Cider Review: Aspall Imperial English Cider

 Finally November! This has to be one of my favorite months because it means my birthday and Thanksgiving and all this nesting! Right now, it gets dark just before 5pm, and I'm so ready to be at home with my darling cats and goofy husband. Yes, I am a hobbity nesting type and not at all ashamed of it. 

In fact, I'm celebrating with some warming and extra luscious ciders, at least I hope so.

You've not heard much about Aspall cider here, though they've been around since 1728. Yes, that's not a typo. 1728.This is the year James Cook was born and Cotton Mather died. The world was a very different place, and the original Aspall family is still making cider and running the business eight generations later. Let that blow your mind for a moment.

While you're contemplating all of that, load up the website with all of its lovely photographs and enticing recipes: http://www.aspall.co.uk

All of this cider love happens in Suffolk, starting with Clement Chevallier and continuing today. Aspall ciders deserve more time and attention from this blog, as they is one of the core cidermakers in my cider history, and one I still like frequently. On my first trip to England as a devoted cider fan, I was in the midlands and Aspall was the cider most often on tap. So, I spent a lot of time with it early on.

My brief review of the Aspall Grand Cru appears in this roundup along with a few other ciders: 

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

Tonight I'm reviewing the Aspall Imperial English Cider, but I cannot explain that name. Sometimes Imperial means higher ABV, but I associate that with beer and not cider. Mind you what confuses me is to see the words Imperial and English right next to each other without really meaning that the cider has anything to with England's empire either now or in the past.  But that's me have a lit major digression on a cider blog, so my apologies!

Anyhow, The Imperial English Cider is call the Imperial Vintage on the website and has a subtly different label, but it is clearly the same product. My info all comes from the Aspall website.

This cider has won many awards in the UK between 2013 and the present. Here's how Aspall describes it.

Taste descriptor

Rich fudgy, tantalising flavour enhanced by bitter-sweet apples from a single year’s crop. Notes of raisins, dates and prunes. Sweet mellow finish. 

Serving suggestion

Delightful with lamb & casserole dumplings, pheasant, and strong cheeses such as Brie de Meaux, Stinking Bishop and Blue Stilton.

 

Appearance: dark topaz, visible bubbles, brilliant 

This dark color color represents higher alcohol, higher tannin, barrel aged UK ciders very well. I'd call it dark topaz. The cider shows visible bubbles because it is totally brilliant.

Aromas: mellow, caramel, yet piquant

What tantalizes me in the Imperial English Cider's aromas is the dual presence of both piquant notes that make me anticipate a reasonable level of acidity, but also the dark caramel and mellow scents that I associate with rich tannic ciders. It has some raisiny, boozy dark notes as well.

Sweetness/dryness: semi sweet 

This cider would be called a semi-dry in a pub in England, but I call it a semi-sweet. The subtle bitter and astringent notes only complement that. These flavors are so much more than just the level of sweetness though; its dark and rich and well balanced.

Flavors and drinking experience: semi sweet, naturally sparkling, intense mouth coat

The Aspall Imperial English Cider offers up some coffee bitterness right at the start. But then it expands, becoming so rich and big. A lot of this comes from both the high tannins and higher than typical ABV. It warms the mouth and the tummy. I find this cider extremely well balanced, truly something to write home about. It tastes like cider first and foremost but there are notes of toffee and popcorn and barrel. The profile is just so classic. A dessert cider for sure. That higher alcohol of ABV 8.1 numbs the tip of the tongue. 

Not very fruity; it tastes more of fermentation than fresh apple, which I appreciate so much right now. The Imperial English Cider is a mature cider for those who still want some sweetness. It has medium low levels of acidity but still enough to stimulate the salivary glands. What I simply cannot get over is this amazing texture. It's so creamy! That creaminess reminds me of brie with a teeny bit of chalky finish.

