Talk:Strongbow (cider)

Artificial sweeteners

Nowere in the article is it mentioned that Strongbow is "flavored" with an artificial sweetener (saccharin, to be specific, according to Google). Does anyone know if this is true for all varieties of this product, or only some? The producers aren't exactly forthcoming with such information, but I'm trying to send an inquiry to them. Carl T 07:13, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Update: The contact form at [1] is (still) down, but I'll keep trying. Carl T 08:27, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Try emailing here: customer.services@s-n.com Warburton62 08:37, 9 June 2007 (UTC)

Recommended with curries?

I've been to plenty of curry houses and have never been recommended to drink Strongbow. Surely Cobra or Kingfisher lager are the preferred thirst quenchers in such establishments. --Beanhead McGinty 21:10, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Yer right beanhead, I have removed the uncited statement, it looked like original research. HighInBC 22:41, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

editing block

As a guilty party in the editing war, I am very happy with the version post --User:SilkTork's major tidy up exercise. I think it is a good compromise between my views and that of other contributor. Warburton62 08:31, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

Ad imagery

"The "thudding arrows" have been a feature of the brand's television advertising since the 1960s. This involves several crossbow bolts thudding into a bar counter"

I haven't seen a Strongbow ad recently. Nevertheless, I would suspect that the arows are supposed to be fired from a longbow, given the 'archer' imagery.

Also, as is commented on the page itself, the claim that Strongbow is the most popular cider, while likely, needs a source.

WikiReaderer 22:28, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Strongbow Sirrus

Yes - I think this should be merged into main brand page, it is simply a product extension and does not warrant a seperate entry. Warburton62 (talk) 18:46, 7 December 2007 (UTC)

Yes. Not worth retaining as a standalone article when there's a big fat context ready and waiting. Lainagier (talk) 09:25, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

Yes. No need for a stand alone article Maxtitan (talk) 22:36, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes. There is no reason to have a seperate article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.194.253.247 (talk) 18:59, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Yes. Clearly a stub that should be part of the whole. 5-0 sounds like a decision, I'll try to merge (not done a merge before). Arjayay (talk) 08:40, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

Canadian Formats

I've boughten both bottles and cans of Strongbow in Ontario - they have different looks than the shown US images. They both have the logo that is labelled with UK Logo on this wiki. This may need to be reflected? (US descriptions usually imply Canadian too) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.188.74.27 (talk) 03:17, 18 April 2009 (UTC)

Merge with Strongbow Gold

The current contents of the Strongbow Gold article are rather poor. It contains a lot of overlap with this article, moreover it is basically a regional variety of the brand. (Same argument as Sirrus.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.84.65.94 (talk) 13:47, 6 May 2012 (UTC)

Yes, definitely merge. I am the most frequent contributor on the original Strongbow page. Farrtj (talk) 12:29, 10 July 2012 (UTC)

Strongbow availability in Canada

Strongbow has been freely available in pubs in Canada well before 2001, even before 1990... I used to order it in Toronto in the 80s when in High School, and ordered it all the time while in Univ. in Montreal in the early 90s @ both the Old Dub and later Hurley's as the components of a Poor Man's Black Velvet (aka Crown Float), and so while sleeman's may have taken over distribution in Canada later, Strongbow has been widely available since long before that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.184.225.48 (talk) 17:24, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

Unsupported, Editorialized Content Re: New Products

My name is Dr. Van der Aar and I am the Quality and NPI Director at HEINEKEN USA. There is some information included on the page that is of personal opinion and not entirely factual. While the original Strongbow cider was discontinued in the U.S., and the new varieties have different flavor profiles that are less dry than the original, there has been no “massive public outcry” similar to what occurred in 1985 with New Coke. The new formulas were created by renowned Cider maker Jean-Pierre Stassen and were developed with evolving consumer tastes in mind. Dr. Van der Aar - HEINEKEN USA (talk) 20:06, 25 September 2014 (UTC)

