Cider Review: Lockhorn Hard Cider Beartooth Bittersweet

The birds are singing out my windows this morning. I’m feeling more hopeful and excited about this summer, and all the cider adventures to come.  I wish this kind of hope for all my cider friends, and safe and gentle spring for apple blossoms. Today’s review is Bear Tooth Bittersweet by Lockhorn Hard Cider.

Lockhorn Hard Cider comes to the world from Bozeman, Montana. The cidery has a taproom, curbside service, a gluten-free food menu  as well as a full line up of innovative ciders. I like this phrase I found on the website for describing the cider, “[T]he first sip of Lockhorn cider has a bite, but the subtle, complex flavors resonate on the tongue, rather like wine.”

I’ve reviewed one Lockhorn Hard Cider before, the Gallatin Grapefruit: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/11/cider-review-lockhorn-hard-ciders.html

You can visit Lockhorn Hard Cider online here: https://www.lockhornhardcider.com/

Here’s how the cidery describes the Beartooth Bittersweet.

This proud cider is crafted from a blend English bittersweet and American varietal apples. With a gentle sweetness akin to Lone Mountain Cider, the Beartooth exhibits the same fruit forward apple appeal with the special bitter tannin that is so very English. The skins of the bittersweet apples impart a black tea like taste that lend a complex and extraordinary palate!

Now for my experience with Beartooth Bittersweet.

Appearance: brilliant, chick fluff yellow,  low hue intensity, no visible bubbles

This cider looks elegant and appealing with it’s brilliance. The color reminds me of baby chicks, but maybe I’ve got spring on the  brain. I don’t see any bubbles when I pour this cider, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t sparkly.

Aromas: pear, white grape, banana, fruity, juicy, powdered sugar

The Beartooth Bittersweet smells freshly juicy! These aroma notes just leap out of the can and glass.  Pear, white grape, and banana smells present themselves clearly and powerfully. I also get notes of powdered sugar. The overall smell impressions are of a tropical fruit dessert.

Sweetness/Dryness: Sweet

This is a sweet cider! I shouldn’t  be surprised because of the sweet in the name, but it’s more a true sweet than a bittersweet.

Flavors and drinking experience: low acid, low-to-medium tannins, fruity, overripe apple, cooked apple, softened leather

The first thing that I notice when I taste the Beartooth Bittersweet is how much lower I find the acid than with most American ciders. The sweetness and relatively low acidity work together to pull the Bittersweet’s profile in the direct of a medium sweet UK cider. It brings low-to-medium tannins which are a bit different from many (not all) UK ciders. The Bittersweet is very much its own cider with its own profile! 

After a few sips, I’m noticing more and more fresh apple juice, overripe apple, and cooked apple notes. The Beartooth Bittersweet offers a mellow mature flavor with a bit of softened leather to it. The finish is gentle and pleasant, but not overlong. The sparkle level is petillant rather than strongly bubbly.

I paired the Beartooth Bittersweet with a pasta dinner, but I think I’d do it differently next time. After trying this cider, I think it would be best paired with an asparagus and goat cheese quiche, maybe accompanied by a cucumber and tomato salad. I’d want to give the rich fruits something toasty and creamy to play against. And I’d like to fill in the acid level with the tomato in the salad. It’s a super Spring-friendly cider, and it would be a waste not use that. Cheers!

Cider Review: Whetstone Ciderworks' Orchard King

Today feels like fall. Though the season doesn't officially start until the equinox on Sunday, the mornings are crisply cool, leaves are changing color, and apple harvest has started for the year.  I love these earlier cooler nights, for that that it means that winter and real cold cannot be too far behind. It is a season for visitors here in Ithaca, and today's review is for a cider I shared with dear visiting friends recently. They like dry challenging ciders, so I pulled out something I thought might be a bit special, Whetstone Ciderworks' Orchard King.

Here's a bit of background on Whetsone Ciderworks that I found on their website. The company has been around since 2010. Jason and Lauren MacArthur started Whetstone Ciderworks in Marlboro, Vermont. They appear to have a few really interesting identifying features as a cidery.

They do focus on local fruit. This what they have to say about that, "All of the apples we use are grown locally- this past year, most were from Scott Farm in Dummerston, some from Poverty Lane Orchards in Lebanon, NH, and even a few from our own small orchard."

This, plus the description of Jason MacArthur's winemaking influence make me really excited to try their ciders. I love it when cidermakers show a genuine focus on apples, climate, and the under-realized similarities of cider and wine making. Anyhow, that's my own bias talking.

You can find out plenty more on their actual site http://www.whetstoneciderworks.com/ or their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whetstone-CiderWorks/209863572381300

In looking at a few Whetstone Ciders, I though I'd start by sharing and reviewing their Orchard King. It sounds complex and truly expressive of their cider-making goals.

Here's what Whetsone has to say about their Orchard King, "This extra-dry, bottle-conditioned cider is effervescent and refreshing. Yarlington Mill, Orleans Reinette, and Major are among the apples that impart tastes of citrus and apple, leading to a delicate, smoky finish. A fabulous 'cocktail hour' cider."

This cider is sold in 750ml bottles and has an ABV of 7.5%.

Appearance: cloudy, deep creamy color, very little visible bubbling

I can see a ring of very fine bubbles around the edge of the glass and a few tiny islands of bubbles, but not much more. This cider is hazy to cloudy and shows signs of being bottle conditioned. This matches the official description, so that's good. The cider is a creamy rich gold in color.

Aromas: Leather, Ripe Apples, Clay

The Orchard King smells fascinating, rather like leather and limestone and deliciously ripe apples. I also detect notes that remind me of wood and clay. One of my fellow tasters got hint of lily aromas, and I think she's spot on. I get some phenols but not to a distracting or negative degree. I really enjoy how rich and complex this cider smells.

