Kopperberg Naked apple cider review (7/10) ” A quirky taste but not much to shout about !”.
The Good
” Lack of unpleasant dryness”.
“Pleasant floral (cider Perry) and slightly appley flavour”.
” Pleasant soothing aftertaste”.
The Bad
” Lacks body, acidity and sweetness required”.
” A bit pricey yet true to it’s brand identity”.
” Has limited carbonation which is a little too limited”.
Packaging
Kopperberg is a town in the north of Sweden with approximately 4000 residence. The main employer is the cider producer which was established in 1882. This makes Kopperberg the grandfather of modern day ciders such as Rekorderlig which although still Swedish, has only been made since 1999. This is produced approximately 190 miles south.
Fruity sounding ciders are a common feature of the Kopperberg brand. The naked Apple therefore appears as a bit of a rarity for the brand; A lack of variety in the fruit selection. This Implied that it had stripped back all of the ( what I felt was rather unnecessary), fruits that typically fester in this cider.
As for the the story blurb, an off-white label specified the company focus on fruit ciders which confirmed my suspicions. It also suggested how the apple had been spotlighted through extraction of other fruit. It justified this by stating how it is clean, crisp and refreshing.
The label subtly announced the year of origin on it’s base but did include the odd word translated to Swedish suggesting proudness to be from Sweden.
What I like is how the units are clearly labelled in large font with high clarity. The 2.3 units, 500ml bottle capacity and 4.5% volume mean that the cider after 2 only puts you slightly above the stated recommended limits.
At £1.59 per bottle with 2 at £3.18 this doesn’t seem like a regular drink but more of a novelty or treat. Somersby costs less than this for a pack of 4 meaning it is half the price. 2 bottles of Savannah are also much cheaper suggesting this cider does have a lot to live up to.
For flavour then, I would expect carbonation due to the slight head apparent even before opening. I would also expect the clean,crisp and refreshing description to indicate a drink which is sweet and fruity. After a little digging online on it’s own website it suggests a smell and taste of apple without any impression of oak as can be the case allegedly with the more vintage varieties. This backs up the clean, crisp vibe and provides a clear expectation for the drinking experience.
It did remain a little vague on dryness although perhaps refreshing meant this would be kept to a minimum and crisp therefore perhaps suggests it has a bit of tang from reasonable acidity levels.
Hopefully all this prior information will not dampen the experience on opening. Only time will tell …
Smell
On opening, a brief, weak fizz emerged revealing a scent which was smooth and moist. A scent promising of something fresh and not too acidic. There was no heavy carbonation as could be expected from a Swedish cider such as Rekorderlig. The smell was natural and fairly sweet.
Taste
It had a smooth and slightly watery flavour without much punch. It did resemble apples although also possess an almost-Perry cider like floral quality. This was also apparent in ciders such as Savannah on review. The aftertaste was ephemeral at best and quickly faded to nothing. There was limited carbonation apparent on every sip although the flavour compensated for this well.
As expected from the scent, the acidity was very subtle and the drink wasn’t overly sweet. The lack of dryness, as expected, was very pleasant. The lack of acidity was a shame for a drink which promised a crisp nature, although it was refreshing and did taste a little of apples with the fragrance of Perry.
Summary
An interestingly flavoured floral drink slightly lacking in acidity and sweetness. The carbonation was too lacking to be particularly enjoyable. That said, it’s lack of dryness was expected due to the suggestion of apples and no medium-dry label.
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