I agree with your statement about the opinionated and potentially exaggerated information added back in June 2014. As with any change, there will be people that approve of the change, and people that disapprove of it. Looking at public reactions can definitely be a good way to judge reception, but it does not necessarily make the perceived approval (or disapproval) a universally held opinion. If one side is much more vocal than the other, the results will be strongly biased. I have edited the article to make it more neutral, while still alluding to the fact that there have been some complaints about the change. If someone wants to adjust/improve it further, go right ahead (not that you need my permission of course!). XMog (talk) 17:00, 4 October 2014 (UTC)

Editorialized Content and New Sections

My name is Bjorn Trowery and I am the corporate communications manager for Strongbow US at HEINEKEN, USA. I want to reach out and request that some additional information be added to the Strongbow page. I'd also like to bring the community's attention to some personal opinion/editorialized content that currently lives on the page.

Strongbow US would like the following bolded words removed from the Strongbow Wikipedia text as they are inaccurate statements/opinions that have been editorialized.

• "In 2014, the original Strongbow dry cider was permanently discontinued in the USA by Heineken and replaced with two new, much sweeter variants. This has caused many complaints to appear on various internet forums, such as Strongbow’s Facebook page.”

• "In 2014 in the USA, Heineken launched two new much sweeter flavours, dubbed "Gold Apple" and "Honey & Apple"[15][16] with intent to emphasize their market share with the continued rise in popularity of ciders.[citation needed] Strongbow subsequently discontinued the original dry cider Strongbow flavor in the USA.[17][18] The move to discontinue the original dry cider recipe in the USA and replace it solely with two much sweeter varieties is being criticized by many, many customers, with negative comments related to the discontinuation appearing on the Strongbow Facebook page and the USA Heineken Strongbow web page.”

Strongbow US is also refuting the following claim:

• "Strongbow is the highest selling cider in Australia, and was, until the discontinuation of the dry cider and replacement with the two sweet variants, the second highest selling cider in North America.[2]"

• Strongbow US is refuting the part in bold that says that Strongbow was the #2 cider in North America until they discontinued old Strongbow and released new flavors. (It falsely insinuates that Strongbow lost market share.) Their data source is from 2012, so it cannot be used as a source for a change in market share which was alleged to have taken place over the course of 2014 (when Strongbow US released the new flavors).

Strongbow US would like to include an Accolades or Awards section for US Strongbow. Information around awards (awarding body, date award given, points awarded, ranking among that year's competition, etc.) can be found below:

AWARDS

Strongbow US was awarded 2 gold medals and Gold Apple was awarded best-tasting common cider at the 2014 World Beer Championships by the Beverage Testing Institute / Tastings.com.

Strongbow US Gold Apple Hard Cider/11.2 oz.

• TASTING NOTES (via Tastingnotes.com): Golden yellow color. Bright, floral, fruity aromas of honeyed apples, spicy apple pie, and carnation with a supple, tangy, spritzy, fruity medium body and a smooth, interesting, medium-length sweet cream and spiced pear finish. A fruity, zesty, crowd-pleasing cider that is bound to be a hit.

• WORLD BEER CHAMPIONSHIPS AWARD: Gold Medal

• RATING: 92 points (Exceptional)

• ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 5.0%

• CATEGORY: Common Cider, Cider

• TASTING DATE: Oct-14-2014

Strongbow US Honey & Apple Hard Cider/11.2 oz.

• TASTING NOTES (via Tastingnotes.com): Light gold color. Rich, fruity aromas and flavors of apple hard candy, honeyed peaches, and dried apricot with a supple, lively, effervescent, sweet medium body and a seamless, interesting, medium-length finish with shades of floral honey and spicy apple custard pie. A delicious, super fruity cider with a sweet stone fruit and honey character.

