Cider Review: Portland Cider Co.'s Cranberry Mule

This past week, I took two and a half days for a writer’s retreat at a local non-profit: Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts. It was incredible. I wrote, edited, hiked, read and absorbed so much quiet. What a wonderful opportunity. I kept it very simple. I set a few reasonable goals for my time, downloaded a few podcast episodes related to writing and relevant research topics for the project, brought two fun reading books and one writing book with me and brought a laptop with my project. I highly recommend it or doing something like it for yourself if you want to move a project ahead and take time for yourself simultaneously. 

If you’re curious about what I’m writing, I recommend patience. It’s not cider related, but I’ve been working on the project for about 10 months so far. It still needs many stages of work, but I can now see the shape of the whole project. That feels good.

If you want to read more about Saltonstall, apply for a residency in 2024, or support their programs, please visit here: https://www.saltonstall.org/about-us/about-saltonstall/

Before I left, I knew I wanted to have a fun and complex cider with a simple snack and some Star Trek Discovery (I’m just starting the first season). I was happy to reach for Portland Cider Co.’s Cranberry Mule to accompany my spiced popcorn!

I’ve reviewed many Portland Cider Co. beverages over the years, and many of my earlier entries give more background on this Oregon cidery. Check out the full list below. 

Imperial Abbey Apple: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/11/cider-review-portland-cider-cos.html

Bloody Hell: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/07/cider-review-portland-cider-cos-bloody.html

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

This is where to find Portland Cider Co. online: https://www.portlandcider.com/home

Here’s how Portland Cider Co. describes the the Cranberry Mule:

Vibrant Cranberries Sparkle

Ripe cranberries, juicy lime, and a hint of fresh ginger sing in this cocktail-inspired cider. Pouring a vibrant ruby hue, every pint adds a sparkle to your festivities.

Tasting Notes
Subtle apple notes, ripe cranberry, citrus and ginger zest nose, bright lemon tang, earthy ginger, and a tart, fresh finish.

Pairing Suggestions
Roasted turkey, brie, pumpkin pie, honey baked ham, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies.
6% ABV

This is a seasonal release for them, available from November through January.

Appearance: intense brick red, bubbly, brilliant

This is a gorgeous cider! Wow! I love the deep brick red of the color. I can see some visible bubbles at the surface of the cider, but not a lot below. Still, I’m expecting some sparkle. The cider is totally brilliant. 

Aromas: cranberry, apple, rock candy, ginger, and lime

The Cranberry Mule smells not unlike I would expect. The scents are reminiscent of the cocktail that inspired the cider’s name. I get notes of cranberry, apple, rock candy, ginger, and lime.

Sweetness/Dryness: Sweet

This cider is sweet but in a juicy, fruity way that’s balanced by zesty acid!

Flavors and drinking experience: Tart cranberry, sweet apple, ginger, lime!

This is absolutely like a Cranberry Mule backed up with a sweet core of apple. I think the cidery has done exactly as they planned. I couldn’t hope for a more appealing balance of cranberry tartness, apple sweetness, with two respective kicks of ginger and lime.

The high acid and sweetness of this cider makes it work beautifully. The overall experience is fruity, bubbly and well suited for holiday revelry! The ginger comes out more with repeated sips.

While apple isn’t the central or more forward note, I do appreciate that I can consistently taste the apple in this cocktail-like cider.

This is an amazing treat with spicy popcorn!

Very Perry May: Review of Woodchuck’s Pear Ginger, Sundstrom Cider's Liminal and Countdown to GLINTCAP

This week, I exist as a ball of anticipation. That’s entirely due to GLINTCAP coming up soon. For anyone who doesn’t know, GLINTCAP is the world’s largest cider and perry competition. And it’s the direct inspiration for my starting Very Perry May so that I could up my knowledge of perries and pear ciders. That tradition continues this week with a ginger pear cider and a heritage cider from the Hudson Valley region of NY state.

Starting with Woodchuck’s Ginger Pear means returning to the company I have reviewed as much as any in the blog’s history. Here are a few favorites.

