Angry Orchard Iceman Hard Cider

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Ice Cider, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

Tonight's beer isn't actually a beer. It's a cider...and an Ice Cider at that. Ice Cider is cider made from the juices of frozen apples. The apples are usually harvested late in the season and stored until December, and the extracted juices are left to freeze naturally. Or, the apples are left on the tree until December or January, and then picked when it is cold out, and then pressed and left to cold ferment. The Iceman is made by Angry Orchard, who happens to be owned by the Boston Brewing Company. About Angry Orchard/Boston Brewing Company:

Angry Orchard launched nationally sometime around 2012, after the Boston Brewing Company killed their Hardcore Cider brand. Angry Orchard is the Boston Brewing Company's response to the growing demand for and rising popularity of ciders. Unlike local breweries making ciders, Angry Orchard utilizes bittersweet apples from France and culinary apples from Italy. They also use some apples from the Pacific Northwest and Northeast of the United States. To learn more about Angry Orchard's brewing process, check out their brewing/process page.  

The Boston Brewing Company/Sam Adams is, of course, the brain child of Jim Koch (and Harry M. Rubin and Lorenzo Lamadrid). Founded in 1984, Jim Koch got the ball rolling after college when he decided to resurrect and brew his favorite family recipe. That recipe belonged to his great-great grandfather, Louis Koch, and dates back to the 1870s (where it was brewed in a St. Louis brewery). That infamous family brew is the Sam Adams Boston Lager, of course. You can read more about the history of the Boston Brewing Company HERE, or check out their website HERE.  

Tonight's cider, the Iceman, is inspired by the traditional Ice Ciders of Quebec. The Iceman uses the above process I outlined earlier, where the juice from the apples is frozen to produce a unique, crisp cider. This cider is also oak-aged, to provide some additional depth of flavor. Punching in at an impressive 10.0%, and coming in a sexy bottle (with a cork, cage, and all)...let's see how this stacks up.

Angry Orchard Iceman Hard Cider

The cider pours into a radiant gold/bronze body that has wine-like transparency, and visible streams of tiny carbonation. There was a little head formation during the pour, but it rapidly fizzled out. This cider really has great depth of color, as can be seen in bright light. It looks like an IPA or Vienna or something, with rich golden-amber tones. A white ring of head has settled around the top of the cider.

Wow. The aroma on this is super vinous and instantly reminds me of a nice, fruity white like a Pinot or a Riesling. But you get some hints of oak on this cider's aroma as well, which is reminiscent of a Chardonnay or something. I'm getting grapes, apples, fruit skins, gooseberry, jammy apricot, hints of light melon/lemon/citrus, and your usual lighter, white wine aromas. There's also a hint of oak and wood on the aroma, with lots of sugary sweetness.

This tastes really good. This is dense, rich stuff...with glossy apple cider that is somewhere between a cider and wine, with vinous, Port/Dessert Wine qualities. Actually, this is drinking very warm, if that makes any sense. If you've ever had warm or hot apple cider...imagine that. That's what this cider drinks like, only it's cold. The oak, wood, and caramel are all quite subtle in the mix...you mostly get big apples, grape, hints of gooseberry and white wine complexity, and some pleasant warming on the back. The finish is surprisingly dry and champagne-like, with some tart apple rounding things out.

As this warms and I drink more of it, I'm starting to pick up on a little more of that "caramel apple" flavor. I'm assuming the caramel comes from the oak and the sugars. It's actually really impressive. At 10.0%, this is super quaffable. The booze shows up mostly as warming on the back, and this cider balances deep, rich sweetness with vinous qualities and a big, warming body. The depth and complexity are both good. This is really medium-full to full-bodied stuff, but drinks like champagne thanks to all the carbonation and the dry tart finish. You get honey, caramel, and apples up front; that rolls into more caramel apples, some vinous white wine, grapes; the back end kicks in some dry/tart apples, and finishes champagne dry and boozy.

Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)

I plan to buy this again. I'll afford this a Light Divine Brew. I haven't had many Ice Ciders, but this is a fantastic little riff. This is the perfect sipper for a cold Winter day, or even an Autumn night. I'm thinking about pairing this with a burger, but this would go very well with dessert. This and apple pie...I don't know if it would be too sweet, or hit the perfect spot. Either way, I can give this a strong recommendation if you are looking for a cider, or something that just kicks the apple flavor up to 11. 

Random Thought: I'm too tired for random thoughts. TIT. Tomorrow is Thursday.