I’ve watched with admiration and a few pangs of envy as other cider folks I know have traveled to warmer climes this winter, especially for CiderCon. But now I’m preparing for my turn! Very soon, I’ll take my own little jaunt to the sunshine state. As I’m planning and packing, I did fit in two cider reviews that are helping me mentally prepare for warm beaches.
Let’s start with AmDam Cider Brut! Alex brought this back from his writing trip to the Netherlands back in the fall. The company has a really cute intro that also makes the sourcing of the apples transparent, “Ever seen an apple tree in Amsterdam? Neither have we.”
From what the company makes clear online, they get cider made by Celliers de l’Odet from french cider apples. The company grew out of an import store for cider called Appels & Peren in 2015.
You can learn more about this young cidery here: https://cider.amsterdam/
Here’s the English language description of this cider, “Brut,the yellow one. It's softly sparkling and a bit more sophisticated. It has that unique cider ‘funk’ flavor.Try it and you are sold.” I saw more info in dutch on the website, but not on the translated page, so I don’t know if it has additional facts.
Appearance: brilliant, bubbly, harvest orange- yellow
The Brut pours with a foamy head that had most vanished by the time I was able to take a picture. It’s there and then gone! The color is a warm harvest orange yellow with brilliant clarity.
Aromas: overripe apples, leathery, oranges
The Brut smells leathery, like overripe apples with hints of orange. These aromas remind me of English or French ciders right away.
Sweetness/dryness: Sweet
This cider is sweet, which is a bit of a surprise since it’s labelled Brut. Often though french ciders use that term differently than other regions or beverages. A cidre brut is not as dry as a brut champagne for example. The sweetness is very natural and fruity.
Flavors and drinking experience: Tannic, medium acidity, citrus, apples, caramel
I love that this cider is decidedly tannic with medium acidity! I don’t usually get ciders that have these two characteristics, particularly not when appearing with some sweetness. The Brut’s flavor notes were very similar to what I got from it’s aromas: overripe apple, oranges, but I also tasted some wheaty and caramelly elements.
The Brut stretches the tasting experience out with a lovely long finish with lots of apple character. I’d describe it as mostly a french-style cider that shows some english influence. I appreciate the Brut’s full body and intense bubbles! This is such a fun and friendly cider.
I totally didn’t expect something so approachable, balanced, and appealing! Were this available more widely, I’d definitely drink it again and recommend it!
Next up Ploughman Farm Cidery’s Lummox Cider with Citra Hops!
When travelling for the PA farm show in December, I picked up some cider treats for the future and I was so excited to get this particular one from Ploughman Farm Cider because I’d failed to get one of these home safely from GLINTCAP earlier in 2019.
Ploughman Cider is based out of Adams County in Pennsylvania; that’s definitely an unofficial cider capital of the state. Fruit for Ploughman Cidery beverages comes from Three Springs Fruit Farm.
Here’s a link to the Ploughman Cider website where you can read about all the ciders:
https://www.ploughmancider.com/
Here are my previous Ploughman Cidery reviews.
Dornick: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/01/cider-review-tilted-shed-ciderworks.html
Pinot N’arlet: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/04/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-black.html
Appearance: transparent, warm straw, no visible bubbles
This cider looks more transparent than most hopped ciders. It doesn’t have a haze to it, but instead I can see the warm straw color clearly. I don’t see much in the way of visible bubbles.
Aromas: herbal, aquatic, vegetal, citrus
The Lummox smells herbal and darkly aquatic. I also detect some mouthwatering citrus notes, but there’s still more going on. I can smell ripe apples, but they aren’t as strong as the other notes that associate with hops for me. There’s also something just a bit creamy and almondy. Dancing in the far background I also get a sense of green tea.
Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry
This semi-dry cider has lots of flavor going on that dominate far more than the sweetness. I think many drinkers who often tend towards semi-dry ciders might call this dry because of the bitterness and acidity, but more on that soon.
Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, grapefruit pith, bitterness, medium tannins
My first impression on tasting the Lummon is that this is a hopped cider than most beer lovers will enjoy! It brings zesty high acid, but the first note is grapefruit pith. I get strong fruity bitterness in this semi-dry cider. The flavors also make me wonder if it was fermented with beer yeast. The Lummox also packs some tannins. This is a complex cider! After having it from the can and in a glass, I think it reveals its strengths best cold and straight from the can.
I think it could taste cooling and refreshing (in a bracing way!) in the summer. It’s more of a beer drinker's cider than a wine lover’s cider.
Hello, cider lovers! I think lots of folks are getting to a fever pitch of Thanksgiving planning and starting to think about winter holidays. The snowy weather here in the Finger Lakes is certainly encouraging that, but I’m not ready! Instead, I’m thinking about movies and wishing one of the theaters around here sold cider or had a BYOC policy. Most people like to combine their favorite things, and for me that would be cider and movies.
SInce I can’t enjoy my cider with my theater experiences, what I can do is think about the movies I’ve enjoyed recently while sipping on my ciders at home.
This past week, I was thrilled to get to try De Vergeten Appel’s Het Bonte Appeltje. This was my Thursday date night cider with the Tall One. After cider and dinner, we went to see Parasite by Bong Joon-Ho.
The cider is one that the Tall One brought back from his recent time in Amsterdam. He has a great time tracking down ciders for me when he travels, and I’m so grateful for it. De Vergeten Appel is a company that started after a series of happenstance events that have the cutest possible origin. Johan Holleman started making cider because his neighbor had an apple tree that scared his dogs. This tree had too many apples to be used in almost any other way, so Holleman tried making cider. The rest of the company grew from there, using lots of apples that would otherwise go to waste from a variety of dutch orchards.
