Atlas Hard Pom-Cherry Cider

I've gotten beers from my brother in Oregon before, but this was from a batch that was hand delivered to my door. He said that this was the best of the ciders from Atlas, and I trust his opinion, but different people have different tastes, so who knows where this might go?

The beverage quite expectedly has no head, and the color is an interesting kind of rusty-red. The aroma is decidedly more cherry-wine than anything. My experience with ciders indicates that it smells this way because it actually is this way.  A sip will bring us closer, though.

First sip is very tart. It is more tart than taste, really. The pomegranate was too subtle to smell, but the cherry seems overwhelmed by it and there is little else that is giving any taste to the beverage. On that front, it isn't terrible, but I wouldn't say that I frequently enjoy a pomegranate juice on a lazy Sunday.

A full swig reveals a tip-in of very, very, very light carbonation which I wasn't expecting and a bit of cherry. The middle swirls in with a very nice mix of cherry and pomegranate. It is quite nice and calm. Then the finish arrives with a tart splash on the tip of the tongue that then jumps to the back of the throat. It is not graceful nor particularly pleasant.

Bottom Line: An interesting twist on the cider, but not my cup of pomegranate juice.

2.25/5