Imagine. In trying to find a picture of the new Strongbow brand Sirrus I came across this website onlyfinebeer.co.uk which, and I quote:
Onlyfinebeer encourages its users to express their fondness for beer, by allowing them to write nice words about them – if your review of this beer fits the bill, we’ll add it to this page.
To which someone has correctly responded:
Sirrus? Nice Words? How can this travesty of cider appear on your pages? Of all the artificial confected abominations served up as cider. This is quite the worst I have ever tasted. It is the artificial colour of Irn-Bru or Tizer and does not remotely taste of apples. I am not asking for scrumpy, but this product should be called something, anything other than cider to protect the name of tha drink from falling even further into the contempt with which so many people hold it.
Sirrus is a big bottled cider which has been designed to be drunk over ice. Where did they get that idea from? Also where did they get the name from? Sirrus suggests to me that it might be cloudy – and therefore there might be hope for the brand. Instead it is a strange red liquid, not unlike Tizer as the correspondant noted, clear and looks nasty. I am sure it also tastes nasty. Strongbow are well known for recent failures into the alcopop market, and this stab at Magners also looks like a dud. So buy a bottle now, as I am also sure this brand won’t last the year.