3 Sons Cranky Pom

When I was sent this bottle 3 Sons Cider is testing out a new product. It’s full of angry little bittersweet and bitter sharp apples and not much else. It’s called the Cranky Pom.

So I have to explain the label. At the time I was sent a bottle of the Cranky Pom it was a prototype verging on a limited release product and the label didn’t pass the legal requirements. It is a big investment to gear up for a new product, labeling is a major part of the costs.

Then came the 2018 Australia Cider Awards. The Cranky Pom took a gold medal and best in class in the Traditional Dry category. The next few days and weeks word got out about the Cranky Pom. It didn’t take long until all of the 2018 vintage had sold out.

A typical English cider use heaps of different apple varieties to give a full flavour. The Cranky Pom takes the same route to get the same effect. This cider only uses heritage apples each purposefully chosen to add for their specific properties. For example Kingston Black for its bitter-sharp taste. The Improved Foxwhelps add bittersweets but is better known for its perfume. Rounding out the trio is the Bulmer’s Norman which adds more bitter sweets and aroma. It also includes Cimiterie de Blangey, Browns, Brown Snout, Yarlington Mill, Verite, Frequin Rouge, and a few others. Each added in a very specific ratio to achieve the taste the cider maker had in mind.

The Nose

The Cranky Pom has got an interesting scent. It reminds me of smell of crab apples, rose hips and even a drop of elderflower. This cider is a still cider so there aren’t any bubbles vertically propelling the scent molecules upwards. This lets the perfumes gather in the glass so there is plenty of barnyard funk in there to please the most pessimistic pom.

The Taste

The thing about ciders at the dryer end of the spectrum is that they let a lot more texture shine through. Being a still cider there are no bubbles interfering with the textural experience of the drink. What starts off as medium sweet smooth textured cider that moves to a dry finish lets the clay like tannins come through. This Cranky Pom is particularity cranky, it’s plenty bitter, an Englishman losing the Ashes bitter. The dark colour here is a dead giveaway that there will be oxidised flavours and they are certainly there in a full rich flavour. It’s labelled as an 8% ABV cider, there is some evidence of the alcoholic heat coming through.

Final Thoughts on the 3 sons Cranky Pom

It’s not often I don’t recommend you go out and try and find a bottle if it’s as good as this. But its sold out so this time around it probably worth following the 3 Sons Cider in all of the social media channels so you know when the 2019 vintage is released.

Update 02/02/19: Updated to better clarify what apples were used with more information from the cider maker.

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