Cider Review: Aspall Cider's Grand Cru

Aspall Cider has been in the news this past week or so because the company was just sold to Molson(http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42595870). I have a few bottles of Aspall in my cupboard already, and I've been a fan since I discovered the brand in 2010. I found them when traveling to the Cambridge to present a paper. This blog was not yet a gleam in my eye because I thought I was going to be a literature professor who just happened to spend her evenings drinking cider when grading papers and thinking about Oscar Wilde. A lot has changed in eight years.

I don't know what will happen to the 300 plus year old brand under Molson's ownership. But I certainly feel motivated to review what I have by them now, in case things do change.

I've reviewed one other Aspall previously, the Imperial English Cider:http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/11/cider-review-aspall-imperial-english.html

That one made it to my 2^nd favorite cider slot in 2015. It was wonderful. http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2015.html

Once before I reviewed a previous release of the Grand Cru. It was part of a roundup based on a Bellwether staff party tasting. http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/02/cider-review-roundup-virtue-slyboro.html

But since that bottle was years old in 2015, I'm really curious what this fresher bottle and newer release will be like.

Here's the Aspall official description of the Grand Cru:

Rich, golden colour. Traditional bittersweet cyder-apple aroma with orchard fruit and floral notes. 

Palate initially slightly sweet, then mouthfilling and full bodied.Complex array of fruit flavours balanced by gorgeous soft tannins, producing a bone dry finish. 

Very long aftertaste, a true sign of a classic cyder of the highest quality”. An ideal partner for highly flavoured meat dishes, especially duck confit and exotic food from Asia and North African with a hint of sweetness.

Appearance: brilliant, squash, some bubbles

The Grand Cru forms a delicate ring of bubbles at the borders of the glass, and a small nest of them seem to pool and wait at the bottom as well. I'll call the color somewhere between mango and pumpkin or squash flesh. The cider is totally brilliant

Aromas: overripe apples, leather, tea, orange

This cider smells as lovely as it looks. Notes in the aromas include overripe apples, soft leather, spicy tea, and orange. These notes play together harmoniously more than strike out on their own in any intense way. I also get a background blend of wet grass and leaves. Its a very pleasantly earthy set of aromas.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-sweet

This cider is what I think gets called medium sweet in English cider terminology (If I'm wrong, please let me know). I'd call it a semi-sweet for my palate and labelling conventions that the North American cider industry is headed toward. What's notable though is the type of sweetness; its mellow and fruity and very natural.

Flavors and drinking experience: very tannic, medium acid, chalky, soft

Like all of my favorite English ciders, this cider is very tannic and rich. It has apple flavors all over the place. Between the sweetness and the tannins, this mouthfeel is absolute dream. The cider is more than just that though. Its a touch chalky and a little more acidic than most english ciders. I'd say the chalkiness is easily attributable to the moderate levels of oxidation that are part of the regional maturation process for Aspall ciders.

That same process is what makes the cider taste mature, woody, and well balanced. The soft leather notes apparent in the aroma persist pleasantly in the drinking experience. I can also get some floral and spice notes. Guys, this is so yummy. I can describe the balance and the notes at length, but my overall impression is love. This cider pleases me to no end. I hope I can get this experience again and again for years to come.

I had my cider with a veggie casserole, affectionate dogs, and the best possible company. The Grand Cru was an integral element in lovely winter night.

Thank you, Aspall for making something special that delights me so much.

My 10 Favorite Ciders of 2015

Thank you! Along Came A Cider has had a fantastic 2015, and I am so grateful. I tasted cider in England, at CiderCon, at GLINTCAP, and in kitchens, tasting rooms, and restaurants everywhere I went. Thanks so much for each glass, each apple, each conversation shared this year.

Cider itself also had a great year in the United States and around the world. Many new cideries and cider bars opened their doors. Others grew in taste and reach. My favorite news though has to be the CIDER Act. This act makes cider more comprehensible to the United States Federal Government, and begins to support this internationally popular agricultural product. Read what the United States Association of Cidermakers says about it here:

http://ciderassociation.org/resources/Documents/Meeting%20Minutes/CIDER%20Act%20Passage.pdf

To share my joy and gratitude, I want to share which 10 ciders have thrilled me the most this year. At this point it's a tradition for the blog. 