I want to point everyone to my own personal heartbreak, the discontinued nature of their June and Juice: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/10/cid10. er-review-woodchucks-june-and-juice.html

And the Local Nectar: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/07/cider-review-woodchucks-local-nectar.html

I also liked their pepper blended Hot Cha Cha Cha: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/03/cider-review-woodchucks-hot-cha-cha-cha.html

The start of the Gumption line: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-woodchucks-gumption.html

In a super adventurous move, the Cellar Series Chocolate: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/06/cider-review-woodchuck-cellar-series.html

An earlier outdoor focused limited release, the Daychaser: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/05/cider-review-woodchucks-day-chaser.html

For fans of smoked ciders, this was a fun one, the Cellar Series Smoked Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/12/cider-review-woodchuck-cellar-series.html

And if you we do have any more unseasonably cold weather, the Barrel Select: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/01/cider-review-woodchucks-private-reserve.html

I visited them back in August 2016: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-3.html

As always, you can find out plenty online at the Woodchuck site: http://www.woodchuck.com/

This Launch of a new series in 2018 called the Tank Series, dedicated to innovation in cider making. This seems like an evolution of some of their previous limited-edition lines, but this one is focusing on cans. I’m reviewing a sample sent to me of the Pear Ginger.

Here’s how Woodchuck describes this one, “Pear Ginger is a cider that was released briefly in select markets in 2017 and won Gold at the World Cider Championships. Pear Ginger infuses both pear and ginger for a cider that is light and refreshing. Pear Ginger is the first of three new Tank Series available in 2018” 5% ABV. On their visual representation of dryness to sweetness this falls between semi-dry and semi-sweet. This is a cider base with pear and ginger added.

This cider is only available canned, because Woodchuck wants to aim this one for outdoor consumption. Cans do make that much easier.

This does seem very similar to their Summer Time Pear Ginger Cider from last year, which I reviewed here: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/05/very-perry-may-pt-2-woodchuck.html

Appearance: brilliant, straw, some bubbles

This pear cider has no haze and just a few bubbles. The color is pale straw.

Aroma: intense, mellow ginger, cola

Interesting! I think this smells like a ginger color or a tropical fruit soda. The intensity of aroma is real, but the aroma that appears in bountiful quality is mellow ginger, fruity, and just a hint spicy. Hence the seeming contradiction of intense and mellow.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-sweet

I found it semi-sweet but not nearly as sweet as some Woodchuck options.

Flavors and drinking experience: Tart, super bubbly, fruity, tropical, gingery

What a fun cider! The Ginger Pear works well in a can, but I got even more out of it once I poured mine into a glass. I like aromas and big flavors too much to keep my perries or my ciders contained all the time!

The Pear Ginger tastes tart, astringent, bitter, and stony. It surprised me. But that’s not the whole picture. This pear cider offers up lots of extremely bright fruit that blooms and blooms. I noticed very high acid but not in an unpleasant way. The fruity and tropical flavors include pineapple, coconut, and a really nice floral undertone.

In terms of texture, there are not really any tannins. On the other hand, the Pear Ginger has extremely powerful bubbles. It’s not very pear or apple like but very gingery! It’s a fun one to have with mild cheesy and bready accompaniments. I liked it with a very fresh goat cheese and freshly baked bread.

Sundstrom Cider's Liminal

The second half of this review is my first review of anything by Sundstrom Cider. This Hudson Valley cider dates its first batch to late 2013. That was when I first had an abbreviated email exchange with founder Leif Sundstrom just after I left New York City for Ithaca.

Sundstrom focuses on heritage, crabs, wild, and cider varieties of apple, but most of all on making truly delicious and thoughtful ciders through choosing the right blend of apples for each bottling. Leif has great ambitions for his ciders and for Hudson Valley ciders. I picked up this bottle of Liminal from The Cellar D’Or in Ithaca (http://www.thecellardor.com/) because their staff knows my taste in ciders amazingly. I took one look at the list of apples and I had to try a bottle of the Liminal. 

You can fine out more about them where I did in this great article: http://www.fishandgamequarterly.com/08-cider/

Or watch what they are up to on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundstromcider/?hl=en

Here’s a description I found online for the Liminal, “Dry New York Cider. A blend of 10 different types of apple, made in the traditional method and using native yeasts. Only 876 bottles made! Liminal 9.8% ABV Hudson Valley” Check the label picture above for the full apple list.  Note also the wild fermentation and high ABV. This is really something out of the ordinary.

