COMPARATIVE LIT ESSAY:
Tonight, I’ve got two flagship standard ciders from two of Colorado’s most successful cideries—Stem’s Off Dry and C Squared’s Alma. They both smell great as the Off Dry has a nice fresh apple aroma where Alma is more tart. As the name implies, Off Dry is not fully dry but not completely sweet either (so semi-dry according to the terminology I use), whereas Alma is more of a true semi-sweet, though it’s most prominent flavor is a tart green apple taste. For me, even though Off Dry is good, it is almost too carbonated, doesn’t pack much of a punch with flavor and does not have a smooth finish. Not bad, but I think Alma is the clear winner as it has more distinct flavors and is a better-balanced drink. If you find yourself in Colorado and are craving an easy drinking standard cider, nothing fancy, I’d start with the Alma unless you’re shy with tart and sweet.