This is more than good with nuts, or a very late waffle breakfast in winter. Or creme brûlée, but it already practically *IS* creme brûlée.

Cider Review: Appeltreow Kinglet Bitter

Tonight, I am finally able to post my review of Appeltreow's Kinglet Bitter. I say finally because I tasted this cider weeks ago. Spoiler alert: I loved it. But I temporarily misplaced the photos I took of it, so I didn't want to post a review with no pictures. Tonight, I found them, so no more waiting!

First things first. You can find out plenty about AeppelTreow Winery and Distillery at their website:
http://aeppeltreow.com/

I have reviewed one AeppelTreow cider before, their Barnswallow. Interested parties can read that review here: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/03/cider-review-appeltreow-barnswallow.html

The briefest version of AeppelTreow's description of their Kinglet Bitter reads, "Semi-dry, medium tannic traditional English and French cider apples."

While mouthwatering, that doesn't go as deep as I would like in terms of information, and, luckily for us cider nerds, AeppelTreow gives us more. Here's the full rundown of what they say about the Kinglet Bitter.

English and French traditional cider apples. Complex and tannic.
Fermented to highlight cultivars and terroir.
Subtle apple and tannins, tart, slightly bubbly.

• Body: Medium
• Sweetness: 1
• Tartness: 4
• Alcohol: 6
• Apples: Dabinette, Domaine, Frequin Rouge, White Jersey, Muscadet Deippe and other bittersweet cider apples of English and French heritage.

Kinglet Bitter is one of our proud ‘estate’ ciders.  It’s all grown at Brightonwoods, within sight of the Winery.   It’s more subtle and complex than Barn Swallow – being fermented from 100% bitter English and French cider apples.  It differs from an authentic European cider by being ‘immature’.  Kinglet has very little post-ferment changes made by wild Lactic Acid Bacteria.  Instead, we ferment it with a Sangiovese yeast that we think really brings out the tannin characters of the cider-specific cultivars.  These apples are rare, and not easy to grow.  When we get the question "Then why use them?", we pour a glass of Kinglet.

I've had a fair number of ciders that use only cider apples, and it changes the landscape of flavors tremendously. What excites me especially is that this list goes beyond the ten or so cider apples I've tasted most often and includes totally unfamiliar apples! The comment about relative 'immaturity' caused by post-fermentation changes makes me curious. What does that really mean? How will that translate into taste?

Appearance: marigold, few visible bubbles, brilliant

This is a deeply colored cider. Its marigold hue bespeaks tannins; this is not a surprise given the description.

Aromas: Tons of overripe apple aroma, some minerals, spicy.

 Wow! I feel completely entranced by the aromas here. This smells sweetly spicy but oh-so appley. Laying atop this balance, I pick up a subtle drift of minerality. Gosh, this is going to be good.

Sweetness: semi-dry

This has some sweetness, but not too much. Definitely not enough to call it semi-sweet. The thing about this sweetness that I notice most is its depth. This is a real rich apple taste that expresses itself partly with sweetness.

Flavors: high tannins, medium sweetness, rich, creamy, yet a bit tart

This cider tastes highly tannic but not too dry. I'll chalk that up not only to deep fruits in the mid palate but also no overkill in terms of acidity. The Kinglet Bitter offers rich flavor without being heavy. Instead the mouthfeel is more creamy but with hints of zest. The flavor is one that you can fall into but that just bounces you back up. It really is tannic and sweet but still refreshing; I just cannot get over how well those two elements are balanced.

I just absolutely adore this cider.

The level of sparkle is more one of spritz or petillance. My one complaint is that it did lose its sparkle fairly quickly in the glass. This is not a sincere critique. We need ciders at all levels of bubble and stillness. I just happen to like sparkle a lot.

