Hard ciders are a popular and refreshing alternative to the bitter, hop-heavy flavor profiles of many types of beer. It’s time for us to cater to you customers who may not be beer drinkers. Many ciders can be a great gluten-free alternative for people who need a cold one on a hot summer day but can’t partake in your typical wheat beer or IPA. On this month’s list, I wanted to showcase the versatility of ciders by showing off one of our favorite companies on draft and in the cooler here at Mellow Mushroom. Let me introduce you to Ace Ciders, the first family-owned cidery in the USA.
Jeffrey House, founder of California Cider Company and ACE Ciders, founded California’s first cider mill in 1993 in the apple orchards of Sonoma County, California. Over the years, he had three sons with his wife, and decades later, these boys have helped build the American hard cider industry; Jeffrey found luck and refuge in his sons’ passion to continue building his family cider business. Their award-winning ACE ciders are pure, clean, and refreshing because this family uses only the best-eating apples for their juice and the best fruits and flavors money can buy. We have even featured their pumpkin cider in our fall collection, but this list is all about summer and the tropics.
Kickin’ off our list is exactly what you need by the water while summer is still here. ACE Pineapple is the original pineapple cider. Inspired by the House family’s annual visit to the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, this pineapple cider is an ideal drink for tropical hot and humid climates. They tried adding fresh pineapple juice to their apple cider, resulting in this delicious tropical libation! The nose hits you with the perfect sugary pineapple and juicy apple blend. The taste seems pretty much like the aroma to me, but there’s also some herbalness and general tropical fruity notes noticeable, too. It’s slick and smooth with a moderate amount of carbonation.
If you want to take it back a little and get a more traditional cider profile, this mango-infused apple cider will be just a treat for you this August. ACE Mango is the amalgamation of fresh mango juices and a tart, semi-dry apple cider. They got the best-tasting mangos for harvest grown near the equator in hot and humid climates, straight from Ecuador! You are tasting an essential piece of ACE’s Exotic Fruit Cider range. Slightly sweet, like all ACE ciders, I found the mango flavor to be just right. It enhances the apple cider with a subtle mango flavor that brings juiciness and a refreshing quality to this sweet cider.
If ciders aren’t your thing because they are “too sweet,” ACE Guava is the perfect cider. This drink blends Brazilian pink guava juice with a tart, semi-sweet apple cider blend. It was inspired by a trip to Brazil, where the House brothers enjoyed a Guava Caipirinha on Ipanema Beach. This cider is bold, juicy, and unfiltered. It is absolutely delicious! Fresh guava flavor, a little tarter than our other selections, and not too sweet.
Closing off our list, this peach-packed cider lets you know that when it comes to fruity sours, the sky is the limit -ACE High Imperial Peach. Now you may be asking, “How high?” This one is soaring to the 8.0% ABV Cider High Line. Orange & pink sunsets are now within reach. You’re lying on the soft sand biting into a fresh peach. The front of your palate is washed with a crisp, bright taste and a sour finish that brings you back in for more. This one is my personal favorite.
The flavor of these ciders varies. Ciders can be classified from dry to sweet. Their appearance ranges from cloudy with sediment to completely clear, and their color ranges from almost colorless to a rainbow of hues. ACE Ciders offer such a great selection that there is something for everyone in their catalog. Before summer is over, take advantage of this opportunity to stop by Mellow Mushroom and get your hands on one of our unique fruited sours. You don’t want to miss out!
-by Maeve Black
