Apple Outlaw Ginger Bite
This cider was a surprise when I showed up to my local liquor store expecting the tail end of Sonoma Cider’s “The Hatchet” (which I meant to get around to reviewing but just kept drinking instead). Apparently my streak of being the one to kill off their cider kegs has ended; someone else did the honors for the Hatchet.
Ginger ciders seem to be all the rage these days — Angry Orchard’s got one, Schilling’s got one, Finnriver’s got one, Number 6 Cider’s got one, Reverend Nat’s got one, and I’m sure I’m even missing a few — but they’ve never particularly been to my liking, as I’m not a big fan of ginger in general. Still, it’s a pretty common segment of the cider market so I figure I’d better knock one or two out of the way here on Bad Rider for the sake of comprehensive coverage.
(I may even consider trying a ginger beer, a trend picking up steam here in Seattle in particular, for comparison.)
Of course, not all ginger ciders are created equal. Some are mild, but Ginger Bite goes hard from the start; the aroma reaches out and grabs you from the glass.
The flavor is fairly sweet under the sharp fire of the ginger, but there’s not much in the way of subtlety to it. You want a ginger cider, with lots of ginger? Here you go. If you’re pairing it, make sure it’s something that’s definitely going to go with lots of ginger. Several varieties of Asian food would probably do.