Cider Review: Far From the Tree's Sprig

Today is the day after all the fireworks and cookouts. Its a day lots of folks are heading back into work after a day off or even a long weekend. For me, from July 4^th through when my husband starts teaching every fall is the high plateau of Summer. We'll get more thunderstorms, more watermelon, and soon real local tomatoes, corn, and peppers. America's summer holiday may be over, but the best summer food pairings for cider are just now coming into season.

So, I chose a supper summery cider from Far From the Tree out of Salem, Massachusetts.

Learn about the company on their website: http://www.farfromthetreecider.com

Previously, I reviewed their Nova cider which is another hopped cider offering: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/03/cider-review-far-from-trees-nova-hopped.html

Sprig is their cider that I want to explore today. The sub heading on the bottle reads Dry Hopped Mint Cider.

This is nearly my first mint cider, but far from my first hopped, so let's see what Far From the Tree has to say about it.

Official description:

Today is a great day for a hike. The sight of fresh green growth and the smell of sprouting leaves in the air are two of our favorite things about summer in New England. For Sprig, we've married fresh mint, cascade hops and apples grown in Massachusetts. We age Sprig in oak barrels, dry hop for two sweeks and add fresh mint just a day before bottling.

For us, this cider is what an afternoon hike in the woods would taste like if it came in a bottle. If we happen to cross paths one day, be it on a trail or while sharing a cider, we hope you'll agree that today really is a good day for a hike! 6.9% ABV.

Appearance: cool moonglow, transparent, lots of pretty bubbles

This cider looks almost frosty while still being glowy and transparent. I'd not call it brilliant, but I could see all of the lovely bubbles very clearly.

Aromas: mint, apple, hops, lychee

These smells all add up to a super cool minty picture, but in the mix, I found hops, lychee, apple, with an emphasis on everything being chilly and bright. This smells perfect for the hot weather. Imagistically, it reminds me of a freshly opened jar of applesauce taken from the fridge.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

This is a semi-dry cider. The acid probably makes it tastes drier than it would look were I to see the actual measurement of sugar. Its a nice level that won't alienate most drinkers of dry, semi-dry, or eve semi-sweet cider.

Flavors and drinking experience: Mostly mint, hops, balanced with apple

When I drink this cider of course I taste lots of mint and apple. I also get some hoppiness, but more mint. The cooling effect continues. Far From the Tree's melding of apple and mint works, but it's a tenuous balance. This cider offers up high acid, no tannins, and medium bubble.

I noticed how very consistent this cider tastes from tip to tail; the mint is dominant. I'm also struck by how much this cider depends on its clean fermentation in order to work. Seems tricky but successful.

I paired my Sprig cider with a very summery meal: sauteed summer squash with herbed chevre, sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, whole-wheat toast, and baked beans. It was delicious and delicious all together. 

Cider Review: Far From the Tree's Nova Hopped Cider

Snow?! That's surprise shows in the first week of spring every year since I moved up north. Even with this mild winter, I've seen more snowflakes than sunbeams lately. To cheer myself up while I wait for daffodils to bloom, I opened up a cider that some lovely folks sent to me from Salem, Massachusetts. This the Nova Hopped Cider by Far From The Tree.

Far From The Tree became a commercial cidery in September of 2013, operating out of Salem, Massachusetts. The owners, Denise and Al Snape say that their love of cider and cider making developed in England. I can certainly understand that!

In reading the website to learn more about Far From The Tree, I found a fascinating paragraph about their process and cellar: 

Located on Jackson Street, Far From The Tree operates in the unheated cellar of a building that they share with their landlord, who runs a marine construction company. The entire back section of the cellar contains an abandoned walk in freezer. Oak barrels fill the front and back sections of the room. It is, Al notes, perfect for them. “It’s wonderfully designed to hold a constant temperature. The Champenoise knew digging 50 feet down into the limestone would be worth it for the same reason. Cider, much like white wine, needs to be kept under 60 degrees and maintain a very steady temperature as it ages. With the insulation provided by the abandoned walk in freezer unit we can very easily do this with little to no energy. I would not be able to make this cider in a conventional space without a massive investment in temperature control.” 

In describing themselves, Far From The Tree veers slightly toward defining the cider by what it is not, "Far From The Tree’s cider bears no resemblance to large mass produced hard ciders. It is not super sweet, but rather dry and refreshing with light carbonation, and tastes deliciously of apples. That’s because the first ingredient in each of the company’s three current varieties is, in fact, pressed apples." Apples are fabulous and the very heart and essence of cider, but both good and bad ciders can come from real apples. Their explanation of natural temperature control during fermentation sets them apart more, if you ask me.

If you you want to see an adorable dog named Fenway, find a picture of him on their website along with all kinds of other information about Far From The Tree ciders: http://www.farfromthetreecider.com

So today I'm reviewing Nova by Far From The Tree which was a sample they sent to me in the mail and my first Far From The Tree cider. Here's how they describe it. 

Nova is an off-dry, hopped cider with tropical aromas made from Massachusetts-grown Macintosh apples. Different hops work well with different beers but we’ve developed what we think is the perfect hop profile for a cider. This cider is dry-hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic and Simcoe hops, adding an aroma of grapefruit and passion fruit with a very slightly piney palate that marries so ridiculously well with the crisp apple notes of cider that we feel like we just might have done something that beer could never do.

Consider me intrigued, I love hopped ciders.  That the Nova describes both the apple variety and the hop varieties is a big plus. The can offers up beautiful design like almost no can I've ever seen before. Next step, let's open up the cider.

Appearance: pale straw, brilliant, visible bubbles

Wow a beautiful cider from a gorgeous can. It seems almost a shame to hide this brilliant bubbly drink where you cannot see it.

Aromas: lemon, pine, apple, herbs, grapefruit 

This offers up some familiar aromas that I recognize as characteristic of hopped ciders. They often smells so clean with notes like lemons and pine. This has those in spades plus apple, herbs, grapefruit and mild soap. Plenty of both hoppy and appley character.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-sweet

The description calls this cider and off dry, but it tastes a bit sweeter to me. The initial burst of flavor has a lot going on, with a hint of sharpness, but the cider smooths out into a clear semi-sweet with tons of tropical fruit.

Flavors and drinking experience: lots of acid, dry start, clean fermentation, nice balance

This cider is gorgeously easy drinking with nice sparkle. I can taste a tremendously clean fermentation. In terms of fruit, I can taste twangy tangerines, pineapple and grapefruit with herbal notes like pine and rosemary. The Nova has relatively high acidity which livens up its semi-sweetness with a drier initial hit that only meanders to sweetness. Somehow this cider tastes higher in the mouth than some hopped ciders. 

Many thanks for Far From The Tree for sharing something so delightfully springy with me. This is definitely one I'll keep an eye out for locally because I think several of my friends would like it it as well. This cider seems like a perfect way to reward oneself after a long brisk hike in the still blustery weather.