Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apple. Show all posts

Monday, March 11, 2013

Beer – #126 – Stella Artois - Cidre (ok it's not a beer)

As I'm want to do I was a wandering around the local importers and they had on their shelf a selection of English Ales, and Ciders and amongst them Stella Artois Cidre. Brewed by InBev Belgium in the style of a Cider and they live in Leuven, Belgium

Stella Artois CidreIt is a  568mls (a whole pint) of a 4.5%ABV drink, (2.6 UK Drink units).

Laughingly it says it's made from "hand-picked Apples (50%) " which if you're gullible could indicate that some local bod is out there plucking apples lovingly from his tree, into a basket, and then driving a ways to the factory for money. Or it could be that the Stella buyer turns up at the market and chooses the apples by general appearance.

Both, in my opinion, are a nonsense. Making commercial quantities of apple cider on a consistent basis would mean that you'd like to have same variety apples. No use picking he Granny Smiths, the Golden Delicious and the Cox's pippin to mix up separate batches.

So 50% Apples? or is that 50% hand-picked apples ? Anyway in the bottle it looks ok, I should open it and stop frowning at it.

It's nicely carbonated, has that musty smell of an apple cider. It's at both sweet and there is some other taste underneath. A bit confusing. Not unpleasant or awful, just there.

It's less sweet than some ciders I've had, it's also less tasty than some. It's not a dry cider either.

I'm torn between places, this is inoffensive and not wholly unpleasant to drink.

As a cidre then the pdubyah-o-meter thinks this is ok, and there is no reason to avoid it unless you have an inkling to want some flavoured version. So 8 seems a reasonable score on the scale of things, considered.

I don't buy the hand-picked, I wonder what the 50% refers to,and I fret that the rest is chemical juice. Still give me a couple more and I'd care less :-)



Saturday, November 13, 2010

To IPad or Not

I don't need one, who does really.

I've however been looking out for one, and Apple are pretty rigid on pricing, I know this because I've had dealing with them before, and their model is all back-end rebate on volumes for the reseller.




Strikes me though that there should be a number available on trade-me for instance at reasonable price. Wrong.




One person is even trying to sell them at a premium still. Most are unwanted prizes and gifts. Lots are brought overseas and now being flicked off.


Despite the pricing overseas - converted at a current rate- is cheaper than here - I'm reluctant to buy one that's imported, and I'm reluctant to buy second hand to save $50.00, and I'm still reluctant to spend the best part of a grand for the privilege of owning a house toy - who'd be seen dead with one outside ?