Hard Apple Cider Take II - Tasting Notes

I made this batch of Hard Cider in December 2018.  I let it ferment and condition for 3-4 months and then bottled in April.  I made 5 gal of Plain Cider and blended another 5 gal with 12 lbs of raspberries grown in my large home garden.

This is my second batch of cider (read about the first here).  In my first attempt I backsweetened half the batch with some fresh cider just before bottling and then bottle pasteurized once they'd carbonated.  I found the sweetened half of the batch to have a much nicer apple flavor and that the slight sweetness helped the balance a bit.  For this batch I decided to sweeten both the raspberry and plain halves with some cider.  I did so with 1 gal each of cider (I used a local PA cider that is pasteurized using UV light rather than chemicals).  I realized after the fact that this was only half per volume of what I'd used for the previous batch.  This years ended up a bit drier as a result.

These ciders have been in the bottle for 6 months now and I've been drinking them quite a bit here of late.  They're tasting good but not getting any better.  Time for an official tasting for the record.

Plain Hard Cider:

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma:
• Nice apple aroma along with a slight earthy/musty character.  I also get a bit of alcohol
• Appearance:
• Straw colored and pretty clear.  Pours without any foam - some bubble cling to the side of the glass and there are some cascading bubbles though
• Flavor:
• Light tartness up front with a dry white wine like character.  Light apple flavor comes through after that.  The finish has a light bitterness
• Mouthfeel:
• Light bodied and dry.  Has a light astringency in the finish
• Overall:
• A light and refreshing drink - pretty easy to consume a few of these as dry as they came out.  The flavors are pretty mild overall and it isn't as apply or as complex as I would have liked.

Raspberry Hard Cider:

Tasting Notes:

• Aroma:
• Raspberries and apple aroma are about equal and pretty potent taken together.  They blend nicely.  A bit of alcohol comes through as well
• Appearance:
• Dark red and pretty clear.  This one poured with a 1 finger head that dissipated almost immediately
• Flavor:
• Lightly tart up front which transitions to a lightly jammy raspberry flavor.  The apple comes through with the raspberries lightly.  Finish has the light bitterness I got from the plain but the berries also linger into the finish
• Mouthfeel:
• Light bodied and dry.  Easy drinking with slight astringency in the finish
• Overall:
• I think the raspberries are a really nice addition.  They don't overwhelm the cider at this level of usage certainly but they add another dimension which increases the interest in drinking it a bit.  Still a pretty mild drink overall though