I try to stay seasonal most of the time here; I usually drink cider based on the conditions around me, and it's a big part of how I observe the world around me. Sometimes though, I just get a craving for something a bit out-of-step. Thus, I reached for a mulled cider recently. I’m happy to share my thoughts on Wilde State Cider’s Apple Pie.
Wild State Cider comes to us from Duluth, Minnesota. It was founded by Adam Ruhland and Andrew Price in 2018. The cidery has a taproom with a full slate of ongoing events including: trivia, bingo, yoga, and a local market. I love seeing events that break out of the expected rotation of local musicians.
This is my fourth review of anything by Wild State Cider. Here are my earlier reviews. All of these were kindly shared with me for review by the cidery. Many thanks!
Peach Basil: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/04/cider-review-wild-state-ciders-peach.html
Semi-dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/10/cider-review-wild-state-ciders-semi-dry.html
Triple Berry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/11/cider-review-wild-states-triple-berry.html
You can visit Wild State’s page online to find out about the ciders and the taproom: https://www.wildstatecider.com/ciders
Here’s Apple Pie’s official description, short and sweet, “A holiday special, be sure to bring some home to share! The name explains it all. Yum.” 5.9% ABV.
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Appearance: Brilliant, light straw, few bubbles
This looks like a completely refreshing summer sipper. The color, clarity, and bubbles are just classic.
Aromas: Cinnamon, all spice, apple
This cider goes emphatically strong on its cinnamon aroma, but I also detect a fair big of all-spice, and a background whisper of apple.
Dryness/sweetness: Off-dry
It's a surprise to find a cider with mulling spices this far on the dry side of things. It’s not austere or bone dry, but it’s far closer to dry than sweet. What sweetness is there does feel completely natural.
Flavors and drinking experience: lots of spices, medium bubble, bitter
My hopes were more than satisfied by this spicy off-dry treat. The Apple Pie cider has a medium level of sparkle and lots of spices. The Apple Pie cider is off-dry and tastes buttered and bitter. It reminded us of an apple hand pie.