Thinking about pairings for AeppelTreow's Kinglet Bitter, I'd like to pair it with foods that play up its tannins well. I think a totally smooth sherried mushroom soup, a salad with big herby croutons, and gruyere would taste amazing. Mind you, I enjoyed my own glasses of this cider with a good book instead of food. I assure you, it delights the senses either way. I just like tasty cider more than I like cooking, so I don't always prepare the meals that I think the ciders deserve.

Thanks so much to AeppelTreow for making the Kinglet Bitter. Yes, it is worth growing the difficult cider apples. Keep up the great work.

Cider Review: Putney Mountain Winery of Vermont Apple Maple Wine

So, I've had an internal conflict for some time about whether or not to review products labelled apple wines on my blog. There is no consensus about what difference may exist between hard cider and apple wine. There are some tendencies, like ciders are more often sparkling and apple wines more often still or that the ABV level is commonly higher than what we tend to see in ciders. Again though, these are tendencies only; it is easy to find exceptions. That's why I decided that if I feel like reviewing an apple wine, I'll do it. Here's my first such review.

Charles (yes, *the* Charles Dodge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dodge_%28composer%29)  and Kate Dodge, along with their production manager and associate winemaker Jason Hubner, have been creating fruit wines in Vermont for some time now. The Dodges began in the 1990s when Dodge felt inspired by his music students' stories of their own home-brewing. You can read all about Putney Mountain Winery on their website here: www.putneywine.com. Or you can see them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/PutneyMountainWinery.

In reading their story, I found this part to be the most interesting and the most communicative of what Putney Mountain Winery is all about.

 [N]ear the end of the drive home to Putney one evening, as he passed Green Mountain Orchards, Charles had an epiphany. He realized that many of the best experiences he and Kate have, in drinking wine throughout the world, come from drinking local wine, made from local fruit, enjoyed near the local winery.

Then and there, he decided to stick with Vermont tradition and craft delicious fruit wines from the delectable local produce.

Now that we've all been properly introduced, let's talk about tonight's beverage. I'm trying Putney Mountain's Apple Maple Wine with several visiting friends who have a whole spectrum of beverage experience and preferences. This bottle is being shared between two cider aficionados, one wine fiend, one beer guy, and a most-of-the-time non-drinker. I expect some variety of opinions around the table tonight. 

Here's the official description of the Apple Maple Wine.

Apples. Maple syrup. The twin tastes of Vermont. This light, semi-dry wine combines two of Vermont’s signature flavors. At first taste the apple dominates, rendered fruity but not too sweet by the syrup. Then a subtle maple aura emerges to create its very long finish. A favorite of many customers, our Apple Maple wine is also a consistent award winner. It makes the basis for a spectacular mulled cider wine (find the recipe on our Facebook page). We serve it chilled in the Summer and mulled in the Winter.

This is sold in 750ml bottles and has a 10% ABV.

Appearance: Brilliant, dark maple color

When poured, this looks completely still. It features a deep dark maple color and total brilliance. There is not one hint of haze.

Aromas: maple syrup, mulled cider, wood, cooked apples

I noticed tons of smells in this cider as soon I as I lifted my glass. Between everyone in the party, we smelled: mulled cider, green wood, vinous-ness, home cooked applesauce, and everyone noted the maple syrup.

Sweetness or Dryness: Sweet!

Though this is described as semi-dry, we all agreed that this tastes distinctly sweet. To me, with my biased palate, this tastes very much like a dessert cider or wine.

Flavors and drinking experience: boozy, sweet, spicy, loooong finish

Again, the sweetness dominates the experience for me. I'm not quite sure that a 750ml is the most logical size for this beverage, based on its intensity of flavor. This wine is almost completely still, but just onf the verge of being pettilant. It tastes warmly boozy, even when chilled. Goes down a little spicy in a slow, non-alarming way. The wine offers up a strong long finish with plenty of maple. It gives a heavy mouth coat, nearly syrupy. Some tasters detected hints of salty toffee. We all agree that it tastes rich and toasted like a port or a tokaji dessert wine. This would tastes best with candied nuts. You could also use it as a glaze.

