Cider Review: AmDam Cider Brut and Ploughman Farm Cidery: Lummox Cider with Citra Hops

I’ve watched with admiration and a few pangs of envy as other cider folks I know have traveled to warmer climes this winter, especially for CiderCon. But now I’m preparing for my turn! Very soon, I’ll take my own little jaunt to the sunshine state. As I’m planning and packing, I did fit in two cider reviews that are helping me mentally prepare for warm beaches. 

Let’s start with AmDam Cider Brut! Alex brought this back from his writing trip to the Netherlands back in the fall. The company has a really cute intro that also makes the sourcing of the apples transparent, “Ever seen an apple tree in Amsterdam? Neither have we.”

From what the company makes clear online, they get cider made by Celliers de l’Odet from french cider apples. The company grew out of an import store for cider called Appels & Peren in 2015.

You can learn more about this young cidery here: https://cider.amsterdam/ 

Here’s the English language description of this cider, “Brut,the yellow one. It's softly sparkling and a bit more sophisticated. It has that unique cider ‘funk’ flavor.Try it and you are sold.” I saw more info in dutch on the website, but not on the translated page, so I don’t know if it has additional facts.

Appearance: brilliant, bubbly, harvest orange- yellow 

The Brut pours with a foamy head that had most vanished by the time I was able to take a picture. It’s there and then gone! The color is a warm harvest orange yellow with brilliant clarity.

Aromas: overripe apples, leathery, oranges

The Brut smells leathery, like overripe apples with hints of orange. These aromas remind me of English or French ciders right away.

Sweetness/dryness: Sweet

This cider is sweet, which is a bit of a surprise since it’s labelled Brut. Often though french ciders use that term differently than other regions or beverages. A cidre brut is not as dry as a brut champagne for example. The sweetness is very natural and fruity.

Flavors and drinking experience: Tannic, medium acidity, citrus, apples, caramel

I love that this cider is decidedly tannic with medium acidity! I don’t usually get ciders that have these two characteristics, particularly not when appearing with some sweetness. The Brut’s flavor notes were very similar to what I got from it’s aromas: overripe apple, oranges, but I also tasted some wheaty and caramelly elements. 

The Brut stretches the tasting experience out with a lovely long finish with lots of apple character. I’d describe it as mostly a french-style cider that shows some english influence. I appreciate the Brut’s full body and intense bubbles! This is such a fun and friendly cider. 

I totally didn’t expect something so approachable, balanced, and appealing! Were this available more widely, I’d definitely drink it again and recommend it! 

Next up Ploughman Farm Cidery’s Lummox Cider with Citra Hops!

When travelling for the PA farm show in December, I picked up some cider treats for the future and I was so excited to get this particular one from Ploughman Farm Cider because I’d failed to get one of these home safely from GLINTCAP earlier in 2019.

Ploughman Cider is based out of Adams County in Pennsylvania; that’s definitely an unofficial cider capital of the state. Fruit for Ploughman Cidery beverages comes from Three Springs Fruit Farm.

Here’s a link to the Ploughman Cider website where you can read about all the ciders: 
https://www.ploughmancider.com/

Here are my previous Ploughman Cidery reviews.

Dornick: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/01/cider-review-tilted-shed-ciderworks.html


Pinot N’arlet: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/04/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-black.html

Appearance: transparent, warm straw, no visible bubbles

This cider looks more transparent than most hopped ciders. It doesn’t have a haze to it, but instead I can see the warm straw color clearly. I don’t see much in the way of visible bubbles.  

Aromas:  herbal, aquatic, vegetal, citrus

The Lummox smells herbal and darkly aquatic. I also detect some mouthwatering citrus notes, but there’s still more going on. I can smell ripe apples, but they aren’t as strong as the other notes that associate with hops for me. There’s also something just a bit creamy and almondy. Dancing in the far background I also get a sense of green tea.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

This semi-dry cider has lots of flavor going on that dominate far more than the sweetness. I think many drinkers who often tend towards semi-dry ciders might call this dry because of the bitterness and acidity, but more on that soon.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, grapefruit pith, bitterness, medium tannins

My first impression on tasting the Lummon is that this is a hopped cider than most beer lovers will enjoy! It brings zesty high acid, but the first note is grapefruit pith. I get strong fruity bitterness in this semi-dry cider. The flavors also make me wonder if it was fermented with beer yeast. The Lummox also packs some tannins. This is a complex cider! After having it from the can and in a glass, I think it reveals its strengths best cold and straight from the can.  

