Cider review: Cluver & Jack

beer review south africa

cluver & jack cider south africa

Good lord, this is a clear cider. It’s so clear and light that it was kind of tough to get a photograph of it. It certainly is pretty – I can totally see it being served as a pre-drink at a wedding or some art gallery launch where everything is white and ethereal.

When I sniff and sip cider, I’m generally thinking “apples apples apples” so I sometimes find it hard to discern anything else. So I sat with this bottle for a while, sniffing and swirling. It reminded me of something and then it hit me – I was in a pub beer garden in England, but not drinking hearty English cider. In fact Cluver & Jack reminds me of when I used to be quite partial to a white wine and soda.

Suddenly I was thinking sauvignon blanc. I definitely pick up some gooseberries on the nose and the acidity is reminiscent of wine. There’s a zingy tartness on the tongue that transfoms to a pleasing sweetness when you swallow. Considering who’s behind the cider – winemakers Paul Cluver and Bruce Jack – the vinous qualities of it are hardly a surprise and I wonder if it might even be fermented with a wine, or perhaps champagne yeast.

I find this a great entry-level cider, particularly for someone who is normally partial to wine. It’s very quaffable without being particularly challenging. I prefer my ciders to be a bit more robust (think flat, 8% ABV scrumpy with a dead rat floating in it) but Cluver & Jack is hugely thirst-quenching and will doubtless serve as a crucial hook to convert wine drinkers to cider.

Want to read more about cider? Check out this review of Sxollie Golden Delicious.

3 Comments

  1. Dean Langkilde

    I love this cider…
    Perfect to smash a couple back on a hot summers day.
    Nice and simple.

    Reply
    • Lucy Corne

      I suppose it’s the cider equivalent of what I call “a cricket beer” – one that you can drink several of while watching a match in the sun…

      Reply
    • Cynthia

      Hi Dean I’m in jhb and have looked for this cider but am battling to find it.my mouth waters when I look at the pic.

      Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Cider review: Windermere Rooibos Wooded Cider - The Brewmistress - […] to read more about cider? Check out reviews of Cluver & Jack and Sxollie Golden […]
  2. Cider review: Everson's Pomegranate Cider - The Brewmistress - […] to read more about cider? Check out reviews of Windermere Rooibos Wooded, Cluver & Jack and Sxollie Golden […]

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