When we were asked to review and share our thoughts on Michelob’s new Ultra Hard Cider, we immediately knew we’d add it into the drink mix at Terry’s 30-something fashion birthday party.

After all, a group of girls…a hot summer night… and a party–what better place to introduce something fun to our friends? Well, finding the cider wasn’t as easy as we thought, as it’s still being rolled out in many grocery stores, and we had to go with Plan B–bringing it to a pool party the next day instead! (And, by the way, I found it at Wal-Mart, if you’ve been looking!)

So, I passed it around for taste testing and even women who looked at it a bit warily –the ones who said “I don’t really like beer” — gave a surprised look and said “That’s really good!”  It definitely has an unexpected, fresh taste. It might be said it could cross over into the “sparkling cider family” vs. the “beer family.”

Hard cider would be the perfect offering at a summer BBQ or picnic. This the drink for those times when only beer will refresh you. You know, like a baseball game, a concert, or a hot day on the beach–when you can’t just break out your wineglass? And, if you are like me and you don’t love the (slightly bitter) taste of beer this would be the perfect choice.

 So, I would say this cider is a great “girl” twist on traditional beer. It’s got a fresh taste, with a hint of apple, that was a pleasant surprise to the women who tasted it.

Among its other attributes, it’s gluten-free, made from natural ingredients, and sweetened with stevia. While the brewing process for cider follows that of beer, the main difference is in the ingredients. While beer brewing mainly uses barley and hops, cider brewing uses apples (yum!).

Michelob Ultra Cider only has a 120 calories (1/3 fewer then the regular leading hard cider) and interestingly, you can even serve it over ice. While I didn’t try that, I think it would be lovely to not deal with the typical “too warm” drink after a few minutes outside on a hot day!

All in all, it was a fun introduction to the Michelob Ultra line.

So, what favorite summer meals or activities do you think would go best with Michelob ULTRA Light Cider?

Visit the Michelob ULTRA Light Cider page on BlogHer.com HERE   and the Sponsor’s Site HERE.

*While I have been compensated for this review, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.