I haven’t seen much about rosé ciders but I did drink two that I’d received a short while back, which made me wonder if they were trending in some way. I don’t have any answers about that but I will talk about these two ciders which took different approaches to get that pink color (or to put the “rose” in the rosé, you might say).

The term is borrowed from wine, in which rosé “is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine.” (There are several methods of producing the style, but I’m not getting into them here.) Typically a hue of pink in color, these wines are often light and fruity, best consumed fresh, and can vary in intensity of flavor based on the length of contact with the grape skins.

Naturally there has been a rosé beer movement over the past several years as well, and it seems like it could be picking up some steam this year. But that will be a post for another time—on to the ciders!

Portland Cider Pineapple Rosé

Portland Cider Company’s summer seasonal cider employs blueberries for it’s marginally pink color. The company says:

Bursting with juicy, fresh pineapples, with a naturally pink hue from a splash of Northwest grown blueberries. Treat yourself with this fruity, tropical delight that will take your tastebuds to an island oasis.

The cidermaker sent me two cans and it appears it’s also offered in 19.2-ounce stovepipes. The cider is 5.2% ABV.

Appearance: Clear and bright, semi-petillant with a faint pink tinge, not as much as I’d expected but it’s there with a bit of orange tint as well.

Aroma: Redolent of apple juice with fresh cut pineapple. The fresh fruit is the prominent characteristic, with a hint of apple skins (tannins).

Flavor: Sweet cider with juice apples and a nice bright tang of pineapple—fresh, not canned or like canned juice, so it tastes quite fresh. It’s pretty straightforward and not cloying.

Mouthfeel: Light, crisp, sweet with mellow carbonation. It finishes with a sweet juice aftertaste.

Overall: This drinks quite nicely and is a great summertime cider. My only quibble is that I’d like the color to be more pink to evoke that “rosé” imagery.

Double Mountain Brewery Red Fleshed Rosé

Hood River’s Double Mountain has been releasing quite a range of ciders and all that I’ve tried so far have been good. (I still have two unopened that the brewery sent me as well.) With this cider, the brewery used only apples for the color—Red Fleshed Mountain Rose and Pink Pearl apples, that have red flesh instead of white on the inside. Double Mountain says:

What fun to work with single varietals of apples. These red fleshed versions are beautiful when cut open, and have a slightly less sugary, more delicate flavor than your typical dessert varieties. When pressed and fermented, a light pink hue comes through and the delicate flavors come across much like a tannic white wine. The Champagne yeast aids in this, yielding a lightly fruited aroma, dominated by almost ripe red fruits (raspberry, strawberry), cranberry, and a bit of citrus rind (grapefruit). It’s dry alright, but there’s a slight perception of sweetness that complements the overall mouthfeel.

Yes, this was a sample from the brewery, and it clocks in at 5.9% ABV.

Appearance: Gold with a tinge of pink, and like Portland Cider not necessarily what I’d consider “rosé” in appearance exactly. There’s some orange and good clarity here, with a fizzy but minimal head, and persistent bubbles.

Aroma: Lightly tart, with a crisp “snap,” and a touch of tangerine, green strawberry, and green (tart) apples.

Flavor: Delicate, dry. I’d say “lightly tart” but that’s a cop out because really I’m getting the delicate, fleshy flavor of freshly-sliced, slightly underripe apple. Beautiful structure in this flavor, yet it’s elegantly simple at the same time. I suspect the tartness comes more from malic acid than from other acids (lactic, etc.).

Mouthfeel: Petillant, dry, crisp, with a lingering “apple” aftertaste.

Overall: Quite good, elegant, simple, flavorful.