Angry Orchard Cider House Collection – The Muse – A First Sampling

I was excited to get a chance to try an early sample of Angry Orchard’s new Cider House Collection year-round release called The Muse.  This new specialty cider is a new release from Angry Orchard so we chilled down the bottle and decided to sample it today.

First up I’ll admit my camera does no justice to the beautiful blue silkscreened label on this really nice cork and caged 750ml bottle.  This cider packaging looks great and it would make a wonderful gift for the upcoming summer party season. 

The Muse uses a blend of culinary apples from the Alto Adige region of Italy as well as bittersweet apples from Normandy and Bretagne France.  It is then aged on French oak staves with specialty fermentation techniques to create a really unique cider.  The Muse pours light and very effervescent with aromas of fresh apples and a mouthfeel like a sweet champagne.  There are definitely notes of apple and oak in the taste followed by a spicy, cinnamon-like flavor and finishing with a sweet vanilla note that I suspect comes from the oak staves.  The mouthfeel is sparkly and effervescent and at 7.7% ABV, this big bottle is perfect for sharing with friends.

Be sure to try Angry orchard The Muse for yourself and you’ll see what I mean, and be sure to let me know what you think when you try it.  Thank you to everyone at Angry Orchard for allowing me to sample this cider early.  I think you have a real summer winner with The Muse.
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