Sweetness or dryness: Dry

Definitely at dry cider! This doesn't taste the least bit sweet until the finish, but then some hints of warm sweet oats and breadiness kick in. I love the dryness and the shift just at the last moment. Very interesting.

Flavors and drinking experience: high tannins, medium high acid, some degree of farminess

The Orchard King tastes monstrously tannic and fabulous. This cider comes across as lightly fizzy more than deeply bubbly. It shows a bit of farm funk with some hints of metallic flavors. The Orchard King balances that weight of tannins and funk with some intense acidity, making this a complex and bombastic cider. It tastes very rustic, even a bit medieval.

I enjoyed this with grapes, cheese, cookies, and wonderful friends. I think they were the most important accompaniment to this cider. It doesn't need lot in the way of foods. The Orchard King offers enough interest and flavor to stand on its own, but it could also easily pair with hearty foods. I would not enjoy this cider so much with anything super spicy or acidity, but balance it out with non-competing flavors like farmhouse bread, cheese, and fruits.

Cider and Cheese Pairings: A Cider Week Event with The Cellar D'Or

Wow, this post is so overdue: my apologies, especially to the faraway folks who were asking about the pairing choices months ago. Finally. Here we go.

Back in October, I had the joy of doing some cider and cheese pairings with Mark of The Cellar D'Or.  This was a free tasting event by The Cellar D'Or for the good people of Ithaca (and surrounds) as a part of Finger Lakes Cider Week. The Cellar D'Or does a free tasting of some form or other at least once a week, usually on Friday evenings; so with this we managed to celebrate Cider Week and introduce a few more wine people to a variety of international ciders and cheeses. Putting this together with Mark was such a great time; he's a real asset to the cider and wine communities here in Ithaca. Thanks, Mark!

Here's what we paired. Some pairs were guided by the shared regional qualities and others just because they complemented one another well in aroma, taste, and texture. We also ordered these with some care because of the strong flavors going on both the ciders and cheeses. In general we tried to begin with more austere tastes and textures and allowed the choices to become more intense and aromatic toward the end. After all, it is easier for the palate to understand things getting crazier, but our mouths have a far harder time noting the nuances of something delicate after a fabulously taste-bud shredding.

1. Cabot Clothbound Jasper Hill Cellar Cheddar with Farnum Hill's Semi-Dry Cider (until we ran out of course and switched to a few bottles of their Summer Cider). Their Semi-Dry has 7.4%ABV and would probably taste dry to most folks. Both Cabot Creamery and Farnum Hill are incredibly respected New England businesses that set standards for their respective products. The Cabot Clothbound is aged for a period of 10-14 months, giving it a sweet, nutty, tangy, caramel-tinged savoriness.

2. P'tit Basque with Txopinondo Sagarnoa Cider: both of these delicious treats come from the Basque region. The P'tit Basque cheese uses sheep's milk which has an astonishing percentage of flavor-giving fat: 45%. The cheese is fairly firm with an edible rind. The Txopinondo Cider is more tart and acidic with lots of citrus fruitiness. It's ABV has a more typical 6% after being matured on the lees for six months in barrels.

3. Valdeon with Castanon Natural Sidra: Spanish ciders and cheese both here. The Sidra goes a bit farther still in terms of its acidity; that is the most famous quality of this region's ciders.  It has an ABV of 6%. The Valdeon cheese is a Spanish blue that can use either cow or goat milk. The flavor is intense but clean. The cheese is always wrapped in sycamore, chesnut, or maple leaves before being sold. This is definitely the pairing that starts down the road to fiercer flavors.

4. Humbolt Fog with Etienne DuPont Organic Cider Brut 2011: this may have been the most popular pairing of the evening. The Humbolt Fog is a California goat cheese that uses vegetable ash, buttermilk, and fresh cream. It also offers the most gorgeous cream line when you cut into it. The Etienne Du Pont has many of the great qualities of Normany ciders. It is unpasteurized and uses no sulphites (great to know for those with sensitivities). It manages to offer both sweetness and slightly farmy complexity. 

And for just a tiny while, we had a decadent Fourme D'Ambert with Eden's Vermont Ice Cider Heirloom Blend. The ice cider is much boozier with an ABV of 10% and the kind of intense sweetness known to fans of ice cider (15% residual sugar). The cheese is one of ancient lineage that goes back to the Roman empire. Now it comes from the Auverne region of France, and it uses cow's milk to create this semi-hard blue cheese. Amazing.

My friend and photographer, Sara, caught me mid-explanation here, but evidently I didn't stop moving very often. This is the cider fan in her natural habitat. The only unusual feature is that she has neither bottle nor glass in hand.

All Photos appear courtesy of Sara Kalla. My thanks to her for documenting this great time!

Cider Review: McKenzie's Hand-Pressed Seasonal Reserve Hard Cider

 
The last time anybody saw any McKenzie's Cider appear on this blog was when I reviewed their Lazy Lemon at the beginning of August. It was their special shandy-inspired cider for summer and you can remind yourself about it or check it out for the first time here: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/08/cider-review-mckenzies-lazy-lemon.html I still really like the concept, but I wasn't bowled over by some of the specifics. I want to be fair though and acknowledge that what McKenzie's as a brand is going for is a specific style of very approachable, sweet, easy-drinking hard cider. That's the category; that's the style. To criticize it for doing that is missing the point.

