Cider Review: Portland Cider Company's Crangerine

The kind folks at Portland Cider Company generously sent me a couple of samples recently. When we planned to have a pizza night at Along Came a Cider HQ, I knew it was time to break one of these open. I chose the Crangerine because I just can’t get enough cranberry cider these days!

Portland Cider Company tells you the location directly in the cidery name! Check out my earlier reviews for more background information on this inventive cider company. I've had the fun of trying lots of ciders from Portland Cider Co. They send me samples for review regularly, and that's how I was able to access all of these! Enjoy the back catalogue.

Razzberry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/06/cider-review-once-upon-tree-wild-flight.html

Peach Berry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/04/cider-review-portland-cider-companys.html

Kinda Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/05/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Pineapple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Cranberry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/03/cider-review-seed-stone-cidery-heritage.html

Pumpkin Spice: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-review-portland-cider-co-pumpkin.html

Pineapple Rose:http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/07/cider-reviews-portland-cider-cos.html

You can visit Portland Cider Company online here: https://www.portlandcider.com/home

Here’s how Portland Cider Company describes the Crangerine. 

PICK CIDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Delightfully tart, juicy tangerine plays nicely with Oregon grown cranberries.  Add some sparkle to your glass with this ruby colored hard cranberry cider, with brilliantly bright flavors that aren’t too sweet. 5.1% ABV

TASTING NOTES tart, citrus zest, ripe cranberry, juicy citrus

FOOD PAIRINGS roasted turkey, brie, pumpkin pie, honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables

INGREDIENTS

Oregon Cranberries

NW Tangerines

Fuji Apples

Pink Lady Apples

Gala Apples

Honeycrisp Apples

Golden Delicious Apples

Appearance: Deep red, brilliant, few visible bubbles

I didn’t expect quite so much cranberry color before pouring this cider. The Crangerine looks like cranberry juice. It’s totally brilliant, deep red, and mildly bubbly in appearance.

Aromas: citrus, PixiStix, Minerals, blackberries, ripe apple

The Crangerine cider does represent all constituent ingredients in its aromas. I could smell fresh apple, cranberry, and citrus. My holistic impressions were of strong minerals plus citrus primarily. Something in the notes reminded me of Pixie Stix and blackberry. I’m guessing it will taste very tart!

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-sweet/semi-dry

Each cider has the level of sweetness/dryness that suits it flavor profile, and you notice when you’re tasting a mismatch. Crangerine plays the line between semi-dry and semi-sweet just right. 

Flavors and drinking experience: High acidity, berry tannins, some citrus and apple

My first impression upon sipping the Crangerine is one of citrus sweetness and berry tartness. The acidity does come from apples, cranberries, and tangerine.  Some tannic presence also appeared; it reminds of the astringence from fresh cranberry juice.

I could not taste a lot of apple in the mix, but it was present. Instead the balance was very cranberry and plenty tangerine with some background of apple. The cider has a medium-light  body that’s very zesty and lots of bubbles.

This cider was great paired with two very different homemade veggie pizzas!

                                    

Cider Review: Portland Cider Company's Peach Berry and Nine Pin Ciderworks House of Dabinett

Good morning, cider friends! I hope you are doing okay today. It’s been a rough week, but I’m very excited about an event coming up soon! Since none of us are going out on Thursday night, I invite you to join me with the fine folks at Cider Culture magazine for a little informal Cider School!

I’ll be taking people through a short program about tasting called, “Tasting Cider Seriously.”

Here’s a link to the Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/674645873363402/

The only thing you need to bring is a cider to taste and a piece of white paper. Join us on Thursday evening at 6pm Eastern!

Now, I'm super excited to share my experience with Portland Cider Co.'s Peach Berry.

I enjoy lots of ciders from Portland Cider Co. They often send me samples for review, and that's how I was able to access the Peach Berry!

Kinda Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/05/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Pineapple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Cranberry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/03/cider-review-seed-stone-cidery-heritage.html

Pumpkin Spice: 
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-review-portland-cider-co-pumpkin.html

Pineapple Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/07/cider-reviews-portland-cider-cos.html

Today, I wanted something fruity and springy so I’m tasting Portland Cider Co.’s Peach Berry.

Here’s the cider’s official description, “Bold, juicy Oregon peaches play with a blend of tart Northwest grown berries: raspberry, blackberry & blueberry. A cider full of sunshine to drink on those grey Portland days. 5.2% ABV.”

