Hard Cider > Beer

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lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,195
10,659
126
I don't find cider especially interesting to drink. It tastes ok, but I'd rather have a beer, or even better, whisky.
 

acheron

Diamond Member
May 27, 2008
3,171
2
81
LMAO

I love Cider (but I love beer too). However, Woodchuck is the Budweiser of Cider (hell, they even bought them if I'm not mistaken).

Try real Cider. Get a Strongbow or Crispin. Or see if there are any local cider brewers around you (I have Windy Hill near me for example. Those NC hipsters can make some fucking cider).

Crispin got bought out by MillerCoors I think. So far I think they're still pretty good but you never know when Miller will screw with them.

There are a couple of great cider producers in VA too. Love the cider from this place: Albemarle Ciderworks
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
111
www.slatebrookfarm.com
I just like Nottingham and Windsor because those are typically CHEAP compared to the other yeasts and you can do a lot with them.

I use Saflager-23 in my Oktoberfests and german lagers...it's a good yeast for those.
When I walked out of the brew store, I was thinking, "wow, I didn't think it came to that much." I hadn't even bothered checking the price on the yeasts. The couple of yeasts I've used for batches of wine - Montrachet & (Lavlin?) 1122 were about 79 cents each. Those three yeasts were around $5 each. So, mentally, my bill was off by about 10 dollars.

Picked more apples yesterday - I'm going to be overwhelmed the rest of this afternoon - I have to can about 2 dozen jars of tomatoes, peel a bushel of apples for pies (sweeten & spice them, then freeze them), and have to start 12 gallons of cider.
 

IGemini

Platinum Member
Nov 5, 2010
2,472
2
81
Cider is my mainstay, either Woodchuck or Magner's. I'll occasionally go with Strongbow but it's a bit too dry for me to be an everyday drinker. If I want beer I'll usually go for stouts...not big on the more hops > * mindset and IPAs are overrated, frankly.

LMAO

I love Cider (but I love beer too). However, Woodchuck is the Budweiser of Cider (hell, they even bought them if I'm not mistaken).

Try real Cider. Get a Strongbow or Crispin. Or see if there are any local cider brewers around you (I have Windy Hill near me for example. Those NC hipsters can make some fucking cider).

C&C is the company that bought Woodchuck, they also own the Magner/Bulmer's line.

I love how widely-distributed anything suddenly isn't "real" from some people. Budweiser may be garbage pilsner but it's still beer. Woodchuck is probably the best known American cider so that means it isn't "real?" The hipster routine is for kids.
 

KlokWyze

Diamond Member
Sep 7, 2006
4,451
9
81
www.dogsonacid.com
Woodchuck Hard Cider is good!

So you mean you like it more than beer? That's great, but your opinion doesn't actually MEAN that it is "better" than beer. I couldn't imagine a heavy drinking session with only cider. D:

Cider is too sweet for me. I suppose if I was a teenager I would probably pick up some cider and wine coolers for the girls though. Maybe you could swap make up tips and who you think the cutest boy is with them!
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
So you mean you like it more than beer? That's great, but your opinion doesn't actually MEAN that it is "better" than beer. I couldn't imagine a heavy drinking session with only cider. D:

Cider is too sweet for me. I suppose if I was a teenager I would probably pick up some cider and wine coolers for the girls though. Maybe you could swap make up tips and who you think the cutest boy is with them!

Again, the sweetness of cider ranges from zero to sicky sweet. If it was too sweet, just get a different brand. This is about as dumb as saying, "I drank a dessert wine and it was too sweet. Therefore I'll never drink wine again."
 

KlokWyze

Diamond Member
Sep 7, 2006
4,451
9
81
www.dogsonacid.com
Again, the sweetness of cider ranges from zero to sicky sweet. If it was too sweet, just get a different brand. This is about as dumb as saying, "I drank a dessert wine and it was too sweet. Therefore I'll never drink wine again."

Fuck off. Did I ever say "I wouldn't drink it again"?

