Angry Orchard Celebrates Return of Warm Weather with New Cider: Angry Orchard Summer Honey

CINCINNATI, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Angry Orchard today announced the national release of its new spring and summer seasonal hard cider Angry Orchard Summer Honey available now through August. For thousands of years, people have been adding honey to their food and drink, and the cider makers at Angry Orchard were inspired by this age old tradition when crafting the recipe for this new cider. Angry Orchard Summer Honey is smooth, light and refreshing with just a hint of honey sweetness and aroma to complement the bright apple notes from American culinary apples, perfect for warmer months and outdoor entertaining.

After experimenting with a variety of honeys to achieve a balanced taste and aroma combination, Angry Orchard's cider makers found that wildflower honey – which includes nectar, converted by bees into honey, from a variety of plants and wildflowers that bloom during the summer – was the perfect fit. The honey imparts subtle and smooth floral notes, adding a depth of flavor that's not overly sweet and pairs well with the cider's fresh apple taste.

"When searching for the best ingredients to deliver an authentic, refreshing summer cider experience, honey immediately came to mind," said David Sipes, cider maker for Angry Orchard. "Apples and honey are a natural pairing, and in our Summer Honey cider, the ingredients combine for a complex but balanced craft cider that's smooth, refreshing, not too sweet, and perfect for the warmer weather ahead."

Similar to some of Angry Orchard's other craft cider varieties including the cider maker's newest year-round style, Hop'n Mad Apple, Summer Honey is made with American culinary apples including Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples. In developing the recipe for Summer Honey, Angry Orchard's cider makers found the light, fruit-forward juices from Washington State's culinary apples allowed the delicate floral honey notes to best come through.

First launched in 2012, Angry Orchard is the number one hard cider in the US¹, where craft cider has seen explosive growth and is showing up on more menus than ever as a refreshing alternative to craft beer and wine. 

Despite this growth, hard cider in the US is still small and relatively unknown. To help introduce more people to craft cider, Angry Orchard encourages drinkers to sample different styles and learn about its history. Angry Orchard also works with chefs, like Kevin Gillespie, former Bravo Top Chef fan favorite, Pure Pork Awesomeness cookbook author and Gunshow restaurant owner,  to help drinkers learn how craft cider is great as a food pairing, and can be used as an ingredient in recipes. Gillespie finds the natural sweetness of hard cider to be the perfect complement to a variety of cuisines and dishes, and the new seasonal Summer Honey is no exception. "Whether you're exploring spicy and bold cuisines such as Thai or Vietnamese or simply out back with friends grilling up some traditional American barbeque, Summer Honey offers great versatility when pairing with food. Its light effervescence and easy drinking make it a perfect seasonal drink," said Gillespie.

Angry Orchard Summer Honey (5.0% ABV) is available now through August in 6-packs, for a suggested retail price of $7.99-$9.99. The cider is also available in 12-packs and variety 12-packs with other Angry Orchard styles for $14.99 - $17.99. Consumers can also find Summer Honey available in 16oz cans for $1.79-$1.99 or 4-packs for $6.99 - $7.99 (all prices are suggested retail and may vary by market). Like all Angry Orchard hard ciders, Summer Honey is gluten-free.

About Angry Orchard Cider Company:
Angry Orchard Cider Company's cider makers have been experimenting with apple varieties and unique flavors to develop hard cider recipes for 20 years. The cider makers have travelled the world to find the best apples for cider making and chose specific varieties, like French bittersweet apples from Normandy and culinary apples from Italy and the United States, based on each cider's flavor profile. It takes two apples to make each bottle of Angry Orchard, and some ciders are aged on oak before bottling for additional complexity and balance. Angry Orchard makes a variety of year-round craft cider styles, including Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, a crisp and refreshing fruit-forward cider that mixes the sweetness of culinary apples with a subtle dryness from bittersweet apples for a balanced taste. Angry Orchard also makes The Cider House Collection specialty ciders, as well as a variety of seasonal ciders. Despite the recent growth of hard cider in the U.S., the category is still small and relatively unknown. Angry Orchard is committed to drinker education and awareness-building to help grow the category for all craft cider makers.

To Learn More: 
To find where Angry Orchard hard cider is served near you, visit the "cider finder" at www.angryorchard.com/find-angry-orchard/. Cider lovers can explore the orchard online at www.angryorchard.com, like us at www.Facebook.com/AngryOrchard, https://instagram.com/angryorchard, and follow us at www.twitter.com/AngryOrchard.

¹ IRI data ending the week of 3/15/15  

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150401/196142

SOURCE Angry Orchard

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