McKenzie's original, which I reviewed in July, shows that they have a firm understanding of what they're going for. Here's that review, which was my first encounter with this Seneca, NY brand: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/07/cider-review-mckenzies-hard-cider.html. That's where I write the most about the company, or you can visit their own website and learn what they have to say about themselves: http://www.mckenziesbeverages.com/

Today's review is about their fall seasonal release, McKenzie's Hand-Pressed Seasonal Reserve Hard Cider. It is their take on a bottled cider with mulling spices. McKenzie's describes it this way, "Flavored with Cinnamon and Nutmeg. Sip, smell and savor the rich, mulled spicy goodness of McKenzie's Seasonal Reserve. Aromatic fall flavors warm you from the inside out, and chase away the chill on those cold nights. Serve warm or cold, but only for a limited time!" I love mulled cider, and this is a beverage that needs sweetness with spice, so I've got high hopes that McKenzie's can really do this one right!

Appearance: Hazy, applesauce, bubbly

I can see so many bubbles on the sides of my glass that it took a while for me to determine if this was slightly hazy or brilliant. Hazy, as it turns out. The color of McKenzie's Seasonal Reserve for fall reminds me of applesauce. The photo doesn't show all the bubbles because they do start to dissipate steadily after a moment or two.

Aromas: minerals, candied fruit, ginger

Spices dominate my impressions of the McKenzie's Seasonal Reserve in terms of aroma. I smell a dusty candied ginger smell, cinnamon, and cooked fruit. All of this comes together to form a picture that's very old timey and familiar. I don't know exactly why, but perhaps it is nutmeg, mace, or allspice notes that recall my grandmother's pumpkin pie. In any case, it is a good smell but not one very usual for cider.

Sweetness: Sweet

The sweetness is totally integral to this drink. It needs to be sweet and the sweetness in this case is very enjoyable. This mulled cider inspired beverage needs to be a sweet spicy dessert and it is.

Flavors and drinking experience: super flavorful, medium carbonation, light mouthfeel

Spices! That's definitely what defines the Fall Seasonal from McKenzie's. It tastes a lot like a mulled cider but chilled and carbonated. So, in a way it feels very old fashioned but also non-traditonal. The mouthfeel is fairly light for such an intensely flavorful beverage. Medium carbonation is just right for this one. There is a touch of spice bitterness on the finish that reminds me of citrus peels or grapefruit but also of nutmeg.

Enjoy this while watching silly holiday movies on TV or bring the McKenzie's Seasonal Reserve to a cookie swap. Though it is marketed as fall, I can see this cider performing well through the holidays. Mulling spices go tremendously well with the cider McKenzie's is producing, and this is far and away my favorite cider of theirs that I've tried.

Finger Lakes Cider Week Cider Review: Eve's Cidery's Beckhorn Hollow Dry

 
To get ready for Ithaca's Apple Harvest Festival and Finger Lakes Cider Week, I'm highlighting some excellent regional ciders from where I live, the Finger Lakes region of New York. To start, Eve's Cidery has been running in Van Etten, New York since 2002. You can read all about the people and the ciders on Eve's Cidery website here: http://www.evescidery.com/. It's got a lot of good info, even if a few sections appear to no longer have content. I reviewed their Autumn's Gold cider a few months ago in this post: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/cider-review-eves-ciderys-autumns-gold.html. 

The Beckhorn Hollow Dry cider has an ABV of 8%, which is a bit higher than average. I didn't see an official description or promotional copy for the Beckhorn Hollow Dry on their website, but I contacted them through Facebook and asked. I got an excellent description in reply, "Made from a diverse blend of apple varieties including crabs, heirlooms and desserts, this cider is naturally sparkling and bone dry. Tropical fruits and vanilla on the nose give way to a refreshing wild-apple finish. Makes a delightful compliment to Indian curries, chicken pot pie or gourmet farmstead grilled cheese on rustic sourdough." Such an intriguing list of food pairings.

Appearance: brilliant, palest green gold

Pours with lots of activity and bubbles that settle quickly into a brilliant cider. I see the color as the perfect meld of pale green and pale gold.  Apologies for the imperfect capturing of color in this  nighttime photo. I wish I could always be drinking my ciders and photographing them during the golden hour, but that option isn't available frequently enough.

Aroma:  fresh apples, tart green grapes, underripe bananas

I could smell All kind of sappy green fruits like lime and green grapes. Extreme crispness comes to mind when I smell all the tart zingy freshness of the apple in the aromas. I'm defnitely anticipating some bittersharp and dry notes based on the smells.

Sweetness: Dry

This is a lovely lovely dry cider that still has full aromas and flavors. The rawness I smelled comes across more maturely in the woody dryness. This doesn't have high enough levels of tannins to dry out the mouth though, which means it can still be enjoyed casually.

Flavors and Drinking Experience: Woodsy, very fine bubbles, citrus

I get some ethanol bittersweet on the attack, like lemon pith or even a citrus zest, but it smooths out to apple and wood notes quickly. Overall the acidity level isn't particularly high, even lower than the medium tannins. The Beckhorn Hollow Dry shares its sweetest moment in the finish which is a soothing and excellent encouragement.

I'm not sure I'd follow the official recommendation and try it with any curries, but I'd certainly recommend enjoying the Beckhorn Hollow Dry with delicious buttery cooked greens or a rich vegetable au gratin. The dryness could lighten up a rich heavy meal beautifully. For an activity, I'd love to have this cider on hand while doing some of my own cooking and baking. The dryness would be delightfully refreshing in that context.

If you'll be anywhere in the finger lakes region during our Cider Week (October 4-13), come out and see ciders like this one from Eve's Cidery being sampled, paired, mixed, or taught. Eve's Cidery makes some beautiful ciders, and they aren't the only ones in the area.

Also, please come out at see me and the fine folks at The Cellar D'Or next Friday evening October 11th between 5 and 8pm. We'll be pairing all sorts of ciders and cheeses, both regional and international selections.

Cider Review: Naked Flock Draft Cider (also, Finger Lakes Cider Week is Coming!)

