Angry Orchard Green Apple
I’m not what one would consider a cider drinker. The beverage type is not one that I particularly seek out, but I’ve had more than a few in my time (Aspall Cuvee Chevallier and other Angry Orchard products) and I know what I like in a cider.
Green Apple is the newest addition to the Angry Orchard (a Boston Beer Company brand) year-round line-up. The cider is made with culinary green apples — apparently culinary apples are grown for cooking and not raw consumption (I had to look this up) — from Washington state. The result is a cider with a distinct green apple tartness, but perhaps a bit too much sweetness for its own good.
Appearance
Green Apple pours a clear, pale yellow in color with next to no carbonation activity. This gives it the appearance of your standard apple juice.
Aroma
Definitely a good amount of green apples in the mix with hints of honey, a light sweetness and maybe a touch of yeast.
Taste
For the most part, the cider tastes just like you’ve bitten into a fresh green apple — that’s a good thing obviously. The bad thing, at least for me, is that it’s also been lightly dusted with sugar. The juice and brisk tartness of the green apples hit first, fading slowly as a moderate-to-high level of sweetness arrives to carry you to the lingering finish. The lack of carbonation gives the drink a rather syrupy mouthfeel as it slides over the tongue.
Overall
I personally prefer my ciders a bit more crisp and more dry than what I encountered with Green Apple. That said, I do like the tartness it brings to the table, but would prefer to avoid the heavy-handed addition of sweetness in an attempt to balance it out. I’m sure that fans of sweeter ciders would certainly go for this and at 5% ABV, it’s one that you can just about chug down like your run-of-the-mill apple juice.
Rating: 3.25/5
This is a review of a promotional sample from the brewery.
