Cider Review: Shoal Hope Ciderworks' Empty Barrel & Tieton Cider Work's Cranberry Cider

Though we’re almost there, I feel a bit apprehensive about claiming that we’re surviving January. Perhaps that’s just the incoming snowstorm and Polar Vortex that have me waiting another week before claiming victory over this dark, cold month. I’m not saying January is all bad; it’s not. It’s just challenging if you enjoy light, comfort, or warmth. What I have enjoyed this month is cooking at home and pairing some great meals with some fantastic ciders.  

Let’s begin with a very seasonal cider from Shoal hopes Ciderworks. I was lucky enough to receive a sample of Empty Barrel for review last year. This Massachusetts cidery has a few different ciders, and I’m slowly trying them and sharing the results. 

I had the Cranberry Cider from this cidery last October: 

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

Here's the cider's official description, "EMPTY BARREL is fermented dry and aged in American craft whiskey barrels for up to 6 weeks.  The cider becomes infused with hints of traditional whisky flavors making EMPTY BARREL a great casual drink for whiskey lovers and traditional cider drinkers alike.6.4% ABV"

Appearance: Hazy, warm straw, almost no visible bubbles

This cider looks barrel aged. There’s something about that process that leaves many ciders a bit hazy, and the Empty Barrel is no exception here. I’ll call the color warm straw. It doesn’t show many bubbles, so I’m not sure how sparkling to expect this cider will be. 

Aromas Overripe apples, oats and caramel, petroleum

This cider has so many aromas. I got so many notes just as soon as I lowered my face to the glass. I could smell overripe apples, oats, caramel and then something more brusque and bracing like petroleum. The cider smells fruity, salty, sweaty, and above all barrely. I know I can expect both apples and barrel to come forward in this cider’s flavors.

Sweetness/dryness: off dry

While I am not confident in calling this cider completely dry, neither is it sem-dry. Instead, it comes across as off dry with lots of savory notes.

Flavors and drinking experience: medium acid, barrel tannins, stony, minerals

This is a cider for fans of the barrel. Yes, there’s apple but more so I can taste barrelly tannins and plenty of minerals. This is stony like wet gravel with medium acidity. There’s some briny notes as well. 

Thin mouthfeel has low to medium bubble intensity and some real lightness. One of my favorite things about the Empty Barrel is the nice gentle warmth on the finish that comes after a bracing first taste. There’s not a ton of fruit, everything that’s stony and mineral or woody and savory are more prominent. I had this cider with loaded macaroni and cheese and some intense Bananagrams (I keep losing, but it's getting closer). It also goes well with Johnny Cash and Deadwood. 

My second cider for this week is one from Tieton Cider Works that had been waiting in my fridge for entirely too long. I’m afraid that’s becoming a theme. I don’t get a lot of Western ciders, so I buy them where I can. That means that it’s sometimes a wee minute between finding the cider and getting to open it. 

Most recently, I tried the sparkling Perry as part of 2018’s Very Perry May: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-tieton-cider-works.html
This made my top 10 Ciders of 2018!

I tried the smoked pumpkin in 2015: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/10/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-smoked.html

The Spice Route was a lovely and unusual blend of mulling or baking spices: 
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-spice.html

My first Tieton review, of their Yakima Hopped, has more of a company intro:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-yakima.html

You can visit the website to learn more about the company: http://tietonciderworks.com

The Cranberry is one of Tieton’s Core ciders. 

Here’s the official description: “Racy and fresh, this cider is perfect for lovers of both sweet and tart. We blend fresh pressed cranberry juice into an already upbeat blend of fermented apples. Bold and bright on the palate with all the freshness of ripe, red, summer fruits.” 6.9% ABV

Appearance: maroon, brilliant, almost no bubbles

I love it when ciders give me an excuse to look up shade names for a color. This looks the most like maroon of any shades of red I could compare it to. It poured brilliant without much bubble action. It is a very appealing cider to look at.