I asked Leif about availability, and this is what he had to say, "There are various retailers and restaurants in NYC and Brooklyn that still have the ciders. But I’ve been sold out since December."  He did suggest that Flatiron Wines in Manhattan would be a place to try. 

Appearance: bright gilt, active bubbles, transparent

The Liminal looks lovely in the glass. It’s transparent and deeply hued with gilt. The bubbles are active and fun to watch. It did get less transparent with each glass poured, which is not a surprise for a non-disgorged cider.

Aromas: Dusty, lemon, ginger

I know when I saw ginger in this post, the association will be with actual ginger, but this is more like a suggestion of ginger to the aroma along side many smells I associate with high tannin and high acid ciders: dust, stones, and tart lemon.

Sweetness/dryness: dry

This is a dry, high acid, cider! No doubt, all delicious.

Flavors and drinking experience: tannins, acid, pomme fruit, quince

Holy wow! This is an intense cider, and I really like it. The acids are high and pointed. It’s sharp and zesty. The aroma elements I noticed of dust and stone do translate into tannic presence. But I don’t want to imply that this cider is only austere. It’s also fruity in a dry and exciting way. I got piles of fruit aromatics and flavors including, lemon, quince, persimmon, and again that spicy presence of ginger.

This is a very exciting cider that happens to use some of my favorite apples, including Wickson Crab and Northern Spy. I don’t think this is a coincidence. I enjoyed my cider with picnic meal of strawberries, black berries, hard cheeses, hummus and hearty wheat crackers. It balanced well with these different flavors and textures, all in all, a totally delightful cider!

And now, I'm even closer to GLINTCAP than I was at the start of this post!

Cider Review Carr's Ciderhouse Gingered Hard Cider

Good morning and happy 2018! I hope this year brings us all hope, happiness, and many tasty ciders. I write many days into a weather pattern called an “artic regime” by a local weather writer. I think he's right. This cold is more consistent and committed than dramatic, but it is cold. That guided my choice of cider for this week's review. I needed something warming and exciting.

Today is also my first review of anything by Carr's Ciderhouse. This small cidery operates in Hadley, Massachusetts. Their apples include many heritage varieties from a historic Massachusetts orchard. Here's how they describe themselves, “The results are elegant hard ciders–influenced by our choice of apples and how we blend the finished fermentations–that pair well with a variety of foods.”

You can read more about Carr's Ciderhouse on the website: http://www.carrsciderhouse.com

My wonderful sister-in-law brought this cider over during the holidays, so we could try it together. Thanks so much, Karen! I don't see Carr's ciders around here, so I was very excited to try something new and try to warm up the day with something gingery. We were totally stoked to try the Gingered Hard Cider.

Here's the official description:

Gingered Hard Cider - Spicy, dry, and perfect for cider cocktails and pouring over a few big ice cubes. It is like a dry ginger beer for grown-ups and our customers are crazy about it. Made with eco-grown "Fortune" apples. 6.5%ABV.

Appearance: warm applesauce, hazy, few bubbles

This has a slight haze that increased with each glass poured from the bottle. The first was nearly perfectly transparent, but the haze was increasingly noticeable for the second, third, and fourth glass. I'd call the color reminiscent of warm applesauce. I couldn't see many bubbles, but there were a few.

Aromas: gingery, tart, acid

Whoa! This smells tart and a bit like acetic acid. It also smells gingery. For fans of sour or extremely tart ciders, this aroma would be very exciting. It could even be described as having a touch of volatile acidity.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

This cider doesn't really place neatly of the sweetness dryness spectrum both because of its spice and its tartness, but I'd call it a semi-dry cider.

Flavors and drinking experience: Candied lemon peel, ginger, semi dry

Ooh spicy! I taste so much ginger and candied lemon peel in the Gingered Dry Cider. Its really exciting. I love how pronounced the ginger presence remains from first note to final finish. Lovers of spice and ginger like myself will absolutely fall for this cider because it manages to be both appley and spicy with just the right intense ginger kick.

I think you can taste the cider syrup used for backsweetening, and I'm guessing that was a very necessary step for a cider this tart and spicy. I'd actually call this cider more tart than dry.

