Happy December, Cider Lovers! We’re entering the last month of the calendar year, and I’m so excited about a cider event I have coming up!
I’ll be leading a talk and tasting at the Eden Boutique Taproom and Cheese Bar in Winooski, Vermont on December 19th! For those who don’t know, Winooski is just barely outside of Burlington. I know Vermont is filled with cider lovers, so I want to see you there, so we can taste great ciders from all parts of the United States and talk about different cider styles!
Read more about it and get tickets here: https://www.facebook.com/events/447866402411371/
Today, I’m starting with my notes on a cider by Eden Specialty Ciders Cellar Series Cider: #9 Siren Song, but I do want to share my previous Eden Ciders reviews first.
Let’s start with my number one cider of 2017: the Imperial 11 Degree Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-january-2017-cidrbox-and-edens.html
This year, I reviewed the Heritage canned cider:
https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/06/cider-cans-crush-it-eden-heritage-and.html
Back in 2015, I reviewed the Sparkling Dry, and it also made it into my top ten that year: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/cider-review-eden-sparkling-dry-cider.html
I relished the 2016 Sparkling Dry for Thanksgiving and my birthday celebration in 2016.
Here’s the coverage:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/pick-cider-for-thanksgiving-and-my.html
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/happy-to-pickcider-for-thanksgiving.html
The Brut Nature got a mini-review in my Cider Con 2018 coverage: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-con-2018-pt-1-eden-specialty.html
You can learn about all of Eden’s ciders on the website: https://www.edenciders.com/
And here’s the official description for the Siren Song.
In Greek mythology the songs of the Sirens were enough to entice a Mariner to jump off his trireme, only to meet his end in the depths of the Adriatic Sea. This cider will beguile you with fruit, spice and smoke, cradled in an illusion of residual sweetness. As you follow it down to the depths of your glass, the tannins reveal themselves in astringency rather than bitterness. The complexity derives from a mix of over 20 apple varieties, harvest-pressed and fermented slow and cold as are all our heritage ciders. The curvaceous balance derives from skillful blending by our enraptured Cider team. Another glassful calls. 7.5% ABV.This won gold in its Heritage Dry category at GLINTCAP 2018.
Appearance: copper, brilliant, bubbly
This has the deep coppery color that tells me to expect richness and tannins. I can see the generous smattering of bubbles that whet my appetite. The cider is also completely brilliant: no haze here.
Aromas: warm applesauce, white grape, ginger
I love the warm applesauce scent that dominates this cider. There are lots of other fruity and spicy notes like white grape, ginger, and pineapple. They are lovely, but it’s the richer warmer apple notes that I find most enticing.
Sweetness/dryness: right on the Semi-dry/Semi-sweet line
As promised by the cider’s description, the Siren Song has some sweetness, but there’s not too much. I’d call it a semi-sweet, but I have a feeling that for many drinkers this would be the perfect semi-dry.
Flavors and drinking experience: rich, medium tannins, fruity, firm acid
All of the fruity and tropical notes from the aromas definitely translate to the flavors of the cider. That means lovely presences of ginger, pineapple, white grape, and homemade apple sauce. These tastes are driven by very pleasant and not-biting acidity.
But that’s not all of what’s going on in this cider. What’s more difficult to articulate is the sense of richness and decadent mouthfeel. It’s a creamy, caramelly, cider with medium-high tannins.
The bubbles add great crispness and really transmit the flavor well. This is a sophisticated and satisfying cider. I paired it with spicy buttered popcorn and episodes of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix, but I would also love to serve it with homemade gingerbread and lemon sauce or with blended mushroom bisque. I can’t wait to get my hands on more.
2 Towns Ciderhouse out of Oregon shared the Easy Peasy with me, and I was happy have something a little sunny and summery to try on a rainy cold night recently.
For background, 2 Towns Ciderhouse is based in Corvallis, Oregon; the company has been operating since 2010. 2 Towns has grown to two production facilities and a taproom. It is Oregon’s largest craft cidery. The company makes many different groups of ciders, including flagship ciders, seasonal offerings, limited releases, and collaborations.
Here are a few of my previous 2 Towns Ciderhouse reviews.
I loved The Cidre Bouche, and it made my top 10 of 2017: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/11/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouses-cidre.html
Earlier this year I tried the Pineapple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html
The rhubarb and hops of The Hop and Stalk was delightful: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/12/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouse-hop-and.html
Back in 2016 I tried the Bright Cider along with a travel roundup: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/07/cider-review-roundup-common-cider-co.html
And earlier this year, I tried the Pearadise as part of Very Perry May:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-2-towns-ciderhouses.html
You can visit 2 towns online: https://2townsciderhouse.com/
The official description reads, “Citrusy and refreshing, Easy Peasy will have you leisurely drifting your way through summer. Crafted with fresh-pressed Northwest apples, Meyer lemon, raspberries and soured with lactobacillus, it's summertime and the livin's squeezy!” ABV 5%
Appearance: hazy, watermelon, bubbly
This bubbly cider has the color of beauitfully ripe watermelon flesh. It’s decidedly hazy and just looks juicy!
Aromas:Raspberry, grapefruit, lemon, creamy
This cider smells fruity. I can smell raspberries immediately upon opening the bottle. Secondarily, there are ntoes of grapefruit and lemon also. And there’s something about this cider that smells just so creamy.
Sweetness/dryness: sweet
This cider is sweet but also tart, like lemonade.
Flavors and drinking experience: tart, bubbly, pink lemonade
Summer indeed! This is the opposite of Christmas in July because this tart fresh fruit bomb just breathes summer atmosphere and relaxation. This is a gently boozy pink lemonade with a little apple on the side.
I appreciate that the Easy Peasy has a sharp acidic finish but an easy first hit of flavor. There’s lots of Citric and malic acid in this bubbly, zesty cider. It has a medium body especially for a cider with an ABV on the lower side. A night blast of sunshine and fruit.