Though not for review, I did try their Vermont Cassis a few weeks ago as part of a movie night featuring the Original 1970s Wicker Man.  It also shared the intensity, warmth, and richness of the Apple Maple Wine.

Overall, I was impressed with both products within the realm of sweet fruit wines. Neither lines up precisely enough with my preferences to make a regular appearance, but I think they do what they do very well.

Cider Review: Woodchuck Cellar Series Smoked Apple

Back to the cellar series from Woodchuck! I so enjoyed their Dry Hopped Cider (reviewed here http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/11/cider-review-woodchuck-cellar-series.html) There you can find some background on the company as well as links back to my reviews of Woodchuck's Winter limited release and their Belgian White cider.

Woodchuck now keeps a blog for their cidery business; it hosts recipes that feature a wide variety of their ciders. So, if you like cider recipes or want to read more about Woodchuck, it is definitely something to check out: http://www.woodchuck.com/blog/  The specific entry on the Cellar Series Smoked Apple is really neat because of its rare visual insight into Woodchuck's cider making process. http://www.woodchuck.com/blog/woodchuck-cellar-series-smoked-apple/

 
I'm back with their cider series this evening, reviewing their Smoked Apple cider. Full admission here, I did not pay for this cider. Woodchuck was kind enough to send me a bottle for review. Here's the short version of their official description of the Smoked Apple, "Apple pomace is smoked using a blend of maple and applewood chips. Our original small batch hard cider is run through the smoked pomace. The result is a full-bodied deep amber cider. Strong crisp apple notes with hints of vanilla are balanced on an applewood smoked backdrop." I'd like to just throw in a few background facts. This cider's ABV is 6.5% and it is only available in 22 ounce bottles. This is pretty much the perfect sharing size.

 "After the pomace was smoked using maple and applewood chips it was brought to the Middlebury Cidery. The smoked pomace was then infused into small batch fermented cider. The result is a full bodied deep amber cider. Strong crisp apple notes with hints of vanilla are balanced on an applewood smoked backdrop. A well-balanced, limited run cider that is perfect for the cooler days ahead."

 Appearance: Deep burnished brown red, many many many visible bubbles

I honestly cannot tell if this cider is brilliant, hazy, or cloudy. Between the dark mahogany color and the number of bubbles, it is difficult to see the clarity of the Smoked Apple. I notice the color more than anything else, because it is so unusual. This depth and redness just looks rich and satisfying.

Aromas: leather, fresh apples, hint of smoke

The more I  inhale this deeply and think about it, the more I can scent the smoke. My dear husband Alex gets beer and cranberries. I can see where he is coming from, but the Smoked Apple still smells more like leather to me.

Flavors and drinking experience: Smoke, bacon, apple

As I drink the Smoked Apple, it begins like sweet molasses but then the other flavors take over. Mostly those other flavors are smoke, leather, peat and meatiness. Seriously, this is like bacon cider. Bacon freaks, I know you are out there. Dig in. Whiskey, earth, smokety-smoke smoke. It intensifies in the after flavor. The smoke makes this a beverage for its sensory experience rather than any thirst-quenching properties, but it's uniqueness more than makes up for that. 

Overall, this is a super neat cider. Probably not one I'll buy for myself with any regularity just because of the intense bacon-ness that the smoke calls to my mind. I do heartily recommend it though for fans of smoked beverages. Still though, I'm more than happy to enjoy it with some vegetarian chili or lentil soup. It is super warming and appropriate for these cold dark months. I'd also recommend it for a recuperating after winter outdoor adventures. I've been enjoying giant walks in the snow lately (till our rain melted it all) and this is the perfect kind of cider to enjoy after coming in from the cold. 

