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.

Apricot Pear by Fox Barrel

Where purchased:
I picked up a four pack of these at Total Wine.  The price was moderate, about what I would expect for a four pack of craft ciders.

From the Fox Barrel Website

The Company - Fox Barrel:
Earlier this month, I reviewed the Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear cider. The company stresses its use of only pear cider with no additional additives.  I also like the lack of preservatives as well.  And, of course, it is gluten free.  Here's a quote from their site about the differences with their cider: "Filtered cold for extra purity and infused with natural apricot juice. With no added malt, spirit, grape or apple alcohols colorants, sugar, sorbate or benzoate preservatives."

Setting the mood:
I wanted to enjoy this cider in several different circumstances before I reviewed it.  Fox Barrel's  Blackberry Pear while a delightful cider was a bit harsh unless over ice and I was not sure it would go with most meals.  This time, I wanted to try the Apricot Pear cider both with and without food.  I drank a bottle while gaming one night and consumed two on different nights during dinner.

Reflections:
I found this cider to be different in several ways from the Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear cider.  First, this one is great right from the bottle.  When I game, I prefer the ease of grabbing a cider from the fridge and going to play.  The carbonation is not overwhelming and the flavors are easily discernible without a glass and ice. 

Second, I found that this cider's flavor pairs better with food than the Blackberry.  The apricot was good with the spicy brats we had as well as pizza.  I could taste the apricot but it didn't over-power my pallet and actually added a nice dimension.  Many ciders are not good with food because of their sweetness - this one was just right and I would definitely stock it in the fridge again for a 'with dinner' adult beverage.

I look forward to more flavor-infusions from Fox Barrel as I prefer pear ciders to apple, and they do a great job making a pure-pear one.

Tidnab's sip: He enjoyed it. I'm probably going to have to hide my last bottle.

Scoring:
Sweetness: 7
Tartness: 8
Smoothness: 7
Fruit flavor: 9
Carbonation: 7
Alcohol content: 5.5%
Bottle Size: 12 Fl Oz
Price: Medium

Overall: 8

A great tasting pear cider for multiple situations.