(my 2014 list: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2014.html and my 2013 list: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2013.html) 

To borrow from last year, I have two rules: I'm not listing more than one cider from any company and I am going to limit myself to ciders that have a review on the blog. Beyond that, my only caveat is that these are my personal favorites that I reviewed in 2015. These may or may not be your favorites, but I encourage you to taste them and make up your own mind.  

10. New Day Craft's Johnny Chapman

I love how this cider—made in Indiana—smells malty and tastes fabulously balanced yet sweet. Its character of  maple, caramel, and sorghum charmed but did not overpower. 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/05/cider-review-new-day-crafts-johnny.html
  

9. Rev Nat's Hallelujah Hopricot 

This west coast cider not only struck me as super tart, bitter, hoppy and mildy fruity, but it also made a major impression with its creativity and innovation. This, to me, is the most outstanding contribution of American west coast ciders in 2015. 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-rev-nats-hallelujah.html

8. Awestruck Premium Hard Cider Hibiscus Ginger 

Staying with my theme of exciting ciders, I was amazed by how developed and balanced this adventurous offering the taster. It looks beautiful in the glass, but is so much more than that. Awestruck, a young New York State cider company, really has something to say with this zesty blend of apple, hibiscus, and ginger.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/10/cider-review-awestruck-premium-hard.html

7. Cornwall Cider Co. Lyonnesse 

My review of Lyonnesse was part of a longer entry on all of the ciders I found and tried during my trip to Devon and Cornwall this May. This cider smells like cooked apricots and is semi-dry. It stood out because it offered great bubbles and a higher level acidity than most UK ciders. I was just endlessly impressed with its bright acidity and medium-high tannins. Its full and oaty mouthfeel kept it uniquely English and decidedly special.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/along-came-cider-goes-to-england-pt-2.html

6.Good Life Cider's Barrel Rye

This is my most recent addition to the list, and it's a special one. I tasted this New York state cider a few times before reviewing it, including on the night the CIDER act was passed. What a perfect celebratory drink: bright with acidity yet deep with caramelly oxidation. It's recalls maple and coconut, uniquely combined with clementines. Very yummy indeed.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/cider-review-good-life-ciders-barrel-rye.html


5. Castle Hill Cider's Celestial 

This high-acid off-dry cider from Virginia was a special treat found in a Florida grocery store. I have the highest praise for its clean fermenation and stone fruit notes.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/02/cider-review-castle-hll-ciders-celestial.html

4. Eden Sparkling Dry Cider

Now we've crossed into the rarefied terrority of the top four. These are the ones that start to reveal my preferences and biases as a cider drinker. Vermont's Eden Sparkling Dry Cider hits all of the notes I enjoy: great mouthfeel, high tannins, enough acidity to keep things firm, and gorgeous sparkle!

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/cider-review-eden-sparkling-dry-cider.html

3. AeppelTreow Winery's Appley Brut Sparkling Cider

And now for the second appearance of an AeppelTreow Cider in my favorites list. This year I loved the Appley Brut, and previously I adored their Kinglet Bitter (which I just tried on draft for the first time at a top notch beer store in Louisville and loved again). But this Wisconsin cider offers a crisp, very bubbly, and cracklingly sharp experience with great balance.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/09/cider-review-appeltreow-winerys-appley.html
 
2. Aspall Imperial English Cider

My choice here cannot surprise anyone who knows me. I love English ciders of the particular type Aspall offers—what can I say, we get along well.  Their sense of balance is difficult to beat and the mouthfeel is nearly always outstanding. This particular cider is smooth, dark, rich, and just cuddly.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/11/cider-review-aspall-imperial-english.html
 
And now, drumroll please...

1. Farnum Hill Extra Dry Cider

Farnum Hill, based in New Hampshire, is the only cider company to have made all three of my yearly favorites lists.  (Previously, I'd nodded to both Kingston Black and Farmhouse.) That might tell us all something about their quality, or maybe something about my tastes. I tried this as part of Protocol Wine Studio's month of Twitter discussion amongst wine and cider folks. It was really a great time.

What I love about this cider is its complexity and controlled funk. Yes, the Extra Dry was earthy and mushroomy, but it still offered loads of fruit. A cider that gives me orange, leather, and butter is doing something right.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/08/cider-review-farnum-hill-extra-dry-and.html

With that, I wish you all a safe and happy New Year! Let's enjoy cider together in 2016!

Cider Review: Aspall Imperial English Cider

 Finally November! This has to be one of my favorite months because it means my birthday and Thanksgiving and all this nesting! Right now, it gets dark just before 5pm, and I'm so ready to be at home with my darling cats and goofy husband. Yes, I am a hobbity nesting type and not at all ashamed of it. 