Aromas: Cranberry juice, red fruits, white sugar, wine and apples 

This cider smells directly and immediately like cranberry juice. The notes are all red fruit with just a little white sugar in the background My tasting companion found the aromas wine like. There’s some apple aroma action, but it’s subtle. 

Sweetness/dryness: Sweet to semi-sweet

This is a juicy sweet cider! It doesn’t pretend to be anything else.
Flavors and drinking experience: cranberry, high acidity, cinnamon, apple, cherry

This cider tastes as cranberry as it smells! And since I’m a cranberry fiend, this totally works for me. There’s more going on though. The Cranberry cider offers up high acidity but not a lot of salivary reaction. I get some apple, just a little apple on the finish but not a lot. I taste almost as much of the suggestion of cinnamon as I do apple, and there’s no actual cinnamon in the cider. The cinnamon note happens sometimes in cranberry ciders and even more often in cherry ciders. Most of the notes I taste are all fruit but there are suggestions of dust and wheat at the start of a sip.

In terms of texture, I noticed a relatively relaxed low-intensity bubble, but it’s too much to call the cider petillant. This cider is pleasingly accessible to anyone who loves cranberry, but if that’s not a fruit you love—maybe this cider would be a little too cranberry. 

I think my favorite part of drinking the Cranberry Cider is that little kick of bitterness on the back of the tongue.  Clean fermentation—would maybe like a bit more flavor of that.  This cider is unambiguous and yummy.  The apple smoothes out the astringence of cranberries a bit, but crucially. It tastes like the fermented version of the cran-apple juice I drank in high school with my best friend in AP English.

I had this on a quiet night in with a super healthy black bean and veggie bowl. The cider made the meal because with so much healthiness, I craved something just a little sweet and indulgent. The Cranberry cider fit the bill perfectly.

My Favourite 10 Ciders of 2018

As I’m about to close the books on 2018, I’m startled to realize that this is my 6th year collecting my top 10 favorite ciders of the year! Wow! There is something different this year though; I reviewed almost twice as many ciders. I had some encouragement to switch from top 10 to top 20, but I think the cider world is ready for more competition. ; ) I reviewed more than 95 ciders this year!

But that’s not all that happened! I’m so happy to say that I continued learning and teaching about cider, giving talks, consulting, and I wrote more about cider for venues beyond the blog than ever before. 

Just in case folks want to take a peek at last year’s and those that came before. 

2017 List: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2017.html

2016 List: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2016.html

2015 List: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2015.html

2014 List: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2014.html

2013 List: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2013.html

And I'll quote my own rules. “As in earlier years, 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 coverage in the blog. Beyond that, my only caveat is that these are my personal favorites that I wrote about in 201[8]. These may or may not be your favorites, but I encourage you to taste them and make up your own mind.”

With no further addendum or caveats, let me show you what ciders I loved most this year!

10. Australia Peckham’s Wild all the Way 
https://www.peckhams.co.nz/

I tried this intriguing blend of wild fermented cider and perry at CiderCon, and I managed to sneak a can back home with me to enjoy months later. I was surprised by the awesome tartness of this cider. Many international ciders do not have the same focus on acidity that American ciders do, but I loved this one. It had great mellow fruitiness and some tannic heft too!

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/09/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-companys.html

9. Tieton Ciderworks Sparkling Perry
https://tietonciderworks.com/

When visiting friends after GLINTCAP, I got the chance to share a very special perry. I wanted to treat them to Tieton’s Sparkling Perry because I knew it would have some sweetness, some bubble, and tons of fruit character. These were all perfect as accompaniment to two vegetarian curries; and this cider wowed everyone! We loved the bright acidity and nuttiness.

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-tieton-cider-works.html

8. Number 12 Cider House: Chestnut Semi-Dry 
https://number12cider.com/

Number 12 Cider House just opened their Minnesota taproom this year, and they continued to put out totally delightful ciders including this rich and fruity semi-dry cider filled with buzzy zestiness. The barrel characteristics took this cider from tasty to really special!

