Taylor: Not too long ago some of the PHM guys and I went to a fall beer tasting at Binny’s Beverage Depot in St. Charles, Illinois … it was a great time, and we tasted some really good Marzens and Pumpkin Ales (the best of which was Wild Onion Pumpkin Ale). There was another beverage, however, that also caught my attention: Woodchuck Cidery’s Limited Release Fall Cider. We haven’t reviewed ciders here at The Perfectly Happy Man … until now.

At the beer tasting there were a handful of ciders available, but there seemed to be some serious commotion over by the table that was sampling the Fall Cider. In fact, the host had no 6-packs left thanks to the numerous beer fanatics at the event that seemed to keep buying them after one small sip. I had to see what was going on. Needless to say, I walked out of there with a hard-fought-for pack of the stuff, and never looked back. A week later I called around to see if there any area liquor stores had any stock left of the Fall Cider and found one Binny’s that had 2 left. So I went and got those as well.

The Woodchuck Limited Release Fall Cider is available in September and October only, and is (logically) one of Woodchuck’s 4 seasonal limited release ciders. Comes in their token green bottles, with a colorful label featuring fall leaves. I poured mine into a regular pint glass. No head to speak of, and the nose of the cider smelled like … apples with a little bit of spice. This is not the same as beer, I remind myself…

The glory of this drink is in its taste, mouthfeel and finish. What a glorious delivery! Unlike the year-round ciders Woodchuck offers, the Fall Cider boasts what I’ll say is a complex taste profile, considering it’s a cider. There is much more to this drink than fermented apples. In line with the fall cider pastime so many of us are familiar with, this draft cider is just bursting with brilliant, crisp apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla … it’s smooth and sweet, and super refreshing. Of course the ABV of 5% is easy to miss … one could get into trouble drinking this cider. Woodchuck says this drink has notes of American White Oak, so I assume they mean that that is the specie of barrel they’re using here. Because the cider isn’t at all “woody” in the same way as barrel-aged beers.

I’ve got to say … I have tasted my fair share of draft cider, and Woodchuck’s Limited Release Fall Cider is easily the best I have ever tasted. It is a very, very well-made cider. If you want to taste a piece of East-coast Americana, you should look into getting yourself some of this stuff. Sandwiched between a couple of good beers, this could be an excellent fall palate-cleanser. Grade: A

Tom: Something about Fall and Thanksgiving make this cider a win-win in my book. Having sampled this at a tasting with some PHM colleagues I was reminded of warm apple and pumpkin pies that fill air around the Thanksgiving table. Vibrant hints of hazelnut, nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin dance in front of the bold apple backdrop. It is well balanced and earthy. The spices and apples work together to bring about a very drinkable cider with rich character. I’d recommend serving this as an aperitif or as a nice compliment to your dessert during a Thanksgiving meal. Grade: A-