my favorites: hard apple cider

i guess i'm not a very good blogger.  as i see it, all bloggers are supposed to love fall.  and while i am excited for "it's the great pumpkin swap," i am NOT a fan of autumn weather, wearing tons of layers, replacing my sandals with boots, or ending golf and comfortable outdoor running season. 

one of the only thing i like about fall [besides the things i will be sending to my partner for the swap], is apple cider.  i really like regular cider, but hard cider is my favorite.  here are a few of the ones i enjoy:

mike bought us crispin "original" a few weeks back, and it was delicious!  however, it almost tasted a little more summery than autumny because it was crisp, but not sweet, and literally tasted like eating a red delicious apple.  it was best over ice.  next, we decided to try the "honey crisp."  it was a little more bitter, and we tasted the most honey flavor at the bottom.  because it's unfiltered, i would suggest rolling it before drinking to ensure an even taste throughout.

yuengling is a staple in my house [whenever someone brings it up from new york or new jersey], and it reminds me of football games - so i guess it fits the autumn profile.  we also tried crisp woodchuck cider, which pretty much tasted like watered-down apples.

instead, we prefer the granny smith woodchuck.  it's made with only granny smith apples, so it's much more tart than your typical cider. 

 the first ever cider i tried was the harpoon cider.  it's a bit sweeter than original crispin, but not too tart.  i usually don't like pumpkin beers, but harpoon has a very light-looking pumpkin cider [i'm not a big fan of dark beers] that i am definitely interested in trying.

i first had the original angry orchard "crisp apple" at a tailgate and fell in love.  it was a bit sweeter than other ciders and the first one was very enjoyable.  however, after that, it was a bit too sweet.  that's why i wanted to try the "traditional dry."  it tastes similar, but i've learned that it does not have extra apple juice added so that's what makes it taste less sweet.

i know they're not cider, but look at all of the fun wines, tequila, and vodka i received for my birthday and can't wait to try!