Cider fans can only buy this cider in November, December,
and January. Winter cider, winter availability. The company describes the
Winter as having notes of vanilla and oak. The ABV is on par with many
Woodchuck ciders at 5%. Though the price is not consistent shop to shop, much
less state to state, six-packs tend be available in $9-12 dollar range. That makes
the Winter an easy cider to take home for casual drinking.
Here are my findings based on several trials.
Color and appearance: Warm topaz
It looks like a sparkling maple syrup in the glass. It
produces no head, just a slight ring of foam around the glass.
Aroma: burnt sugar and caramel, vanilla, toasted gentle
woods
The aromas of this cider are not at all difficult to detect
when drinking from a pint glass. Straight from the bottle, I have a harder time
getting much in the way of scent without awkwardly bringing my proboscis
directly to the mouth of the bottle: not
a recommended move when enjoying this cider with friends or loved ones.
The smells are nice, so taking the time to pour this cider into a glass is well
worth it.
Sweet-dry scale: sweet
All Woodchuck ciders are sweet. That is simply a fact we
must accept. The particular character of the Winter’s sweetness is a mellow
friendliness. I can taste it high in my palate, but it isn’t annoying. Some
ciders’ sweetness (say that ten times fast) give one a sense of youthful
hijinks and morning-after headaches. But Woodchuck Winter is definitively not
one of those. Thankfully. The sweetness is tempered by the vanilla, making the
Woodchuck Winter a more mature beverage with an interesting character.
Drinking experience and flavors: Woodsiness, maple, very
drinkable
The oakiness or a more general woodsiness comes the
forefront when actually drinking this cider (particularly with food). The level
of sparkle/carbonation is on par with other Woodchuck ciders, and, in general,
this is most reminiscent of their 802 cider. The carbonation remains through
pouring, but takes on a finer character (read: tiny bubbles) after some time in
a glass. Drinking from the bottle puts the carbonation more at the forefront of
the experience if that’s your thing.
Finish: pleasant, relatively clean
The restraint in the sweetness really pays off throughout
drinking the Woodchuck Winter, but it offers the most benefit in the finish.
Each sip, drink, and gulp of this cider leaves the mouth tidily with only a
ghost of vanilla. A real highlight.
Drinking Notes: hearty dishes or salty snacks
Woodchuck Winter goes well many savoury but not spicy winter
dishes. The flavors show excellently against chili, pizza, and hot sandwiches.
It can cut through a bit of greasiness, so don’t be afraid to take it to a
bonfire potluck. It also goes well with freshly popped popcorn and BBC
programming for the couch hibernators among us.
All in all, I think it is a better than average cider, though
it could still be less sweet. I wish I could get it for more of the year; three
months a year is not a lot of quality time together.