You can visit the company online to learn more: https://devergetenappel.nl/
Here’s the Google translation of the cidery’s description for Het Bonte Appelje
The traditional cider from De Vergeten Appel is made from classic Dutch apples that are no longer grown commercially. The apples come exclusively from small orchards and individuals from the Tilburg area. No pesticides or fertilizers are used in these orchards. The apples used would be wasted if they were not picked by hand to be processed in this delicious cider.
Ingredients:100% juice from pressed apples, yeast, sugar for re-fermentation in the bottle.
Contains sulfites.
Keep cool and dark.Cool before use and open gently.Recommended drinking temperature of 7 ° CProduced and bottled by "De Vergeten Appel" in Tilburg
Appearance: tea, transparent, bubbly
This cider has the warm orange glow of tea. I see some bubbles in the glass, and a tiny ring of bubbles at the top. The cider isn't hazy, but it's also not fully brilliant; I'll call the clarity transparent.
Aromas: Homemade applesauce, spice, citrus
Het Bonte Appeltje smells like many orchard-based American ciders. The primary olfactory impression is that of homemade applesauce. I also get traces of citrus, spice, stone and grain.
Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry
This is a semi-dry cider with lots of fruit characteristics. Everything in the sweetness tastes very natural.
Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, tannins on the finish, citrus, bubbly
As with the aromas, this cider reminds me very much of some of the sorts of American ciders I like best.
What I taste first is Het Bonte Appeltje’s very high acid! This semi-dry cider feels austere and pointed on the tongue, quite a bit like an American dry cider but with a gentle English influence. I get some tannins on the finish that take their time to arrive, but once they get there, it’s oh so pleasant.
In terms of fruit flavors I taste strong lime notes and ripe apple. There's an interesting tongue-numbing note of pine needles. I also detect some yeast character that reminds me of fresh warm bread. The texture is very bubbly. This cider cuts through cheese soup with adroitness and effervescent clarity. With this meal it’s well-balanced and very food friendly.
It was a great preamble to a dark class comedy. Parasite is not a movie that has left my mind since I watched it. I appreciate the genre-bending twists and the pitch-perfect comedic timing.
Next up, Blue Bee's Harrison with tiny recommendations to go see Jojo Rabbit and Harriet. I'm not a film blogger, so don't expect too much!
Blue Bee Cider has been part of the cider scene as Virginia's first urban cidery since 2013. Blue Bee presents itself as not only highly local but also small-batch and seasonal. The ciders aren’t all only traditional though, Blue Bee Cider makes ciders with fruit and hops as well. Blue Bee Cider was kind enough to share this sample with me for review.
Here’s my most recent Blue Bee Cider review of the Hewe’s Crab: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/10/cider-review-two-towns-ciderhouse.html
And my take on the Hopsap Shandy:
https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/12/cider-review-blue-bees-hopsap-shandy.html
My 4th favorite cider of 2017 was Blue Bee Cider’s Charred Ordinary: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-blue-bee-cider-charred.html
Visit Blue Bee Cider online to learn about all of the ciders, their cider club, and upcoming events: https://www.bluebeecider.com/
Blue Bee Cider’s Harrison is a single varietal cider. Here’s how the company describes it.
A rare breed, the HARRISON apple makes a comeback from near-extinction in this distinct, fruit forward cider. Earthy aroma, round tannin, notes of golden raisin and orange zest.
RS 0.5%, ABV 8.5%.
Appearance: Brilliant, dandelion yellow, bubbly
This cider poured with a freshly effervescent mousse that vanished quickly. I’ll call the color dandelion yellow, but I’ve not seen a dandelion in many months, so it’s anything sunny and bright. What I can say with certainty is that this cider is brilliant.
Aromas: Woody, butterscotch, crystallized fruit
The Harrison smells mouthwateringly woody. It reminds me of a barn just as it’s starting to get rained on; the smell is fresh and wet. The cider’s aromas remind me of crystalised fruit, butterscotch, toffee, and toasted nuts. Something about the way the Harrison smells tells me this cider will be massively acidic.
Dryness/Sweetness: Off Dry
The Harrison is a beautiful example of an off dry cider. There’s just enough sweetness to enhance the cider without ever calling attention to itself as sweetness.
Flavors and drinking experience: bright, tannic, ripe apples, citrus, paper
Holy wow! Blue Bee’s Harrison tastes amazing! This cider is acidic tannic, astringent, and fruity. Something about the tannins makes me think about old maps, paper, antiques, sunlight, and dust. I can taste lychee, lime, and ripe apple throughout. There’s a lovely overwhelming brightness here. Everything about this cider adds up to something golden and overripe,
Yes, I may be a sucker for off dry, high acid, medium tannic ciders in general. But the Harrison is more than just those check boxes. It reminds me of tangerine and lime, but the finish has a floral start that fades into butterscotch. Overall, the Harrison is very well balanced and simply outstanding.
And I must say, that the two movies that I got to discuss while enjoying this cider, Jojo Rabbit and Harriet, were both as worth my time as the cider was. They were very different, but both powerful stories. They also both offered more than just what one might expect from the trailers. I am loathe to reveal more, but I was impressed in more ways that I anticipated.
Last thing, before I vanish. In less than a week Cider Week Virginia will be here! If you’ve been thinking about making a little trip to Virginia to explore cider, this is the time! November 15- 24 will be packed to the gills with cider activities.
Find out all about them: https://ciderweekva.com/
Here’s the Facebook event where you can learn more: https://www.facebook.com/events/593462531182987/
And if you’re already in Virginia, you have no excuse. Go enjoy Cider Week VA!