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/01/cider-review-number-12-cider-houses.html

7.  Descendant Cider Company: English Kills 
http://www.descendantcider.com/

This cider is described as and English Bittersweet Dry, all magical words to my ears. This cider delivers on lush aromas but keeps the taste cleanly austere. It tasted more savory than fruity but kept some tannic wow factor and a light enough body to be perfect with summer barbeque and corn on the cob. It was a delight.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-descendant-cider-company.html

6. Angry Orchard Cider's Understood in Motion 3 
http://www.angryorchard.com/

This collaboration cider between Ryan Burk and Tom Oliver has so many of my favorite characteristics. I knew it would take a place in this list the moment I first caught of a whiff of those mouthwatering leather and cooked apple aromas. The taste didn’t disappoint either. I like my tannic ciders to maintain balance with acidity and the Understood in Motion 3 really managed that beautifully. Yum!

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-angry-orchard-ciders.html

5. Snowdrift Cornice: 
http://www.snowdriftcider.com/

Washington state’s Snowdrift Cider Co. put out a supremely wintery cider in the Cornice. It has body from barrel aging and enough tannins to really feel substantial in mouthfeel. I loved the acidity and plumminess. This cider was one to savor.

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/01/cider-review-snowdrift-cider-cos-cornice.html

4. Whitewood Cider Company’s Kingston Black and Wickson Apple
http://whitewoodcider.com/

This cider was part of a very special birthday dinner my friend Elizabeth prepared. I chose this cider for the pesto and homemade pasta course, because the cider was going to offer up more herbal notes (to pair with pesto) due to some time spent aging in a gin barrel. The pairing worked splendidly, and everyone noticed this cider in particular. It was just so aromatic and botanical and delicious!

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-dear-friend-el-just-had-birthday.html

3. Big Fish Highland Scrumpy
http://www.bigfishcider.com

This is another treat, I got to take home from CiderCon 2018; it’s a big blend of apples shared for a local community event. The final result is mellow, fruity, balanced and beautifully semi-dry. I especially enjoyed the burst of grapefruit: bitterness tempered with citrus fruit notes. 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-angry-orchard-ciders.html

2. Eve’s Darling Creek: 
http://evescidery.com

This was my Thanksgiving cider this year. I’ve had the Darling Creek for years, but this particular vintage came out drier and more balanced than any previous. I just love how the aromas reminds me of autumnal apples and oak.This cider is funky, tart, substantive, and super bubbly. I absolutely adored it. 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-ciders-eves-ciderys.html

1. Castle Hill Cider's Levity
https://www.castlehillcider.com/

This is just a fantastic cider. In a list this good, that almost feels like an understatement. The cider has body but lightness, structure and playfulness, balance and sophistication.I simply adore the richness and baking spice notes that manage to do so much in a completely dry cider. The Levity is bone-dry, beautiful, and bubbly. The apple varieties and use of terra cotta fermentation vessels combine to create a truly magical cider. 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-reviews-castle-hills-levity-and.html

Let’s end this list with what I feel most: gratitude for cider people and the wonderful experiences we’ve had together this year. I appreciate the orchardists, restaurant folk, cider makers and cider geeks of all stripes. I raise my cider glass to all of us, loving, learning, and promoting our favorite beverage. Here's to even more of the good stuff in 2019! Cheers!

Very Perry May: Tieton Cider Works Sparkling Perry, Stem Ciders Perry and GLINTCAP Best in Class

I’m back from GLINTCAP, and I’m still not tired of cider. I guess that means I’m living my best life because I’ve been in cider world hard core for most of last week Now, it’s time for week 3 of Very Perry May and I used my travel and my cellar to have two perries instead of one this week!

I’m starting with Tieton Cider Works Sparkling Perry. I couldn't resist picking this up on my way home from GLINTCAP. I don't see Tieton Cider Works beverages everywhere, but when I do, it's exciting. This company tries so many adventurous styles but also has access to some really good fruit and juice.