I don't see huge selections of ciders in stores and frankly I'm not very interested in it. Also, I wouldn't start a thread with the title "beer > cider". :|
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,866
31,364
146
The only cider I have ever liked is Wyder's Pear cider. In fact, it is one of the best food pairings I have ever had. :sneaky:

Pear cider from draft + Soy and garlic sauteed edamame at some Thai restaurant in SF. So tasty.
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
49,601
167
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www.slatebrookfarm.com
The only cider I have ever liked is Wyder's Pear cider. In fact, it is one of the best food pairings I have ever had. :sneaky:

Pear cider from draft + Soy and garlic sauteed edamame at some Thai restaurant in SF. So tasty.

Pear cider. Hmmmm. Perry.

:D My brother stopped by this evening, brought some pears. We pressed 14 1/2 gallons of pear cider, and 2 gallons of apple cider. He's got 6 1/2 gallons of straight pear in his primary fermenter, I went with 4 1/2 gallons pear to 2 gallons of blended apples, including some tart apples. The level of sweetness is excellent for an unfermented cider (at the moment.) The flavor is very interesting. It tastes like pear. No, apple. No, pear. No, apple. It's like your tastebuds pick up on one flavor and you're sure what it is, but then there's an interesting flavor in the background, and they switch focus to that flavor. Can't wait til it's done. Just have to figure out a yeast. Safale?

edit: total tally on the cider press is 37 gallons this year, with enough apples in baskets on my porch to come close to doubling that number.
 
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StrangerGuy

Diamond Member
May 9, 2004
8,443
124
106
I don't like the normal lager beers either, those make my stomach bloat really quickly.
 

Zeze

Lifer
Mar 4, 2011
11,395
1,189
126
Cider is way too sweet.

Even the REALLY dry ones get pretty sweet to my palate after 2+ bottles.
 

BurnItDwn

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
26,353
1,862
126
Cider is tasty.

I'd even say Cider is better than lagers.

But, I'd take just about any Imperial stout over just about any hard cider.
(also I'd take any belgian ale, ipa, or mead)
 

preslove

Lifer
Sep 10, 2003
16,754
64
91
Pear cider. Hmmmm. Perry.

:D My brother stopped by this evening, brought some pears. We pressed 14 1/2 gallons of pear cider, and 2 gallons of apple cider. He's got 6 1/2 gallons of straight pear in his primary fermenter, I went with 4 1/2 gallons pear to 2 gallons of blended apples, including some tart apples. The level of sweetness is excellent for an unfermented cider (at the moment.) The flavor is very interesting. It tastes like pear. No, apple. No, pear. No, apple. It's like your tastebuds pick up on one flavor and you're sure what it is, but then there's an interesting flavor in the background, and they switch focus to that flavor. Can't wait til it's done. Just have to figure out a yeast. Safale?

edit: total tally on the cider press is 37 gallons this year, with enough apples in baskets on my porch to come close to doubling that number.

Ever thought about quitting teaching to start a cider business?
 

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
Woodchuck Cider is decent. Strongbow is better. I haven't tried a lot of different ciders, though I'm sure there are plenty of great ones. Saying cider is better than beer is like saying wine is better than whiskey. I don't find the tastes or textures exactly comparable.
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,842
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Woodchuck Hard Cider is good!

My fiance got me into hard cider too :mad:

Now I want to try all of the micro brew ciders more than regular beers :D

Besides, I only seem to like wheat ale's and some lagers. I'm fucking tired of drinking IPA's hoping to grow accustomed to their taste some day. That shit is like chasing the white dragon... you think you will get him... but you never will.... you never... will :'(
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,842
4,785
146
Woodchuck Cider is decent. Strongbow is better. I haven't tried a lot of different ciders, though I'm sure there are plenty of great ones. Saying cider is better than beer is like saying wine is better than whiskey. I don't find the tastes or textures exactly comparable.

Strongbow was always very dry to me... I like some kinds of other taste in mine, which is why Woodchuck is good for a variety - they have over 12 different ones.

My favorites for them have definitely been:
Woodchuck Winter (Delish, like a nice whiskey flavor similar to their Barrel Select one too)
Woodchuck Summer
Woodchuck Pumpkin
Woodchuck Belgian White
http://www.woodchuck.com/cider/seasonal-calendar.html


Woodchuck Spring, however... fucking nasty. I don't know if it's the brown sugar but that is grose