LUCY IN SKY ~ REVEL CIDER

I am not usually a cider person, but this one is superb. Lucy in the Sky is a citra and Perle hopped sour apple cider, made with a wild fermented Cortland base. Fermentation happened outside in the spring when the temperatures began to climb. A bit of brett was also added too giving it a bit of complexity. Sampled on draught the cider poured a pale yellow with hints of green. Both sourness and citra hops hit you on your first sip, this mellowed as I continued to sip. The nose contained citra hops, fresh green sour apples and lots of farmyard funk and earth. The taste is quite sharp and sour at first with lots of green apple, funk and notes of green grapes and grapefruit. Mid glass I began to get some gose –like salty notes. A recommended summer sipper - Look for it!

6.9% from Hamilton, Ontario

Photo: Revel Instagram

TRIPLE  X CIDER ~ CLIFFORD & REVEL & WEST AVENUE

This cider is a collaboration between three Hamilton breweries/cideries. It is aggressively hopped using several different types of hops. The brew masters brewed the cider more like beer, by bring it almost to the boil and adding high alpha acid hops at different times to extract the hop bitterness. Galaxy, Citra and Hop X from Clear Valley Farms, were used in the process. The cider pours a hazy blonde with a minimal head. The nose is primarily apples but also a bit of Brett. Taste is of tart apples and Brett, with a hint of lemon tartness. The hops are well hidden but have reduced the sweetness of the cider. Nice clean dry finish. A very enjoyable cider.

6% from Hamilton, Ontario       34 IBU