Comments on Brewery Blog: Hornsby's Hard Apple Cider

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BEER!!! the best I have EVE...

2009-05-22T11:50:09.989-07:00

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BEER!!! the best I have EVER tasted...love the apple cider flavor best...it is SOOO good ice cold!!! Wish is more available....can hardly ever find it in the East....sucks!!

Hornsby's Amber Draft absolutely rocks. It's the b...

2009-04-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hornsby's Amber Draft absolutely rocks. It's the best tasting hard cider made, and I've tried them all. Rubbing alcohol? Hardly. Try it, folks, you won't be disappointed!

2009... Hornsby's still sucks. It's like drinking ...

2009-04-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

2009... Hornsby's still sucks. It's like drinking apple cider vinegar.

I also have Celiac Disease and have been limited t...

2009-03-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

I also have Celiac Disease and have been limited to drinking ciders when in "normal" beer consuming situations (the gluten free beer choices are dismal). Hornsby's is NOT gluten free. I see that has been established. Woodchuck 802 is my first choice when available but at the moment they have a limited release "Oak Aged" out that is great! If you enjoy smokey-flavored alcohols, such as single-malt scotches, you may enjoy this one. All ciders have good and bad batches depending on the apple harvest that they are using. It is like a wine and the year it is bottled may be much better than the next year. Just keep trying and if you like it, Drink it!!!!

Isn't it great that a four year old article gets s...

2009-01-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

Isn't it great that a four year old article gets so much traffic? Love the Firefox "I'm Feeling Lucky" aspect when you query directly from the address bar. I wanted to post because I find that most comments online fall into the exclusive category of "unreliable narrator."

That said, I do not like most kinds of booze, as I invariably get a mild headache. Much prefer the Jane (vaped). When I drink wine, it's usually something decent. Chimay is my favorite beer, but at $8 a pop it's for Christmas.

Recently I was in Sebastopol, CA at the Ace in the Hole, and the scene was just WONDERFUL. They have music every night, and it's simply the greatest little pub on earth. Their cider is delicious too, and it rather got me hooked. $9 for a sixpack at BevMo though!

The 802 by Woodchuck gets 91 points from Cider Spectator or what-have-you (again, $9), and the Hornsby's is $6.50. I usually have one of each a night, a primo and a Hornsby. Hornsby's is definitely the Bud of cider, but it's pretty decent, all told.

There are several ~$3/12oz ciders at BevMo from all over the world, but the most I'm willing to pay is for a Fox Cider $3.50/22oz. You basically get what you pay for in life, but definitely try the Ace, and if you're in the Bay Area, hit 'em up for a Monday night open mic and see if you don't have a great time.

I made the mistake of buying Wyder's Peach Cider instead of Pear one time, and it was a sickly sweet mistake (note that they come in 11.5 ounce bottles). Their raspberry has a throat tickle that's a little sweet but still decent. Lastly, let's not get started on the Jolly Rancher aspect of Hornsby's Crisp Apple. Good for all of two sips, and then Never Again.

Merely thinking about it makes me want to run down the street for an Ace Perry right now. Pop off!

Lastly, do not under any circumstance Ever buy "The Happiest Drink in the World," Babycham. Enough said.

To drink my $1.50 premium ciders, I freeze a few small glasses with an inch of water, and chill the bottles until they're nearly slush. Refill often and you're golden. Elegant and heartwarming even in January.

I think that's about it. Cider House Rules baby!

the fact that you can't find a homepage for hornsb...

2008-12-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

the fact that you can't find a homepage for hornsby's is pretty funny considering I typed just Hornsby's into Firefox and it sent me directly to your Review...

I'd say thats a very very bad thing for Hornsby's company, because needless to say you didn't have great things to say about it

Good sleuthing. However, should any of us be surp...

2008-12-25T22:43:00.000-08:00

Good sleuthing. However, should any of us be surprised that gallo is ashamed of Hornsby's?

for anyone who even cares anymore... I was inspire...

2008-12-25T22:38:00.000-08:00

for anyone who even cares anymore... I was inspired to go searching for the hornsbys web page, also. to no luck found nothing. so after reading everyones post, which by the way many were very amusing. I went to the Gallo website and eventually found hornsby's... it was the second to the last product on this web address.

http://www.gallo.com/wine/united states/brand names/a-i/brandnameslanding.html

Kenji, you should probably stay away from criticiz...

2008-12-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

Kenji, you should probably stay away from criticizing grammar. You have multiple fragmented sentences throughout your posts.

I haven't had a Hornsby in 10 years, but when I di...

2008-12-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

I haven't had a Hornsby in 10 years, but when I did drink it I loved it. I was thinking about trying it again when a friend told me he tried Woodchuck. Does anyone have any idea what the taste differences are between the two??

You could review anything and have people disagree...

2008-11-29T04:55:00.000-08:00

You could review anything and have people disagree with you on it, I'm sure you'd draw in a couple of budwiser fans who'd be deeply hurt by a negative review on it :P

I'm disappointed in people, really. Basic English...

2008-11-22T06:20:00.000-08:00

I'm disappointed in people, really. Basic English skills here. A quick perusal of the review quickly reveals that I did not write the review, I simply run the blog. Chris wrote the review and has not responded to a post since.

As for being "defencive" [sic], beer is life. As for Chris, he rarely gets to drink beer and the more we learn the more it seems that Hornsby's is not, in fact, gluten free.