Back in May, I reviewed the first Naked Flock cider to come my way, the Original. Here's a link to that review along with its introduction and background for the brand, Naked Flock. http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/05/cider-review-naked-flock-original-and.html You can read about Naked Flock on the Applewood Winery's page which has a section that serves as Naked Flock's Website. Their Facebook page is even more active and full of information: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Flock-Hard-Cider/254809707939076. For example, that's how I learned that Naked Flock was just named the best Cider in the Hudson Valley by Hudson Valley Magazine.

This is what Naked Flock says about this particular cider, "Draft is a drier style fermented with Belgian Trappist Ale yeast and smoothed over with organic Maple syrup." We'll see how a cider can be dry but also use maple syrup as a sweetening agent, but I'm curious. I know one commenter on my previous Naked Flock review mentioned the noticeability of the ale yeast in the finished cider.

Appearance: Brilliant, intense goldenrod

The brilliant clarity of this cider shows lots of bubbles clining to the glass. Its intense yellow color reminds me of the goldenrod I see blooming everywhere. I was shocked by how bright the color looked in my glass...er, jar.

Aromas: cooked apples, hint of apple candy, pear syrup

Having heard that Naked Flock's Draft is drier and more beery than the original, I was surprised a second time when I smelled it. The apple smell is definitely more like a baked apple than a ripe or even overripe raw apple aroma that comes with many ciders. Still, aromas do not necessarily directly translate into tastes. But since the secondary aromas are more sweet things, candy and syrup, I know to expect a fairly sweet to very sweet cider.

Sweetness: Sweet

Not really a drier cider. The sweetness has some bright acidity along with the sweetness. I can definitely perceive the maple syrup in the cider's finish.

Flavors: apple, orange, ripe melon

Naked Flock's Draft Cider is very fruity and sweet. Its pleasant acidity almost veers into the too-much-for-me camp, but at the same time, this cider needs its acidity because otherwise the sweetness would be overwhelming. This is a tense balancing act, but one perhaps not yet quite perfected. It doesn't however fall into either of the duelling traps of extreme acidity or sweetness but it does flirt with both.

Drinking Experience: needs to be chilled, pair with food

Tastes best cold. Mind you, on these warm spells that periodically interrupt my happy progress towards fall, most things taste best cold. The Draft pairs with casual dinner fare. Definitely a cider that could pleasantly accompany many classic American dishes, but something more hearty and and less delicate than sushi or salad. Perhaps a veggie frittata with cheddar or a mushroom soup with wheat rolls. Activity wise, this is a fine after work beverage for relaxing. At least that's how I enjoyed mine.

On a totally different note, I'm really excited to be hearing about the cool cider events happening all over the country. The numbers and excitement are building in all kinds of places. What I'm curious about is will any readers be enjoying Finger Lakes Cider Week (http://www.ciderweekflx.com/) or NYC and Hudson Valley Cider Week (http://www.ciderweekny.com/)?

Both series will be simply bursting with great opportunities to taste cider, meet folks, and learn about our favorite beverage. I'd love to meet fellow cider fans there. Let me know who you are and what you'll be doing. Let's drink cider together!

Cider Review: Farnum Hill Summer Cider

I cannot believe I've been keeping a cider blog for nine whole months without talking about any Farnum Hill Ciders. This is a grievous error on my part not only because they have played such a pivotal role in America's cider renaissance (which they undoubtedly have), but also because they were one of my early cider life-lines when I came back to the United States after trying and enjoying ciders during my study abroad at the University of East Anglia. (Here's my mostly unrelated shout out with affection to my nefarious guides to the wonderful world of pubs and cider, the UEA Games Soc.) Anyhow, I've been enjoying their ciders for almost ten years, so this review should have come earlier.

Farnum Hill Ciders come from Poverty Lane Orchards in Lebanon, New Hampshire. They make many ciders and sell apples, including unusual varieties of apples that are otherwise hard to come by. You can visit their fabulously informative website at: http://www.povertylaneorchards.com. Stephen M. Wood and Louisa D. Spencer have run and owned Poverty Lane Orchards since its start in 2000. These folks are serious about apples, science, and cider. I highly recommend checking out their Cider Facts page to learn some interesting things about apples and climate and also to get a good feel for the brand's unique personality. http://www.povertylaneorchards.com/farnum-hill-ciders/farnum-hill-cider-basics/  Fascinating stuff; I certainly didn't know anything about "Dosage" before reading about it there.

Before summer ends, I want to review Farnum Hill Summer Cider.  This cider has an ABV of 7.8% and like all Farnum Hill Ciders prides itself on using carefully chosen blended and cider apples. Rather than list their entire three paragraph orientation to the cider, I'll point my readers to it here: http://www.povertylaneorchards.com/farnum-hill-ciders/the-ciders/summercider/
and quote a bit about the cider itself. The folks at Farnum Hill say this, "Farnum Hill Summer Cider is golden and gently sparkling, blended to remind people in the States that good ciders make ideal summer “wines,” something the wider world never forgot. So in this one we go for prominent fruit and keen acid, soft-pedaling the tannic, earthy notes common to the other FHC blends. In Summer Cider the fruits are rich, the citrusy notes are strong, with gentle sweetness in the background. It’s a bit like whiskey sours, without the alcoholic whack."I'm not quite sure the digs at both United States drinkers and whiskey sours need to be there, but I'll be on the lookout for the acidity and lightness specifically.

Appearance: brilliant, cool blonde

Please forgive me for thinking of this cider's color as one of Alfred Hitchcock's leading ladies (specifically Tippi Hedron in The Birds), but that's always what cool blonde says to me. This Summer Cider has visible bubbles, most dissipate fast, but small fine streams continue through the liquid. Beautiful brilliance as well.