Appearance: brilliant, carmine, few bubbles

This cider shocked me as soon as I saw it. This isn’t a rose, it’s a deep carmine red. It’s almost too dark to detect the Peach Berry’s clarity, but with good light, I can see that it’s brilliant. There aren’t a lot of visible bubbles. It looks almost like a light bodied red wine in the glass.

Aromas: peach, blackberry, apple, strawberry

The Peach Berry does smell like peaches and a bit like berries. Specifically, I get notes of blackberries and strawberries. The aromas are so fruity. I am definitely anticipating a sweet cider. I get some hints of apple, but it’s more integrated into the overall experience rather than standing out distinctively.

Sweetness/Dryness: Sweet

As I imagined, the Peach Berry is a sweet cider.

Flavors and drinking experience: low tannins, medium acid, very fruity

Indeed, this is a sweet and fruity cider! The notes that take center stage are raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, and peach. One of the interesting qualities for the Peach Berry is that some berry tannins do show through, though it’s a low tannin cider. I’d call it medium acidity with very peachy tartness, but my co-taster though it was high acidity. Your results may vary there.

The overall impression I get from the Peach Berry is that of clean fresh fruit.The cider has nicely strong bubbles.It’s a balanced drink from start to finish.

I enjoyed mine with pasta prima vera, and I’d totally recommend that pairing!

Next up, I'm excited to share notes on Nine Pin Ciderworks' House of Dabinett!

This was a purchase I made recently now that Nine Pin can ship cider! This is an Albany, New York cidery and a regional favorite of mine. I have several previous Nine Pin Reviews

Cucumber Lime Light Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/08/cider-reviews-ninepin-light-cider.html

Gathering of the Farm Cideries (including the Cascara cider): https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/gathering-of-new-york-farm-cideries.html

Peach Tea: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-nine-pin-ciderworks.html

Blueberry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/08/cider-review-nine-pin-cider-blueberry.html

Ginger: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/10/cider-review-nine-pin-cider-works-ginger.html

Signature cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/04/cider-review-nine-pin-cider-works-nine.html

I encourage you to visit Nine Pin Ciderworks online to learn more and order about the ciders, now shipping to most states: http://www.ninepincider.com

I asked Alejandro about this cider, and he gave me a little of it’s backstory. Here’s what he had to say. “The House of Dabinett was a by chance made cider that stemmed from a trip in a box truck to Wayne County this fall.  First stop was to see Jake Lagoner at Lagoner farms where we picked up the bins of Smokehouse apples.  The second was meeting Dave DeFischer from DeFischer fruit farms to get the bin of Dabinetts.  When we got back to Albany, we pressed the two varieties together, fermented it nice and slow and the result was the House of Dabinett.  We think these two apples make a great "double variety" cider.” 

Appearance: aged vellum, hazy, bubbly

This cider looked rustic and hazy once poured. The color reminds me of aged maps and antique vellum or parchment. It’s obviously going to be a sparkling cider based on the bubbles I can see. 

Aromas: melon, white flowers, overripe apples

The House of Dabinett smells simply mouthwatering! I am suddenly even more excited to taste it. The cider smells like melon, overripe apples and white flowers. It’s luscious!There are tropical notes and I don’t know whether I should expect sweetness in this cider based on how fruity it smells or if most of that expression will be aromatic.

Dryness/sweetness: Off-dry

This off-dry cider is a wonderful resting place between the austerity of a completely dry cider and the overflowing fruity lushness that a sweeter version would have created. This would be an absolutely crowd pleaser!

Flavors and drinking experience: tannic, funky, high acid, citrus

Everyone who reads this blog knows that I love an off-dry tannic cider, and I’m happy to say that the House of Dabinett is exactly that. It’s a lil’ bit funky with medium high acidity. It actually reminds me of some British ciders that I love. It’s well balanced and quite good.

I appreciate the tropical notes but the House of Dabinett also this cider brings forth flavors that remind me of oranges and leather. I enjoyed this cider so much! I had one of my four pack with spicy popcorn, another with an excellent veggie burger, and I can’t wait to create two more pairings with my last two. 

Be good to yourselves out there, cider friends. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you online Thursday evening!

Cider Reviews: Portland Cider Co.'s Pineapple Rose and Melick's Hard Cider George's Tart Cherry

I don’t know about you, but when it’s hot I’m not as much fun. I don’t mean to say that I wilt and pout like the potted basil on my front stoop, but I’m not a fan of too much heat. When we have days and days of predicted rain but no actual drops, when the dewpoint rises dramatically, and when the last breeze skipped town last week, and the sun starts feeling more like a Deathstar rather than the source of life in our universe, I think that’s hard on everyone. And that’s the stage of summer we’ve reached. Luckily, cold bubbly fruity cider is here for us. And that’s exactly what I served up this past week. 

