Stella Artois Cidre

Relative new-comer to the cider market, but one of a long line of  brewers known for their lagers, that have added a cider to their range. Stella has tried to give their cider a back story by insisting that it is called 'cidre' not cider, and the can claims to drink is made to a Belgian recipe. Is the drink worthy of the hype of the advertising? Well let's see:

First off, this cider has a mellow start with a nice apple after-taste. While the 'apple' taste might seem obvious because it is cider, I have noticed that with some ciders you get a proper 'hit' of apple, but with others the apple is hardly noticeable. I would call this medium rather than dry or sweet, it's sweetness seems quite subtle and there is no mention of sweeteners on the can. The after-taste has 'boiled-sweet' sweetness roundness and warmth making it all too easy to crack open another can...

The colour is quite coppery, and as expected with all ciders, refreshment is guaranteed. This is certainly a very drinkable and pleasant cider with the addition of being a fashionable new kid on the block.


Price Guide: 4-pack cans £2.28 per litre
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Brewer: Stella Artois
Alcohol content: 4.5%
Sold in 440ml cans
(440x4.5)/1000= 2.0 units of alcohol
Recommended Safe Daily allowance: 1 can

Strongbow Original

I thought I would start this blog with a review of the drink most often found cooling in my fridge. I know from talking to fellow cider-drinking enthusiasts, that this is not a universal favourite, so I will try to review it objectively.
Strongbow is a DRY cider in the truest sense, it's taste could be regarded as harsh rather than full of flavour, but for me, it's the 'bite' of this drink that helps to make it a refreshing tipple.
Friends that I have talked to about Strongbow tend to see it as too dry and lacking in flavour, and to be fair I can see (or rather taste) what they mean. Yet I don't see the overall combination of characteristics of Strongbow as being negative, and judging by the wide availability of this drink I am quite sure that I'm not the only one.

According to the can, it has some sweeteners which probably combine to add a little extra harshness (not in a good way). It is a brash canned cider, popular enough to be widely available, but although I personally enjoy it, I readily accept that Strongbow original probably deserves no more than an average score. I think this drink could probably be improved by replacing the sweeteners with natural sugars. It doesn't have some of the complex blended flavours that come through with other ciders, yet it is still a refreshing drink. This drink is also available in many other formats as well as the can that was reviewed here. I will no doubt be posting reviews about some of the other formats such as glass bottles, plastic bottles and hopefully on draught in a pub.

Price Guide: 4-pack cans £2.42 per litre - frequently on offer in multi-packs
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Brewer: Bulmers
Alcohol content: 5.0%
Sold in 440ml cans
(440x5)/1000= 2.2 units of alcohol
Recommended Safe Daily allowance: 1 can