Aromas: fresh apples, banana, cake

Apple smells definitely come through first and foremost. The secondary fruits I sense most are banana and blueberry.  I could also detect bits of cake and walnut. This smells like a complex and lovely buffet of sweet flavors, but we'll see if the cider is as fruity and sweet as it smells.

Sweetness: Semi-dry to Off-dry

Actually separating the sweetness from other elements of enjoying this cider is fairly difficult. I can smell sweet fruits, but the taste is far more bright and acidic. It is definitely not bone dry, but it isn't a semi-sweet either. I'll say a gentle off dry or a more hardcore semi-dry. Hopefully that's not too confusing.

Flavors and Drinking Experience: high acidity, low to medium tannins, off-dry 

The Summer Cider tastes good to sip, but it tastes even better in big drinks. The flavors come in two distinct waves: first sweet, bright, second is dark, bitter, plummy flavor at the mid-back of the tongue.  Clean finish. The acidity is what makes it summery, and it contributes to the sense of  near dryness while also offering some enjoyable fruitiness. This is one of the lightest bodied ciders they make, perhaps the Summer Cider is giving a nod to the Spanish cider tradition.

I can definitely recommend this cider with all sorts of light summery foods and activities. Try the Summer Cider with bruschetta and fresh corn or lobster rolls. Bring a glass to a hammock, sneak a bottle into your canoe, eat a few more dinners outside with this cider before the weather gets too cold. Fall is coming soon, and I think Farnum Hill is more than right to think of this cider as uniquely suited to summertime. Whatever version they make each year, they attempt to make it available May through September where their other ciders are sold.  If you see this one, give it a try.

Cider Review: Albemarle Ciderworks Royal Pippin Virginia Apple Cider

This afternoon, I'm quite pleased to share my first review of cider by Albermarle Ciderworks. I've been following the company online for a while, but I got a chance to taste several of their ciders on my recent vacation. I asked on Twitter and did a bit of research into where I could get cider reasonably close to the Norfolk, Virginia airport and I was thrilled to see so much cider at the fairly nearby wine store. I hauled my embarassing amount of vacation cider to the Outerbanks of North Carolina and reviewed ciders all vacation long. This is definitely a process I recommend and plan to repeat.

You can check out their website here: http://www.albemarleciderworks.com It has lots of great information about their ciders, local events, and cider more generally. Very nice. Though I haven't gotten to visit it, I'm excited that Albemarle has a tasting room! You can visit them Wednesdays - Sundays from 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in North Garden, Virginia just south of Charlottesville.

I'm starting this series of reviews with my encounter with their Royal Pippin Virginia Apple Cider in no small part because I've already tasted and reviewed the Newtown Pippin single variety by Original Sin. You can check out that review for comparison here: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/02/cider-review-newtown-pippin.html. The apples aren't the same, but they are closely enough related that I think looking at the reviews together makes sense.

Here's the official blurb for the cider from Albemarle: "The Albemarle Pippin, besides being an exquisite dessert and culinary apple, makes a delightful single varietal cider. Royal Pippin has notes of pineapple and grape, with a well balanced acidity and a lush apple taste. It is a refreshing apertif and pairs splendidly with seafood and pork. 8.5% ABV." What I find really interesting is that the label lists a different ABV than the website; on the cider label the ABV appears to be 9.5%. I'm sure batches vary and that labelling requirements are as mysterious in Virginia as they are in other states, but I wish I knew what the actual ABV of the cider was. 

In the websites's tasting notes section, it says this about the cider: "Royal Pippin is a wonderfully diverse cider, perfect for pairing with so many dishes.  Roasted chicken over winter root vegetables, lemony scallops, poached salmon, even spicy carnitas or a firm, nutty cheese. . . all work well alongside this cider."

Giving a bit of extra info in the "Why we like it" section, Albemarle says this about the background of its Royal Pippin: "The Albemarle Pippin has a storied past; Queen Victoria and her subjects were so enamored of the taste of the Albemarle Pippin that they were willing to pay higher prices and forego the import tax on this richly flavored apple.  Our Royal Pippin cider captures all the best aspects of this apple's essence superbly."

Appearance: slightly hazy, glowing deep vanilla

The color needs a slightly more whimsical description than some, perhaps because of the haziness or the lovely bubbling. So, I stand by my glowing deep vanilla color assessment.

Aromas: Fresh apples, wine yeast, tea, pencil shavings

This smells sweet but the other blended aromas that include clean minerals, iron, wood, and wine yeast give me a good hint that it won't likely taste sweet. I am expecting a fairly high tannin level though.

Sweet-dry scale: off dry

Upon first taste, my prediction is fulfilled. This is not a sweet cider, but is approachable and full of flavor. I love this level dryness. The Royal Pippin could easily go with food or be enjoyed just on its own.

Flavors and Drinking Experience:  floral, high tannin, low acid, woody

Thie cider tastes wild and English, but not farmy. Instead it strikes me as refined with hints of very sharp cheddar, lapsang souchong tea, rich mushrooms, maybe even bleu cheese. The Royal Pippin's  finish is citrusy, but I get no citrus before then. It gives a lingering warmth that is most enjoyable.

Drinking Experience:

This single varietal is better balanced than Original Sin's Newtown Pippin.  In fact, it is so well balanced and drinkable, I would not have guessed it for a single origin cider had I known this beforehand. For me that makes it not just an educational or interesting beverage, but one to savor on its own merit as well.

Though you could drink this on its own, I recommend it with a summery veggie tart something with lots of zucchini, tomatoes, corn and cheese. It could also go easily with sitting on a porch and watching the world go by. Very lovely indeed.