Visit Tieton online at https://tietonciderworks.com/

Or keep up with what's happening on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tietonciderworks/

Here are all of my previous Tieton Cider Works reviews.

Yakima Valley Dry Hopped: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-yakima.html

Tieton Cider Works Spice Route: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-spice.html

Tieton Cider Works Smoked Pumpkin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/10/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-smoked.html

The Tieton Cider Works Perry's Official description reads, “Sparkling Perry is a beverage akin to champagne; dry and brilliant. Our Estate Sparkling Perry is made exclusively from traditional Perry pears grown in our Washington orchards. 5.5% ABV.”

What I think is really interesting is that the bottle has a sticker that calls this cider semi-sweet, an the label calls it dry. That might be contributable to the sorbitol that occurs naturally in pears. Because that sugar cannot be fermented, a perry fermented to dryness can still taste more or less sweet.

Appearance: Amber, hazy, few bubbles

First off, I am so sorry I don'thave any pictures of the poured perry! I was distracted by good company. When I poured this perry, I knew it had to include perry pears from the intensity of color. Most perrys are very light straw, to light green, or even translucent. This is decidedly a more rich amber hue with a bit of haze and a few bubbles.

Aromas: Ripe pear, caramel, banana

I can smell the texture and freshness of pear flesh in this cider. Something about the actual granular texture of ripe pears comes across through smell alone. I also get notes of caramel and banana that could hint at some mild, oxidization. All of the aromas present are gentle and in good balance.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-sweet

Sorbitol or no, this cider perceives to me (and to others I was tasting with) as semi-sweet. The sweetness does feel very fruity, warm, and natural.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, medium high tannins, nutty

The high acid keeps this semi-sweet perry from pushing into fully sweet territory. As do the medium high tannins. This perry definitely uses real perry pears. It tastes so nutty. The Sparklingly Perry speaks primarily with bright acid bouncing in contrast with friendly brown sugar notes—but without any sort of a burnt sugar flavor.

I am struck with how clean and fruity the finish is while still evoking minerals somehow. I had this with homemade vegetarian Indian food: Aloo Gobi and Palak Paneer. The sweetness and spiciness were perfect together. Wow!

Next Up: Stem Cider Perry

My second perry for the week comes from out west, from Colorado cider and perry maker Stem Ciders. The company sent me this review sample last year, but it didn’t arrive in time for Very Perry May, so I’ve been sitting on these notes for a little while now. The company was started about five years ago, by Eric Foster and Phil Kao. Stem Ciders is based out of Lafayette, Colorado. The company makes a range of ciders from perennially available styles to limited releases and collaborations.

Read plenty more and see some great pictures at: https://stemciders.com

The page I recommend checking out the most is the Philosophy section: https://stemciders.com/philosophy/

My only previous review of a Stem cider is the Pear Apple Cider as part of the #PickCider series: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-stem-ciders-pear-apple.html

Appearance: pale yellow green, brilliant, no bubble

This perry is strikingly brilliant. Many contain a note of haze, but not this perry. The color is a pale yellow green, and it shows no bubbles.

Aromas: pear flesh, bubble gum, mint

Oh, what fresh smells! I think this perry smells tremendously appealing: sweet and juicy like fresh and ripe pear flesh. Other notes include bubblegum and mint. It’s all so fruity and springy. I can also detect the tiniest hint of metallic and dust that lead me to expect high acidity. I find the combination of aromas mouthwatering and powerful. The ntoes keep coming every time I lift the glass.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-dry

This is a mild and friendly semi-dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: bubbly, twiggy, mild, creamy

This cider pours with bubbles. Nice, I wasn’t sure based on its first appearance. I can taste sugar down the middle of my tongue. The primary notes I’m tasting are twiggy and green but not under-ripe. There’s just a bit of tannins—chalky but kinda nice. I think this perry tastes super approachable and good, but not quite as wowsers as it smells. All of the flavors are mild. There’s

a great aura of cream soda or birch beer. It's herbal but not bitter or very astringent. Definitely a keeper.

