Wooden Gate Cider is based out of Pilot Mound, Manitoba and I still recall the first time I ever tried their cider, it was an Earl Grey tea-style cider and with myself not being a big apple cider fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. That was last year - since then they've had multiple releases available for places like Section 6 and other bars and restaurants, but also bottling their product to be available at Liquor Marts all over Manitoba. Just the other day I noticed one of their products in a Stubby bottle, making me hopeful that Stubbys will be making a big return to Canada after a 41 year hiatus - we shall see!
Today's sampling is Wooden Gate's 2023 Imperial Reserve Extra Strong Manitoba Apple Cider.
From the bottle in the tiniest font I could ever read: This strong Imperial cider is made using cold concentrated late season Manitoba apple juice, much in the same way as ice cider or ice wines. This high sugar juice is fermented dry, creating a deeply coloured and rich cider, higher in alcohol and with more concentrated apple flavour. This one is great for late evening visits and fall harvest meals. 10.2% ABV
Appearance: Pinkish Rosé body with a light amount of head - a bit of white head on top.
Aroma: Quite a tart cider with notes of apple, honey, white wine-like notes to it. It tickles the nose a bit so far.
Taste: Very dry-forward cider that's very tart - a bit of a sweet yet tart apple presence, notes that remind me of a typical white wine, honey.
Overall Thoughts: I feel like this would be a popular choice as a dessert/after meal beverage. As you can tell, I'm not an expert on ciders so of course the very first one I choose is an Imperial Reserve cider at 10.5% - A fellow cider connoisseur would give go more in depth about this but myself as a beer critic, if you like a sweet, dry wine - this is a winner.. and it's not just because it's 10.5%!
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