Bloom Energy's Crisp Apple rightfully earned a year-round release
Bloom's Sparkling Energy hasn't disrupted the energy drink market -- a silly concept that isn't really possible when you're just finding ways to package caffeine, vitamins and sugar substitutes. It has improved it. The health-forward brand's first foray into coffee replacements was undeniably solid, adding a few subtle twists on a predictable genre .
That's led to extensions -- sodas, colostrum, etc. It also brings us to a fall flavor that's recently been promoted to the main cast. Bloom's Crisp Apple arrived when nights began to get crisp and will stick around while they're frigid and eventually muggy. Is this cider-adjacent wake-up juice (no actual juice required) worthy of its place on crowded store shelves?
Let's see what we've got.
Crisp Apple: A-
Cracking the can unleashes a wave of comforting cider smells. The can drops "fall" and "autumn" right on the label. There's no doubt this brings you back to red leaves and stoked fireplaces.
The first sip backs that up. This is a thinner, slightly less authentic, carbonated cider. It's sweet, tangy and crisp. The flavor is potent, lasting from sip to swallow even after being watered down by a pour over ice.
The apple is well realized despite the fact the closest the ingredients get to the real thing is "apple cider vinegar." It finishes sweet but dry and kiiiiiiinnnddaaaa makes me want to heat it up on the stove and drop some cinnamon and brandy into it. I won't, at least in this review, because Bloom's whole thing is healthy alternatives. But it would probably be pretty good.
Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's?
This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I’m drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That’s the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm’s. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Bloom's Crisp Apple sparkling energy over a cold can of Hamm’s?
Yep. This tastes better than a Hamm's. It tastes better than most energy drinks and is balanced enough to wake you up without leaving you tweak-y.
This is part of FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey .
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bloom Energy's Crisp Apple review with year-round release here
