Cider Review: Portland Cider Co.'s Bloody Hell

I breathed a quiet breath of relief on the morning ofJuly 5th. My cat Braeburn and I got to enjoy a cool sunny morning in my sunroom. He watched squirrels, and I watched him. Summer always seems to enter a new phase after July 4th, and I’m glad to see it arrive. I’m not a fan of that particular holiday, curmudgeon that I am. The pets in the house resoundingly agree. This morning we basked in a day before the heat's rising and after last night’s smoky booming cacophony.

Last night I tried Portland Cider Co.’s Bloody Hell. The cidery is a fun one that creates adventurous and innovative ciders all the time. Check on my previous reviews to find out more about the company and see what I have to say about several Portland Cider Co. offerings! I will note that this cider was shared with me for review.

Lemon-Lime Ciderade: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/06/cider-review-portland-cider-companys.html

Crangerine: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/12/cider-review-portland-cider-companys.html

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

I recommend visiting Portland Cider Company online. The website has plenty of content to help the curious learn more about the ciders and tasting room events: https://www.portlandcider.com/home

Appearance: intense deep orange, hazy, few visible bubbles

The Bloody Hell’s color is as truly orange as I've seen in a cider. The color is a deep carmine red orange. It pours with no head and only a very few visible bubbles. I’d call the clarity hazy, as it looks just like a gentle fog has moved through the color.

Aromas: Citrus, apple, pear, spice

The Bloody Hell smells like ripe apple, citrus, and pear with a crawling curling spice that arrives later. The spice lingers and tickles deep in the nose. I also get some mineral notes with just a hint of carbonic gases below the surface.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry to semi-sweet

This cider falls exactly in the middle spot. It’s not quite semi-dry; it’s sweeter than that. It’s also not quite semi-sweet; it's drier than that. This is exactly what the packaging told me to expect, so I’m impressed with the accuracy.

Flavors and drinking experience: peach, orange, ripe apple, high acid, mild spice

Yum! The Bloody Hell really melds its flavors nicely. I can taste ripe apple and blood orange from the first and the spice just creates a pleasant little kick! The peppers have a sweet corn note to them.  The cider’s sweet melds with its spicy, and the fruit notes are almost more peachy than orange.  The cider tastes more integrated than it smells—though the aromas are fine.

The Bloody Hell has medium low bubble intensity, a full body, and plenty of acid. There are no tannins to speak of. The flavors linger on the tongue, probably from the pepper. It's not excessively spicy.  I appreciate that there's solidly apple in the drinking experience for this cider. It’s not dominant—no surprise there, given the number of flavors interacting, but it's crucial. The cider reminds me in some ways of the peppery El Chavo cider by Blake’s.

I had this cider with Buffalo Cauliflower and charred sweet corn. It was a lovely combo. I really enjoy this cider. It’s approachable, well-balanced, and totally drinkable. Try it!

Cider Review: Blake’s Hard Cider's Santa Rosa, Virtue Cider's Mezzo Spritz, Plus NY state's First Cider Competition

This week, I’m doing something a little different. I’ve got one cider review as usual, and then I’m sharing news on a statewide New York cider competition and a cider spritz. I need a little something different from time to time, particularly when the winter has hit pause on a run of gray days that are going on forever. I’m dreaming of all things fun and fruity.

That’s why I want to start with Blake’s Cider’s Santa Rosa.

Blake’s Hard Cider ferments many different ciders. They are organized into different lines, including a year-round selection, seasonal releases, and two high-end specialty cider lines. You can visit Blake’s Hard Cider’s tasting and tap room in Armada, Michigan. One of the coolest things Blake’s Hard Cider does is the Kinder Cider line that releases a special cider tied to a particular cause for which it raises money. Most recently, the company created Great Blakes coffee-infused cider to raise money for Freshwater Future program. 

Read more about all of the ciders and other projects at: http://www.blakeshardcider.com

I’ve reviewed several ciders by Blake’s before. And for full disclosure, this bottle was sent to me for review. 