In fact, I'm celebrating with some warming and extra luscious ciders, at least I hope so.

You've not heard much about Aspall cider here, though they've been around since 1728. Yes, that's not a typo. 1728.This is the year James Cook was born and Cotton Mather died. The world was a very different place, and the original Aspall family is still making cider and running the business eight generations later. Let that blow your mind for a moment.

While you're contemplating all of that, load up the website with all of its lovely photographs and enticing recipes: http://www.aspall.co.uk

All of this cider love happens in Suffolk, starting with Clement Chevallier and continuing today. Aspall ciders deserve more time and attention from this blog, as they is one of the core cidermakers in my cider history, and one I still like frequently. On my first trip to England as a devoted cider fan, I was in the midlands and Aspall was the cider most often on tap. So, I spent a lot of time with it early on.

My brief review of the Aspall Grand Cru appears in this roundup along with a few other ciders: 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/02/cider-review-roundup-virtue-slyboro.html

Tonight I'm reviewing the Aspall Imperial English Cider, but I cannot explain that name. Sometimes Imperial means higher ABV, but I associate that with beer and not cider. Mind you what confuses me is to see the words Imperial and English right next to each other without really meaning that the cider has anything to with England's empire either now or in the past.  But that's me have a lit major digression on a cider blog, so my apologies!

Anyhow, The Imperial English Cider is call the Imperial Vintage on the website and has a subtly different label, but it is clearly the same product. My info all comes from the Aspall website.

This cider has won many awards in the UK between 2013 and the present. Here's how Aspall describes it.

Taste descriptor

Rich fudgy, tantalising flavour enhanced by bitter-sweet apples from a single year’s crop. Notes of raisins, dates and prunes. Sweet mellow finish. 

Serving suggestion

Delightful with lamb & casserole dumplings, pheasant, and strong cheeses such as Brie de Meaux, Stinking Bishop and Blue Stilton.

 

Appearance: dark topaz, visible bubbles, brilliant 

This dark color color represents higher alcohol, higher tannin, barrel aged UK ciders very well. I'd call it dark topaz. The cider shows visible bubbles because it is totally brilliant.

Aromas: mellow, caramel, yet piquant

What tantalizes me in the Imperial English Cider's aromas is the dual presence of both piquant notes that make me anticipate a reasonable level of acidity, but also the dark caramel and mellow scents that I associate with rich tannic ciders. It has some raisiny, boozy dark notes as well.

Sweetness/dryness: semi sweet 

This cider would be called a semi-dry in a pub in England, but I call it a semi-sweet. The subtle bitter and astringent notes only complement that. These flavors are so much more than just the level of sweetness though; its dark and rich and well balanced.

Flavors and drinking experience: semi sweet, naturally sparkling, intense mouth coat

The Aspall Imperial English Cider offers up some coffee bitterness right at the start. But then it expands, becoming so rich and big. A lot of this comes from both the high tannins and higher than typical ABV. It warms the mouth and the tummy. I find this cider extremely well balanced, truly something to write home about. It tastes like cider first and foremost but there are notes of toffee and popcorn and barrel. The profile is just so classic. A dessert cider for sure. That higher alcohol of ABV 8.1 numbs the tip of the tongue. 

Not very fruity; it tastes more of fermentation than fresh apple, which I appreciate so much right now. The Imperial English Cider is a mature cider for those who still want some sweetness. It has medium low levels of acidity but still enough to stimulate the salivary glands. What I simply cannot get over is this amazing texture. It's so creamy! That creaminess reminds me of brie with a teeny bit of chalky finish.

This is more than good with nuts, or a very late waffle breakfast in winter. Or creme brûlée, but it already practically *IS* creme brûlée.

Cider Review Roundup: Virtue, Slyboro, William, Aspall's, Kettleborough, and Bad Seed

Whew! Back from Cider Con in Chicago (posts coming soon) and covered in yet more snow! Winter is very...real outside of Florida. But it is beautiful and snow days give me unexpected chances to write, so I'll take advantage while I can.  Today I've continued the process of going through my computer, phone, email, etc. to find sets of abandoned cider notes and photos. Since these reviews are varyingly complete or incomplete I though I might share a whole batch of them together.
 
Please consider most of these pictures representative of the appearance and style of the ciders in this post; I'm doing my best to match things up but these are found notes and found pictures from various moments in 2013 and 2014.