It offers up interesting fermentation notes, not a spartanly clean or transparent one but a very approachable gentle hint of funk.

All in all, this cider has some big tastes to it. The bubbles are medium and the body is very sharp and light. There's enough apple flavor to balance the ginger, but the ginger speaks up clearly throughout.

I hoped this woud be warm and exciting, and it certainly was. I had mine with a cold day and a house filled with family, but I could also see this cider with a creamy soup and some fun hibernation reading.

Very Perry May Pt. 4: Argus, Viuda De Angelon, Cidrerie Daufresne

Wow,  Cider Friends, I can scarcely believe that we're already at week 4 of Very Perry May! I feel like I've learned a tremendous lot about perry, but there are still whole countries and styles I've not yetBlogger: Along Came a Cider - Edit post touched. The perry journey must continue, and for this week I'm trying three more: a Spanish perry, a French perry, and a gingery perry from Texas.

Viuda De Angelon Sidra du Pera

This is my first Spanish perry. I'd been hearing about it, so when I saw a few bottles at my local beer store (the nice kind of beer store that has a fantastic cider selection) I had to pick one up.

You can find out about both the importer and the producers at the following websites:

http://www.cidersofspain.com/

http://www.sidraviudaangelonpomar.es/

And here's the official description: 

VIUDA DE ANGELON SIDRA DE PERA: a sparkling off-dry perry (pear cider)
330 ml., 5.2% alcohol by volume
Produced by Sidra Viuda de Angelón, Nava, Principado de Asturias
In past centuries in Asturias, an ancient source of excellent cider, they pressed apples or pears. Viuda de Angelon has revived the lost tradition of pear cider to produce this longed-for nectar once again, using estate grown pears.

Appearance: brilliant, straw, bubbly

This perry pours with a mild head. It didn't stick around. The color looks like a lot of ciders with that fresh golden straw color. Brilliant and again very bubbly looking.

Aromas: pear, tart, strawberries
smells like fleshy pear for sure, a tiny bit of tartness in smell, approaching vinegar, but nbot there yet. Berries—strawberries specifically. Spring flowers

Sweetness/dryness: semi sweet

This is pleasantly semi-sweet, with a very fresh and natural sweetness. 

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, flora, sweet, floral

My first impression is how mild this is for a fermented fruit beverage from Asturias. I associate that style with really bold intense flavors, but this perry is more floral. with only aT tiny bit of brininess and acetic acid. The flavors are gently tropical and spicy with no tannins to speak of. Nice light zesty zippy body. 

 First I can taste the sweetness, which is bright and refreshing with yeasty notes, but two seconds later the warmer, lower notes hit. Its not super funky but there is a certain clean sweatiness to the flavor that's more than a bit exciting.

I had this cider with a fresh pepper and tomato salad, sweet corn, and faux chicken nuggets. These light foods complimented its mildness well.

Argus Ginger Perry

For another first, this is my first Argus beverage, but it won't be my last. Read about the company online at: http://www.arguscidery.com

Here's the official description.

ARGUS FERMENTABLES GINGER PERRY 

Ginger Perry delivers a dry pear palate with a tart bite, finishing bright and a bit spicy at the end. Unpasteurized and unfiltered, Ginger Perry is free of back sweetening and added sugars. Best enjoyed ice cold.

Appearance: bright gold, very bubbly to look at, hazy

Aromas: ginger, cola

The ginger smell comes on quite strong. There's not a lot of detectable fruit.

Dryness/sweetness: off dry

This is very tart and off dry. 

Flavors and drinking experience: tart, stony, tropical fruit

The Ginger Perry tastes extremely tart, astringent, bitter, and stony. Yum yum! There's lots of extremely bright fruit that blooms and blooms, but I don't detect a lot of pear notes. Its impossible to ignore the high acid but its pleasant. 

The fruitiness tastes like pineapple, lime, coconut, with a really nice floral undertone. Not really any tannins, but plenty of extremely powerful bubbles. Not very pear or apple like but fun!

