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Cider Digest #0250
Subject: Re: Woodpecker Cider
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 93 07:41:24 PST
From: stevem@gold.gvg.tek.com
Up here in the Sierra foothills of CA., I know of 3 different ciders
being served on tap at various places. I have tried them all, and to me,
Woodpecker is not very good. Too sweet, and too much musty apple flavor.
My very favorite is Blackthorn, or Blackhawk, or Blacksomething or other,
which is very dry and crisp, good sparkle, and tasts like a very fine
champagne with a hint of apple. Kinda dumb not being sure of the name
of your favorite cider, but I don't get out much. Work, work, work.
When I tasted this cider for the first time, it was love at first sipp.
I knew I had to find a way to brew this stuff at home, rather than be
hostage to $3.00(US) a pint. It is only 4.7% or so alcohol. I am more
of a wine drinker, than a beer drinker, so this was perfect. A champagne-
like drink, that tasts awsome, with 1/3 the alcohol! What more could you
ask for! I have not been successful duplicating it at home yet, but have
made some pretty good cider. I will succeed, I will, I will.....
I think it is all in the kind of apples used, and they grow a lot of apples
up here, so next fall, I am going apple shopping.
While I am here, has anybody duplicated this cider? Any pointers?
Cheers,
Steve
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Steve Miller, Grass Valley Group, Nevada City, CA. 95959, Mail stop N32B
916-478-3059, stevem@gold.gvg.tek.com.
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Date: Thu, 11 Feb 93 10:26:38 cdt
From: "Butts,Stephen J" <BUTTS@AC.GRIN.EDU>
Subject: Better ciders
Sean --
You are correct; Woodpecker is just awful. Your taste buds seem to be
in full working order. Try Grant's Cider if you can get some. It's
not nearly as nice as "homebrew" cider can be, but it's sort of in the
ballpark. Your own cider will be a lot less sweet than these, and if
you choose some decent varieties of apples (NOT Delicious, Macs or most
of the ordinary supermarket kind) you will get a lovely, refined apple
fragrance that all of the bottled hard ciders except the better French ones
miss. Good luck!
-- Steve Butts BUTTS@GRIN1.BitNet
BUTTS@AC.GRIN.EDU
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Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1993 13:03:26 -0500 (EST)
From: PEPKE@scri.fsu.edu
Subject: Re: Woodpecker Cider
I've had Woodpecker several times. I haven't really noticed a rotten apple
aroma or flavor. I don't really like Woodpecker--it's a bit on the sweet side.
I don't think I'd be able to make a cider that sweet if I tried. Of course,
they probably pasteurize, add more sugar, and artificially carbonate.
Probably a better representative of a sweet cider is Blackthorne or Taunton's
or whatever it's called this week. Weston's is quite good, but I've never
seen it in the US.
-Eric
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