COMPARATIVE LIT ESSAY:
I know we are still a month and a half away from cranberry harvest time, so it’s not time yet to get your wellies and head to the bogs just yet, but I have had one of these cans in my cider cellar for months and it was just time to try it out. One of these cranberry ciders come from a new cidery in Ft. Collins, Colorado (a town more known for its beer) and the other from Bishop Cider Co., the top cider maker in Dallas that you can find all over the DFW metro area, including the Ballpark in Arlington. (We’ll see if the new Globe Life Field will carry it once fans are allowed in again) But enough baseball, let’s talk cider.
In comparing the two, the most obvious place to start is that the Crackberry includes both cranberry and blackberry which makes it darker in the glass. There is more going on in the Crackberry nose which is tart, acidic, a bit stemmy and has a hint of fermentation. There is also a lot more going on with the taste as it has a richer berry flavor and a fruity finish. Though the drink doesn’t give you much taste in the first phase—and the Climb Harder has a pretty strong acidic first taste—several things start to happen in the Crackberry after that, which also has the better mouthfeel of the two.
I think then the nod goes to Crackberry as there is just more pushing this drink to the front of the line. It is smooth around the edges and is clearly the more refined and polished of the two. I also think the more earthy blackberry both cuts the tartness a bit and adds an element missing in the more monotone Climb Harder offering which is more acidic and tart. If it is just a good pucker you are after, maybe the Cranberry is your drink, but if you want a more refined drink that is both fruity and sophisticated, make your way up to the ballpark, the southwest hipster part of Dallas to their tasting room, or wherever else you can find Crackberry. Ignore the man on the can mooning you and just drink it down—it’s really good!