It’s officially apple season.

To celebrate it properly, I decided to bake apple crisp and buy hard cider. Both were delicious. Yes, I am aware that hard cider is not technically beer. But if it comes in a beer bottle and is tucked in among the Southern Tiers and Smuttynoses, who am I to discriminate?

There were a couple of hard cider varieties to choose from at the store, but I decided to go with Angry Orchard’s Apple Ginger Hard Cider. This decision was based solely on the label art, which features a truly angry looking apple tree. I don’t know what he has to be mad about though when his contents taste so good.

I’d never had hard cider before this venture, unless we’re counting the time my Dutch grandfather slipped me some at the truly inappropriate age of 7 — they really do start ‘em young over there. So before my first sip, I was kind of expecting the Angry Orchard to taste like regular cider, but also miraculously get me buzzed and go really well with donuts. The actual result was closer to something that would likely come in a Mike’s Hard seasonal sampler, if such a thing existed.

It was kind of like apple juice with a kick, like maybe you left your Mott’s in the refrigerator for too long and it fermented all on its own, but not in a bad way. There was also a very subtle hint of ginger aroma and aftertaste, which is probably a good thing, since too much ginger in any circumstance is never welcome.

At 5 percent ABV, the Angry Orchard was just enough to take the edge off after a wonderful Sunday of sitting around watching the Bills degrade the Ravens, but not too sugary that I would wake up with a saccharine hangover.

The best part about hard cider, however, is that it’s naturally gluten-free. Not only does it satisfy any gluten-sensitive guests with its apple-y, autumnal goodness, but also the rest of us won’t feel like we’re drinking a straight shot of wheat. It’s essentially just a mixed drink disguised as something tougher.

All in all, I would deem my first hard cider experience quite satisfying. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but that’s not always a bad thing. Sure, it wasn’t very cider-y, but it did taste excellent when paired with warm apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. And if my beverage goes perfectly with my snacks, then I’m a happy girl.

Published on October 2, 2013 at 10:10 pm

Contact Avery: avhartma@syr.edu | @averyhartmans