My jury is still out on hopped ciders. I haven’t (yet) run across one that has melded the right hop to the right apple. But as with Black IPA’s, I am still trying to find the perfect one.
The latest comes from 101 Cider House here in Los Angeles.
Here is the website description of their IPC, “A blend of american cider apples, and fragrant west coast quince. This cider is the product of a wild fermentation, without the addition of sulfites or other preservative methods. After several months of natural malolactic activity, this dry cider is then twice hopped. The primary hopping (a blend of Amarillo, Cascade, Nelson, and Simcoe hops) adds a rich earthy texture, followed by a secondary hopping of 100% Citra hops. Tart, fragrant, naturally sparkling, and explosive with citrus notes.”
The aroma is really vegetal. A little too off-putting for my nose. There is a sourness vying for attention with the grassy notes of the hops or maybe that is the Nelson contributing too much wine/grape. The cider pours a very, very light yellow. Nearer to hazy white. The taste is tart but not really bitter to my hop addled palate. Almost too sparkly too. Bit of an assault on the tongue. The apple is too dull and the hops just aren’t pulling this together. Thumbs down on the IPC but I will try the regular ciders in their rotation.