I think it could taste cooling and refreshing (in a bracing way!) in the summer. It’s more of a beer drinker's cider than a wine lover’s cider. 

Cider Review Virtue Cider's Percheron

I'm writing about a Virtue cider today for two reasons. First, my dad brought some Percheron to share with me when he visited this past weekend. And second, AB InBev came back for a second round of purchasing and bought up the rest of Virtue. I have no idea how this will change the company, or anything about the company's inner working. But did I want to write about bottle that was recently in front of me before much could change or change again.

Here's Brew Bound's take on the story:

https://www.brewbound.com/news/anheuser-busch-inbev-buys-remaining-stake-virtue-cider-shuffles-high-end-team

For those who don't know, Virtue Cider was started in 2011 by Greg Hall. This cidery is based out of Fennville, Michigan. They use a lot of international inspiration for their ciders and aren't afraid of a little funk. My main connection was having my first cheese and cider pairing class from Greg Hall in 2013 at Murray's Cheese in New York City. I'll remember that evening with fondness for a long time to come. 

I wrote it up back in the early days of the blog: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/pairing-ciders-and-cheeses-inspiring.html

Read more about Virtue: http://www.virtuecider.com/ 

My previous review of Virtue ciders include the Mitten: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/05/cider-review-virtue-ciders-mitten-and.html

And the Ledbury appears in this 2015 cider roundup: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/02/cider-review-roundup-virtue-slyboro.html

Official description: This Norman-style blend of last season's high-acid Michigan apples is aged in French oak and refermented with wild yeast. We finish Percheron with fresh pressed apple juice for a touch of sweetness. ABV 5.5%

The official description also includes a section on tasting notes and pairings. They say, “Percheron has notes of vanilla and a wonderful aroma of apple blossom with a hint of orange. It is gentle, tart cider with a tannic finish. Food Pairing: Percheraon is best enjoyed with a stinky French cheese like Livarot, or with roast pork, wild boar, or a hearty beef stew.”

Appearance: Brilliant, no visible bubbles, cool gold color

Apologies for no in the glass photographs. I was pinned to the couch with a sleeping cat on my lap. It happens. The cider was lovely though, brilliant and an icy gold.

Aromas: dried fruit, leather, raisins, overripe apples

I know the Percheron's style is inspired by french ciders but to me these smells connote English ciders. Notes are leathery, dried tropical fruits and raisins, all as an overlay to overripe apples. The scents include something a little floral and a little spicy.

Sweetness/dryness: Off dry

This cider has a hint of sweetness, but it doesn't dominate the flavors. Instead the level of dryness/sweetness is approachable and pleasant. The sweetness I do get is subtly fruity and caramel tinged.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, medium high tannins, tea, barn, melon

The french oak barrel aging gently steers the flavors of the Percheron. The definites are high acid, medium high tannins, with a low intensity of bubble. To be fair, my bottle is a bit on the elder side and maybe the effervescence has partially aged out. The wild yeast brings with it a little funk, but it remains in balance with the other characteristics of the beverage.

My overall impression is like a combination of traditional English, French and Heritage North American styles. I enjoy how the Percheron remains just off-dry (with some sweetness) and glimmers with notes of tea, salt, barn wood, melon and mandarin orange. This cider is mellow, complex and refreshing—quite pleasant.

Who knows what the future will bring. It can be sentiment of trepidation, but I prefer to think of it as an encouragement to enjoy what we can of the present. 

Cider Review: Du Minot Cidrerie's La Bolee Petillante and GLINTCAP

My first cider review of something by Du Minot. I've only had their ciders before once or twice with local friends who brought them back from Quebec. I've never had the chance to review one.

Lots of information on the Du Minot website, which helpfully can be accessed in either french or English. Though it, I learned that Du Minot has been operating out of Quebec since 1987. That's quite an achievement as the cider world did not have lot of support then and has gone through more than its share of ups and downs since that time.