I had mine with corn on the cob, veggie nuggets, and a very tomato-y salad. Yum.

This last week, I travelled to Grand Rapids with my illustrious partner and co-taster Alex for GLINTCAP! We tasted through 7 rounds, including 2 Best in Class rounds. It was wonderful inspiring work. We also go to see some awesome cider makers, cellar hands, wine sellers, fellow writers, and cider nerds of all ilks. I love Grand Rapids, and I love GLINTCAP. I feel like I learn things every year from this crazy grueling celebration of cider. Many thanks to Eric West and all the volunteers who make this fantastic event happen.

And I’d like to send all interested parties (that means everyone!) over to the GLINTCAP site to get a peek at the Best in Class Awards. Congratulations to all of those winners!

http://glintcap.org/

I look forward to seeing the full results which should be up before the end of May!

Cider Con 2017 Part 1: An Industry Growing Up

The United States Association of Cider Makers and the Big Picture 

Every year that I've attended, CiderCon feels like an event hosted by a developing organization. The United States Association of Cider Makers improves and challenges itself to learn more and do more each year. I remember some of the goals from last year, and we've achieved them. And when I think about CiderCon's maturation, it isn't just the parent organization, its how the whole industry approaches having a national meeting. We are learning to make the most of this time: not just to see friends and attend workshops, but to boost cider through timed releases, special events, collaborations and more.

Our hotel even had swank elevator wraps and quizzes

Most notably of the achievements of 2016 for the USACM is Michelle McGrath's hire as Executive Director. It took a long and arduous search but everyone is so happy that they found her. Bruce Nissen, our new USACM president and founder of Jester and Judge Cider (http://jesterandjudge.com/)described the search as a thorough narrowing from an initial applicant pool of 1300 people down to just one. And after seeing Michelle throughout the weekend, I am completely impressed with her energy and organization. 

I want to show a bit more of the evidence I observed that CiderCon is maturing.

I appreciated excellent coordination as shown by the programs with maps, external work with organizations outside of USACM not only with Cider Summit Chicago but Cider Week Chicago, multiple cider releases timed to coincide with the conference, an organized press briefing, on and off site portfolio tastings, and best of all a strategic plan for USACM that covers their goals for the next three years. I've always felt like folks are trying to make the best of our time together at CiderCon, but some of these developments just blew me away.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a press briefing on the gearing up day of the conference. At this meeting each of the United States Association Board Member introduced themselves and their cidery. Each region and scale is represented on this board. The current board members are: Bruce Nissen, Dan Wilson, Eleanor Leger, Trevor Baker, Ryan Burk, Paul Vander Heide, Ben Calvi, Marcus Tieton, Brian Shanks, Dan Young and Eric Foster. As they each introduced themselves, they said a little bit about their cideries.

Board members also poured samples of their ciders; this is the tip of that iceberg

Michelle led the meeting and introduced us to what USACM is doing. The organization actively represents cider to the government to improve legislation of the industry. This is the year that the CIDER act goes into effect which reduces the tax burden on many cideries, particularly those making a sparkling cider.

The next legislative push is for the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act which you can read about here: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/statement-on-introduction-of-craft-beverage-modernization-and-tax-reform-act.

Another major project of the USACM includes developing labelling for cider that will allow consumers to have a better idea of what they are purchasing. Though this is not yet developed early comparisons use the Riesling Taste Profile from the International Riesling Foundation as a potentially useful model.

Still on the subject of cider education, we got an update on the Cider Certification Program from Paul Vander Heide of Vandermill Cider. The first level of the CCP is now available to study and take online, with reduced pricing for USACM members. I was part of the inaugural class of CCP takers last February and vouch for the quality of information used for the test and training. The program is designed for everyone who wants to learn about cider in a serious way but is especially well suited to folks working in the hospitality industry or interacting with the public about cider. Learn more at the website: http://www.ciderassociation.org/Certification.