Cider Review: McKenzie's Lazy Lemon

McKenzies Hard Cider is produced in New York State south of Buffalo in West Seneca. I reviewed the flagship cider from this brand earlier in the summer. You can can see a more complete brand intro and how that cider fared here. You can also find out some information about the brand from their own website.

Here's what they say about themselves, "McKenzie’s Hard Cider was founded in 2011 by Lenny Ciolek in Buffalo, New York. Lenny played a crucial role in the success of the Mike’s Hard Lemonade brand and was able to secure distribution for McKenzie’s utilizing existing relationships and a grassroots method of marketing. McKenzie’s currently produces 5 different varieties of hard cider; Original, Black Cherry, Green Apple, Seasonal Reserve (cinnamon and nutmeg) and Lazy Lemon (lemonade blend). Its varieties have received several awards including Double Gold Medal for Black Cherry, and Silver Medals for Original and Green Apple at the 2012 New York Wine & Food Classic. McKenzie’s can be found at a bar near you, or at Wegmans and Tops grocery stores, where it is the best‐selling hard cider." Now that I live in Ithaca, that Wegmans reference has a whole new meaning for me. It is the grocery chain of the region and much beloved. (For my Florida friends, people here love Wegmans as much as Floridians love Publix.)

Today I'm reviewing McKenzie's Lazy Lemon. This is definitely the first lemon cider I've seen for sale, but many ciders have citrus notes, so the pairing is fairly logical. Furthermore, I've enjoyed shandies, a mix of beer and lemonade served ice cold, and this could well be the cider answer to a shandy. Informed by these two associations, I have hope that this will surpass many of the six-pack ciders I've tried lately.

Their product description is more playful than informative, but I'll share it here since it has disappeared from the official website for the year. "Pucker up! You're going to love this little tart. Lazy Lemon has a burst of citrus without the acidic bite, giving long carefree days a zesty punch of refreshing flavor. Serve Chilled. Kick back and enjoy often."

Color and Appearance: Brilliant, fresh corn

When poured I see almost no visible bubbles in the Lazy Lemon. It has a lovely pale color, almost like fresh corn on the cob. The clarity, as the picture suggests is brilliant. You could read text through this easily.

Aromas: musty, lemon, minerals

The cider gives off a genuinely intriguing aroma. It smells very pleasantly rocky and citrusy. Rather like some white wines. So far, my hopes are not disappointed.

Sweetness: Sweet!

The Lazy Lemon is sweet like lemonade. It left my mouth a bit sticky like lemonade also.

Flavors: Boozy lemon soda

I'm tempted to just leave it at that. It doesn't taste like apple or cider. The Lazy Lemon is easy on the carbonation, which is a plus. It has some mild tartness that cuts the sweetness pleasantly, but that could be stronger. It really does taste like a slightly boozy sparkling lemonade.

Drinking Experience: Needs ice

Ice actually helps mend the level of sweetness, so I'd say break the traditional cider rules. Pour this one on ice if you want to enjoy a the Lazy Lemon at its best. It isn't very cidery, so I'm not sure the rules really apply.

The other two things you could do are either add a scoop of super tart sorbet or gelato and just turn it into a float or get a lager and make a shandy-esque lemon + cider + beer blend. If anyone tries either of these, please comment and let me know.

Cider Review: Woodpecker Premium Cider

When I saw a very English looking woodpecker on a cider bottle at my corner grocery store, I wasn't quite sure what to think. The name Woodpecker only vaguely rings any bells in terms of cider, but I feel like I occasionally saw this cider years ago. The bottle said "Made to the recipe of H. P. Bulmer Ltd. Hereford, England." I've heard of Bulmer's; they belong to C&C Group which owns Magner's and a number of other English and American cider companies. This is a big big operation, not a mom and pop cider farm. Here's the fairly minimal website specifically for Woodpecker: http://www.woodpeckercider.us.

Unfortunately, it doesn't tell me what I really want to know.That quote saying that Woodpecker is made to an English recipe doesn't actually tell me if Woodpecker available in the U. S. is made here for a British company or made abroad. It took a little digging, and I could be wrong, but it appears that the Woodpecker available in the states is in fact made in Middlebury, Vermont. I'm afraid learning all this has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. Hopefully the cider will still be good, but the big companies owned by even bigger conglomerates are not usually the most interesting part of the cider world.

This appears to be the brand's only variety. The cider has a lower than average 4.2% ABV, along with a slightly lower calorie count as well.Here's what Bulmer's says about their Woodpecker cider, "The use of the English bittersweet apple provided Woodpecker with a distinctive taste and refreshing drinkability. A crisp semi-dry finish, amber hue with a lightly sparking appearance, sweet fruity aroma and a slight toffee-apple note." To look on the bright side, this will be an English style cider made in the United States. Tasting will hopefully tell me more than my online research.

Color and Appearance: Intense yellow gold, brilliant

Woodpecker Cider showed no visible bubbles on first pour. Brilliant in terms of clarity. The coloar is intense yellow gold. A small foam appeared and quickly disappeared during my second pour.

Aromas: no discernable apple smell, yeast

This smells like tasty sweet bready yeast. I could not smell much in the way of apples or fruit from Woodpecker Premium Cider.

Sweetness: semi-sweet

The Woodpecker's sweetness is a bit honey like, but it's cleaner and the minerality keeps it that way. It really is very balanced.

Flavors: minerally, beer-like, balanced

I hate to keep returning to the same word, balanced, but that is what I'm noticing the most. This is a mild and relatively beery cider. It does give some pleasant minerality, but I'm missing the appliness or tannins that often make my favorite English style ciders remarkable.

Drinking Experience: not super fruity, good level of carbonation

As I keep drinking, I'm noticing the thin mouthfeel on this cider. It is very pleasant and extremely drinkable, but its wateryness becomes apparent by the end of the bottle. While in some ways this is a low-impact cider, it becomes most appreciable as a session cider.