I started with Portland Cider Co.'s Pineapple Rose. This was a sample shared with me for review. My opinions remain my own.

Here are my previous reviews for Portland Cider Co. 

Most recently I tried the Cranberry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/03/cider-review-seed-stone-cidery-heritage.html

Last fall, I tried the Pumpkin Spice: 
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-review-portland-cider-co-pumpkin.html

My first Portland Cider Co. was the Kinda Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/05/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Earlier in 2018, I saw a different take on Pineapple from this crew: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Check out Portland Cider Co.’s website to see what new releases are here: https://www.portlandcider.com/

Here’s the official description from Portland Cider Co., “Bursting with juicy, fresh pineapples, with a naturally pink hue from a splash of Northwest grown blueberries. Treat yourself with this fruity, tropical delight that will take your tastebuds to an island oasis.” 5.2%ABV.

Appearance: hazy, peach, tiny visible bubbles

I wasn’t surprised to see a slight haze to this cider. Lots of pineapple ciders retain a semi-transparent level of clarity. What did surprise me is that the color is barely pink, at least compared to lots of rose ciders that I see. I’d call this one peach. It’s lovely and gentle. The photo doesn’t show it ideally, but the cider was active with visible tiny bubbles.

Aromas: Pineapple, lush floral, apple, honey 

This cider smells like super ripe sticky pineapples. I can just imagine fresh pineapple texture so vividly when I smell this. That’s dominant, but in the background I get floral notes, apple, and honey.

Sweetness/dryness: Sweet

The Pineapple Rose cider is a sweet and fruity cider! It’s sweetest on the finish.

Flavors and drinking experience: tropical fruit, acid on the front, bubbly

The Pineapple Rose brings a super summer party with lots of tropical fruit flavors. I appreciate the nice high acid up front; it keeps the cider fresh but not isn’t pointed or challenging. I enjoy the strength of the bubbles. 

The Pineapple Rose benefits from its clean fermentation. Some ciders aren’t meant to be funky! This one is all about fruit and acid, with no astringence and no tannins. The Pineapple Rose does have a thick mouthfeel due to sweetness. 

After several sips, I can tell that the cider’s acid fades before the finish. There are some fun bakery characteristics that remind me of breakfasty sweets or muffins but the blueberry doesn’t really come through distinctly. I got just as many notes of roses, cherries, and strawberries as I do blueberry. I can say confidently that this is a summery cider! 

Melick’s Hard Cider George’s Tart Cherry

My next cider was brought to me by a visiting cider friend, Maria. I tried one Melick’s a few years ago, but I misplaced my notes, so the review never appeared. This feels a bit overdue for Melick's first appearance! 

I don’t know a ton about Melick’s Hard Cider. The company is based in Oldwick New Jersey. It appears to be related to a sister agriculture business Melick’s Town Farm. I see six different ciders and an apple wine on the website. What’s nice is that Melick’s lists all the places that carry the ciders.  

Visit the company online: https://www.melickstownfarm.com/HardCider

On to George’s Tart Cherry. I shared this with a friend because I have a terrible shortcoming when it comes to understanding cherry ciders, so when I review them I enlist help. 

Melick’s official description keeps it simple, “A sweet-tart cider made with Balaton and Montmorency cherry juices.” 6.7% ABV.

Appearance: Brilliant, brick red, subtly bubbly

This is a lovely cider to see. The color is deep with a fun brilliant shade that’s red with tints of deep orangey brick. I can see lots of itty bitty  bubbles rising in the cider. 

Aromas: Bing cherry, limestone, cinnamon, baked goods

This cider smells like the deep and dark bing cherries I remember from my childhood. It also smells like limestone, cinnamon, and baked goods. It’s luscious.

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

This cider is sweetly fruity, but there’s more to it than that.

Flavors and drinking experience: cherry, plum, tart, sweet

George’s Tart Cherry  indeed tastes sweet and tart! The cide offers up a very direct and natural cherry flavor. I find that it intensified as the flavor matures from initial sip to finish. I love that this cider is mildly astringent. 

Cherry isn’t the only fruit at play here. My tasting companion identified Santa Rosa plums as a flavor too. I think they’re correct. I also got little bit of yeasty baked goods and fresh cherry pie.
In each drink, the cider changes to tart from sweet; this makes it a more universally appealing and very summery indeed. I’ll probably never be a devoted cherry fan, in any of it’s forms, but this cider made a great impression with its complexity and balance. 

