Some of you may know that I review not only ciders already commercially available but also those that are made by cider lovers who may want to launch their products in the future. A cider that I’m going to review today, belongs to the latter group.
Cydr Radosny (Polish for Joyful Cider) is made by Radek and Mikołaj in a neighborhood of Wroclaw, Lower Silesia, Poland called Karłowice. Radek has always wanted to make wine. So in order to practice wine making techniques he started experimenting with an easily available fruit that in the Autumn usually rots on the ground under the trees as no-one picks it up – an apple. In 2018, Radek entered his first cider in a competition Lubelskie Stowarzyszenie Milosnikow Cydru (The Lublin Association of Cider Lovers) and won the first prize. Nicely done!
The Cydr Radosny BrettOffowy 2020 is made with old locally grown apple varieties using wild yeast. It’s my first time trying anything from Radek and Mikołaj.
Company: Cydr Radosny
Place of Origin: Wrocław, Lower Silesia, Poland
Apples: a blend of old apple varieties that are locally grown.
Sweetness as per label: dry
ABV: 6%
Package type: 750ml clear glass bottle with crown cork
Recommended type of glass: white wine glass or tumbler
Appearance: pours a hazy pale golden yellow with a foam that reduces to a ring that doesn’t go away. The carbonation is medium. Body is also medium.
Aroma/Nose: the nose is moderately strong and fruity with notes of yellow apples, a hint of pear and leather.
Taste: my first taste is dry with medium to high acidity of lemon. On the mid-palate, notes of lemon, yellow apples, smokiness, low bitterness, and a touch of alcohol but also a bit watery. Finishes dry and fruity with a touch of lees.
Overall: The Cydr Radosny BrettOffowy 2020 is a really decent offering. It is complex, well made with a long-lasting taste and a nice array of fruity flavors. The level of acidity is just right and together with the fruity notes of yellow apples and pears make this cider very drinkable. This is something that I wouldn’t mind drinking again. Moreover, I’d like to stress that I have already tried several Polish commercially available craft ciders that tasted much less interesting or simply much worse than cider made by Radek and Mikolaj. Yet, while drinking the Cydr Radosny BrettOffowy 2020 I had a sort of dejavú, the impression that I have tried something similar before. Hence, I didn’t find the BrettOffowy 2020 somehow unique comparing to many ciders I haver tried so far. As I said in the beginning, it is a really honest and good cider and I’m going to cheer the guys from Cydr Radosny on their cider journey. If I find their cider one day on a store shelf, I’m going to purchase it. And, you also should. 4/6
Availability: unfortunately, not available commercially for now
Price: Radek provided me with a sample.
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