Boonville – Bite Hard

Glass of Boonville Bite Hard cider & small Portal turret bot

Bonus Portal turret since I don’t have a bottle or can to show off.

Boonville’s Bite Hard made a brief appearance in my Cider Summit roundup post, but now that it’s shown up on tap at my favorite liquor store’s growler station I’ve been able to write a proper full review of it.

Bite Hard is a clear, light yellow, with a light aroma, fresh and tart. It lives up to its name in flavor with an immediate snap of tartness and acidity — this is definitely a cider with personality.

It’s very dry, and a little bitterness comes forward after the initial bite, fading without much in the way of aftertaste. There’s some body to it, but overall I wouldn’t describe it as terribly complex — not that it’s bad, just that it’s straightforward.

It’s a good palate-clearing cider, to have with something rich and heavy that will benefit from a contrast with Bite Hard’s crisp tartness and acidity instead of being overwhelmed by it.

Boonville is located in California, and their locator page only lists places in CA and MI to find their cider, so good luck searching to those of us in the Pacific Northwest I guess. If you spot it, do give it a try!