Daufresne Poiré

You can read about the perry and the other beverages by Cidrerie Daufresne on the importer website or the homepage. This bottle was shared with me by the kind folks at Wine Sellers Limited.

http://www.winesellersltd.com/wine/Normandy/Daufresne%20Cidrerie/Daufresne%20Poire%20(Perry)%20Cidre/NV.html

http://cidreriedaufresne.com/

Official description: 

A perry pear is gritty, tannic and acidic, which makes it somewhat similar to a cider apple. But that is where the similarities end. Perry pear tannins tend to be rounder than those found in cider apples, and the pears used for perry have less malic acid than cider apples, resulting in a beverage that is less tart and more delicate. The Daufresne Poiré offers clear, sparkling and persistent effervescence and aromas. Tastes of fresh pear fruit, hints of melon and citrus, natural sediments in glass, rustic with a clean pure sweetness, balanced by refreshing acidity.

Appearance: warmly mellow straw, brilliant, bubbly

This cider looks deep and tannic with its deep and warm shade of gold. Its also going to be plenty bubbly!

Aromas: barny, sweet, fruity

This set of aromas is just classic French perry. It smells funky and farmy, but also sweet and fruity. But also, the perry smells like kola nuts. Smells wet and darkly sweet. 

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

Very fruity sweetness

Flavors and drinking experience: plums, caramel, low acid

Though the aromas of this perry made me think of barns, the taste is anything but funky!  This perry's sparkle is instantly surprising and pleasant. I find the flavors very quintessentially French in their fermentation style: fresh fruit, pear in a fleshy way, overripe apples, water, dark honey. I preferred sips to gulps. This is a perry to savor.

Interestingly, as this perry warmed up, the aromas bloomed into including some plum and even prune notes. Perry has low acid, but maybe some manageable levels of acetic acid. 

I had this with breakfast for dinner and good friends (Phil and Jill who are frequently co-tasters and all around fabulous people). We had Phil's blueberry pancakes, roasted tomato halves with seasoned bread crumbs, and veggie bacon, all with real maple syrup of course. This perry is sweet  and light but not simple, so it set off our breakfast selections in a delightful way. 

Very Perry May Pt 2 : Woodchuck, Dunkertons, and Misson Trail

Welcome to Very Perry May Pt 2! 

Today, I am pretty excited to further develop my understanding of perry and share my thoughts on three more fermented beverages based (at least partially) from pear juice! Two of the brands I'm talking about today have not yet been featured on the blog, so all kinds of repertoire expansion are afoot!

(In case you didn't catch last week, I introduced the series which will be lasting the whole month- https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/05/very-perry-may-pt-1-aeppeltreow.html)

Dunkerton's Organic Perry

Read about this small cider and perry operation in Herefordshire on the importer's webpage: http://www.winesellersltd.com/wine-brand/Dunkertons.html 

Or their site: https://www.dunkertonscider.co.uk/

Official description: 

A delicious sparkling Perry made from organically grown Perry pears. Though relatively uncommon, the trees are easily identified in Herefordshire’s orchard landscape by their great height and cascading white blossoms; some are over 300 years old. It pours golden and slightly hazy with very gentle bubbles. The nose has over-ripe pear evanescence. A creamy mouthfeel with a good balance between initial sweetness and the dryness of the finish.

Appearance: hazy, warm applesauce color, no visible bubbles

I'm noticing that more perries are hazy than most of the ciders I see on the market. This one decidedly so.

Aromas: overripe fruit, fermenation smells, hint of vinegar

From the aromas, I anticipate that this is going to be wild! Aromas are all about overripe fruit as much like fermented apples as pears. The smells include a little acetic acid but in a proper English perry way—actually kinda fun. I also can scent stone, dust, and cool well water, all hints that tannins will be present.

Sweetness dryness: semi-sweet

This is a balanced perry. The start is more dry and bitter but the end is more sweet, but neither is extreme.

Flavors and drinking experience: tannic, fruity, funky, cleary English, approachable

This sparkling perry is quite fruity and a little funky with an unobtrusive vinegar note. I'd call it balanced and clearly english in style. These perry pears have tannic presence and a long finish that has a bit of figgy, acrid sweetness to it—the sorbitol is there. There are loads of ripe fruit qualities as well, including notes of plum and papaya for sure. I like this!

