Kopparberg Naked Apple

You probably know Kopparberg as that super sweet cider-like drink in the fridge at the pub that doesn’t sell any craft beverages. Now they have released a lower carb, lower sugar drink, they call it the Kopparberg Naked Apple.  

Going into this review I was hoping that this was going to be a better, drier cider. I mean it says premium cider right there on the label. That’s got to mean it’s going to be good right? …. right? 

The closer I look at the label the more my hopes sink. There is some pieces of  fruit towards the top. It looks like an apple behind what could to be a cut pear. Remember this is the Kopparberg Naked Apple not apple and pear. I guess this is what we should expect from a brewery not a cider house. The back of the label conveniently has a nutritional guide, full marks on that, but there is ingredients list. The guide tells us that that it is 5.2% sugar. Lower than their other drinks. That is still a pretty high number but could it be Kopparberg’s driest cider? 

The Nose

This is a sulphite bomb. It smells of old eggs and even older apples. It is just generally unpleasant. The colder it is, the less scent there is, so it is probably best served super cold.  

The Taste

This tastes like a diet version of an apple flavoured kids soft drink. It starts of super sweet. As the sugar sweetness dies the Splenda-like sweetness takes over leaving behind that horrible chemical aftertaste. There is no taste of any alcohol.  Textually the Koppaberg Naked Apple feels like loud radio static in your mouth with its overly vigorous tiny little bubbles over a thin liquid. Really this tastes of just some cheap apple lollies dissolved into artificial sweetener and sulphites.  

The Kopparberg’s website says it’s best served over mountains of ice. Once the ice has had a moment to melt in, it tempers the sweetness but does nothing to hide the chemical aftertaste, it basically marks it more watery.

Final Thoughts Kopparberg Naked Apple

The label calls this a premium cider. I say to Kopparberg to step up and prove why the Naked Apple cider is premium. Show me the orchards where you care for the apples. Show me presses used to squeeze those apples. Don’t go around tricking consumers into thinking your product is made from apples when you can’t back it up. Hell, web site says it’s “full of fresh green apple flavours” not full of “fresh green apples” full stop. This is no Cider, it’s an alcopop. I wonder if it is taxed as an alcopop (RTD) or at the lower cider/wine rate? 

I’m not sure who would like this drink, perhaps if you the smell of rotten eggs and artificial chemicals give it a go but for the sane segment of the population its best to leave this on the shelf.  

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