Another significant goal for the USACM is the comissioning of third party economic data that's more granular than what's available through Nielsen and more inclusive of local and regional producers. The industry needs better coverage of cider's “long tail” when such a large proportion of our businesses are very small and often very young.

Opening Session

This year we also played host to some very special visitors from two cider making regions of France: Brittany and Normandy. Ghisilaine Davy from Cidrerie Daufresne to share his Poire(Perry), Dominique Le Brun from Cidres Le Brun to discuss keeving as a fermentation technique, and Guilliaume Drouin from Christian Drouin, bringing his Calvados and cidre.
At the opening session, we heard (via video) from Oregon lawmaker Representative Earl Blumenauer about continuing bipartisan efforts to improve the regulations and taxation that govern cider as a beverage. He's a charming speaker who championed the CIDER Act that already promises to give some producers a number of beneficial legal changes.

Another highlight of the opening session for me was our welcome video. This includes cideries from all over the country and a few sly jokes if you know the personalities and companies involved. Even without these little hidden gems, the video is a fun window into the quirkiness of cider makers.

https://vimeo.com/203243082

The most exciting part of the opening session though was finding out about next year's location for CiderCon. In 2018, we'll convene in Baltimore. I anticipate lots of seafood pairings and events that show me a city I've never seen.

Our opening panel discussion

Up next, I'll share my experiences at the panels, workshops, and tastings of CiderCon 2017.

Wednesday evening Cider Share

Cider Review: Tieton Ciderworks' Spice Route

I know I get fewer chances to review ciders from the western portion of the country, but this Washington State cider struck me as just the thing recently. Tis the season for spicy ciders. Tonight I'm returning to Tieton Ciderworks to try their Spice Route.

For a little bit of background, Tieton Ciderworks grew out of Harmony Orchards. The company makes it very clear; they make cider because they grow lots and lots of apples; the family has been orcharding in the region since the 1920s. tThey have  been growing cider specific varieties since 2008. Here's the quote I found most interesting online, "We now have the largest acreage of cider apples and Perry pears in the state of Washington with 55 acres." Dreamy to hear, isn't it?

You can find out lots more on the web at: http://tietonciderworks.com

This bottle came from a pleasant and well-stocked bottle shop in Lakewood, Ohio. I found it while visiting friends when a spicy cider was far from in season, so I've been saving this for a bit. 

I've reviewed two of Tieton Ciderworks' offerings previously, both relatively seasonal but very tasty.

Smoked Pumpkin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/10/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-smoked.html

Yakima Valley Dry Hopped: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-yakima.html

Tieton's official description is short and sweet, "An exotic and fresh cider. Expect a medium straw with hints of cinnamon, vanilla, clove and allspice. Reminiscent of a fresh baked apple pie. 500ml – 6.9% Alcohol."

Appearance: brilliant, big bubbles, bright intense gold color

This cider pleases me so much to look at it. The clarity can only be described as brilliant. I can see lots of big bubbles clinging to all of the inside surfaces of the glass The color reminds me of buttery corn, all freshly shining gold.

Aromas: caramel, clove, apple

This smells like an autumnal dessert. I am so fond of that caramel apple scent, strongly accompanied by clove. I can also get some of the asllspice from the description.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-dry but complicated

I think spiced ciders add a real complication to the basic spectrum of sweet to dry. The spices, especially in this cider, add some sharpness and bitterness that call out for a balance with more sweetness as well. This cider balances that well.

Flavors and drinking experience: low tannin, well balanced, integrated flavors

The first thing I noticed about this cider after the presence of spice was how nicely integrated the acidity feels to the whole experience. There's no real tannin to speak of, but this wouldn't be a cider variation I'd choose for much tannin.

Spice ciders  are really seasonal but this cider is far from the overly sweet "pumpkin spice" trend or even "apple pie spice/" more cold and spicy than that I found this cider pleasing, balanced and full bodied with medium bubble.

