It's been a while since I last enjoyed a hard cider, so I decided to crack open this bad boy the other day. Woodchuck's pumpkin series gets the private reserve line, which basically means that they don't make a whole lot of it. I really liked the Ace Pumpkin, so I was interested to see how it would compare.
The cider was poured into a pilsner glass. Fizzy, bubbly. No head or retention to speak of...after all, it's a cider, not a beer. Looks slick. Color was a burnt sunset orange, had a really good look to it. Apple is still the dominant aroma, so dominant that it was difficult to pick out the pumpkin (granted, considering that I'm into February and now getting around to drinking this, it wouldn't surprise me if the subtle pumpkin flavor was long gone).
I could detect some trace hints of pumpkin in the ace, along with some other spices. Apple pie spices..pumpkin pie spices..it isn't too much different from Woodchuck's fall seasonal cider. Incredibly sweet like the fall cider too..not like Ace's offering. If you gave me a blind taste test, I'd have a hard time picking one from the other. I attribute some of that, however, to my relatively "young" palate. Body was slick, as expected. Mid to high carbonated, provided plenty of pop in the mouth. Had a slight alcohol taste at the end. Overall, I like Ace's pumpkin better than Woodchuck's. I think I might be getting more acclimated to drier beers and the sweetness can be a little off-putting. Still, if you have someone in the family that doesn't like beer, Woodchuck's is probably the best gateway to hard ciders, at the very least.
Grade: C
Price Paid: $1.99 (12 oz bottle)
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