Good luck surviving these hot days. May a cool glass of cider chill and refresh you.

Cider Review Seed + Stone Cidery Heritage Traditional Dry and Portland Cider Co.'s Cranberry

It’s March! The turn to Daylight Savings Time is almost here, and I will start looking for spring shortly after. Living in upstate New York might mean that I’m looking for a long while, but I’m ready to start!  

This week I want to share a cider that I bought back in the summer when visiting Rochester. I happened to be touring the Black Button Distillery and saw an unfamiliar cidery name in the tasting room. I sampled from Seed + Stone Cidery and was happy to purchase something new to save for a winter’s night. The company is Rochester, New York Based and relatively new. This is how the cidery describes itself, “We  are dedicated cidermakers and we create small batch traditional ciders from exceptional apples from local orchards.”

I am starting with the Heritage. Here’s how it is described online.

Learn more about this urban cidery online: https://www.seedandstonecidery.com

Our flagship cider, a traditional dry cider fermented slowly and aged over six months. Bottled without filtering and bottle conditioned for a light effervescence.  A mix of American Heirloom and English Bittersweet apples. This cider promotes clean aromatic characteristics and intensifies mouthfeel and lingering flavors, while encouraging the fresh aromas of tropical fruit, cream, vanilla and spice.

Seed+Stone Cidery: Heritage Traditional Dry

Appearance: brilliant,  popcorn kern, light mousse

What a pleasing deep color. I enjoy it when ciders bring some harvest hues to my glass, and the Heritage does just that. I’d call the color popcorn, but not for the popped variety. It looks like the warm yellow of an unpopped kernel. It’s brilliant bubbly, pouring with a fine mousse that boils up and vanishes. 

Aromas: Stony, citrus, grain, powder 

The Heritage smells stony and powdery and very much like citrus. It reminds me of certain other upstate NY ciders that use heritage apples heavily. I do get apple notes as well, specifically crisp grainy apple flesh. Something about the aroma is crystalline. I smell the barest hint of sweetness, but I don’t expect it to translate into taste. 

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This is a dry cider! There’s no second guessing that one. 

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, black walnuts, herbal

Tasting the Heritage cider is intense; there are so many flavors here! I get notes of black walnuts, anise, and savory herbs. There are some vegetal notes, but ultimately this is a dry crisp apple cider with a strongly astringent first note. Yowza! 

This cider brings high acidity and a light body. The Heritage can also boast of high but not overpowering tannins. Again, I get lots and lots of herbal notes. And the cider finishes austerely;  it’s a long stony finish—but then it's stony everywhere.

My next review is a return to a company that often makes approachable fun fruit-blended ciders: Portland Cider Co. I was lucky enough to get a review sample of the Cranberry. This cidery was founded by fans of English cider in 2012. You can see more company background in my earlier reviews. 

Here are my previous reviews of Portland Cider Co.

First, the Kinda Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/05/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Then the Pineapple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

And the Pumpkin Spice: 
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-review-portland-cider-co-pumpkin.html

Visit the website to see what all Portland Cider Company has going right now: https://www.portlandcider.com/

Portland Cider Company Cranberry has a full page of info on the website; I’ll start by sharing  the description, “Our cranberry cider is a blend of fresh NW grown cranberries & apples, Slightly tart & semi-sweet, with a rich apple taste at its core. Tastes like fresh cranberry relish!” 6% ABV

There’s also a complete listing of ingredients, including apple varieties, “Cranberries, Orange zest, Gala apples,  Honeycrisp apples, Pink Lady apples, Golden Delicious apples, Fuji apples”

Appearance: true ruby, brilliant, few bubbles

As the pictures makes obvious, the Cranberry is a GORGEOUS color. I don’t see many visible bubbles in the glas, but the cider is certainly brilliant. 

Aromas: grapes, citric acid, cranberry

The Cranberry cider smells of grapes immediately! What a surprise. I also get some of the lemon and dust notes I associate with citric acid or Pixi Stix. It also smells like fresh cranberry juice. I anticipate a very high acid cider! 

Sweetness/dryness:  Semi-dry

The Cranberry’s tartness is so strong that it's hard to say how sweet or dry it is. 

Flavors and drinking experience: Tart, full bodied, cranberry, tannins

The Cranberry Tastes very much like cranberry! It’s full bodied mouthfeel suggests that the cider has more residual sweetness than one perceives because the tartness is so very substantial! The cider brings much more cranberry flavor forward than apple, but the apple is here. There’s also a very little bit of mapley booze flavor, especially in big sips. The alcohol and any fermentation related notes are relatively downplayed in relation to the fresh fruity notes. 

