WALDEN, N.Y. – America’s most popular hard cider maker[1] Angry Orchard today announced its sponsorship of the 144th Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, North America’s oldest continuously held sporting event. At the Derby, Angry Orchard will feature its newest hard cider innovation Angry Orchard Rosé as the Derby’s official hard cider. Angry Orchard will pour the new Rosé Cider on-site at the Derby at the Angry Orchard Rosé Club, a lounge with prime, trackside viewing of the legendary race. Also included in the sponsorship activation is a national sweepstakes, race day broadcast coverage, local events and retail activations and more. Fans enjoying the famous celebration at home can integrate Angry Orchard Rosé into their at-home Derby parties.
Angry Orchard Rosé hard cider delivers the crisp and refreshing qualities of cider with an unexpected blend of juices from rare, red-fleshed apples from France and hibiscus to give it its rosy color. This cider has a floral aroma, is apple-forward in taste and complimented by refreshing light tannins, similar to semi-dry wine.
Cidermaker Ryan Burk has been experimenting with small batches of rosé cider for more than a year at the cidery on Angry Orchard’s 60-acre orchard in Walden, New York. “The magic of this cider is in the rare French red flesh apples we found in Brittany, France,” said Burk. “We blend five different apple varieties, but it’s the red flesh French apples, along with a hint of hibiscus, that contributes to the cider’s rosy hue. Hard cider brings people together and we couldn’t think of a more iconic moment than the Kentucky Derby to celebrate our new cider with others.”
“We’re pleased to offer Angry Orchard to our nearly 170,000 guests who attend the Kentucky Derby,” said Kristin Warfield, Vice President Partnerships. “We’re always happy to broaden the beverage choices for our fans who come to Churchill Downs from all over the world to witness America’s greatest race.”
For more than 20 years, the cider makers at Angry Orchard have been experimenting with ingredients and cider making techniques from all over the world to give drinkers new and unique ciders that are complex, distinctive and balanced. Angry Orchard makes a variety of year-round craft cider styles, including Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, a fruit-forward hard cider that balances the sweetness of culinary apples with dryness and bright acidity of bittersweet apples for a complex, refreshing taste. Angry Orchard Rosé hard cider is the latest innovation as they continue to push the boundaries and explore the various styles of cider.
Angry Orchard Rosé will be available year-round in 6-packs for $7.99 – $9.99 (varies per market) starting February 2018.
To find where Angry Orchard hard cider is available near you, visit the “cider finder” at http://www.angryorchard.com/cider-finder.
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 traveled 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. In November 2015, Angry Orchard established a home for cider research and development called the Innovation Cider House, located on a historic apple orchard in the New York Hudson River Valley. In May 2016, Angry Orchard planted three acres of traditional cider making apples at the Angry Orchard, which will be used for research and experimentation at the Innovation Cider House.
Angry Orchard makes a variety of year-round craft cider styles, including Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, a fruit-forward hard cider that balances the sweetness of culinary apples with dryness and bright acidity of bittersweet apples for a complex, refreshing taste. 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:
Cider lovers can explore the Orchard online at www.angryorchard.com/theorchard, like us at www.Facebook.com/AngryOrchard, https://instagram.com/angryorchard, and follow us at www.twitter.com/AngryOrchard.
Angry Orchard is a registered trademark of Angry Orchard Cider Company.
[1] Angry Orchard is the number one selling hard cider in the U.S. according to IRI, Total U.S. Multi-Outlet, last 52 weeks ending 1/4/18.