There doesn’t seem to be one yet so I thought I’d plant the flag. I used to love Bulmer’s London Dry Cider, which I haven’t seen (Boston MA area) in decades.
Every now and then, over the years, I’ve bought other brands to try - there wasn’t much available. But along with the growth of craft beers, more choices of cider have arrived in the last few years. The wine expert who contributes regularly to a local radio chat show explained, last fall, that cider is “in”, and that though people think of it as a cousin of beer (as did I), the cidermaking process is about the same as winemaking; it’s quite different from brewing. He also mentioned that some of the best-tasting ciders are sold in cans.
I managed to get hold of some Dan Armor Cidre Brut, ,the French cider Trader Joe’s sells in the fall. Once I discovered that the contents of the champagne-style bottle need to be redistributed before pouring, I loved the stuff. There are many cidermakers in New England. I enjoyed the maple apple ciders from Downeast and other makers, though these are on the sweeter side.
But my favorite so far is Harvard Cider Company’s Missing Link (22oz bottle), which is “fully hopped” - that is to say, apples, hops, and yeast, as the name implies. It’s the driest one I’ve had in recent years, and has a third less alcohol than the others. I’ll be on the lookout for other hopped ciders, especially if they come in smaller bottles or cans.