How I taste apple most is in the mid-palate to the cider’s finish. The Cranberry does relish in it’s very high acid. It’s puckering but pleasantly so! The cranberry also brings Medium-high tannins to the overall experience. I love the nice long dry bitter cranberry finish. Yum, what a fun and approachable cider. 

Cider Review: Rev Nat's Hard Cider Revival Hard Apple

I hope that everyone is starting to recover from the shock of Daylight Savings Time springing forward this past weekend. Most folks I know could do without it. Personally, I love the time changing in both spring and fall. It feels like an intensification of the seasonal change I already love. Though the first morning or two can be painful, I always feel ready for longer spring evenings. Perhaps this won't convince the staunchly opposed, but today I'm raising my glass for the Daylight Savings element of spring. 

And what cider company is the most suitable for a contrarian moment or a bold opinion? I'll posit Reverent Nat's out of Portland, Oregon for that title and for today's cider. 

If you don't know why this cider suits my one-woman defense of Daylight Savings time, you need look no further than the fabulous rhetoric on the Rev. Nat's website: http://reverendnatshardcider.com

My only previous review of a Rev. Nat's cider is the Hallelujah Hopricot:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-rev-nats-hallelujah.html

 Here's the introduction I found on the Rev. Nat's website, with its remarkable sense of voice and enticing details, describing the Revival hard cider:

My newest release is Revival and I couldn't be more thrilled to share it with you. I start with a secret blend of Washington-grown apples and add piloncillo, dark brown evaporated cane juice, purchased direct from Michoacan, Mexico. I ferment this dark base to all the way to dry using two exotic yeast strains: a beer yeast known for the round mouthfeel in Saisons and a rarely-used secret culture which produces aromas of pineapple, guava and peaches. This cider is brilliantly golden in color and deeply complex while remaining subtly familiar, with just the right amount of sweetness and acidity to be an everyday beverage.

Or read about the cider I'm about to review here: http://reverendnatshardcider.com/ciders/revival/

Appearance: rich red gold color, brilliant, short appearance of a head

I want everyone to notice that dark red gold color. This isn't usual for a cider made from dessert apples. The Revival pours with a loose lacy head that dissipates. As the photo shows, its brilliant.

Aromas: overripe apples, lychee, dust, yeast

Whoa whoa whoa, how very pleasant and fruity smelling! The Revival smells like it might be apples barely heated by the sun, along with lychee and just a hint of bready beer yeast. Yummy yummy smells.

Sweetness: semi-sweet

Something to be aware of when looking for this cider. Rev Nat's makes both a Revival and Revival Dry, be sure to purchase the one you wish to try. I've enjoyed both but the Revival is a semi-sweet cider and very different from the Revival Dry.

Flavors: tropical, apple, nice mouth feel

If this cider is not the apex of quality plus easy drinking appeal, I'm not sure I understand it. Perhaps an overstatement, but the Revival is so approachable and delectable without giving up interesting character. Part of what makes the cider interesting is that it definitely uses a beer yeast which builds dimension in both aromas and flavors. But on the side of simplicity and ease, the Revival is very appley with some tropical fruit notes.

This is just such a relaxing cider. The Revival introduces itself as bright and tart with fairly high acid. But mellows in the mouth. I like the mouthfeel even with a relatively low level of tannins.

The Revival was simply perfect with veggie pot pie, which is not just for Pi(e) day! Something about the semi-sweet just packed to the gills with tropical flavor brought the dish out of winter cold and into spring.  Delicious, delightful, and daring

Cider Con 2016: My Personal Highlights

Usually in winter, I travel with my husband to Florida to see friends and thaw out a little from the upstate NY temperatures. But at last year's Cider Con in Chicago, we learned that this most amazing of cider gatherings would be happening in February in Portland, Oregon. I knew I had a different sort of escape from winter.

Though the sign seems more Vegas, this is a lovely welcome to Portland

Not only did I get to attend Cider Con, I got to present! This was a huge honor for me because I have so much appreciation and respect for the cider community (and the beverages produced thereby). Eric West (of Cider Guide http://www.ciderguide.com)

Tuesday

While many folks were out touring orchards and ciders, I didn't arrive in time for their early departures. Still, I had an excellent time walking around Washington Park (http://explorewashingtonpark.org/) which is home to the International Rose Test Garden, Portland Japanese Garden, and my favorite: Hoyt Arboretum. Just seeing so much green in February is good for my soul. 

