Julian Hard Cider:
Once dismissed as a too-sweet, bastardized mess of apples and sugar, hard cider is quickly finding its place in America’s craft booze movement. Modern hard ciders have been increasingly complex, nuanced and robust enough to please open-minded beer drinkers. (For too long, I wasn’t one, I admit.)
Among such ciders is Julian Hard Cider, made in Julian, Calif., northwest of San Diego. This phenomenally pale cider — it’s almost colorless at certain angles — is so dry and refreshingly effervescent that it’s at first most reminiscent of Champagne.
But it is drinkable like the most refreshing of beers: fruity without being sweet and finishing with a clean snap. With no sugar added (unlike many hard ciders), Julian Hard Cider is a crisp summer treat that also holds a modest apple zip fit for fall afternoons. Julian Hard Cider is available on draft at Jerry’s Sandwiches (1938 W. Division St.) and in 22-ounce bottles ($7.99) at Uncork It (393 E. Illinois St.), among other locations.