This is the only review on this site that seems to get any traffic. I suppose I should do a review of some other sacred cow and pan it to drive the traffic. Also because poorly formulated insults amuse me.

Nickleback? I don't even get this insult.

Ok the reviewer of this is an a**hole... Read what...

2008-11-22T05:45:00.000-08:00

Ok the reviewer of this is an a**hole... Read what he's responded too, and you'd think he's a fan of nickleback... seriously

hey kenji don't so defencive over this junk, its o...

2008-11-22T05:41:00.000-08:00

hey kenji don't so defencive over this junk, its only beer... and cider

Ok the reviewers of this were either watching some...

2008-11-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ok the reviewers of this were either watching some Seth Rogen movies or listening to some nu-metal. Hornsby is low cost alternative to beer.Unlike most beers, Hornsby doesn't make my stomach hurt.I can even drink it with whiskey (or whisky if you drink Maker's Mark..) The thing is its an alternative to beer.Thats its main purpose. Rubbing alcohal,for real? I wasn 't drinkin 70% rubbing alcohal to get drunk when I was 15. So I don't see your comparison as more than a stab.Like I said.. i can go alnight with hornsby, but traditional beer,you'll find me at eht toilet...

I like to think Dan was drunk when he wrote that. ...

2008-11-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

I like to think Dan was drunk when he wrote that. It makes me happy.

The next dude's comment sounds great if you read it out loud with a thick Minnesota Swedish accent.

i have beenin drinkin beer for years and i have no...

2008-11-22T00:08:00.000-08:00

i have beenin drinkin beer for years and i have not found a beer i like till i tried a hornsby and now that is the only beer that i prefer to drink over anything else out there these days

I can not express how hard things are now-a-days, ...

2008-10-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

I can not express how hard things are now-a-days, but not hard enough to drink Hornsby's cider. You don't deserve me George hornsby! If that is your real name. I wouldn't put my name on vomit and label it if I were you. You are a difficult human being to find. I was trying to track you down to warn you to stop making this crap but it appears that you are not a person at all but an acronym. Gut Erroding Organ Rotting Gasseous Element. You're cider displeases me to the first degree, which is my will power breaking. I paid $6.00 for 6 of these barfing under the bed initiators, and I feel obligated to drink them all at once. The gates of heaven have opened and god told me to add life savers to make it taste better and sent me back to planet earf. I hate you George Hornsby! You are an apple cider ding-a-ling. I hope the rhino on your label steps to you with his horn and lays you out. You are bad person. Dan Leach=zrc1imi@yahoo.com. Write to me George Hornsby, so I can mail you pictures of my dong, because that's what you get!

as a 10 year drinker of Hornsby hard cider I canno...

2008-10-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

as a 10 year drinker of Hornsby hard cider I cannot express my dissapointment on the quality latley
it tastes old and flat
what is going on
the cost goes up the quality goes down
I drink a six pack a day and have to go to 7 diffrent markets a week since they each only carry one or two six packs a week
I may need to switch to something else if something is not fixed with it soon

Get a jug of real apple cider (make sure the only ...

2008-08-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

Get a jug of real apple cider (make sure the only ingredient is apples) throw in a couple raisins and leave it a week or so. Its awesome. I have never gotten sick or anything like that - its natural and does not have any additives. No nasty sulfite or sugar headache. I did drink Hornsbys occasionally in college and it usually made me feel sick from sugar and sweetness. I would compare it to any of the fruity malt beverages or flavored beers. Its okay if you are having one (like drinking a soda) but more than one and its not worth it.

"I prefer the crisp apple variety as opposed to th...

2008-08-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

"I prefer the crisp apple variety as opposed to the other."

Negative, Ghostrider.

Cider, unlike beer, is not immune from FDA labeling requirements, and as such you can see what they put in it. The "Crisp Apple" variety contains:

Cider
Carbonated water
Dextrose (sugar)
Fructose (sugar)

whereas the Amber Draft variety contains:

Cider
Natural flavors

the upshot being that the Crisp Apple is unquestionably alcopop, and Amber Draft is much closer to real cider. Woodchuck also dumps tons of sugar in their amber product.

I prefer the taste of Cider Jack over the taste of...

2008-08-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

I prefer the taste of Cider Jack over the taste of Hornsby.

I prefer the crisp apple variety as opposed to the...

2008-07-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

I prefer the crisp apple variety as opposed to the other.

As a fan of hard ciders, and in the mood for a new...

2008-06-26T23:00:00.000-07:00

As a fan of hard ciders, and in the mood for a new taste, I perused my local grocery store until I found one I hadn't tried. Lo and behold, I came home with a sixer of Hornsby's.

I could have done better had I pissed in my kids apple juice and drank it. It HONESTLY tastes like someone poured a couple shots of whiskey and water into a few bottles of apple juice, added a bottle cap, and sold it to me for seven dollars. I'm VERY displeased with the quality of this beverage, and if I could find a way to contact these bastards, I'd mail them back the remaining five bottles as well as my aforementioned concoction of piss and apple juice and challenge them to tell me the difference. Hornsby's - 1/10

I love beer but it messes my guts up Hornsby's doe...

2008-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

I love beer but it messes my guts up
Hornsby's doesn't and I like the taste
then again I like Schlitz Malt Liquor too so maybe the rubbing alcohol taste is my thing