Cider Review: Thatcher's Green Goblin

 
I usually only review American ciders, but I do enjoy ciders from many different places. My palate doesn't discriminate by region. When I was on a trip home to Kentucky recently, I promised to look at what I could find in terms of local cider selection and write about it. The most interesting thing I found had to be Thatcher's Green Goblin. I got the very last bottle at a Liquor Barn in Louisville KY and I had to climb on the shelves to get. And this wasn't even on Black Friday! In any case, I was thrilled to see something I do not usually see, hence a review of a decidedly English Cider. Hopefully in coming years, I'll see some Kentucky ciders. We do have the apples after all. If you've ever heard of a Kentucky cider, please let me know!

Thatcher's Green Goblin has its own website at http://www.greengoblincider.co.uk/ and for more information, this page has more detail http://www.greengoblincider.co.uk/cider.htm. The promotional copy isn't particularly descriptive, but it does emphasize that the apples are English and that the cider is oaked. Here's how they put it: "The Green Goblin from deep in the wood - 100 year-old oak vats, that is. Made with English apples, and matured in oak vats, Green Goblin cider is a full-flavoured, bittersweet blend, beautifully balanced to give a fresh character with a medium dry finish." When reading about their cider process, they list two apple varieties Somerset Redstreak and Dabinette both grown in the West County region. I know both of those apples from several US ciders that use them for tannins, so I'm even more curious than I had been before.
                                                                                                                                                       

Appearance: brilliant, papaya, no foam

Seriously, the color is deep papaya. I've never seen another cider like it. When poured, this cider had no foam or head. As I hope the photo shows, it has no haziness and is instead clear and brilliant. What a beautiful cider!

Aromas: stone, wood, subtle aura of persimmon

This earthy smell is delightfully cidery but in an unexpected way because it offers almost no apple, and absolutely no yeast. Instead I smelled stone and wood with just a smidge of acidic fruit. Thinking about that fruitiness, ripe persimmon rather captures it.

Sweetness: Fairly dry

While the dryness is not extreme, this cider defnitely comes across more dry than sweet. I think the dryness combines with the tannins to emphasize those elements more than sweetness or fruit.

Flavors and drinking experience: high tannins, low acid, dry. Woody.

I taste tannins most predominantly in the Green Goblin and I love it. The tannins are soft and not overly aggressive because they are balanced with some lovely apple notes and low acidity. The cider tastes very woody in that almost drying way. Some folks don't care for this, but I'm totally into it. I get hints of leather but those are restrained. Some subtle spicy fruits and farminess give character to the apple. The Green Goblin has fairly intense levels of carbonation, but they lighten up what is otherwise a fairly dark-tasting beverage, so I'm not complaining. The finish lingers with more wood and spice, but at this point the farmyard notes have all disappeared, giving it an evolving taste.

This cider strikes me so deeply enjoyable because of its maturity and balance. I shared the Green Goblin with my mother who doesn't usually care for cider, but she loved the complexity and drinkability of the Green Goblin. She's totally right; it is exceptionally good. I can now add oaking to my list of techniques that make a cider more likely to make my list of repeat buys. Nice.

When thinking of food pairings, I can see a few different directions suiting the Green Goblin. In summer, I'd drink this with a capese salad with loads of fresh mozzarella and some aged balsamic vinegar. In winter, pair the Green Goblin with pasta in cream sauce with walnuts and broccoli. In terms of activities, I'd bring this to a gathering full of new people. The cider has so many different nuances that it makes a great conversation starter, and I'm confident most folks who try would find it both enjoyable and interesting. Besides, I'm always looking to use parties as a way to make more drinkers into cider drinkers.

Cider Review: Original Sin Elderberry

Original Sin has been around making cider since 1997. This New York City cider company got its start with hand delivery and a well-balanced six-pack cider. Over time, they have become an award-winning company with some very nice ciders and the best iconic style in the industry. To check out that style take a look at all of their posters available in their online shop: http://origsin.com/v4/shop/.  I first reviewed one of their specialty ciders, the Newtown Pippin a few months ago: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/02/cider-review-newtown-pippin.html.