You cannot know how much I bemoaned baggage check fees when I saw this

But I had plenty of time to check out the cider selections at a grocery store or two and still make the 2 Towns Ciderhouse(http://www.2townsciderhouse.com) Tap Takeover at Cider Bite (http://ciderbite.com/). It was a casual gathering, but I saw so many unfamiliar ciders. Tasting in a different region than your own is an exciting experience. Plus, I ran into a few cider luminaries which never hurts an evening, particularly when they are as charming as Tom Oliver (https://oliversciderandperry.co.uk/) or as welcoming as Dave Takush (of 2 Towns).

And we were glad to be there!

Wednesday

The start of my official day wasn't until the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) business meeting. While I am not a voting member of the USACM, I alway relish the chance to meet with members and learn about what the organization has been up to. In 2015, the big headline was the CIDER Act.

I volunteered at Bill Bradshaw's session on UK Cider. Bill is an amazing archivist and photographer of ciders and cider cultures both in the UK and all over. If you're a cider lover you simply must get your hands on his book, World’s Best Ciders: Taste, Tradition, and Terroir. You can see some of Bill's photo and read about this IAMCIDER project here: http://billbradshaw.co.uk/photography/iamcider

The Crowd for Bill Bradshaw

This led smoothly into the Cider Con Reception with tacos, pizza, tapas, and countless ciders all served in the in the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. What a setting and what a party! They completely turned us loose in a museum while letting everyone taste ciders from all over the world. I have almost no photos because I was simply too enthralled by this night. I'm sorry. Kind of.

Thursday

We stated the day with one of my favorite activities from last year's cider con, the Clicker Survey. What I love about this is we were all asked pretty basic questions about who we are, what we do, where cider makers get fruit or juice, who is planting orchards, who is getting fruit from their orchards, and whether or not we want to support academic research or apples or cider. 

I got a similar takeaway as I did last year too. If you are growing apples, don't start a cider business on your own; partner with a fermenter. If you love to make cider but have no apples, don't just go on the market; find a grower or three and work with them for the long run. I think a lot of business strength can be gained by folks working together on all steps from sapling to glass.

Next came the General Session, or as I like to think of it: "The Big Talk with Grocery Store Cider Purchase Data." I don't find that data nearly as complete or representative of my cider life or even my cider region as some, but its heartening to see cider growth in every region of the nation.

Ian Merwin and Greg Peck: Two Fabulous Academic Advocates for Cider

But my day was not so secretly about my session with Eric West: "Engaging Your Core Audience Through Writing." We had a packed room and an appreciative audience who asked great questions. Our topic ranged from online brand presentation to working with mailing list applications and many places between. It all came down to communicating effectively online and why using the writing and internet is so potentially helpful for cider companies. 

Giving the talk was a great experience, and it started many conversations for the rest of the conference. Consider me completely grateful. 

That evening we had the first meeting of Pomme Boots (https://www.facebook.com/pommeboots) a new professional organization for women who work in the cider industry in one role or another. Meeting everyone was inspiring; there are so many awesome women making, selling, and promoting cider. 

Friday

With the talk over, I could focus more completely on the session I attended as an audience member. And I got to spend a lot more time just relaxing and meeting awesome folks  One stood out for me on Friday. The first was "Finding Your Brand Strategy - West Coast Perspective" by Alan Shapiro. What he brought was not only a west coast perspective for understanding how folks understand and buy cider, but also the historical context of his decades distributing wines and beers. As soon as links go up to his presentation, I'm sharing them!

At lunch, Congressman Earl Blumenauer spoke with us about the CIDER Act, and he was the warmest and funniest politician I've ever seen speak. He earned two standing 

We ended Cider Con with the Grand English Cider Tasting, easily the most socially invigorating part of Cider Con for me. The photo below shows the ciders that were shared at each table in the ballroom. We tasted through together with the guidance of Tom Oliver, Neil Worley, and Bill Bradshaw. They brought insight and crackling personality such that folks were nearly falling out their chairs laughing (and it wans't just the cider).

These UK Cider made my evening, and shocked several palates

Saturday

Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip for me happened after Cider Con. The USACM is developing a Cider Certification Program along with interim program director, Eric West. I signed up eagerly to be part of the inaugural class for Level One.

Eric West talking about cider styles

We had a slew of experts presenting material about apple growing, cider making, cider tasting, and other topics on Cider Certification Program Level 1. This inaugural class also got to learn about storing, serving and pairing cider: all topics close to my heart. The day was long but fascinating. I look forward to the progress of this program and hopefully participating in all coming levels.

