Golden Delicious
By Steve Croyle |
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Believe it or not, I have friends. Four of them, to be exact. On Facebook. One has me hidden because I'm not important enough to clutter his feed; the rest occasionally delete my comments on their status updates. Sometimes my friends ask me why I always talk about hoppy beers.
"They taste like pine cones," one lamented.
Then my editor (who is NOT my friend) expressed his sincere hope I wouldn't muck up his October edition with another ode to pumpkin beers. So I thought long and hard about the season and settled on apples. Hard cider.
A delicious Strongbow poured at O'Shaughessy's Public House
Photo: Christopher Atwood
We're not talking about malt beverages spiked with artificial apple flavor, but actual apple juice that is fermented. Some ciders are stronger than others. Most are only offered in bottles, and a select few of them might find their way to the cooler of your favorite dive.
Enter Strongbow, which just so happens to be the most popular cider in the British empire. Strongbow is readily found on tap at any pub with a British or Irish theme, and O'Shaughnessy's Public House in the Arena District is no exception. Barkeep Jamie Hodder isn't a big fan of cider, but he admits that Strongbow has a strong following. "Guinness and Smithwick's are the big sellers," he said, "But Strongbow is right up there."
Strongbow pours clear and is a pale golden color in the glass. Jamie finishes the pour aggressively to form a nice foamy head that quickly settles. Cider doesn't have as much protein as beer, so you don't get any head retention or lacing on the glass, but those things are vastly overrated. When did you ever taste head retention? As for taste, Strongbow is somewhat sweet, but much more subtle than soft cider or straight apple juice. It's easy to drink and, at 5% ABV, makes a nice session beverage.
Unlike beer, Strongbow mixes with other things. O'Shaughnessy's offers a Snakebite (part cider, part lager) and the Black Velvet (Guiness floating on cider.) Both work, but I like the lager. The bitterness of the hops plays well with the subtle tartness of the apple, but your options are limitless.
"We have a full bar," Jamie noted, "so we can handle requests." Apparently Strongbow with a shot of black raspberry liqueur isn't altogether uncommon, either.
O'Shaughnessy's is an Arena District original that borrows heavily from traditional Irish pubs and people who haven't been there in a while will be happy to know that a half dozen flat screens can be found throughout, making it a great place to catch a game.
O'Shaughnessy's Public House
401 N Front St.
(614) 224-6767
www.ospub.com
For actual beer, see: Bald-headed Beast of a Beer
Originally Published: October 1, 2009
