Not shown: the delicious pretzels at Brave Horse Tavern

I found this cider while out with some coworkers for a sort of “we survived the last few months” celebratory happy hour, and since I haven’t seen cans or kegs of it in the stores I tend to frequent I figured I’d try to jot down some notes without being too blatantly rude to my fellow happy-hour-goers.

It’s a classic clear gold, 6.9% ABV, and the aroma is disarming at first — a mild, sweet, pretty straightforward dessert-apple smell. So when I took a sip, the wallop of powerful vinegar sourness came as a major surprise. Sure enough, when I took another sniff I could get a hint of the vinegar under the apples, though that might have been a contribution from the long finish of the cider.

It’s not a sweet vinegar taste, either. Acidic, tannic, bitter — it’s been a long time since I couldn’t prevent myself from making a face when I tasted an alcoholic drink.

In the words of Ian Fleming, once is an accident, twice is coincidence, and three times is enemy action. Before trying Troy’s MCMXIII I might have thought I somehow got a can that soured on the shelf; I still haven’t entirely ruled the idea out given that they’re both unfiltered varieties, but I’m also starting to consider that there’s an actual market out there for people who really want to drink cider vinegar with bitters.

CCU doesn’t have a cider finder, but you can check them out on Facebook and keep an eye out for them on tap around the Pacific Northwest and in cans more broadly distributed.