8.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

(750ml 2020 bottle from the Revel webshop) Pours clear salmon pink with a decent white head that’s stable. Aroma is rich deep pear, dried cherry, floral grapes, some crab-apple tart punch, woody barrel undertones, slight hint of fruit vinegar, funky earthy hops giving a lambic-esque feel, a little lychee-type tropical fruit too from the Gewurz I guess. Flavour is pretty bright, lightly to moderately tart, sweet pears and berry wine gums, tannic crabapple, floral tropical fruit undertones and white wine, soft barrel tones, finish is berry-forward and lightly bitter with good fine tannins, plush wine, some pear residual sugars, a little earth and round buttery oak. Medium-bodied, oily, above average bottle conditioned carbonation. This is definitely sweeter than the typical Revel bottling (interestingly the 2019 pineapple collab was unusually sour), but it’s extremely juicy as a result and there’s enough tartness to temper things. The combination of different elements is super-complex and knits together really nicely. Delicious. I wish Revel made more beer collaborations in general.

7

Fruity funk on the nose. Sour, tart, acidic. Lots of pineapple, some juicy fruityness which I guess comes from the pear. Puckering, the acidity in the finish really smacks you in the face. Dry funkiness in the finish. Interesting. Nice.

7.9

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

(750ml bottle from the cidery webshop) Review lost in a tech problem so from memory. Pours lightly hazed pale straw gold with a lively but rapidly dissipating head of white bubbles. Notes of slightly crispy apples, smooth yellow plum flesh, light pit fruit skin, fruity on the nose and lightly acidic on the tongue, presence of fresh cut grass, some earthy herbs, slightly minty and for sure something like cinnamon bark but without the heat associated with either, more savoury. Slightly dusty yeast quality but less funky than many Revel bottles, with a bit of mineral crispness in the finish and the grassy herbal aftertaste. Lightish body with soft but lively carbonation. Interesting Ostara variant, less acidic than the others I've tried but with a fairly subtle if unique character from the floral infusion.

8

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 9

(750ml 2019 bottle from the cidery webshop) Pours clear deep gold with a rapidly fizzing white head and no lace, but very active bubbling. Aroma is high on sour apricot candies, fresh apricots, very herbal mint from an almost basil like cultivar, something surprisingly like a barrel-aged spirit twang, soft acetic edges, apricot and apple skins, moderate wet hay funk. Flavour is rather highly acidic with a lot of sour but very ripe apricots, apricot candy, something like sour berry candies too, herbal mint is quite prominent from mid-sip but no real menthol component, soft funk. Long candied sour apricot finish with soft apple tannins and apricot skin, herbal somewhat basil like mint again, very complex aftertaste. Light to medium bodied with slightly slick texture and filling active carb. Interesting vibes here, was expecting very high acidity and it was more drinkable than I feared it might be, though if you hate volatile acidity it's not for you. The mint is really lively and the fruitiness works well with it. Tasty stuff!

7.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

(750ml bottle from the cidery webshop) Pours basically clear with the barest blue hint, purple faded with time, and very active soda bubbles. Aroma is totally bizarre, toasted/popped grains (rice, popcorn kernels, barley), sulphur and a little baby poo with undertones of perfmued lavender and tangy pear. Flavour is much nicer than the nose, with lots of lavender, floral pears that give the illusion of sweetness without being truly sweet, subtle twangy apple vinegar, light ginger pepperiness. Maybe a hint of sulphur in the finish. Aftertaste is subtle apple/pear sweetness, lavender, wild ginger and soft salt. Light bodied and a touch watery as you'd expect for the ABV, high but not overly prickling carb. Pity about the nose as the rest of it is really cool and delightful.

8.5

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

(500ml 2017 bottle from the cidery webshop; this vintage is single barrel 18mo Bartlett perry) Pours lightly hazed pale straw with an ephemeral white head. Aroma of pears soaked in Riesling, rich lemon curd, petrol, fruit skins, moderate sweetness and light lactic twang, wet stone minerals, good oaky structure, horseblanket funk. Flavour is again a perry/Riesling hybrid but with a bit more Bartlett pear sweetness coming through, lactic lemony white wine, good mineral freshness, light petrol, quite some oak structure building in the middle, leathery and lightly tannic. The pears and white wine return in the finish, soft minerality too, before a long oaky buttery finish with vanilla, light Brett hits and a distinct white wine vibe. Probably the most vinous perry I've tried despite not having anything but pear in it. Stellar.

7.9

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8.5

(750ml bottle from the cidery webshop) Not sure this is rateable (just grapes in water) but it's here so why not. Pours slightly hazy pale yellow with a loose white head and lace touches. Notes of bright fresh melon, floral aromatic white grapes, soft but very present saline minerality, smooth creamy coconutty roundedness, some leafy herbal touches and very soft funk, persistent rounded mineral melon and herb finish. Light bodied with high smooth bottle conditioned carb. Fun stuff at the very low ABV even if it's not cider! :p Super refreshing and kind of wish it came out in the summer.

8

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

750mL bottle, pours a cloudy yellow with a small white head. Aroma is loaded with farmhouse notes, some barnyard funk, and some citrus zest. Flavour is full of sourdough culture, barnyard funk, farmhouse notes, and dry apple skins. Dry, funky, sourdough finish. Unique; really nice.

8.1

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

(750ml bottle from the cidery webshop) Pours lightly hazy bright pink with a small active white head. Aroma of delicate cherries, red pit fruit and soft red apple flesh, cherry-derived spicebox (cinnamon, marzipan), dried flowers, woodsy barrel, touches of grape, nice funky musty yeast profile, moderately intense and definitely fruity. Flavour is leaner than the nose, dry and lightly lactic yoghurty tart, with soft apple flesh, plums and cherries lending tannins, lots of floral and lightly spiced cherry hints, plummy acidity is quite light, into the finish subtle cinnamon, drying barrel, soft funk, clear mineral salts into the finish. Interesting, on the elegant and highly drinkable end of the spectrum but not without complexity. All the elements involved are balanced and do not overrun the final product. Nice!