I used the Beard Bender to make my signature Thanksgiving dish Hard Cider Dressing: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-ciders-eves-ciderys.html

And I did indulge in a pumpkin cider with the Apple Lantern: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-reviews-blakes-hard-ciders-apple.html

Here’s the long-awaited Black Philip: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/04/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-black.html

To go with a special homemade dinner, I paired The Tonic with cucumber and ginger: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-companys.html

One of my favorites is the El Chavo with habanero and mango: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/11/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-companys.html

I had a can of the Wakefire with orange peel and cherries:

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

In the winter of 2017, I shared the Snapdragon with rum raisins: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/11/cider-review-blakes-hard-ciders.html

Today, I’m sharing my impressions of the Santa Rosa from the Forager line. Here’s the official description, “Bold yet refined. Hard cider fermented on Santa Rosa plum skins.The extended contact with the plum skins and the long cold fermentation produces a cider of complex depth. 5% ABV” The label includes lots of into that’s more difficult to pass along including fun orchard pictures, other descriptions of the cider and some neat neo-victorian collage art.  

Appearance: brilliant, apricot, bubbly

This cider has such a pleasing warm apricot color. No wonder it’s bottled in clear glass. Once poured the cider looks bubbly and brilliant.

Aromas: dried apples, raisins, caramel, sun-dried tomato

These smell are everywhere and so exciting. I get notes of caramel, dried apple, raisin, even some great savory notes of salt and sun-dried tomato. There is a connecting factor that makes it make sense. These smells associate with umami-rich foods. I expect a rich and hearty cider. 

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

As the graphic on the label indicates this is a semi-sweet to sweet cider.   

Flavors and drinking experience: raisiny, plummy, rich

There are as many tastes to this cider as there were smells, but in this sense they are milder and warmly sweet. The first note I taste is how raisiny the cider is. Yes to plums, but this is full of rich dried flavors. Everyone who tasted it got more than just plums, and they match the aroma profile. We tasted apricot, caramel, and cooked apple. There’s even one tiny note of mushroom in the finish

As I hope with a richer sweeter cider, the Santa Rosa has a big mouthfeel. It’s Good to roll around in your mouth. Medium tannins from the plum skin. Though it’s more than petillant, the Santa Rosa’s sparkle is on the lighter side. 

I love how it manages to be sweet but not cloying. I think that’s due to the Santa Rosa’s medium to high acidity that lingers with citrus notes. This cider isn’t a profile I choose everyday, but Blake’s clearly gets it right! Fantastic!

The announcement: I’m super excited about judging for a new cider competition. This is the first state-wide competition for New York ciders! it’s being held in Rochester in May; that just sounds dreamy to me right now. It’s being run as a non-profit fundraiser. If you are a NY cider producer, I encourage you to submit your very best cider or two! More about the competition in the coming weeks!

https://cider.raiseaglassfoundation.com/

I’m sticking with the theme of different to review a spritz. I know. It’s not a cider. I was curious when I heard about it. Lots of cider makers are making beverages of this type in the past year or so. I even brought a few of them into my Cider Culture article about low ABV ciders and cider related beverages: https://www.ciderculture.com/low-abv-ciders/.

This isn’t going to be a regular feature, but if I happen to find one or try one that’s cider related, it may show up here. 

I have reviewed several ciders from Virtue in Michigan.

The Percheron:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/10/cider-review-virtue-ciders-percheron.html

The Mitten: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/05/cider-review-virtue-ciders-mitten-and.html

The Mitten Reserve: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-whitewood-cider-cos-olivia.html

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

Virtue Cider Seedling Orchard With Schaerbeek Cherries made it into Elizabeth’s birthday dinner: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-dear-friend-el-just-had-birthday.html

My first taste was the Red Streak back in 2013: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/trying-virtue-and-olivers-ciders-at.html

Product information straight from Virtue includes: 

Product Details: Mezzo Spritz Blood OrangeMade with Virtue Cider, sparkling water, and botanicals including blood orange oil, sage, and spearmintTasting Notes: hazy orange-rose appearance, bright fresh-squeezed blood orange with light floral aromas, juicy blood orange up-front, dry, soft middle, and a crisp, complex bitter orange peel, cocktail bitters-type finish3.5% ABV, 80 calories

So when I read about Virtue Cider’s Mezzo Spritz it sounded like a cider-based low alcohol version of an Aperol Spritz or something like it. And I love an Aperol Spritz, plus having lower ABV options is often a really desirable thing. 

Appearance: deep orange, hazy, bubbly

What a fun color to be hiding in a can! This looks a lot like an Aperol Spritz! It’s deep orange, bubbly and mildly hazy. It does not look like a cider.

Aromas: blood orange, botantical, herby

This smells strongly of blood orange and secondarily like some botanical herbs. 

Dryness/sweetness: off dry

This was the biggest surprise of the whole experience. The Mezzo Spritz tastes significantly drier than I expected.