Our messy table of learning

It was a long trip and a fabulous one! The education, the ciders, and most of all the people made it a delight each and every day. We grew the event by more than 450 attendees (by my unofficial observations) this past year, and I think its going to continue to grow and improve. If you care about cider and want a educational, enriching trip in February consider joining us next year!

Read more about Cider Con returning to Chicago in 2017 here: https://ciderconference.com

Cider Review: Cider Riot's Never Give an Inch Oregon Blackberry Cider and Cider Con 2016!

In just a little over a week, I'll be flying across the country to join my fellow cider freaks for CiderCon! To get ready, I want to share a review of a cider that I only got to taste because of last year's cider celebration. The kind folks of Cider Riot shared a bottle of their Never Give an Inch Oregon Blackberry Cider with me in cold and snowy Chicago, and I toted it back to cold and snowy upstate NY to drink and describe.

Abram Goldman-Armstrong grew up planting apple trees, studied abroad in a cider drinking region(me too!) and spent his early professional years in beer. Making cider was a very natural combination of his two passions. I found out about Cider Riot first through their successful Kickstarter campaign, and I've been following the business ever since.

Read more about Cider Riot on the website: http://ciderriot.com

And here's the official description of Never Give an Inch Oregon Blackberry Cider.

Never Give an Inch™ Now on tap & in bottles in Oregon, Washington, & British Columbia . . . Oregon Blackberry Cider 6.9% abv - A testament to determination, hard work, and downright cussedness, Never Give an Inch celebrates the spirit of Oregon. Invasive Himalaya blackberries run riot across the fencelines and fields all across western Oregon. Fire, chemical poisons, machetes, bulldozers, even goats can only beat back their inevitable advance, as they attempt to take over every square inch of cleared land. Luckily their fruits are delicious, juicy, and plentiful, spawning the phrase “as Cascadian as blackberry pie.”

In Never Give an Inch, Oregon blackberries and blackcurrants combine with Hood River and Yakima-grown apples create a tart dry cider with a fruity aroma.

Appearance: deep maroon, tons of visible bubbles, lovely

Seriously bubbly! I rarely see so many bubbles on the glass when I pour a cider. This blackberry cider also offers up rare and gorgeous color. Its more dark red and deep purple, but both are there enough to call it maroon. I can't really judge the clarity through all those bubbles. But they do make my mouth water.

Aromas: tart, fruity, phenolic

This cider smells so very bright and acidic! There's also berry fruits and a bit of funky. Mmm like raspberry and leather. We'll see how dry it is or is not based on these aromas. The black currant doesn't get talked up enough in the description, but its already present in the aroma.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

Wow! I wasn't really expecting dry after all of those berry smells. It dry and tart, and I'm into it! So many fruit ciders tell me that they will be dry, when they aren't. This follows through on the promises of the promotional copy, and I'm grateful.

Flavors and drinking experience: funky, tannic, tart, with tons of fruit

This cider comes as a BIG surprise! Yes, I mentioned that in my surprise as its dryness, but I was expecting a pleasant semi-sweet, based on smell. That's also where a lot of fruit blended ciders end up, but this is very tart, dry, and a bit phenolic. The tannins are so prounounce that it gives me a bit of cottonmouth with acidic bite. This doesn't mean the cider doesn't have fruit, but the apple is crabapple or even apple core and green wood. The blackberries and black currents taste sour and tart but only very slightly citric. This is so very pleasantly autumnal though I'm drinking it with snow on the ground outside.

Cider Riot's Never Give an Inch Oregon Blackberry Cider is not particularly balanced, but intriguing and a fantastic complement to vegetable tempura. The battered and crispy red peppers and broccoli florets highlight and play well with this super tart, funky, wild cider.

When I'm in Portland, I'll definitely be seeking this one out again. Very fun.

But that's not all we have to talk about today! I know I'm not alone in feeling super excited for Cider Con 2016 in Portland, Oregon. This is where we'll get to talk fermentation, cider business, tasting room strategies, food pairings, cider mixology, and best of all, apples!

Find out all about it at: http://ciderconference.com/

But most especially check out the schedule what awesomeness is happening when:

http://ciderconference.com/schedule

Along with Eric West of Cider Guide (http://www.ciderguide.com) I will be talking about communicating with cider fans online Thursday, February 4th at 3:40pm. Our talk is titled Engaging Your Core Audience Through Writing. It should be a fun time, and I feel totally honored to share a stage with Eric. He's amazing.

Until next time, cider lovers.