My husband called it a picnic cider, in that it is refreshingly beer-like and not boozy. I'll agree and recommend it for long afternoons spent outside with sandwiches, pasta salad, baked beans, and watermelon.

Cider Review: Millstone Cellars Gingeroot

First, a note, please forgive the picture heaviness of this post. Several pictures turned out, and I am enough of a photo person that I cannot narrow it down to the usual two pics.

 

Millstone Cellars works from the refurbished Monkton Mill in Monkton, Maryland. It is primarily a father son business that has been making cider and mead for more than ten years. They say this about their own processes: "Recreating early America’s libation of choice, our cider is crafted from pressed heirloom cider apples, oak barrel fermented, and aged. Once barreled, we let the ciders chill out as they undergo a long cool fermentation, slowly develop the ciders character and complexity. Each apple varietal is fermented to dryness and aged for 5-12 months before we hand select barrels to blend into our finished cider." They also mention bottle conditioning as the final step in the cider process. You can see some gorgeous pictures and read more about their business on their website: www.millstonecellars.com.

Today, I'm reviewing their Gingeroot. Their official description explains it as, "Cider warmed during the winter months in the barrel with organic baby ginger and infused with raw blueberry honey. A spicy aromatic cider unthawed for the coming of spring." They do list their ingredients in a completely appealing and open way. The back label lists and pictures Summer Rambo and McIntosh as the apples that go into this cider along with organic baby ginger and raw blueberry honey. With all of these various flavors coming together, I anticipate a complex beverage. Final few facts: ABV 8.0%, Residual Sugar 2.5%, Sweetness Semi-Sweet. I'm curious about what I'll be tasting.

Appearance: pale yellow gold and bubbly

The Gingeroot pours fizzily. The beverage quickly forms a very big bubbled mousse with loads of excitement. The head dissipates quickly. Either in the bottle or the glass, this cider has brilliant clarity and very pale yellow gold color.

Aromas: ginger, pear wood, spice

The first thing that I have to share to properly communicate the experience is that this beverage is significantly more aromatic than most ciders. It is beautifully strong smelling, even when fairly cold. The aromas aren't appley though; Alex gets concord grape, but I smell ginger primarily. Beyond the ginger, I could smell pear, wood, and spice. Very exciting.

Flavors: apple, ginger, and spice

I can taste the apple much more than I could smell it, but the ginger comes across just as clearly. The two meld well with a spicy almost punchy taste. Very invigorating. I enjoyed how much the Gingeroot manages to be a zesty and yet fruity cider.

Drinking experience: intense, powerful, a bit slow

This cider is high in tannins, similarly high in acid, and off dry. The honey really is pleasing as a separate but balancing note. The level of carbonation also gives this an aura of champagne. For me, this tastes very much like what would happen if someone clever shaved fresh ginger into a glass of dry champagne.

I chose this cider specifically go with a meal. My darling Alex made zucchini and summer squash cold noodle salad with tofu and peanut teriyaki sauce. Delish. The cider worked with it as I hoped it would. The balance of powerful cider and chilled peanut sauce were especially complementary. I recommend this confidently as an accompaniment to Asian food. In terms of activities, where I live it is still too hot to do very much besides survive. Therefore, I'd recommend the Gingeroot for a calm slow afternoon or evening, reading a book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This cider can stand up to any chilling tale.

For those interested in reading more, a local paper did a nice write up of the cider here: "Gingerroot to Ciderberry: Making Mead, Cider in Monkton"

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: Slyboro Cider's Old Sin

Slyboro Cider makes cider in Granville, New York. They use apples from their own property, Hicks Orchard. Their website is attractive and reasonably informative, giving info about cider in general, the brand's different offerings, places to buy the cider, and their appearances in print and digital media. I notice the beautiful photography they used; I'm a complete sucker for good photos. 

Old Sin is the dryer of their two sparkling ciders. Here's Slyboro's official description: "Deliciously dry! A pure apple temptation from the intertwined flavors of delicately floral McIntosh, spicy aromatic Russets with a splash of warm, richly fruited Ice Harvest Cider. Serve chilled. 8% alc/vol 1.5% residual sugar. 750ml." What I find most interesting here is that they sweeten the cider with a different sweeter higher alcohol cider. This is an experience I've not had before, so I'm curious to see what the effect will be.

Appearance: Brilliant clarity, goldenrod, yellow mango

After learning a bit more about the language of a cider tasting, I'll be trying out a bit of what I learned in this entry. The term that emphasizes the highest degree of clarity in a cider is brilliant, and that is definitely the right term for Slyboro's Old Sin. When poured, this cider has loads of visible bubbles, to a degree that forced carbonation is likely. In terms of color, I'd call it either goldenrod or yellow mango.

Aroma:  overripe apples, sweet baked fruit, caramel, maple, cheddar

Many different scents are discernible in this cider. The apple scent comes across as overripe apples. Think of freshly picked apples that have been riding in a warm sunny car for an afternoon. It is a pleasant strongly fruity smell. For me, the yeastiness comes through as well and combines with the fruit for a baked-fruit aroma. I also detected a bit of maple, caramel and cheddar. The scent is very full and a bit heavy.

Sweetness: Though Slyboro considers this cider dry, I'd call it off dry to semi-sweet.

This cider isn't traditionally sweet, but its flavors are so fruit forward that it could lull someone who prefers sweet ciders into real comfort with an off dry cider. That's exactly what happened at my house when I shared the cider with friends.