I had the Spice Route with macaroni and cheese made from scratch with a mix of bechamel, Vermont white cheddar, and Emmentaler topped with garlicy breadcrumbs. I know a lot of folks will be watching election returns tonight with some sense of urgency. Take care of yourself with something grounding and delicious to eat and cider worth relaxing with while you wait. This might be just the ticket.

Cider Review: Tieton Ciderworks' Smoked Pumpkin Cider

Okay, I know I give pumpkin stuff a hard time. It's not that I don't absolutely love the orange gourd that has come to represent all of fall. Therefore, I'm not going to apologize for trying most pumpkin ciders that I see anywhere and anywhen. Finding one I actually really like doesn't happen even half of the time, so its a difficult hurdle and yet and interesting one.

Perhaps I've tipped my hand too soon, but here's my review of a fall seasonal by Tieton Ciderworks. 

That's alright.

You can visit their website here: http://tietonciderworks.com

My only previous review of anything by Tieton Ciderworks has more of a company intro there:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-tieton-ciderworks-yakima.html

Smoked pumpkin by Tieton cider works

Official description

An earthy nuanced cider filled with tannins and acid and smoked over apple wood – the same wood that produced the apples – which gives it a light sweetness. the earthiness of pumpkin is your first experience The apple juice steps back, allowing the smoke to be your first experience, followed by a light smoke and finishing with the acid of the cider.

This cider has the familiar 6.9% ABV of many craft ciders. at this point, its almost reassuring that this is the fermented juice of apples instead of a blend leaning too heavily on unfermented ingredients.

Appearance: aged intense gold

Like popcorn kernels and the eyes of certain cats, this cider offers a mesmerizing intensity of old gold. Its an exciting cider to see with all of those big clinging bubbles and gorgeous clarity. 

Sweetness/dryness: semi-dry/semi-sweet

Tieton's Smoked Pumpkin falls in the middle of the road in terms of sweetness, at least to me.  Truly, I'd be hard pressed to say if its more a semi-dry or a semi-sweet. Tieton calls it a semi-dry and I think most cider drinkers would find that a reasonable description.

Aromas: spicy, peppery, fruity, dusty 

Smells sweet dusty peppery

There are good notes of anticipation in here. So often I love the ciders that smell both spicy and dusty. This has that going on but also sweet and peppery.

Flavors and drinking experience: spicy, vegetal, tart, woody

I'm not sure the official description gives a guidebook the my experience of this cider! It rather rates a guidebook though because it does have multiple stages and plenty of complexity. I can taste lots of smoke, plenty of pumpkin and what feels like savory spices. Before I read the description I would have called white pepper, nutmeg, and clove but not in a "pumpkin spice" way. I taste these spices are bitterness, heat, and savory because the cider isn't very sweet and there's no cinnamon brown sugar softness to sand down the angles. But once I read more, I learned it's just pumpkin juice. Fascinating.

My tasting companion instead found tons of squash and vegetal notes and much less smoke. he noted the tension between sweet and bitter with fibrous woodiness.  Our different impressions were far more distinct than usual. 

We did agree about the full mouthfeel and medium sparkle. I'd say its tastefully fizzy but that could be even stronger.

This pumpkin cider definitely pairs well with food. I'd recommend it with a fall quinoa salad and the first roasted brussels sprouts of the season. Or have it for yourself when you open up your door for tricker-or-treaters this weekend!


Happy Halloween


Conclusion

Cider Review: Tieton Ciderworks' Yakima Valley Dry Hopped Cider

In the name of seasonality, I've been focusing on fruit ciders more than usual lately. Summer suits them and in summer, they suit me more than the rest of the year. But that's far from the only direction summer-friendly ciders can take. One of my other favorites has to be hopped ciders. I love them year round, but I find they work especially well in the summer. Hence, my first review ever of a Tieton Ciderworks Cider, the Yakima Valley Dry Hopped Cider.

