As part of the Armada, Mich.-based craft cidery’s 10th anniversary celebrations, Blake’s Hard Cider (BHC) released two new cider flavors. Earlier this month, BHC unveiled Original and Jam Session. The two ciders will be available year-round in BHC’s 29-plus state footprint.
“We got excited about making delicious, flavor-packed yet light in body ciders to be enjoyed on any occasion when we talked about them internally,” said Andrew Blake, owner and founder of BHC, in a statement. “And, as we spoke to consumers, we knew this was something they were eager for also.”
Original is a hard cider the pays homage to the simplicity and approachability of a classic apple cider, even down to the throwback apple character featured on the can design. The company describes the cider’s flavor profile as offering “the perfect balance of bright acidity and sweetness of farm fresh apples.” With a lower alcohol content than most of Blake’s ciders, Original’s alcohol-by-volume (ABV) is 5.5%.
“We developed Original to complement our imperial-style American Apple released last fall and be its counterpart for different occasions when you seek easy drinking with lower ABV,” Blake said. “This sessionable cider is designed to directly compete with national brands, line priced competitively with macro cider brands to increase accessibility to budget-conscious shoppers.”
The other new release, Jam Session, is “the best friend” to BHC’s Triple Jam — one of the country’s top-selling ciders. This lite cider has a jammy aroma, only 110 calories and 4 grams of sugar, which is 80% less sugar than the national leading hard cider. It comes with an ABV of just 4.5%.
“Jam Session drinks much differently than Triple Jam and we expect it to draw new fans who typically reach for seltzers or light beers to consider hard cider as an alternative,” Blake said. “It’s the go-to cider for those moments when you want something a little lighter, with low sugar and calories as well as alcohol content, without compromising flavor.”
Original is available in six-pack cans ($9.99-$10.99), as well as on tap, while Jam Session will be sold in 12-ounce 12-pack cans ($16.99-$18.99).