Cider

I enjoy England for many reasons and one of those reasons is Cider!!  They have a fantastic variety of cider.  Every bar/pub will have at least one on tap.  I started my taste testing adventure in London and ended it in Dublin...skipping most of the cities in between those two.  

First up....Rekorderlig Strawberry Lime.  This is a Swedish cider with 4% alcohol.  This was very tasty...if you are looking for a refreshing beverage like a wine cooler.  However, much better than a wine cooler.  I very much enjoyed this one and wish I had gotten it more than once.  I think the strawberry lime flavor was quite good!!  I really like the twist of lime in my drinks.

Savanna Dry.  A South African Cider with 5.5% alcohol.  This was very dry and tasted too watery for me.  Normally dry would be a quality that I appreciate and look for, but not this one.  This was easily the worst one I had.

Bulmers Pear.  Irish Cider with 4.5% alcohol.  This was tasty and beats most US ciders however not my first choice.

Strongbow.  My old friend.  English Cider with 5% alcohol (this varies depending where you are getting it.)  On tap it may be higher, bottled it is generally 5%.  This is the Miller Lite of Ciders when in England.  It is on tap almost anywhere and it is the cheapest option.  I think the pint (20 oz) of Strongbow was cheaper than the beers on tap.  A note on pints, in the US a pint is 16 oz in the UK/Ireland a pint is 20 oz, in the rest of Western Europe they are sold mostly by the liter (34 oz) or 1/2 liter (17 oz).

This was easily my favorite night in London.  We started the evening with some delicious pub grub, then saw Wicked and ended the night with pints of Strongbow at a pub near our apartment.  Great night!!

To show how Strongbow is readily available.  At the market near our apartment here was a 2 liter of Strongbow for £3.79 ($5.87)...this volume is close to the size of our 6 pack of beer.  

This was just a funny beer glass.  I don't recall the size, but it was a very large and awkward glass of wheat beer while in Geneva.

Bulmers Berry. Irish Cider again.  This was tasty but not as good as the Rekorderlig.  I'd drink this often if it was available in the US.  

Bulmers Original.  I had a good deal of this in Ireland.  Like the Strongbow of Ireland.  Not as good as Strongbow. ;)

Kopparberg Mixed Fruit.  Another Swedish Cider with 5.3% alcohol.  This was another great refreshing cider.  I would buy this regularly if available in the US.  

Overall, I like the fruit ciders, but I also really enjoy the traditional Strongbow and Bulmers.  I enjoy Woodchuck in the US, but most other US ciders are not as delicious to me.  

Cheers!!