After my unpleasant cider drinking experience with Wandering Aengus, I was feeling hesitant to venture into the world of apples again. But every time I walk by Crispin bottles I stop and contemplate a purchase. Just the name is delightful...Crispin. I dare you to say it without a smile.

I knew Brew's Your Daddy was trying the Crispin Lansdowne, so I went with something different. The Honey Crisp piqued my interest for two reasons: honey, and 'Cloudy Filtration' process. The initial aroma was a little flat, but once out of the bottle and getting some air, it smells wonderful. Sweet, but not too sweet. Very apple-y and juicy. The color is pale yellow, and creamy looking, as they use unfiltered apple wine to make this one. Bubbly, but not super carbonated. Pleasantly fizzy, actually.

The first sip tastes very much like a sparkling apple cider...it has a true fruit flavor. And so refreshing! The honey is definitely there, but faintly. And not in a syrupy sweet way. It struck me as more of a floral note, and it adds a bit of a creaminess to the overall flavor. That creaminess bleeds over into the feeling across your palate as well; the body of it, combined with that perfect amount of bubbly-ness, just slides across your tongue.

The bottle suggests serving this over ice, which seems almost blasphemous to me, so I didn't go that far. I did drink it chilled, though, and it was fantastic. As I said in the title, it's summertime in a glass. Starting with the pale, sunshiney yellow hue, this chilly, apple cider-honey bon-bon of a beverage will make you glad that some hot weather is right around the corner! Cheers!