Flavors and drinking experience: apple, orange, bitter herbs

The Mezzo Spritz tastes like apple, orange and botantical herbs. It’s a lot less soda like than I rather expected. It’s not that the spritze doesn’t have a high bubble level- it does. This is an intense sparkler. The Spritz was just so much less sweet than I expected. This was a thrill for me, but I’m actually not sure how well that will serve it in the market. 

It has a light body, and I enjoy the relatively high acidity. I’d prefer Virtue’s ciders, but this spritz achieves its own identity. It’s tasty, bubbly, light, dry, and zesty. 

Cider Review: Blake’s Hard Cider Black Philip and Ploughman Cider’s Pinot N’Arlet

April has arrived! We may still get snow in upstate New York later this week, but I’m determined to see spring. This week, my plan to experience more spring than the weather allows, I’m going to share my thoughts on two fruit ciders. What could be more springy than fresh fruit flavors?

My Cideries for the week start with Blake’s Hard Cider out of Michigan. This cider makes a number of lines of ciders; that’s one of their key characteristics. They have a year round selection, seasonal ciders, and two different high end limited release lines. Additionally, they have a tasting room that’s also a bar and restaurant in Armada, Michigan.

Read more about all of the endeavors at: http://www.blakeshardcider.com

My previous reviews of Blake’s ciders include:

The Tonic with cucumber and ginger: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-companys.html

El Chavo with habanero and mango: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/11/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-companys.html

Snapdragon with rum raisins: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/11/cider-review-blakes-hard-ciders.html

Today I’m sharing my review of Blake’s Hard Cider Black Phillip. This was shared in an array of samples from Blake’s Hard Cider. I’ve been looking forward to this cider for a long while because the name is inspired by a character in one of my favorite films, The Witch (2015). And I am a sucker for those rustic gothic stylings on the can.

Any film buffs or New England folklorists that haven’t seen this yet should stop reading immediately and watch this movie (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4263482/)

Blake’s Official Description reads: Our award winning semi-sweet hard cider infused with an array of cranberries and blood orange. Permeate your favorite autumn nights with our newest creation, Black Phillip; the question is, would you like to live deliciously? ABV 4.5%

The connection between the cider’s style and its name, at least for my guess, has to come from the cranberries due to their New England connection.

Appearance Hazy, peach, few bubbles

Wow! I don’t see very many hazy ciders, but that’s the only way to describe this one. It’s not cloudy. There aren’t many visible bubbles. I’d describe the color as peachy but warm.

Aromas: orange, fruit punch, spicy, dust

This cider smells like oranges and peanuts and fruit punch and sweet tarts; dust, spiciness

Sweetness/dryness: semi-sweet

This is a semi-sweet cider. It doesn’t go overboard with sweetness, but its also

Flavors and drinking experience: twiggy, blood orange, cranberry

This cider tastes more mild and woody or twiggy than I was expecting. The most prominent flavor is the blood orange but the cranberry does play a crucial role for balance. Yes, I do taste some apple; that's the question most cider aficionados ask about any fruit blended cider. The goal is for the beverage to achieve a balance of apple and other flavors and not for apple notes to disappear entirely. As I said, this surprisingly gentle—especially when i think of the film and the character that name it.

The Black Phillip has medium acidity, low tannins, and a relatively mellow level of sparkle. I find it very refreshing and easy drinking. It's absolutely pleasant if not shocking and striking. It's quite hard to think of another cider that tastes like this. I enjoy its appealing sense of restraint. Perhaps that's the New England character coming out after all.

I'd not pair this with anything too overpowering. I want this cider to shine, so I'd serve it on its own or with something relatively easy going like a mushroom sherry soup or a spinach salad.

Ploughman Farm Cider

I was introduced to Ploughman ciders when I judged at the Pennsylvania Farm Show last year, and I was mightily impressed. I’d really like to visit the Farm Cidery in Adams County when I can. The company only sources their apples from one place, the local Three Springs Fruit Farm; I can’t think of a much greater commitment to local cider. The selection varies seasonally.

 

Visit the website to learn more about this up and coming cidery: https://www.ploughmancider.com/

I got my bottle of Pinot N’Arlet as an remainder from the competition.

Here’s the official description: Apples were our first love, but when a neighbor offered us a batch of Pennsylvania-grown Pinot Noir grapes, we couldn’t say no. This wild yeast fermented cider combines the elegance of these grapes with the ruddy, rustic sweetness of Macoun and Arlet (hence the name) apples. Dry and blush-colored, it’s extremely food-friendly. ABV 7.5%

Appearance: brilliant, bubbly, pink

This has the most lovely rose color and many visible bubbles. Its completely tantalizing. 

