Blake's Hard Cider
Beard Bender
Blake's Hard Cider Beard Bender (6.5% alcohol by volume) is a 100% natural hard cider brewed with Bittersweet and Bittersharp apples grown of the family farm in Armada, Michigan and fermented on oak. An initial rich apple smell reduces a little after the first whiff revealing a clean fermentation character with faint spicy phenols and a hint of oak. It pours brilliant gold from the center to the rim. It froths up like champagne on the pour and is filled with streams of rapidly rising bubbles but this all dissipates quickly. Bear Bender is bone dry and moderately tart - somewhere between Granny Smith and MacIntosh tart. There is a kiss of astringent tannins on the finish that have both oak and apple aspects. The cider is light with a crisp dry finish and moderate carbonation. Beard Bender is and excellent cider that is well put together and has the kind of complexity and richness that comes from using all apples instead of concentrates and added sugar. Try this with a quiche, charcuterie, creamy soups, a salad, smelly cheese or any thing derived from the pig. I rate it 83.