15/100) Angry Orchard: Cider House Collection

I have set myself the goal to review three beers or ciders every week for 100 weeks. I will be learning about beer and ciders more as I do this, and if I am successful in this venture, I will have tried about 300 unique drinks. If you're curious how I'm doing, the number in the post's title tells you which week I am in now.

Strawman, The Muse, Iceman

These are three ciders from Angry Orchard's Farmhouse collection. Their bottles are large, and very ornate. What you see on the outside is not a sticker, but a lovely piece of etching. I'm holding on to my bottles until I can find a consistent way of turning an empty beer bottle into a glass.

Strawman) This farmhouse cider is a strong, robust dry cider. I have little to contribute to the description already on the side of the bottle, but also I have to say that description is a bit overdone. It's a good, possibly even great cider, but it's not in the realm of excellent or phenomenal. Despite an ABV of 10%, you can barely tell there is alcohol in it, and that's impressive. ☆☆☆☆

The Muse) The Muse is much sweeter than the last, but mellow in flavor. Just by its strong micro bubble effervescence, I'm pretty sure you could convince people that this was a champagne. However, it also tastes similar to one. It was made with champagne yeast though, so perhaps that was the intended effect. Maybe it's just me, but I don't want a cider that's trying to be a champagne nor a champagne that is trying to be a cider. ☆☆

Iceman) Of the three, this is the sweet yet, tart one. The finish is not as smooth as Strawman's either, but the flavor comes across as full. There's even a hint of vanilla in the backdrop. ☆☆☆

Bonus! I've been told that the best way to drink Strawman and Iceman is to mix them. The robust dryness of Strawman makes up for Iceman's sweetness. I have not tried doing so yet, but I might have to give it a go in the near future.