Greetings to all connoisseurs of various types of alcohol, especially ciders and other beer drinks! I have been blogging about alcohol for a long time, making videos on this topic, talking about varieties of hops, grapes, etc. This time I decided that I should not bypass the Russian market, and I want to surprise you with the fact that on the shelves of our stores there is a budget cider, the taste of which is not inferior to foreign brands.
As a cider lover, I prefer the Danish Somersby at 4,7% alcohol (Somersby is its original name on the label). I especially like the classic apple (there are a lot of them in the line, but I saw only pear, apple and blackberry in the store).
For a long time I could not find a worthy replacement for him, even from an expensive segment on the market. It was this cider that gave me the right percentage of “fun” and a pleasant taste without bitterness.
When I was traveling around the Altai Territory, I accidentally stumbled upon a Kelvish in one of the stores and took it to the basket without much study. The only thing that surprised me right away was the production in Barnaul. Yes, that’s right, Kelvish is Russian-made cider.
My curiosity got the better of me and I was madly wanting to test it and compare it with my favorite.
First, about the Kelvis. It is a semi-sweet cider with 4,7% ABV. There are a lot of flavors: apple, cherry, pear, raspberry, blackcurrant, Japanese plum, strawberry and strawberry with mint. I bought semi-sweet, but there are also semi-dry ones. The production of the drink at the Barnaul enterprise MPA-1 began in the 2000s, the recipe is based on the experience of Spanish and English winemakers, as well as on old Russian cooking traditions.
I bought the classic apple drink, as well as pear and cherry. I tested the cider according to the classics: the temperature should be (for me) 10-15 degrees (ideally – 11 degrees), for snacks – Camembert cheese or dark chocolate (sometimes I take a beef steak and have a meal with it).
Apple cider won me over, I could smell Somersby, but the taste was different. It reminded me most of all of La’Colvert Cidre apples, just as soft, sweet, with hints of green apples.
From the pear, the first impression was contradictory, since I don’t really like a pear in drinks, but I’ll give Kelvish its due – the taste did not interrupt the main apple, however, like cherry.
Alcohol was felt, sweetness was in balance at its level, but flavors were felt, not to say about apple.
After my tasting, I can conclude that in other fruit and berry flavors with flavors, things are no better. This wine drink is good to drink in small sips, it does not cause any heaviness (except for standard spasms after carbonated drinks). So I took another bottle of apple juice and with it I admired the special views of the stars of the Altai night sky. Ideally!
In general impressions, I can say that Kelvish is an excellent cider with a pleasant aftertaste. I recommend the apple one in order to feel all the naturalness, but I can’t help but note the fruit and berry ones, because the balance of the apple is not interrupted and the sweetness is brighter – just for lovers of sweet carbonated drinks.
Support domestic manufacturers, try and be sure to find something unique in our market! I found it, and now I have a new cider favorite.