COMPARATIVE LIT ESSAY:
I am just going to come out and say it. I do not think I am a fan of strawberry cider. The two I’ve had previously were uninspiring. However, two of my favorite cider makers have put the red berry to work in their creations so I thought I’d give it another try. Pivot (Kentucky) has added kiwi to theirs—a classic combo with strawberry—and Hale and True (Pennsylvania) has gone for the more mysterious lemon pairing—though I guess strawberry lemonade is a thing, right? Finally, I came across the strawberry option from cider giant Angry Orchard (New York), so I decided to line them all up and give strawberry at least one more shot.
Gingham is the prettiest in the glass with a light cranberry color, Goldberry is straw colored and Angry Orchard has a nice amber tint that looks the most like your traditional cider. I also thought Gingham had the best nose with lush fruit notes, whereas Goldberry was potent with bright citric acid and Angry Orchard had an artificial smell. When it came to flavor, Gingham had the biggest strawberry experience, whereas Goldberry was the most subtle and Angry Orchard most like a strawberry soda. The Angry Orchard option was the smoothest of the three and the drinkability was pretty good. Gingham was the tartest and sweetest, and Goldberry tasted the most like proper apple cider.
Okay, so I’m still not a believer, but some were better than others. The Angry Orchard starts out pretty good and it feels like their standard semi-sweet base—which I actually think is pretty good for a standard semi-sweet—but then when that strawberry flavor comes in, I just get strawberry soda vibes that I don’t care for. The Gingham is the biggest and sweetest option with bold sweet and tart flavors. If you are looking for a bold strawberry drink that may make you pucker, you fount it. Sweet and big, but balanced. For me though, as something of a cider purist, I’m gonna go for the dry but subtle cider, the Goldberry. It is good, but not great. Now that I think about it, my daughter loves strawberries but refuses to eat anything strawberry flavored. Even though she might just be stubborn, I am starting to think she may be on to something. Strawberries are incredible. Cider is incredible. Strawberry-flavored ciders . . . meh. . . I could live without them.