Spire Mountain Pear Cider

For Christmas this year, my family - much to my delight and surprise - gave me a variety of ciders because of the my Cider Bytes blog!  Today, I'm going to review the first of several new finds - Spire Mountain Pear Draft Cider.

Where Purchased:
I have seen Spire Mountain Cider for sale at Total Wine, but I'm nut sure where my sister managed to find the bottle that I was given.

Setting the mood:
We dined at Thai Basil Sushi Zen, a delicious Thai/Sushi restaurant not too far from our house in Acworth.  The sushi and classic Thai curries and noodle dishes are great and they are very willing to accommodate our friend's gluten free requests!  Afterward, we went back to our sunroom to chat and sip some cider.

The Company:
Spire Mountain Cider is part of a larger brewing company - but still what I would classify as a artisan or craft brewery.  The Fish Brewing Company of Olympia, Washington is the parent company/brewer.  They produce three ciders (Pear, Apple, and Dark & Dry Apple Cider) along with several different beers.  The 'Fish Brewing' name doesn't whet my appetite at all, so I'm glad they went with Spire Mountain name for the cider.

Here's their description of the cider:
"Festive and light, Spire Mountain Pear Cider is alive with delicate flavor. A blend of Bartlett, Bosc and Anjou pears gives this hard cider a gentle zest. Complemented by a soft sprightly sparkle, the scent of sunny orchard beckons from every glass. Enjoy this genial refreshment at your ease"

I'm not sure I agree with all of the description, but I'm pleased to see a variety of pears included in the cider.  The ingredient list adds sugar and natural flavors to the list.  Also, the cider is listed as Hard Cider and not pear only - so there may be some apple cider included but not listed.  If so, it wasn't noticeable on my palette.

The label includes a date for when the pears were harvested.  You have to look very carefully to find the notch - but it is there.  Mine were harvested in March, delivering a young cider.

Reflections:

You know the beer or soda you reach for when you just want a good standby drink?  An old friend that won't surprise you nor overly delight you, but is there for you with a good, solid taste that you know you will like.  That's Spire Mountain Pear Cider to me.  It wasn't outstanding on any category, but was good on all.  Neither too sweet nor too dry, it was a nice cider to sip with friends while discussing the approaching new year.  I would definitely drink it again, and I believe it would pair well with almost any cuisine you need a middle-of-the-road beverage for.  

This cider's flavors did develop as the bottle cooled.  With many ciders, I think pouring them over ice is the way to enjoy them - especially if they are of the overly-fizzy variety.  This one is probably best left in the bottle or at most in a chilled glass as the delicate and subtle pear flavors would be easily lost.  Our conversation drifted here and there - I played with the puppy - picked up a bit - and came back to my bottle of cider several times - and it still tasted good.  I can be a slow drinker, so the fact that the bottom of the bottle was just as good or even better than the top is a major plus.  Unfortunately, the flavors were so delicate in terms of tasting the pear that it wasn't a cider that you would know from the start was pear.

Tidnab's sip:

Tidnab liked it and gave it a thumbs up as an everyday cider.

Scoring:

Sweetness: 6

Tartness: 7

Smoothness: 7

Fruit Flavor: 6

Carbonation: 8

Alcohol content: 5%

Bottle Size: 12 Fl Oz.

Calories: Not listed on the bottle or website - must be on the six-pack packaging

Overall: 7 - a good everyday cider with nice carbonation, middle sweetness and good flavor that is not overly pear or apple.

Cider K-cups

Tidnab and I got a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas from my mom.  We LOVE it.  I'm finally able to have a cup of coffee anytime I want it without making a whole pot.  My coffee consumption has drastically increased along with my obsession with K-cup varieties.  

K-cups are the individual drink servings used in the Keurig coffee makers, and there is a lot of them - from a wide variety of companies including Caribou, Starbucks, Paul Newman, Celestial Seasonings, and Green Mountain.  I was actually shocked by the variety of beverages one could make with K-cups.  And the selection is not limited to coffee - there is hot tea, iced tea, hot chocolate - and you guessed it - Hot Apple Cider!  Needless to say with my fascination for the apple and derived beverages, trying this was a must.

Where purchased:

I picked up our Hot Apple Cider K-cups at Kroger during a sale.  The one thing that is shocking about K-cups - and will be an additional line on our budget for each month - is that they are not cheap.  Conveience has a price, and because of that sales are a good thing.  I picked up the cider along with a Starbucks French Roast and Caribou to try.  

Setting the mood:

A night of playing World of Warcraft and a chilly run in from the car after dinner made it the perfect night to try the new Hot Apple Cider!

The company:

Green Mountain Coffee produces the Hot Apple Cider K-cups along with a bunch of other K-cup drinks.  After enjoying my first cup of cider, I figured I better check out the ingredients, because I liked it too much.  I figured it would be artificial this and artificial that - I was shocked.  As you can see from the photo - I missed the "naturals" on the label as well as the "made with real apples."  Here's the ingredient list:  Dried Apples, Brown Sugar, Natural Flavors, Organic Malic Acid, Reb A (Stevia Extract).  The Nutrition facts:

The good news is the ingredient list and the bad, of course, the 80 calories and 20g of carbs - but I think for a nice evening beverage that isn't too bad, and far less than a hard cider.

Reflections:

I enjoyed this cider a lot - enough that I had two cups the first time!  I read a few reviews at the Green Mountain Coffee site, and some people complained that it was too sweet and that they could taste a stevia after-taste.  I found neither to be true.  Was it as good as fresh hot apple cider?  No.  Was it a great quick alternative that I can store in my cabinet?  Yes.  

The taste is surprisingly good - with just enough sweetness and the apple taste is authentic and actually the reason I wondered what was in the K-cup to make it taste so much like an apple.  Who would've dreamed - apples!!

Tidnab's sip:

He liked it!  Then he went back to killing things in WoW.

Scoring:

Sweetness: 9

Tartness: 7

Smoothness: 8

Fruit Flavor: 8

Carbonation: 0

Alcohol content: 0 - a drink for most anyone!

Calories: 80

Bottle size: no bottle, but it makes an 8 oz serving

Price: a little less than 70¢

Overall: 8 - a good, quick, evening beverage when you need to feel all warm inside and remember winter evenings.

Revisiting Kopparberg Pear

We're enjoying an evening meal at Taco Mac and of course there are adult beverages to enjoy. My husband and Gariath are enjoying Full Sail Amber and Wassail while I'm enjoying a small bottle of Kopparberg pear.

This cider brings back memories of Norway - particularly of a bar in Oslo. The thing is now that nostalgia has worn off, I'm wondering if it is too sweet. They actually add sugar to it as well as carbonated water. I think Fox Barrel has spoiled me.

I'm hoping it will go well with my buffalo tenders that are headed my way. The $6 price tag for 12 ounces and the 210 calories may make buying it out a rarity.

Later...
I will say it did go well with the buffalo tenders. The sweetness helped the heat, and I'm inclined to drink it again when eating spicy foods.

I'm going to revise my original ratings of this cider, now that my nostalgia glasses have been removed.

Scoring:
Sweetness: 10
Tartness: 6
Smoothness: 8
Fruit flavor: 9
Carbonation: 6
Alcohol content: 5.5%

Overall: 7
A very sweet cider best paired with dessert or spicy foods or nostalgic Norway moments.