Since this is, surprisingly, my first actual blog post about a Tieton Ciderworks beverage, I'd like to introduce the company a bit. Here's what they say about themselves on their website:

Our fresh pressed juice comes from apples grown in the Pacific Northwest. We blend American heritage, English and French cider varieties with our organically grown dessert apples to capture the best of what each variety brings to the bottle: sweetness, acidity, tannin and aroma. The results are ciders with body and a depth of finish.

I appreciate how much this introduction focuses on the taste features of their cider. That's relatively rare. More commonly, I see a narrative about location, personal connections to cider, preserving heritage apple varieties, and various values that are somewhat more mediated. Mind you, those things can also anchor a wonderful cider company, so I'm not dissing that. But I prioritize taste, and when I see a cider company that speaks about taste, I have a feeling that we might speak the same language.

Taste isn't all that Tieton writes about when it comes to their history and identity. Their orchard is organic and currently worked by the third generation of this Yakima Valley farming family. And they spend a whole paragraph on the concept of food pairing with cider. 

Quick aside, the current labeling and visual branding for their ciders no longer looks like the bottle I photographed and tasted. I highly recommend taking a look at their website because the new graphic design style is simply gorgeous. I love the changes they made.

Here's the site: http://tietonciderworks.com

Tonight's cider is Tieton Ciderworks' Yakima Valley Dry Hopped Cider. Here's what the cidermakers say about it.

The Yakima Valley is known worldwide as a premier apple growing region and a prominent source of hops.  We have chosen a select blend of traditional and exotic hops to marry with our cider. This blend of hops produces an aroma of fruit-forward nuttiness followed by a citrusy palate.

500ml – 6.9% Alcohol

Our most versatile food cider:  it plays well with citrus; it loves dishes with lots of herbs, and blends with the diverse flavors of many cultures.   It is amazing because it pairs with pork in our Spicy Pork Stew; Red Posole and Tomato Fennel Soups and with fish in our White Bean and Tuna Salad, Raviolis with Prawns and our stunning Cider Battered Whitefish sandwich.   Keep several bottles of this cider around and make any meal special.

Appearance: brilliant, medium numbers of visible bubbles, bright straw

This is a lovely cider to look at. I enjoy the active bubbles and bright straw color.

Aromas: citrus, pine, green grapes

Primarily I can smells delicate green grapes, but spices take their role as well. Pine needles make it smell clean and citrusy fill out that classic hopped cider profile. Gorgeous smells. My husband gets notes of Lychee and a little rubber. All in all, it gives me the anticipation for apple citrus herbal hoppy goodness.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry to semi-dry

The cider tastes like a fruity citrusy semi-dry to me, but I'm guessing many folks would find it drier than that. The acidity and gentle bitterness of the finish balance out the fruit nicely.

Flavors and drinking experience: herbaceous, appley, balanced, fruity

This hopped cider tastes both appley and hoppy in that pine soap and lemon sort of way. Very pleasantly so. It has really lovely level of sparkle, just enough and not too much. Everything about this cider is a little on the gentle side. there's a quick initial taste of pine that melds into mild pear and peach. The midpalate generally strikes me as warmer. Then two seconds later I'm headed off into that lingering herbal grassy bitter finish. The body is light and lithe and summery.

We had this with both supper and dessert. Supper was a bruschetta with tomato, mozzarella, toasted walnuts, red bell pepper all chopped and macerated together with olive oil, garlic and salt heaped onto toasted baguette rounds. This works well with a hopped cider! I think the citrus notes bring it together the most.

The dessert, to my surprise, worked even better. This time the Yakima Valley Dry Hopped Cider complimented leftover birthday cake. That doesn't sound as epic as it tasted, because this was not just any cake. My dear friend Marybeth made a triple layer chocolate cake with caramel chocolate ganache, and, just as she promised, the cake tasted even better a day or two after it had been assembled. This is the cake that we had with delightfully light and semi-dry hopped cider. If you take any one thing away from this post; try a hopped cider with cake. You deserve it.