 Here's what Original Sin has to say about their newest cider, "Elderberry is a common fruit used in wine making. Its unique tart qualities make it an ideal fruit to use in the cider making process. Much of making a good cider is finding the perfect balance between acid, sugar and tannins. With Original Sin Elderberry, the Company believes it has achieved this balance. There is a long history of Elderberries being used in cider production. In fact, in the 1822 book ‘The American Orchardist’, it suggests adding Elderberries to give 'cider a fine colour as well as flavor." I can vouch for the fine color, let's see about the flavor.

Appearance: claret, brilliant, dark

The Elderberry briefly has head that disappears entirely just seconds after it is poured. This cider has quite a number of visible bubbles that entirely coat the sides of the glass. It's deep claret red is very appealing, but definitely on the unusual side for a cider.

Aromas: Not a lot of aroma

Though I didn't get a tremendous intensity of aroma from this, I could smell berries for certain. It's secondary notes come across most immediately as stone and citrus.

Sweetness: sweet

I think there is a key to making sweet ciders that I enjoy, acidity. When a cider balances this well, a cider can be sweet but not troublingly so because the sweetness has a fruit character and depth rather than stickiness. This is still a delicate balance, but one that Original Sin has handled well in this cider. Very easy drinking.

Flavors and Drinking Experience: tart, light, fun

Original Sin's Elderberry Cider has a hint of the berry bitterness that I saw in Julian Cider's Black and Blue but with less deep dark flavor. The tartness pleases my palate very much. Overall, the cider offers a sweetly tart cider with a light refreshing mouthfeel. I highly recommend having the Elderberry with nutella toast or other similarly yummy sweet comfort foods.

Cider Review: McKenzie's Hard Cider Original

McKenzie's Cider is made in Seneca, New York. You can visit their website here: http://www.mckenziesbeverages.com/ The company has been in business since a fairly tumultuous start in 2011 (I'll let you Google it if you care), but since then they've gone on to win a fair number of cider awards for a few of their varieties. I decided to review them tonight in no small part because a my very best friend just added a different McKenzie to her name. Congrats you guys!

As I like to do, for my first encounter with this brand, I'm tasting their mainstay cider. For McKenzie's that is their Original Hard Cider. It has and ABV of 5%. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing a lot of information about their apple selection, but I do know they work with Mayer Brothers which is a long-standing Western New York apple company, so I imagine they have access to primarily dessert apples and concentrate, but that's speculative. What I cannot find out in print hopefully will be countered by what I can taste. Let's find out.

Color and Appearance: nectarine flesh

McKenzie's Original has deep intense color. It looks like the inside of a nectarine or even like the slightly orange tinted yellow of a yellow caution light. An interesting color.

Aromas: fresh apple smell but not strong, a hint of estery smell

McKenzie's smells beer-like at first, but then a bit of sweetness creeps in. It's a bit like the floral or fruity end of an alcohol smell, closely related to a vinous smell but lighter and more floral.

Sweetness: sweet

The sweetness specifically reminds me of Strongbow. It is decidedly drinkable, especially on a warm day.  The cider coated my palate a bit, but not in an overly sticky way.

Flavors: dark apple caramel with a tiny mineral tang

I can taste the apple more than I could smell it, which is good for this still fairly beer-like cider. McKenzie's clearly followed a fairly mainstream English cider making tradition with a goal of an extremely approachable beverage. It reminded me of several large scale American cider companies, which is not a bad flavor profile for a sweet beverage.  I enjoyed the slightly caramelly element to the fruit forward beverage. At the base though, I could definitely taste a slightly tang of minerals.