Woodchuck's Summer Time Pear Ginger Cider

Find out about all of Woodchuck's ciders online: http://www.woodchuck.com

Official Description: 

Summer is here, bringing warm, carefree days and fun, festive nights. Woodchuck® Summer Time delivers a crisp pear cider bursting with fresh ginger for a taste that refreshes like a cool jump in your favorite swimming hole. Enjoy the brand that started the American cider revolution. 5%ABV

This strikes me as a little light on content, but luckily, my samples came with a press release with more helpful information, "Summer Time infuses both pear juice and fresh ginger into the cidery’s small batch hard cider." Later in the press release, it is described as a semi-sweet. 

Appearance: brilliant, bright gold, plenty of bubbles

I'm noticing lots of color for a perry; its a bright gold. Its also brilliant.

Aromas: pear, ginger, cherries

This pear cider smells fresh and clean, with lots of tropical fruit, cherries, and ginger.

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

Unambiguously sweet. Very fruity. 

Flavors and drinking experience: gingery, lots of cherry flavor, pear

Summer Time Pear Ginger tastes like an intense ginger cherry soda. There is a  background of pear but it stays in the background. My fabulous co-taster and husband says like a hopped cider without the hops." I think he means it is a driven by a bright pop of acid and some sweetness. 

It isn't much like other perries I've tried. The most comparable would by the Wyder's Perry, which will show up next week in Very Perry May Pt 3.

Mission Trail Perry

You can learn about the cidery on their website: http://www.missiontrailcider.com/

Official Description: 

California's only 100% Perry. Pure pear, no apple in this one. This is unlike any other. Exquisite and fruity, this remains peerless in it's flavor, balance, color, and artisinal quality. Soft and round, with pear bursting through, this drink has been crafted to remind you what a freshly picked pear tastes like. This is your uncommon perry. We never use concentrate, add flavoring, or add artificial ingredients, nor do we ever blend with apple cider. This is a pure California 100% Perry, made exclusively from high elevation, mountain pears. 6.0% ABV

Appearance: transparent, light green gold, some bubble

This is a very pretty cider in the glass! It shows a nice springy col. or, brilliant, poured with a lacy mousse that faded quickly.

Aromas: freshly cut pears

Wow! I can scarcely believe how much this smells like unfermented fruit.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-sweet to sweet

This is described on the label as being back-sweetened with fresh pear juice and that shows. It is sweet and juicy.

Flavors and drinking experience: clean, juicy, very very pear like

This tastes like half a dozen fresh fruits: pear, grapefruit, white grapes, pineapple, and honey dew melon. It does not taste like fermented fruit though. The sparkle is pronounced and pleasant. Acidity keeps this lively. There are no tannins and not much yeast character. This does not make me think of perry so much as semi-dry Riesling.  The fermentation is spotlessly clean and unobtrusive.  I can imagine this being tremendously popular for warm weather. 

My second set of perries was as varied as my first. My journey continues next week.

Visiting Original Stump Blower Ciderworks: Mini-Review Roundup

After Sunday brunch, On a tip from the fine folks at The Owlhouse in Rochester (http://www.owlhouserochester.com) I drove out to the Original Stump Blower Ciderworks Taproom to check out their cider. The weather was glorious, a perfect backdrop to a surprise cider adventure.

To introduce Original Stump Blower Ciderworks, I'll paraprase sister and brother pair of Elise Barnard and Eric Smith own and run Original Stump Blower Ciderworks and its taproom in Lakeville, New York outside of Rochester.The name refers to the illicit cider making and drinking done by their father and his uncle. It was both a code phrase for going drinking and proud claim that the cider was powerful enough to blow up the stumps in which it was hidden. 

They create a lot of cider with fruit additions, barrel aging, or other variations, but it all starts with a base cider made from only NY apples. As often as they can, OSB works with local companies to either source ingredients like Fee Brother Bitters or reuse spent materials like their used chamomile flowers go to a local soap maker for her work.

In just a month, OSB Ciderworks will be celebrating its first anniversary!

You can find out tons more about OSB Ciderworks on their website: https://www.osbciderworks.com 

or their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/OSBciderworks

I was welcomed by Elise who was soon joined by her husband and her brother Eric. They were kind enough to show me what they are pouring and a few projects in production. They were completely welcoming and knowledgeable. Here's a quick run through of everything I tried. I can't share full reviews of all of this, but I'll try to include some commentary for each.

