Wonderful fleeting head, nice dark color, molasses aroma that knocks down that thin, hot body many ciders give you, and it's less a trick than a well designed diversion from the trouble with most hard cider. So no hint of the acetaldehyde, which combines with tannin to leave a haze and thin overly attenuated body that has an rice paper mouth feel.
Don't get me wrong, acetaldehyde is the basis of many great sour flavors that can be harnessed to good effect, including french, Belgian "Framboise" beverages,and others that lean toward banana and lemon aftertastes. But the molasses work around with Stout yeast is kind of neat solution that seems to give this cider more body than many others on the market, not that there are many on the market.
On the other limb, personally, I kind of like using Cherry juice, and even Peaches to do the slight of hand in this regard verses the burnt, caramel notes that molasses offers, leaving an almost dry, caramelized coffee after taste. Nonetheless, kind of a stroke of mad genius discovery to balance cider's body problem. The apples for Crispin ciders are West Coast grown, announces the label proudly.
At $4.99 the quart, I'd have no probs buying this for dessert drink over sweeter things, or to freak out Craft beer- stout drinkers a little at a gathering. There again, I enjoy black coffee.
Speaking of gatherings, the website sponsors a link to the St. Crispin's Day speech:, staring Kenneth Branagh and those happy few, those band of brothers who remade Henry V, and apparently Crispin drinkers. Seems like a whole noble, traditional Camelot thing. I had just one, and feel I get more and more inspired and courageous with each sip.
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