Angry Orchard Strawman Farmhouse Hard Cider

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 

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

Style/ABV: Cider, 10.0%

Reported IBUs: ?

After reviewing the Angry Orchard Iceman, it seems only appropriate to review the Strawman. I've actually already had a bottle of this, and I've already rated. But I was a bit tipsy at the time, and I didn't take any real notes. So let's see how things stack up this time around. 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.  

The Strawman is is made from a blend of juices from culinary and bittersweet apples. The cider is then aged on oak. Punching in at 10%, this is probably more comparable to a wine than a cider.

Angry Orchard Strawman

The cider pours into a vibrant, bright orange body. On the initial pour you kick up some tan/orange-tinted head, but that rapidly dissolves into tepid placidity. In bright light, the cider has a nice golden/orange body, with plenty of effervescent carbonation doing its thing. This looks to be mostly clear, with maybe a little haze.

You get A TON of cider and apple on the aroma. The apple is sweet, and fades in and out of apple and grape vibes. There's a lot of white wine character on the aroma, with hints of gooseberry and sweet Riesling vibes. There's definitely some oak and tannin goodness on the aroma as well.

This cider is surprisingly dry with lots of woody and oaky tannins. It reminds me of an oak-aged Chardonnay, with lots of apples, grape, hints of citrus and melon, and some tart and dry gooseberry. It tastes surprisingly better than I remembered, though it it somewhat subtle.

The mouthfeel is fairly full-bodied and vinous for a cider. The mouthfeel is still pleasant, with lots of supportive carbonation and nice dryness. At 10.0%, this is super crushable (as DDB would say). You get sweet apples up front, followed by big oak/apple goodness, that dries out into some white wine, tart/dry gooseberry; the finish is oaky and dry. Good stuff.    

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Strong Above-Average on this. That's actually an upgrade from the 3.5/5.0 I originally gave this. This is solid stuff, with a nice oaky, white wine complexion, and lots of subtle notes of grape, apple, and gooseberry. I would buy this again, but it is a bit pricey at around 15 dollars a bomber. I'm enjoying this as a sipper, but if I had to pair it with food, it would be with apple desserts, or savory meats and rustic potatoes/veggies.

Random Thought: Tomorrow is Halloween, the bestest holiday. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to rain all day tomorrow.