Alpine Cider – Pink Lady Dry Cider

Alpine Cider, located near Victoria ski fields, have just gone out and made a new Pink Lady Dry Cider. And now it’s in a can.

When I say this is a new cider, it’s very new, it was fermented less than a month ago. Well, new to cans. It’s got the same recipe with early season fruit has been out in bottles for a while now. Since I last looked at dry 3 years ago they have updated the branding, to be much more stylish and sophisticated. The canned version is using later season fruit that has been stored in an atmosphere controlled cold storage for 5 months before meeting the press. The Pink Ladies get co-fermented with a handful of Granny Smiths and Red Delicious apples. It is very hard to make a well-rounded cider with one apple, so these apples just help complete the flavour.

The Pink Lady Dry is fermented to a bone-dry state before being back sweetened with a dash of freshly pressed apples from the same harvest as the rest of the apples in this Cider.

Just a quick bit of a history lesson. Nightingale Bros is the name of the orchard that has been growing apple for about 60 years. They started the label Alpine Cider to add value to their apples. They are trying new things with the canned cider and moving to a drier range. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to release a Methode Traditionalle style cider in the not too distant future.

The Nose

The perfume coming off Alpine’s dry cider confirms that it is a pink lady cider. It is lovely and bright with plenty of blossoms and makes you think of the pink lady’s juice. I don’t know if it’s the smoke from the bushfires outside or if this cider has a hint of a smoky dark rum.

The Taste

This goes down easy with a soft medium-dry taste and the low levels of fizz. The Pink Lady apple is very sweet, but the Alpine Ciders Pink Lady Dry retains the flavour of the apple without the clinging sugar. When served icy cold from the can it seems a tad dryer. There is that floral loveliness that the Pink Lady is all about. which harmonises with the acidic hits the Red Delicious and the Granny Smith.

Talking about the can, this is the first time I’ve seen a can where the top of the can is coloured just like the sides of can. The upside of this is it’s the only can that I can stand to drink directly from because you don’t get that metallic taste from it. If you have the choice, still opt to pour it into a glass that way you get more opportunity to appreciate the scent. See more about Cans v Bottles

Final Thoughts on Alpine Cider’s Pink Lady Dry

There has been a little bit of controversy about the bottle and canned versions of this cider. I haven’t tried this year’s bottled version with its early season’s fruit but it’s probably worth trying both for yourself. Personally, I’m really enjoying it as summer hits with its full force, IN LATE SPRING.

This is a hot weather cider, serve it just above its freezing point. It’s seriously easy to drink. After work at the pub, flush away the day’s dust. You may notice the lead image at the top of the page was taken in the rain, that’s what it feels like with its ability to refresh. And just like wanting more rain I wouldn’t say no to a second tinnie (can).

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