Aromas: dust, stones, red grapes

The Pinot N’Arlet smells dusty and grapey. Specifically it smells like apples and fresh red grapes.

Sweetness/dryness: Off Dry

This is a just off dry cider, but one that packs a lot of fruit intensity without much sweetness.

Flavors and drinking experience: Balanced, just a little sour, fruity

The Pinot N’Arlet is just a little bit sour, but not too much. It does bring that tangy high acid throughout each drink. I love how its stony at the same time as being fruity. The fruit notes are mostly berries with strawberries dancing to the forefront of my mind as I sip.

One thing I definitely noticed is that this cider tastes more clean than wild fermentations usually do! It has a nice balance between fruit, acid, and body. I had this with wonderful homemade japanese food and dear friends, but I could see pairing this cider with a diverse range of dishes. I would be thrilled to try it with a leek and asparagus frittata or with roasted salmon and pasta primavera. When Ploughman describes it as food friendly, I think they are onto something.

I enjoyed both of my fruity ciders very much. Hopefully soon we can be sipping these things outside in the spring sunshine!

#PickCider Review: Austin Eastciders' Blood Orange

Bonus review this week just to help us count down to July 4th! I want to highlight as many summer ciders as possible, so we can all #pickcider for the upcoming holiday.

Here are my previous special Summer #PickCider reviews.

Citizen Cider's Companion: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-citizen-ciders.html

Mainiac Blueberry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-of-rickers-hard-cider.html

Gumption's Citrus Freak: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-of-gumption-hard.htmlToday's review is Austin Eastciders' Blood Orange. 

This review marks my first taste of Austin Eastciders, and my first experience of cider with orange included, so I'm pretty excited to taste something doubly new. Again, an aside, This was shared with me as a review sample. This doesn't ever change how I interpret a cider.

https://austineastciders.com/

The official description reads, "We blended blood oranges from Italy with bittersweet heirloom apples to create a cider with a zesty twist. With just the right amount of sweet and citrus flavors, our Blood Orange Cider is sure to brighten your day." 5% ABV

The other fascinating feature on the page about this cider is a simple mixed drink recipe designed to use this exact cider. It's called The Bigger Better Cider and its worth a trip to the website just to check this out. 

https://austineastciders.com/products/blood-orange-cider

I took a can of this cider to a casual wedding reception, just so I could get in a review with some awesome summer party food pairings. Congrats again Sarah and Mara! The beautiful table decorations were a bonus.

Appearance: Cloudy, sunny orange, ring of small bubbles

This is one of the more cloudy ciders I've seen from the United States. As the photo shows, the color is a fun sunny orange and the only visible bubbles ring the glass at the cider's surface.

Aromas: champagne, mimosa, orange, wood

The Blood Orange smells like apple, orange, wood. Not like orange juice, but instead with a slightly champagne-esque note. Pleasant.

Sweetness/dryness: sweet but after an initial zing of bitter

I love the action in this sweetness curve. The Blood Orange pops with a gentle hit of citrusy bitter that soon mellows into easy honeyed sweetness.

Flavors and drinking experience: sweet, peppery, lots of orange, fruity

The first note is bitter and black peppery, and that quickly gives way to sweetness that lingers pleasantly. High acid but the acid is citric, not malic. My tongue puckers a bit. A long aftertastes that reminds me of Orangina.No tannins, despite the bitterness. Manages to be both crisp and warm in its taste. 

This cider is only mildly bubbly. I'm starting to think this is a feature of ciders in cans. Can other canned cider drinkers weigh in on this? 

Overall,  my impressions centered around this cider as sweet, very blood orange and pleasantly complicated by the hint of  bitter and peppery spice.

For pairings, I had this with so many good foods! I had pesto pasta, fresh green salad with pomegranate seeds, Thai-style summer rolls, brie and watermelon. And then cinnamon sugar popcorn and wedding cake. There were so many amazing summer party foods at this wedding potluck! Of those, I really liked the Blood Orange with the summer roll and peanut dipping sauce. Something about sweet citrus plus rice paper, tofu and veggies was out of this world!

As an aside, I feel like I have to share a funny video inspired by my friend Jonathan Honefinger. He makes sommeliers try Malort and captures their reactions. At this reception, I spied a bottle of Malort. Curiousity won the day. Or perhaps the Malort did.

Watch and see...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYFz4pKclyA