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Last week I was able to take a few days for a cider trip down to the Hudson Valley. It was finally time for my sensory retake of the Certified Pommelier Exam. The timing worked out amazingly so I could also visit Treasury Cider (http://www.treasurycider.com/) for a meet up with New York Cider Association members and tour Angry Orchard’s Walden Orchard and research cidery (https://www.angryorchard.com/tours/plan-your-visit). What made it sweetest of all is that my darling partner (He’s called The Tall One here) passed his Cider Certified Professional Level One exam shortly before, so he got to take the Pommelier test as well.
Here’s a link to learn more about the American Cider Association’s Certified Pommelier program: https://ciderassociation.org/certification/.
That’s why I chose to review one of my special Walden Cidery offerings from Angry Orchard to review this week. I’m so happy to share my thoughts on Angry Orchard’s Newtown Pippin! Full disclosure, this cider was shared with me by some cider friends who work for Angry Orchard.
Here are a few of my earlier Angry Orchard reviews:
Baldwin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/05/cider-review-angry-orchards-baldwin.html
Understood in Motion 2: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/02/cider-review-critz-farms-double-vision.html
Understood in Motion 3: this collaboration with Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider (this was my #6 cider of 2018): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-angry-orchard-ciders.html
Wooden Sleeper: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-angry-orchards-wooden.html
Spiced Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-angry-orchards-spiced-apple.html
Pear: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-review-of-greenwood.html
Rosé: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html
Walden: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/09/cider-review-angry-orchards-walden.html
Supernatural: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-super.html
You can learn more about what Angry Orchard is up to, including a new series of cider-based cocktails inspired by tall tales: https://www.angryorchard.com/
This cider is the Single Varietal Newtown Pippin Traditional Method. Here’s what Angry Orchard has to say about this particular cider.
Newtown Pippin
Using only the Newtown Pippin apple this cider is tart and dry with notes of apple skins and wild honey. 6.8% ABV. 750 mL bottle.
Appearance: bubbly, ripe straw, transparent
This looks glowy and inviting with a color reminiscent of ripe straw. The Newtown Pippin pours with an aromatic mousse of bubbles.
Aromas: Intense, breadcrumbs, champagne
I love how strong the Newtown Pippin’s aromas are. I could smell this cider as soon as I popped the cork. It’s bread crumbly, yeasty, and has a very champagne-like aroma. It reminds me of ripe grapefruit and white grapes.
Sweetness/dryness: Dry
This is a lovely dry cider. If you think Angry Orchard cannot make a dry cider, please try some of the special offerings from the Walden facility. This team can do it!
Flavors and drinking experience: intense sparkle, clean, pear, grapefruit, medium high acid
Nice! The Newtown Pippin is blowing me away. I’m such a fan of this. The first impression is how super bubbly it is. This cider brings a awesome intensity of sparkle from that second fermentation. The Newtown Pippin doesn’t really go for tannins but it offers medium high acidity and a beautiful fresh and clean fermentation.
The flavors I notice early are pear, grapefruit and buttery breadcrumbs. The citrus that I noticed in the cider’s aroma remains. It’s all very golden, crisp, and polished. The body strikes me a lithe but subtly rounded! The cider is so very pleasing.
I had this with a sweet corn ravioli in a blush tomato sauce with sauteed yellow squash, stripey tomatoes, and a red pepper. The pairing was delightful. The Newtown Pippin’s bubbles had a zesty cleaning effect between creamy pasta bites.
The Pommelier test was challenging, and I won’t know how we did for a few weeks yet, so I’ll just share a few tour pictures in the meantime.
