SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Classic from Shacksbury 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 4.5
From Shacksbury. 6.5%. NB goblet. Clear, Miller Time. Minerally, dry yeast, faintly macerated/browned apple scent. All very mild. Taste is bittersharp, slightly carmelized, light oxidation, glue, salt, aspirin. Thin, juicy turning parched. Crispy, but okay carbonation is very fleeting. A little boozy or just doesn't hide it well. A bit basic & English inspired. Don't think this is old. The cardboard & glue note is sticking with me. Is that the lightly barrel aged?
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Opulent Owl from Shacksbury 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6
Bottle from Shacksbury. Fridge rest. Ping glass @home. Heady pour. Clear, pale gold, Miller Time. Sharp berries, bubblegum, clay, pear, kiwi(?), booze. Crisp apple, white grape skin, seltzer, rose, clean booze, big lingering acid, low tartness, residual yeast. Thin, boozy, well carbonated, not crazy complicated. Lacking something, hot, but a quick sipper.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Delicious Mystery from Shacksbury 4 years ago
Appearance - 4 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
Bottle from Shacksbury. Pint glass @ home. Cloudy, despite a long nap in the fridge. Orange/brown/yellow mixed macerated color. Dusty, green, clay, pear scent. Dry, minerally, yeasty, bittersharp salad mix, lingering lemon sour, green strawberries, apple core, mulch, oxidation. Overall, a little mellow, muddled flavor. Very low carbonation, lower perceived ABV. Just okay. Probably past it's prime.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Dabinett from Shacksbury 4 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9
More recent batch made in collaboration with Simon Day & available via the 2020 cider club. Coming in at 6.5%, head looking nice & fluffy over a clearly pale amber in my slender pint glass. Stem-y, bitter, almost minty scent. Some mild cheese as it warms. Bitter acidic leaves & apples, becoming more of a bitter orange rind, expressing a juicy Sweet Tart berry flavor as it closes on a not completely dry finish. Very faint yeast note as the second pour clouds up & doubles up on the berry flavor. With warmth brings some mild funk. I enjoyed it more cold. Not too thin, leftover yeasties give it some body. Very full carbonation with small bubbles, but not champagne bubbles. Boozy. Tasty & very expressive for a single varietal. Somewhat rare combo in my experience.
dwest (2949) reviewed Rosé from Shacksbury 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6
12oz can from Tavout - tried at random. dryer than i expected, sweet and good carb. decent
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Imagine That from Shacksbury 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 5
Bottle from the mail club. Kolsch glass @home. Dusty, Miller Time body & fizzy weak head. Second pour is heavier on the mud. Smells of macerated, oxidized, briny & faintly horsey apples. Taste is very puckering. Estery, gummy, lots of lemon juice-like acidic flesh, with lingering pickle brine & a fleeting Sidra/wild fermented tone on the end, but milder then other funky bottles they've made. Maybe a little floral. Very dry of course. Feel is frothy, like unfiltered fresh apple cider. Alcohol is fine. Yeasty/chalky, very sharp, makes your teeth clench a bit. Wears on you after a while. Have had better from Shacksbury.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Deer Snacks IV from Shacksbury 4 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Can from Appalachian. Tasty Bev pint glass. Soft, weak, soapy head, hazy pale amber pour. Sour apple/green melon/berries, active fermentation, grass. Nothing super inviting. Soft, green/unripe & aspirin bitterness. Lingering pith, subdued Sidra funk as it warms, but can be almost totally avoided when cold. Very dry, very thin, quite bitter. Foamy & almost non-existant carbonation, creeping acid that also lingers, moderate to strong booze. Slightly better/rounder in the can. A bit harsh, but plays good fan service.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Wedded Bliss from Shacksbury 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6
Bottle from Shackbury. Unspecific label with handwritten specs. Lowball @home. Googling says this was produced in 2017. Creamy gold, low head. Smells of sharp apples, stinky socks, cheese, yeasties, gum. Natural fermentation is not my thing. Anything Shackbury leaves up to the wild isn't as raunchy. Taste is thin, dry, low carb, skin-y, incredibly tannic & bitter apples, pear floral, plastic, fusels. Strong acid. Not much tartness. Way boozier than the 6.9% tax evasion on the label. Oxidation on the finish. Past it's prime, but strong, potent & solid if an imperial Sidra is your thing.
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Champlain from Shacksbury 5 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle from the club. Weisse glass @home. Silly eggshell head. Dusty marmalade body. Dusty, yogurt-y, tannic apple nose, lingering ring of head. Yeasty juice, skin, chalky, thick, faintly tart, twang like it's maybe going to turn. This needs more time to settle. Not ready. 2020 y'all!
SaltyGrog (4618) reviewed Yuzu Lo-Ball from Shacksbury 5 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
8oz cans from the the interwebs. Whiskey glass @home. Laquered, dark amber body. Smells lightly of whiskey, passion fruit & burnt orange rind. Sweet, but inviting aromatics. Taste is dry, acidic, faintly tart apples, orange oil, faint cherry/passion fruit. Low carb to still. Thin, very easy. Not a fan of how it's made, but it's a tasty apple cocktail.