Virtue Cider's The Ledbury

http://virtuecider.com

This is how Virtue describes this particular cider, "The Ledbury Cider is an English-style medium cider crafted by Virtue with Tom Oliver. It's not too dry, not too sweet. A blend of old world bittersweet apples and new world heirloom varieties are fermented with native yeast, adding a bit of farminess to the ripe apple nose."

In appearance, this cider is relatively light and just a bit cloudy. It tastes bright and peppery with an almost spicey aftertaste, high tannin high acid, medium level of bubbles; not a lot of body, but would go well with swordfish. Smells like honey. At first, sweet melon, but not too gentle. Interesting and dynamic.

Slyboro's Night Pasture

http://www.slyboro.com/nightcider.php

On the Slyboro website, this is what I could find about their Night Pasture: "Subtly complex, dry, with hints of spice and caramel, made from Golden Delicious, English Bittersweet varieties and Northern Spy apples. Named after our oldest orchard, where earlier farmers once turned out their livestock at the end of the workday. Now a favorite spot for painters, dancers, apple pickers, skiers and red foxes. Serve chilled. 8% alc/vol 0% residual sugar. 750ml"

In appearnce this is very bright and clear; it looks still. While big gulps can allow me to detect a little fizz, this cider basically still as it appears. The Night Pasture tastes lightly but decidedly oaked, not a long finish, super clean. Bright and uplifting but very little acid with medium tannins. It tastes more minerally and stony ot me or like very green underripe grapes. Somehow the whole flavor is green.

William Premium Cider

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/william-premium-cider/173039#.VNkVhSeIA04

This cider has a notably low ABV of 5.2%. It is made in Quebec and sold in cans. The brief official description says this about the William Cider, "pale straw colour; delicate green apple aroma; off-dry, soft spritz with balanced acidity."

I enjoyed the nice burst of bubbles on pouring. Smells like sweetened apple chips. Tastes like a drier caramel apple. Very fruity, semi-sweet, drinkable, easy, and pleasant with tiny note of bitterness like hops or something beery. I tastes it as lemon but two of my companions definitely interpreted this note as more reminiscent of light lager. It tastes like approachable English pub ciders in the best way. This cider doesn't take itself too seriously and is all the better for it. 

Aspall Grand Cru

http://www.aspall.co.uk

I could not find very much information on this cider aside from the fact that the apples used are organic and the ABV is 6.8%.

Lots of funky notes in the aroma make this cider stand out. The taste is similarly sharp, barnyardy, and tannic. I cant taste wood, sweetness and complexity with some phenolic notes that at first tasted just lovely and astringent to me. But once one of my fellow tasters suggested that they reminded him of olive juice, I couldn't get that thought out of my mind. Yes, the tannins and vegetal notes plus sweetness somehow come across like olive juice. Still a great cider though.

Kettleborough Cider House

http://www.kettleboroughciderhouse.com

"Our flagship cider.  Dry Cider is a departure from sweeter run-of-the-mill hard ciders that have always dominated the market. Our Dry Cider is made from a blend of Northern Spy and Granny Smith apples to create a balanced acidity and fresh green apple flavor.  Think 'Dry Apple Prosecco.'  It pairs well with many foods, especially white meats, cheeses, fruits and especially any spice-forward dishes."

Tim Dressel makes this cider in the Hudson Valley of New York. The appearance of this cider surprises me because it looks nearly white in color. The cider smells wonderfully like Northern Spy apples. Cider is very acidic, a little meek but bright. The apple smell seems to presage more than the flavor actually delivers. I get quickly dissolving tannins that give it minerality. One note stands out agressively with lime and tropical fruit.

Bad Seed Dry Cider

http://www.badseedhardcider.com

Here is how Bad Seed rather cheekily introduces their Dry Cider, "Each bottle of Bad Seed Dry Cider is hand crafted in small batches never filtered, bottle conditioned and made from apples grown in the Hudson Valley. A Dry Cider that's really dry. Yeah that's right buttercup this isn't your little sister's sweet cider. What's more, each cider has been carefully tasted, tested, and then tasted again by our cidery team. Lucky bastards!" 

I got a big honey smell that goes positively florid after repeated sniffs. In appearance it looks hazy and light yellow. The Dry smells much sweeter than it tastes. The cider is high tannin with medium aid. It tastes just a little chemically but more than that I taste dry papery pineapple. The mouthfeel has medium astringence and a light body.