Smith & Forge Hard Cider

Within the past five years there has been a steady stream of hard ciders being introduced into the drink market. Some of the ciders that I have sampled include Harpoon, Angry Orchard, Magners, and Woodchuck. Now the Miller Brewing Company has come out with its own hard cider called Smith & Forge Hard Cider. Smith & Forge has a very interesting ad campaign claiming to be made strong. Quite frankly I think that their ad campaign is a utter failure. I think its a failure because Smith & Forge is trying to claim that men can drink this hard apple cider because its made strong versus others. They are perpetuating the feminine connotations of someone who drinks hard cider over beer, wine or hard liquor. Men are going to drink whatever they want so I think Smith & Forge should worry about if their cider tastes good or not. As for the overall taste and profile of the hard cider, Smith & Forge leaves a lot to be desired. It is cloyingly sweet and does not have the flavor profile like other ciders on the market such as Woodchuk and Harpoon Hard Cider. It kind of tastes like if they brewed the cider by mixing it with Miller Lite. With a ABV of 6%, Smith & Forge will give you a pretty good buzz once you have drank two or three. However, I would not drink more than one of these if I had the choice. There is a fantastic influx of hard ciders into the market these days. Smith & Forge is trying to join this influx, but in all honesty is not the best product on the market.