. bottle. Has 4.2% ABV on label. I remember drinking on draft when I lived in England. Pours just a couple of shades yellower (is that even a word?) than water. Whispy head that fades to nothing. Pretty decent carbonation. Aroma is tart. Almost like a mild wine. A nice tart flavor of sour apples. Very refreshing. Much better on draft.

This is not woodchuck, though it sure seems similar enough after you’ve had a few. There is some funny taste that bothers me on this one. It is almost like sawdust. Maybe it’s from the added sweeteners? This is more sugary than woodchuck, less abv and will not due your stomach well on an active night.

UPDATED: JUL 11, 2008 Bulmers woodpecker. I’m overexcited about this cider. Not only do I like cider but this is the first imported bottle. Up till now I have only drank the US ciders that are known to be very sweet. Wood pecker 12 oz green bottle with a twist off cap. I am quite apprehensive about this bottle because last night when I brought it in it had some ice crystals in it. Beautiful cap that says twist off but I just ripped my fingers up on it. Pop the lid with an opener and you get a sour whiff but pleasant. Nice fizz into the glass but no head. I can’t even remember the color of the fizz. Very pale yellow and crystal clear. Some bubble here and there but none streaming. It has a very enjoyable sour and sweet apple flavor during the initial taste surprise. No presence of alcohol noted whatsoever. Slight sense of carbonation on your tongue rapidly fades to flat. A very easy to drink repeatable session brew. This is not sweet like wine coolers, something different. Very enjoyable and as a result, better watch out how much you drink. Can’t wait to taste another import cider. Very nice and well liked. Finish is clean and dry without a linger except, possibly, a pleasant memory.

Bottle - Not what I expected at all. Too sweet for my tastes. Maybe I just wasn’t meant to drink ciders, but I think they have a lot of room to improve this beer. Same as Woodchuck to me, and that’s not a compliment.

UPDATED: DEC 5, 2006 Re-rate: On a second go at this stuff, it is really awful, offensive, sugery, but lacking any real flavor. stay away

Bottle at HyVee tasting. OK Cider but nothing special. Aroma of dry apples but taste too dry/sweet for me. More like a cheap wine.

Draught at the Que Bar in Iowa City, IA. Clear golden color with a few bubbles on top. Typical apple aroma and flavor. On the sweeter side. Decent.

Draught at Dr. Louise Esbjerg. Nice golden yellow colour. Nice apple aroma. Very sweet flavor, nice bitter average finish. Dry and oily palate. Nice cider.