The Cider De-cider Part 2 - "Non Craft" Ciders (1/2)

For this post (and Part 3 ) I have made an executive decision - rather than just review each of the below ciders on their merits I'm going to benchmark them against Bulmer's. Why so?

1. I'm guessing it's the market leader.
2. It's of sufficient quality (IMHO).
3. I am quite happy to drink it when called upon to do so.

Also - I had a few pints of Bulmer's at the Leinster game in the RDS recently (with Grandad D) and it went down very well, doubtless helped by the occasion and the warm sunny conditions. You could argue that it doesn't taste hugely like apples but hey ho..

Part 1 - Craft Ciders 1 is here
Part 3 - Non Craft Ciders 2 is here

Kopparberg Naked Apple Cider - €2-39, 4.5% abv (Tesco)[Can]
A pale golden colour. I found this a little sweet. With not enough fruit/crispness/structure etc to balance this out, and also not a huge flavour of apples. A drink aimed at the younger section of the market, methinks.

John Keppler's Premium Irish Cider - €1-15, 6% abv (Tesco) [Can]
Another pale Orange cider, and being the cheapest of the bunch, I was not expecting much here. I was pleasantly surprised; it's slightly sweeter than Bulmers and with the slightest hint of an aftertaste, I still found this a very pleasant tipple and good value as priced ( I saw it priced 4 for €5 in Dunnes yesterday). 

Linden Village Irish Cider - €1-49, 4.5% abv (Tesco) [Can]
Similar slight orangey hue (like Bulmers but paler). Slightly sweet and with a bit of an unpleasant, chemically aftertaste. Not for me this one. 

Stella Artois Cidre -  €2-99, 4.5% abv (Tesco) [568ml bottle]
This comes in a large (one imperial pint) clear glass bottle and also has that strange orangey colour. I liked this initially as it has some nice tartness and a subtle appley taste. However as I reached the end of the bottle I found it a bit cloying and had to force myself to finish it...

Note: I found this review of various inexpensive ciders which was not dissimilar...