Drinking Experience: Not too much carbonation, quick

This flows directly from my comments on the sweetness. McKenzies is a very fast cider. The low ABV and level of carbonation make it easy and quick to drink.  It has a medium body that goes well with a variety of foods. I had my cider with a cheddar-topped veggie burger and strips of red bell pepper. In terms of function, this is a good choice for an after work cider, especially if you want to share cider with coworkers, neighbors, or friends who aren't familiar with the beverage.

Cider Review: Eve's Cidery's Autumn's Gold

Today, I'm reviewing Eve's Cidery's Autumn Gold. Maybe because it is very warm right now and I'm craving anything other than hot hot summer. No matter my reason, Eve's Cidery is another fabulous small cider producer in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. Can you tell how excited I am to move to the area? I first discovered them during New York City's 2012 cider week, and again when I stumbled on their booth at the Union Square Farmer's Market in New York City. The cider started in 2002. They have a great website. Here's what they say about themselves, "Eve’s Cidery is a small family run orchard and cidery located in Van Etten, in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. We grow apples and other tree fruits and ferment artisanal ciders. We believe in nature, art, good food and hard work. These beliefs influence the way we farm, make cider and sell our product. We hope you can taste some of it in the bottle." I suppose we'll soon find out.

Autumn's Gold fills my glass today, and I'm curious what in particular about it can bring autumn to mind. Anything along those lines would be appreciated. The cider is listed as 9% ABV on the bottle but 10% ABV on the website, so I imagine it varies slightly year to year. This is what Eve's Cidery says about this variety, "Naturally sparkling, off dry. This cider is a blend of English, French and American cider apples. Autumn’s Gold is golden, bubbly and off dry. It has a distinctive fruity nose that comes only from bittersweet apples, smoky, tannic undertones and a rich, warm texture and lingering finish. One of the great delights of this cider is pairing it with cheese. Cave aged cheddar, stilton, smoked gouda or a unique raw-milk cheese from your local dairy. Serve Autumn’s Gold with your main course alongside savory foods such as home-made pasta with truffle butter, parsnip soup and anything with bacon." While I won't be trying the cider with bacon, I love the other food suggestions. Very autumnal and pleasant.


On Eve's Cidery's webpage about making sparkling cider, I found even more interesting factual information about the Autumn's Gold. They tell us about their aims and apple selection, "But for the Autumns Gold and Bittersweet ciders, we aim for a ratio of between 60% and 75% cider apple to desert apple varieties.  We conceive of the Autumns Gold as a rich, dry, tannic cider.  So two 260 gallon tanks after a long day of pressing in October might hold a 60:40 combination of bittersweet varieties such as Brown Snout,  Medialle D’ Or and Chisel Jersey and desert varieties such as Jonagold and Ida red." I cannot tell you how happy it makes me when a cidery tells us this kind of information about their apple choices and rationales. Two thumbs up!

Appearance: absolutely brilliant, pale honey, cornbread

Pours with a light mousse that dissipates quickly. The honey-like color so intrigued me that I wanted to look at the specific colors of different types of honey. I matched a few and found that this looks to me most like sage honey. Now I really want to taste sage honey.

Aromas: ripe apples, green grapes, sugared walnuts

The list of aromas catalogues the nature of the apple smell, the secondary fruit scents, and other associative aromas. To be a bit more abstractly descriptive it smelled fresh and fruity, but also tangy and zesty, with a bit of yeast

Sweetness: off dry

The particular type of off dry in this cider has to be a beery near dryness. It hints at richness without really being sweet.

Flavors: grapefruit, barrel

The cider has medium high tannins and quite high acidity. These contribute to my sensing pithy white grapefruit as I drink it. Very enjoyable but intense. The barrel notes come from the tannins and are a little more relaxed than the acidity but still come across in a pronounced way. It comes together as a very grown-up cider.

Drinking Experience: This is most definitely a sipping cider. The Autumn's Gold contains some of the bitterness of beer. The level of carbonation is notably high, to the point that it gives the experience of drinking a dry apple champagne. This could be a cider for something formal. Make this a wedding toast cider.