• WORLD BEER CHAMPIONSHIPS AWARD: Gold Medal

• RATING: 90 points (Exceptional)

• ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 5.0%

• CATEGORY: Specialty Cider, Cider

• TASTING DATE: Oct-21-2014

• Additionally, Strongbow US would like to add in a section around Advertisements with information for their latest campaign:

ADVERTISEMENTS

The following section outlines television advertisements created by Strongbow US for use in American markets.

• Title: Strongbow - "Award"

• First Aired: March 2015

• Agency: Droga5

• Synopsis:

• After launching Strongbow Hard Cider in the US with their “Cider at its Bestest” campaign, Strongbow enlisted Droga5 to develop a follow-up campaign that focused on the "bestest" way to enjoy Strongbow, over ice. The national spot features actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, and emphasizes this point: that all you need to enjoy Strongbow Hard Cider is ice and nothing else.

• Strongbow US would also like to add a section outlining information for each of their variants that are currently available in the US.

VARIANTS

All Strongbow US variants are gluten free and made from apples. While the Gold Apple and Honey varieties are currently available for purchase in six-pack as well as the variety pack, Red Berries and Ginger are currently only available for purchase as part of the variety pack. The following variants are currently available in the US market.

Gold Apple

• Sweet and golden with a crisp kick, a hint of green apple and a long, bittersweet finish.

• 5% ABV. Gluten Free. 100% Kosher. 172 calories per 11.2 fl. oz.

Honey

• Strongbow Honey is a seamless blend of fresh apple taste and silky honey.

• 5% ABV. Gluten Free. 100% Kosher. 195 calories per 11.2 fl. oz.

Red Berries

• Hard cider with Strawberry and Elderberry flavors, a hint of lemon notes, and an apple finish.

• 4.5% ABV. Gluten Free. 172 calories per 11.2 fl. oz. Available in the 12-pack Variety Pack.

Ginger

• Hard cider with just the right hint of Ginger flavor, floral aroma, and light muscato notes, and an apple finish.

• 4.5% ABV. Gluten Free. 175 calories per 11.2 fl. oz. Available in the 12-pack Variety Pack.

2600:1017:B41A:65D6:B94C:1F02:7963:CD9E (talk) 17:58, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

Hi again, I’m Bjorn Trowery, the corporate communications manager for Strongbow US at Heineken USA. I wanted to first thank you guys for making the requested deletions from our Wikipedia page to remove bias and provide a more accurate depiction of our brand.

We noticed that our section additions had not been made, and presume that has to do with the potentially promotional nature of the content. We’re not going to pursue trying to get the Awards or Marketing sections added to the page, however, we do think it’s useful for the Wiki Community to have access to a list of Strongbow US variants.

We searched around and found that Strongbow is the only major hard cider brand page with a quality rating, and that the criteria for a C-class rating indicates the need for more informative content to be added to the page. While a list of variants may not be the only missing information users may seek regarding our brand, it will definitely be useful to anyone coming to the Strongbow Wikipedia page with an interest in learning more about our products.

We have removed any presumably promotional language from the descriptions in order to make them as unbiased as possible. Please see below:

STRONGBOW US VARIANTS There are four Strongbow variants that are currently available in the US market. Gold Apple - Hard apple cider with a Golden Delicious apple taste. Honey - Hard apple cider flavored with honey. Red Berries - Hard apple cider with strawberry and elderberry flavors and a hint of lemon taste. Ginger - Hard apple cider with a hint of ginger flavor.

Lastly, the link to our USA Website at the bottom of the page is linked to the wrong URL. The correct URL is http://strongbow.com.

Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter. We appreciate your help in allowing us to correctly inform people about the Strongbow brand. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.39.231.44 (talk) 16:53, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

References

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Singapore making low carb with Sulphites WTF

Why is it not using Tasmania apples and is the sulphites used because the Singapore water is dirty 139.218.164.127 (talk) 04:45, 8 May 2022 (UTC)