Cider Review: Rev Nat's Hallelujah Hopricot (Pt 2 of the Hops+Apricot Cider Showdown)

Alrighty, now that we Americans have celebrated our independence and many fireworks have dazzled and barbeques sizzled, we return to the Hops + Apricot Cider Showdown with Pt 2:  Rev Nat's Hallelujah Hopricot! In Pt 1, I reviewed Cider Creek Hard Cider's Cascade Hopricot and found it delightfully different. Can the irreverent Rev. Nat's Hard Cider wow me as well? East coast and west coast ciders with their very different apples tackle the same flavor combinations with both hops and apricot.

This encounter with Rev Nat's Hallelujah Hopricot is my first review of any of their ciders. Rev Nat's Hard Cider is based out of Portland Oregon, where they produce cider and have a very active tap room. Though I've met the cidermaker himself and followed his progress online, I want to see how he presents the company on the website (http://reverendnatshardcider.com).

Strong writing and a passionate voice characterize the brand identity on Rev. Nat's Hard Cider's website. It is a bombastic yet personable tone filled with giant claims and major statments. I find it engaging and persuasive. This one comment though seems to sum up so much of Rev. Nat's story: 

Permeating all these experiments was a desire to make ciders that no one else will make. I would cook a dish, eat at a restaurant, drink a beer or a cocktail, or peruse the farmer’s market, and be unable to contain my excitement for flavors. After making cider for nearly a decade, I concluded that, while apple-only ciders define cider for most of my fellow countrymen, my passion was in creative flavor combinations making cider in the spirit of craft beer geeks.

Let's tease out a few key things to note here. The company plans on focusing on flavor and additive experimentation. Different is the goal. Craft beer is a major inspiration. Good to know. I won't expect traditional or even necessarily apple focused. It sounds like Rev. Nat uses apples as a base and a medium, but doesn't view them in the same way as most cider makers.

Here's the official description of the Hallelujah Hopricot:

This is my flagship cider, the cider I love to love. The making of Hallelujah Hopricot starts with classic American apples as a Belgian wit-style cider steeped with coriander, bitter orange peel and paradise grains, fermented with a Belgian saison ale yeast. On top of that rich base, I add pure apricot juice and finish with Oregon-grown Cascade and (whenever I can get them) Amarillo hops. A fresh and fruity concoction not dulled by sweeteness, THIS OFF-DRY CIDER IS MY BEST-SELLER, AND FOR GOOD REASON.

Wow, there's a lot going into this cider. The mention of paradise grains confused me at first because of cider's usual gluten free fame, but I looked up the ingredient and learned some cool stuff. It appears that paradise grains are actually part of the ginger family and not grains at all. Celiacs can rejoice! (You can read more about paradise grains here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aframomum_melegueta). But yes, stuff to look for includes, ginger, spice, orange, interesting yeasts, plus the apricot and hops.

Appearance: hazy, deep color, foam at first but dissipates.

Aromas: Hops, pine, grapefruit, lemon, spices

Oh my goodness, this cider smells like hops. Super hoppy smells and not much apple or apricot. Instead, I get notes of soap, pine, grapefruit, lemon, and rosemary. Those are completely distinct. There's a secondary spice that really wakes up the nostrils. No apple smell at all, but perhaps I shouldn't expect one.

Dryess: Dry

I imagine that this is off dry  by the numbers, based on the official description, but when you combine bitterness and acid with off dry, it perceives as completely dry. That's how it comes across to me.

Flavors and drinking experience: super tart, bitter, HOPS, little bit of fruit

The first impression I get is one of tartness. Secondarily I get citrus bitterness. No apple at all and almost no apricot. The hops dominate to an extreme degree. The pine flavor is the mid-palate experience and it resolves into pleasantly bitter grapefruit/hops. Really this cider is hops from start to finish. I like it, but, wow, this is hopped cider taken to its perhaps illogical conclusion. No sweetness. No tannin. Lots of acid. It is extremely lively, which is not a surprise given its acid and the high level of carbonation. In some ways this is like an extremely dry lemon herbal sparkling water. But much more exciting than that sounds.

Whoa whoa whoa, I finally tasted the apricot! It shows up late to party, once I'm well into the finish, barely there at all. But what's there is nice. Better fashionably late than absent!

 
 This absolutely achieves what it sets out to do. It is boldly experimental. It uses cider as a starting place more than a finishing point. I quite enjoyed it, accompanying a light summer soup with tomatoes, zucchini and corn. It is aggressively adventurous and good, but less cidery than many other ciders, even other hopped or fruited ciders.