In terms of food pairing, I could go in one of two directions. For nibbling, I'd pair it with an aged gouda, preferably the ones that are old enough to having a fairly hard and slightly crystalized texture, like a 5 year. Or if you do want to pair it will a meal or course, put it with a summery salad that has both fruit and avocado.

I find the cider to be very good, but don't pair it with a thirsty meal or try to drink it by itself. This is a cider to be considered and enjoyed slowly with other flavors and textures that can stand up to the tannins and acidity.

Lastly, I also want to recommend a specific section of Eve's Cidery's website. Their section about making cider is clear, well-written, and educational. I have to recommend it to anybody who wants to learn more about the cider process as well as enjoying its rewards.

Eve's Cidery: Making Sparkling Cider

Cider Review: West County Cider, Reine de Pomme

West County Ciders hail from Colrain, Massachusetts where they have been made by cidermaker Judith Maloney and her family since 1984. They mention hailing previously from California’s wine making traditions which they have blended with New England cider making and blending techniques. They only use pressed apples and no concentrate. Their website has much more information.

As a varietal intro I mostly want to share what West County says about their own cider. The story comes from their discovery of “a classic French bittersweet apple” described as having strong tannins, complexity, a note of iron. Their blurb says, “Reine de Pomme is an archaic French Apple. We found it in the Geneva Reference Orchard. In 1987, in France, the only reference to it we found was a listing in a nursery catalog from the 1920’s at an apple museum in Normandy.” And this is just the apple. When described the cider as they have created, cellared, and blended it, they say, “As a cider it has a deep, dark-fruit, honeyed taste. We blended it with our Dabinet to round out the tannins, and Redfield to add bright fruit and to balance the bitter-sweets. Though blended, Reine de Pomme leads the taste, and the Dabinet and Redfield fall in nicely as supports. It is the fullest-bodied cider we have made. And the closest in taste to a French Cider.”

ABV: 7.3%

Color and appearance: Deep glowing apricot

The appearance of this cider is truly unique. Its color is glorious. When we cannot stand a moment more of grey winter, pouring a glass of the Reine de Pomme can temporarily transport us to sunnier days. This cider also shows tremendous levels  of bubbles. So many active bubbles. A bright white head formed when I poured my first glass, and then vanished quickly.

Aroma:  candied citrus, nectarine, and dusty granite?

As crazy as this may sound, the end of the each sniff of this cider brought strong grey rock in the sun to my mind. As an inveterate basker and lounger who would always prefer to sit or lay on the ground, I’ve smelled rocks aplenty and the Reine de Pomme smells like a sun-warmed rock. It also smells like fruit and sugar with a citrus pinch.

Sweet to dry: Off dry

The bottle describes the cider as dry, and for many cider drinkers it would be quite dry. For those more attuned to independent, small-batch ciders though, the range is wider and dryer than that made up only of more widely available ciders, making the Reine de Pomme a very pleasant off dry. This an ideal level of sweetness and dryness in my mind.

Flavors and drinking experience: tannic, heavy, creamy mouthfeel,

The citrus from the scent develops fully when I taste this cider. I can taste the mineral element from the smell also, but it fuses with the fruit notes more, almost adding a shadow of depth behind the brighter notes.

Finish:  slow but still creamy with residual flavors of lemon

The finish is luscious, less dry than the initial taste. It dallies and gives a second impression of creaminess united with lemon or sweetish citrus.    

Pairs with: a full meal with strong flavors, maybe a risotto or shepherd’s pie.

The unusual mouthfeel would allow drinkers to pair this with something usually less available for cider pairings. Maybe even something with more than a hint of spiciness. Alternately, the cider drinkly beautifully on its own. I’d take this particular drink sunbathing, maybe because of the aroma. Still, I think the Reine de Pomme would be a lovely companion for unwinding in the out of doors. Quite a fascinating cider, especially for one so drinkable.