Crispin Brut

More from the cider world now that my cold is beginning to go away and I can sort of smell again – the Crispin Brut super-duper-extra-dry.

Basic Info:
Name: Brut European-Style Extra-Dry
Origin: Crispin Cider
Style: Cider
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: none whatsoever
I drank this: poured from the bottle, provided to me by Derek Bean of Crispin Ciders (thank you!)

This stuff is awesome. It’s so awesome that I may have to hang up my Strongbow addiction* and flip to this all the time.

Scent-wise, it’s got a bit of a yeasty funk overlaying a really nice, natural apple scent. I feel almost like I should underline or italicize or *something* the word ‘natural’ in that phrase, because tripping over an apple scent that actually smells like an apple instead of Jolly Rancher Apple Flavoring is about as rare as tripping over a strawberry scent that doesn’t smell like a Strawberry Shortcake Doll. So basically, this smells like slightly-yeasty apples. The yeast isn’t really a bad smell – it’s just, well, yeast. It doesn’t smell entirely like baking bread, but it’s the type of scent where after you smell it you can see how it would combine to make the smell of baking bread.

Taste-wise, this cider is everything I want in a straight cider.** It’s fizzy apples. Not sugary, not loaded down with corn syrup, not heavy, nothing but apples. And they fizz. Really. Simple, lovely, honest-to-goodness-really apples.

That’s it. It’s fizzy apple juice. And there’s alcohol in there, but I defy you to be able to taste it. This stuff is flat-out the most elegant cider I’ve ever had.

*Erm, “addiction” is admittedly a strong word, given I drink probably five pints of cider a year. That said, this can be a solid 3 or 4 of my yearly 5 pints and I’ll feel quite happy.
** I gather the same can be said for my cider-loving mom, who has requested more.