Little Lakes Semi-Sweet  6.9% ABV I'm not too sweet and not too dry. My apple flavor is refreshing and great to enjoy by the lake in the summer or cozied up under a blanket by the fire in the winter. I love to make friends with everyone.

This was a nice safe starter cider. Its right between semi-dry and semi-sweet, slightly high acid, low tannins, with a clean fermentation. I imagine this would be a great seller for bars and restaurants. 

Honey...CHAM YOU DIG IT 6.2% ABV WE CAN DIG IT! I’m all Local baby! Conesus honey and NY chamomile are blended with my NY apple cider base. I'm smooth and flavorful with a chamomile finish. I am good at the bar after a long day or in a bubble bath listing to smooth r&b, share me with lovers and friends... im here to calm your soul!

This was my hands down favorite of the day. I'd call this a semi-sweet but just so herbaceous and different. I love the addition of chamomile in terms of an ingredient that can play well with apple flavor-wise and not dominate the conversation.

Mama Said Hop You Out!  6.9% ABV I’M GONNA HOP YOU OUT! Centennial and Nugget Hops, that are grown in Dansville, NY give me my hoppy aroma and flavor. Don’t pass me up because you don’t like IPA, I'm not bitter, give hops a chance! That first taste its like hearing your favorite 90’s song on the radio!

This is a dry hopped cider, so hops primarily add aroma. That's what the description means when it says that the cider isn't bitter. Its super fresh though and plenty of clean grassy hoppy notes.

You Love it When I call you Hop Papa I don't have an official description or ABV for this one.

This is a wet hopped cider, which almost certainly means that the cider itself has been boiled at some point in the fermentation process. The Hops include Citra and I think Chinook hops. This one tasted darker, dryer, and a touch bitter. A winner for me.

Matcha Man Apple Savage 7.2% ABV I am Matcha Tea Infused hard cider. I'm strong like Randy coming in at 7.2%. My flavor is a bit tart with an earthy dry finish. Tho i don't pair best with Slim Jim's i go awesome with just about everything else.

I'm not the biggest Match fan in the world, so I'm glad this one was a bit more subtle with the additive and offered plenty of apple vibrance in addition to the mild astringence of green tea.

Hold The Crust Apple Pie  6.5% ABV I’m made up of Grandma Fran’s famousapple pie filling. For every gallon of cider we make one pie... hold the crust. I'm spiced with three kinds of cinnamon as well as nutmeg, mace, and clove. I enjoy long walks through crunchy foliage and bar stool conversations. Save dessert and drink your pie!

This is a sweet spiced cider that I can imagine sells tremendously well, not just in the fall but year round. Look for a small run special edition coming up closer to the 4th of July!

Ginger Citrus 6.9% ABV I am a tangy cider with a bitter finish. I am made lovingly by creating an oleo saccharum with lemons and oranges, adding fresh ginger juice and then fermented in barrel that contained Fee Brothers Orange Bitters in them for a year. People who enjoy bitter cocktails (negroni, manhattan, old fasion etc.) tend to flock to me.

This one was excellent. Had good sense allowed me to take home a third small growler, I would have chosen this one. I love bitter and citrus notes, and this cider has them in excellent balance.

The Original 11% ABV I'm the one that started it all! A combination of apples and concord grapes go in to making me a strong and exciting cider. I am fermented until I reach 11% ABV and then I get to chill out in the barrel house in Black Button Whiskey barrels. I'm strong. bold and fun. I am great in cocktails and some people enjoy making french onion soup with me.

Scotch Bonnet Bomber

I don't have an official description for this one, but I do know that in addition to the cider this has a puree of three different pepper varieties added: Scotch Bonnet, Fresno, and Serrano.

Like some other ciders with chilis added, this one has a sharp aroma but a much more balanced flavor. It does have more heat and staying power than I'm used to, even in a chili infused cider, likely because it isn't blended with fruit in addition just peppers and cider. A winner for fans of spice, so I took some home for a dear friend of mine from Texas. 

When it came time for me to make my purchases, I got a small growler of the You Love it When I call you Hop Papa, Honey...CHAM YOU DIG IT, and a smaller container of the Scotch Bonnet Bomber. All lovely ciders. I'll be curious to see where this cider is this time next year.