Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

First attempts at legitimacy are often mocked. Single from Appalachian. Mojito glass @home. Sizzle. Dark gold, murky & not perfectly clear, quick drop. Banana, clove, salt, candi sugar, bitter & browned apples. Stuffy nose overall. I don't have covid. Bittersharp apples, leafy greens, clove-y & overall very phenolic. Very light on the leftover sugar. Salt. Medicinal. Lingering Aspirin. Sulfites. Some residual body, low to moderate carbonation; juicy becoming drying. Aged on French oak as their press release video, but no where listed on the can. Much better than their standard stuff. Though I didn't love it.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 3 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 3

Baked goodness you say? I despise rating this shit sometimes. Stemless wineglass @home. Clear, black raspberry/beaujolais color. Lingering lace. Boozy hand sanitizer, berries, grape skins. Acidic grape juice, jelly, oddly placed cinnamon & spice, bitter & headache-y preservatives, yeasty finish. It tastes like cheap homebrewed wine. Jammy, very low carbonation, too yeasty. Need a beer.

Apples and something else. Maybe cherry. Bit sweet but quite nice.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 5.5

Pounder from Appalachian. New Belgium goblet @home. Clear, oily, dark gold body. Simple sweet cider, butter, booze. Taste is bitter, oaky, malic, macerated sweetness, iron, a bit bland, lingering booze, mostly inoffensive. No fake flavors. Can't get the cinnamon. Fizzy, a little slick, not difficult. Meh. Fine in a pinch.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 4 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 3

Single 12oz can from Earth Fare at Westgate, fresh out of bankruptcy & looking extra Whole Foods-ish. Strong pour, eggshell head, hazy peach tea body. Smell is distilled apple must, orange pith, barely any cranberry & soggy cardboard. Taste is shit bittersweet apples, cranberry tartness, residual yeast & a very interesting(but not appetizing) habanero fruitiness(minus most of the heat). Glad I don't get the cinnamon. Fluffy carbonation, juicy, mellow abv for the list. Ingredient list looks legit, the idea of melding it all together is just horrible though. Just a bad idea.

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 5.5

Pounder from Appalachian Vinter. Mojito glass @home. Clear garnet color. Lingering lace. Smells of bitter apples, jam & communion wine. Taste is bitter core, floral sangria, grape jelly, hootch. Barely sweet & really tannic, thankfully. Ugly boozy aftertaste. Bad sulfite headache. Slightly weak carbonation, thin, dry, green & astringent. Rough. Maybe they make better wine? Do they make wine? Should they?

Gold pour. Sweet strawberry flavor with a hint of spice, like rosemary Sour palate. No carbonation.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5

Honey nose. Clear amber, salmon hue. Basil, apple, honey. Light body, easy carbonation.

Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 4 | Overall - 4

Can from the Blue Door in Hendo after a dnut breakfast run. Stemless glass @home. Clear, bright, shiny & perfect gold color, tiny bit of fizz. Smells of sour apples, bitter lime peel & maybe a pinch of brown sugar. Can't smell mango. Taste is a bit different than it reads. Tart apples, caramelized/cooked fruit juices, very sweet/concentrated mango, very floral, bitter lime pith. It comes off a bit potpourri-ish. Mimosa-ish. Much prefer fresh mango that has some tartness. Lingering candy flavor that didn't hit the spot. Filtered, well carbonated, acidic, sour, boozy, not quite thin. Tastes like a mixer. Pass.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Four pack of tallboys from Tree Rock. Tasty Bev pint glass @home. Despite Noble being iffy cider, this spritzer line is usually okay. Pretty peach & hibiscus & Arnold Palmer meld of color. Smells of tart & perceivably mild, sweet apples, tea(I know there's no tea), light floral & citrus. Taste is very tart, fresh apple cider upfront, soft hibiscus sweetness in the middle, lemon squirt finish. Tannins, wow. My brain is still looking for tea. Back sweetened with cider, it's still plenty sharp. Maybe too thin, ample carbonation, strong acid, low abv, very refreshing, & I can actually taste apples. Lacking any serious substance, it does hit a lot of casual notes right on. Good.