I am well acquainted with Wychwood as a brewer of ales. Hobgoblin and Wychcraft are no strangers to me. But for some reason a Cider from Wychwood has, until now, escaped my notice. And this particular bottle was the only one in the Off Licence fridge, so for all I know, it's the only one in existence...
The tag line says 'Oak-rageously Oak aged' referring to the fact that it is fermented in 100 year old Oak vats, and as it's brewed in Somerset, with Somerset apples (Dabinett and Somerset Redstreak apparently) you'll have no 'Food Miles' issues here.
At 6% it delivers a sharp jab to the cerebral cortex and more than a few of these might well leave you relying on your limbic system to navigate your route to the taxi via the kebab shop. Steady as she goes lads...
The pour offers a rapidly settling fizz and in no time at all a perfect, clear pint sits before you. It is sweet to taste with a satisfyingly lingering apple after taste that sets it apart from inferior ciders. It's flavour is excellent, and not too challenging. It has the feeling of the kind of drink that could become a popular in pubs in the way that Stowford Press, Thatchers Gold or Aspall have done of late. And like them, you would be glad to see this sitting on tap in place of Some other, more common, less interesting Ciders..
A lovely, drinkable cider. Not quite as sharp as I had expected, perhaps the name Green Goblin gives the impression of some agression that you don't get from it, but you'll be pleasantly surprised as a result. I would happily make this my drink of choice at the beginning of the night and stick to it all night long. A respectable 7/10.
Footnote: I have read the Green Goblin website since writing this and see that it is now brewed by Thatchers, which probably makes my bottle a rarity. It is also now available on Draft. Come on landlords, lets see this in your pubs...
I picked up this bottle just outside Bath while heading home to Bournemouth. I was thinking that I would be getting a local Cider to the region, but as it turns out, this was brewed in Aston, Birmingham?
The first thing that you notice about this Cider is that it comes in a pretty big bottle, being fully 660ml (about 90ml more than a pint) which at £1.70 is a very reasonable price. The bottle is tall and slender, but substantial and comfortable to hold, (if you had 2 of these you'd be set for a couple of hours), and at 5.3% it's a cheeky companion.
The lid didn't pop off as easily as I hoped, but the pour was a surprise, the golden liquid fizzed like alka selza and continued to bubble for some time, after which it settled in the glass. This wasn't the only surprise offered by this cider however as on each mouthful the effervescent nature of Kingstone Press continued as the liquid bubbled and fizzed on the tongue. This was a strange, yet pleasant feeling that I can't remember experiencing before and I can honestly say that I took four or five sips in close succession to reassure myself that it was a feature of the drink and not just a random event.
The taste is sweet, yet not sickly with a hint of apple but not too strong. On swallowing you are left with a dryness, as you might expect with a medium dry Cider, but it's not unpleasant as can happen with too many dry Ciders. The effect of this is that it cunningly entices you to take another mouthful to alleviate it's arid effect, but you'll find that you're happy to do so.
This Cider has certainly impressed me. Dry Ciders, when too dry can often be a struggle to finish but this is possibly one of the most drinkable Ciders that I can remember and i'm glad that it was the first reviewed for The Out Cider. More of these please, I will certainly be hunting down a local stockist, or heading back on the road to Bath very soon. A definite 8/10 possibly even a 9.
