Cider Review: Lockhorn Hard Cider Beartooth Bittersweet

The birds are singing out my windows this morning. I’m feeling more hopeful and excited about this summer, and all the cider adventures to come.  I wish this kind of hope for all my cider friends, and safe and gentle spring for apple blossoms. Today’s review is Bear Tooth Bittersweet by Lockhorn Hard Cider.

Lockhorn Hard Cider comes to the world from Bozeman, Montana. The cidery has a taproom, curbside service, a gluten-free food menu  as well as a full line up of innovative ciders. I like this phrase I found on the website for describing the cider, “[T]he first sip of Lockhorn cider has a bite, but the subtle, complex flavors resonate on the tongue, rather like wine.”

I’ve reviewed one Lockhorn Hard Cider before, the Gallatin Grapefruit: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/11/cider-review-lockhorn-hard-ciders.html

You can visit Lockhorn Hard Cider online here: https://www.lockhornhardcider.com/

Here’s how the cidery describes the Beartooth Bittersweet.

This proud cider is crafted from a blend English bittersweet and American varietal apples. With a gentle sweetness akin to Lone Mountain Cider, the Beartooth exhibits the same fruit forward apple appeal with the special bitter tannin that is so very English. The skins of the bittersweet apples impart a black tea like taste that lend a complex and extraordinary palate!

Now for my experience with Beartooth Bittersweet.

Appearance: brilliant, chick fluff yellow,  low hue intensity, no visible bubbles

This cider looks elegant and appealing with it’s brilliance. The color reminds me of baby chicks, but maybe I’ve got spring on the  brain. I don’t see any bubbles when I pour this cider, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t sparkly.

Aromas: pear, white grape, banana, fruity, juicy, powdered sugar

The Beartooth Bittersweet smells freshly juicy! These aroma notes just leap out of the can and glass.  Pear, white grape, and banana smells present themselves clearly and powerfully. I also get notes of powdered sugar. The overall smell impressions are of a tropical fruit dessert.

Sweetness/Dryness: Sweet

This is a sweet cider! I shouldn’t  be surprised because of the sweet in the name, but it’s more a true sweet than a bittersweet.

Flavors and drinking experience: low acid, low-to-medium tannins, fruity, overripe apple, cooked apple, softened leather

The first thing that I notice when I taste the Beartooth Bittersweet is how much lower I find the acid than with most American ciders. The sweetness and relatively low acidity work together to pull the Bittersweet’s profile in the direct of a medium sweet UK cider. It brings low-to-medium tannins which are a bit different from many (not all) UK ciders. The Bittersweet is very much its own cider with its own profile! 

After a few sips, I’m noticing more and more fresh apple juice, overripe apple, and cooked apple notes. The Beartooth Bittersweet offers a mellow mature flavor with a bit of softened leather to it. The finish is gentle and pleasant, but not overlong. The sparkle level is petillant rather than strongly bubbly.

I paired the Beartooth Bittersweet with a pasta dinner, but I think I’d do it differently next time. After trying this cider, I think it would be best paired with an asparagus and goat cheese quiche, maybe accompanied by a cucumber and tomato salad. I’d want to give the rich fruits something toasty and creamy to play against. And I’d like to fill in the acid level with the tomato in the salad. It’s a super Spring-friendly cider, and it would be a waste not use that. Cheers!

Cider Review: Lockhorn Hard Cider's Gallatin Grapefruit Mint

I am not ready for a season filled with holidays. I know it’s coming soon, but I don’t want all of my days from October first through the end of the year to be continual slalom from preparation to festivity over and over again. Not that I mind celebration; I love it, but I just need calm and variety between my holidays. So this week, I’m not getting ready for anything. I just chose a casual and creative cider to pair with veggie tacos. 

Through a friend I was able to get my hands on my first Lockhorn Hard Cider, so I’ve been curious to try the Gallatin Grapefruit Mint. This is my first cider by this cidery!

The Lockhorn cider slogan is, “The Apple's Instinct Untamed” is a fun one! I’m not entirely sure how that translates to cider making choices other than perhaps wild fermentations and minimal intervention ciders. The website describes Lockhorn as a small family-run cidery in Montana.  

You can visit Lockhorn Hard Cider online here: https://www.lockhornhardcider.com/

Here’s how Lockhorn Hard Cider describes the Gallatin Grapefruit Mint.

Grapefruit Mint cider is a fan favorite! With fresh, cold steeped mint leaves infused with grapefruit juice, this cider is, by far, the most refreshing. A semi-sweet cider that fills all your senses, you are bound to love it! On tap and in 16 oz cans. 6.9% ABV.

Appearance: hazy, bubbly, goldenrod

The color reminds me of afternoon sunlight and goldenrods. The cider has just a hint of haze but not enough to obscure the bubbles I can see. 

Aromas: Smells minty, apple, hint of grapefruit

I can smell all of the elements promised in the description of this cider distinctly. There are clear notes of mint, apple, and grapefruit, but the mint and apple predominate.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-sweet

I thought this cider would be fairly sweet not only because the official description calls out semi-sweetness, but because I think both grapefruit and mint are best brought into balance with some sweetness or a very different dry and austere profile. This took the semi-sweet route.

Flavors and drinking experience: strong mint flavor, mild grapefruit, medium high acid

When drinking this cider, I wanted to pay attention to each of the three ingredients to see how they communicate. The mint is strongly present throughout but especially in the in finish. The grapefruit element melds with apple, making them more of a fruity presence but mint stands out. This cider has medium high acidity but no tannins. 

I appreciate the bubbles and full body in the the Gallatin Gallatin Grapefruit Mint. Somehow my brain keeps looking for hops and hop related flavors. I've had minty and citrusy hopped ciders before, but this is totally hop free. But I keep forgetting that every sip or two and looking for the tart, citrus hop notes or bitter hop edge.

This cider provoked a mixed reaction in my household. It has a lot going on and a fair bit of sweetness. I think for many drinkers those will be delightful features, whereas some might find the cider too experimental or the experience too much. 

Pairing this cider with veggie black bean tacos was fun. You could also take these in a whole different direction, focusing on the sweetness and pair them with a citrus glazed pound cake. I think there are a lot of pairing possibilities for the Gallatin Grapefruit Mint by the Lockhorn Hard Cider. 

And just for fun, one of my co-tasters and Peewee.