This family business has a most interesting background. I'll let their words tell the story.

From Brittany to Quebec, the Demoy family has been making cider for almost 150 years. Cider enthusiasts, Robert and Joëlle Demoy left their native Britanny in the late 1970s to settle in Quebec and set up Cidrerie du Minot in Hemmingford in 1987.  Over the years, the couple shared their passion with their children Audrenne and Alan who are now ensuring succession. 

Inspired by traditional Breton techniques, Cidrerie du Minot has been producing high quality ciders for over 30 years and collected national and international recognitions. Today, it is with ultra-modern equipments that Cidrerie du Minot develops more than a dozen ciders

This cider was a gift from my friend Eric West of Cider Guide (https://ciderguide.com/) who will be working on GLINTCAP this week, but more on that at the end of the post. I'll also be managing his newsletter this week and next week, so wish me luck!

The Du Minot website helpfully has information on their ciders in both French and English: http://www.duminot.com/fr/cidres/

Today's cider is their La Bolee Petillante which is sold in an adorable small single-serve bottle with nice transparent modern labelling.  This cider has a quite low ABV at 4.5%; that  helped me decide to reach for it on a rainy spring afternoon. I like having options of radically different ABVs in my cellar.

The official description of the cider follows:

METHOD (NATURAL EFFERVESCENCE)
Ripe apples are picked, crushed and gently pressed. The must is fermented at low temperatures to preserve all the aromas. Finally, a second fermentation in sealed tanks provides the natural effervescence that is unique to this type of sparkling cider. 

TASTING NOTES (4.5% ALC./VOL.)
This sparkling cider at 4.5% alc./vol. with delicate aromas of apples and pears is refreshing on the palate. It has a pleasant acidity and fine bubbles, giving it all its elegance.

The apple in this cider are McIntosh, Cortland, Empire, Spartan.

Appearance: Brilliant,  few visible bubbles, straw color 

The color is just a hint warmer and more apricot than most ciders that I'd call straw, but its a subtle distinction.

Aromas: bready, sweet, cooked apple

Smelled from the neck of the bottle is restrictive but smells pleasantly sweetly bready. It actually reminds me of the aromas of Doc's Draft Original. When poured out of that container into a more open glass, a creaminess joins the aromas. There's some soft apple in the mix as well.

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

This a sweet cider, but something about the sweetness strikes me as different. This is a very nectar-like sweetness that's thick and rich.

Flavors and drinking experience: juicy,caramel, rich, mellow, fruity

I'd like to start by mentioning that this cider doesn't fit into the usual categories and styles I am most familiar with. It's different! This does have some of the qualities of a Bretagne cider, but it isn't just an example of that. This cider has its own style.

The cider offers up medium high acid with a nice zing of bubbles. Part of what makes this so unique is that combination of rich intense fruitiness with notably clean fermentation. Let me say it again and again- this cider offers up lots of apple in aroma and flavor. One of the other standout characteristics is the very thick mouthfeel. 

Its mellow, rich, slightly oxidized. Its remarkably tasty. I'm not often a real fan of sweet ciders, but this is special. Even so, I'd still probably not reach for a cider like this often. The rich mouthfeel is intense, and my preference do run more towards the austere and dry. 

Have this cider with something light and sweet. I'd recommend it with a panna cotta, homemade poundcake, or even on its own. Its a magical experience.

There's something else cider-tastic on my mind this week. That's because the 12th Annual Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) will be happening from April 19-22, 2017 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For the past three year's I've judged and had a simply fantastic time. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out this year, but I know I'll have GLINTCAP on my mind this week. 

Here's coverage of previous years. 

The lead up to my first GLINTCAP: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/03/driving-out-for-glintcap-judgingand.html

GLINTCAP 2014 the full experience: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/04/finally-my-fabulous-time-at-glintcap.html

2015 GLINTCAP results and my Magner's Original review: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/04/cider-review-magners-irish-cider-plus.html 

And most recently, GLINTCAP 2016: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/04/my-experience-at-glintcap-2016-worlds.html

Best of luck to all competitors and judges!