Review: Wandering Aengus Wanderlust Cider

Background:

I’ve had this cider many moons. Between my travels to Newfoundland, Iceland and Australia, somehow it kept being passed over for review.

Having now tried it, that makes me sad.

Kind: Wandering Aengus Cider – Wanderlust 2011

Size: 500mL glass bottle (also available on tap in the US)

Strength: 6.9% ABV

Company description:

From website: Orchards: Hood River & Culver, OR

Semi-Dry and tart “warm ginger tone”

Pairings: BBQ, Pork, or Cheddar

Orgle’s Thoughts:

“Nice and tart. Not too much fizz. I like it. ”

My Thoughts:

What a pleasant drink!!  Makes me pucker, but it is also sweet.  It isn’t weak in terms of alcohol taste, but it isn’t overpowered.

It has such a fresh smell too.  I got some cider on my lips and it tasted amazing.

Carbonated just a bit – just enough.

Tart! Tangy!

This is what I want all cider to be.

Afterthoughts:

I like short sentences? I don’t think I have the palate to be a really effective reviewer. However, I know what I like and what I don’t and I like this one, a lot.  I would definitely buy it again and if I ever found a bar with it on tap, that’s what I’m ordering.

I would suggest it to anyone who likes cider. It’s a mix of tart, sweet, dry and fruit.  I think a beginner cider drinker would appreciate it and more seasoned palates as well – though maybe it’s a bit sweet?

It just makes me want to try the other kinds next time I’m south of the border.

Where to buy:

Oregon, Washington, California, New York, Idaho, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington DC.  Sigh, no Canada.

Best liquor store for cider (in Seattle, and possibly the West Coast)

 

Last week we went to Iceland. (I’ll blog about cider options in Iceland soon.)

The flights were out of Seattle, so we figured we’d hit up a liquor store on our way back.

The beer selection was well-above average.

The cider selection was the best I’ve ever seen.

It’s called Full Throttle Bottles.(5909 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108)

From their website: Because Erika is an Anglophile, cider is like mother’s milk. There is an impressive and ever growing selection of hard ciders ranging from the very sweet to the very dry. This includes styles from unfiltered scrumpy to French sparkling ciders.

I came back with half a dozen. (Mainly ciders from Oregon and Washington.)

Once again, with similar climates and growing conditions, why doesn’t BC have such a great cider industry and a liquor store to carry them all?

Sigh.