Cider Review Commonwealth Cider Traditional Dry

 

Based out of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth Cider Traditional Dry is a relatively new cider attempt from the Philadelphia Brewing Company. I got to taste it because I have good friends in Philadelphia who want to share local things with me, and I'm quite grateful.

This is my review of their Traditional Dry. Their website describes it as “a very dry, crisp, easy drinking and delicately balanced cider.  It is wonderfully tart and effervescent with a light apple fragrance.” We’ll see how it tastes to me. I'm always curious about how different companies interpret their own ciders on the sweet/dry scale.

ABV: 5%

Color: clear topaz

Some steady thin streams of bubbles. No head but a ring of bubbles formed around the edges of the glass.

Aroma: bread, yeast, raisins with apple

The scent is sweeter than the taste. The scent is not unlike that of the Doc's Draft, with an aura of pastry.

Flavors: beer-like cider, mineral notes

In some ways this Commonwealth Cider is like a more intense Strongbow. Like how I remember it tasting, rather than how it tastes to me now. It is a bit textural. Not quite rough.  It is a perfectly satisfying semi-dry beer-inspired cider.

Drinking experience: This cider has loads of carbonation.

It keeps reminding me of beer! The carbonation levels are indeed strong, and the mineral notes dominate any fruitiness. A summery beverage.

Sweet to dry: semi-dry to dry

Not the most outstanding flavor profile, but a when the company promises crisp and effervescent, they deliver.  I can imagine that this works well in warm weather or when someone wants to enjoy a beverage that will not distract from a meal. For Strongbow fans, it is a clear winner.