Maybe I am late to the party and everybody already knows about trying this, but last night I had a taste of a club member’s cider made with Roselaere blend - it was fantastic.
Anybody else out there doing this? It could turn me into a cider maker, for sure.
That sounds really good. Thanks for the idea !
What was it like?
Not a BJCP judge, but here goes:
It smelled like a Belgian blonde that had been soured, it was light straw colored, it had the mouthfeel of a very light lager, it tasted like a cross between a nicely tart Berliner Weiss and a Goze - but with the hint of apples. I found it to be very refreshing with crisp aftertaste that left a little hint of the leather in the palate. My overall impression was the National ranked BJCP that made it knew exactly what he wanted to achieve - and he nailed it. I thought it was a very good sour beer and told him so, then he corrected me and said it was a cider.
Like I said - I have no prior cider-making experience, but I will soon have some, that is for sure.
Great description. I could see a corny of that going pretty quickly.
Wonder how long it took to finish out properly.
I wish I could try it. This is about the first time I’ve heard of someone using an alternate yeast (like Belgian yeast, etc) in cider and getting flavors they expected. Though maybe its because Roselare blend is more than just yeast.
Yes, could you please ask when the Roeselare (named after the city in Belgium where the Rodenbach Brewery is located) blend was pitched? And whether he oaked the cider? I would be interested in trying out this blend with a mead as well.
I will try to get you an answer to that question. My guess (based on nothing but speculation) is that it was a year old, but that is admittedly a WAG on my part.