Flavors: minerality, caramel, bright initially then richer

Here's where I'm going to try to use more of what I learned from my cider tasting at Murray's. When thinking about flavor it can be useful to clock not only sweetness but also tannins and acidity. In terms of the tea-like Tannins, Old Sin offers pleasantly medium tannins. Similarly I found the acidity at a fairly moderate level, but all of our tasters did not agree. The wine drinker found it more acidic.
As I said before, in terms of sweetness, this cider is semi-dry. Additionally, the bright flavor that hits right up front does develop into richness in the mid-palate.

Drinking Experience: fruity and lots of sparkle

The level of carbonation plus the appearance lead me to think this cider uses forced carbonation. Not a bad thing, but perhaps a bit too much carbonation for my preferences. Overall, I found this cider very satisfying. Old Sin is a great conversation cider and an interesting one to share with wine drinkers. I got the pleasure of enjoying this with two of my out of town friends. So that's how I'd best recommend it, drink at leisure with a few light nibbles but lots of conversation.

Pairing Ciders and Cheeses: Inspiring Palate Education at Murray's Cheese Shop

Tonight I gleefully took advantage of the "Ciders of the World: Pairing Ciders and Cheese" workshop at Murray's Cheese shop on Bleeker Street.  Many thanks to Gregory Hall of Virtue Cider and Jordan Zimmerman of Murray's Cheese Shop for putting this together and guiding us all. 

This experience taught me so much in terms of standardized and evaluative terminology for cider tasting. I also learned from Jordan some principles of cheese pairing that I think will make my future cheese trays and pairings much more dynamic and exciting. She really reinforced the importance of both texture and contrast  in pairings. I've thought plenty about how food flavors interact and to some degree about mouthfeel, but I feel like my appreciation for cheese textures really grew after the tasting.

In terms of cider, I really learned the most from the international focus of the tasting. I've really not had very many French or Spanish ciders. Greg had truly impressive knowledge of each cider that we tasted, so we got a fascinating look at not only the ciders but also the producers and international cider cultures.

Beyond this, getting to just taste ciders with other people and hear them talk about their experiences was enlightening. It reminded me a bit of my days at Volta Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate when we did so many staff coffee cuppings and palate exercises. I owe a ton to Anthony and Janet and my coworkers there for early experiences learning to talk about what I'm seeing, smelling, and tasting. 

We tried six beverages and six cheeses. Here's the list in order with very brief descriptions.

Farnum Hill Kingston Black: This was my favorite cider. I was really impressed by how well balanced this varietal cider tasted. The dryness, acidity and tannins all work really well together in the style of a hearty English cider. This deserves its own review at a later date.

with Ossau-Iraty Vielle: a really nutty sheep's milk cheese from the French Pyrenes.

Foggy Ridge Serious Cider: A more acidic and high tannin cider from Virginia. Still English style and very good. It uses the Dabinett apple which is a very distinctive English cider apple. 

with Vermont Butter and Cheese Coupole (best cheese of the night): This beautiful goat cheese from Vermont just bowled me over. I cannot say enough about its richness and textures. The fresh creaminess and density just made me close my eyes in bliss.

Etienne Dupont Cidre Cuvee Colette: This was the most popular cider of the night. It is a really excellent Normandie Cidre made with the fascinating keeving process.

With Etivaz: this cow's milk cheese is the group effort of 37 milk producers in the Swiss Alps. It is only available for four months of a year. 
Sarasola Sidra Natural: My first Spanish Sidra. This Basque cider is definitely more acidic than most ciders I've tasted. Very still and low in tannins. Our group had a mixed reaction to such a totally different flavor profile. I cannot say that I loved it, but I'm very glad I got to try it.

with Salva Cremasco, an amazing cheese but not the most harmonious pairing of the night. This cheese smells and tastes like either bacon or sauteed mushrooms. The rind looks fairly funky but tasted so interesting and good. Be brave. Eat the rind. The Umami was out of this world. If you get the chance to try this cheese, I highly recommend it.

Christian Drouin Pear: This was a real education for me. I'd never had a perry quite like this before, and I enjoyed it so much more than I expected I would. Perry is a beverage I came into the class not knowing a lot about, so hearing about crazy challenges was fascinating. Pear trees take a very long time to mature enough to bear fruit. The waiting game continues even past that point because the window for processing the pears is very short; first they are far too hard to crush and then they are only good for about 48 hours before going too soft. Crazy.

with Le Chevre Noir: an amazing fruity granular goat cheese. We didn't get to see the distinctive black wax rind, but we certainly enjoyed the unique texture of this cheese. Beautiful pairing.

Christian Drouin Pays D'Auge: this was the last cider of the night and a very good one. Wild yeasts and ripe apple aroma. Farmy with a buttery caramel mouthfeel.  Medium tannins. Low acid.

with Chiriboga Blue: a very earthy creamy, almost satiny, blue cheese. Jordan described it as black peppercorns in heavy cream. She is completely right. An outstanding cheese that would be great to change the mind of anyone who thinks they don't like blue cheese.

Afterwards, I chatted a bit with two brothers who work in cider distribution to bring Spanish ciders to America, Jordan, and Greg. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming.

Cider Review: Julian Hard Cider Harvest Apple

This cider company certainly has an image in mind: a wild west hard cider that is very American and very masculine. Check out their snazzy website. While this is not exactly my scene, (it primarily reminds me of the old show Deadwood) having a strong identity is a good thing. Their design and copy establish them very successfully as the Gold Rush Cider Men, and it isn’t a bad look. The cider is made with American apples in Julian, California with no added sugars or any juice concentrate. Those particulars are some I can get behind. The brand makes a few ciders: Harvest Apple, Cherry Bomb, and Black and Blue. I’ve only seen the Harvest Apple in New York City, but I admit to a huge curiosity about the Black and Blue since it incorporates black berries and blue berries. Ooh! But, back to the review at hand…

The ABV for the Harvest Apple is listed as 6.99%. Their official description reads as follows, “Julian Harvest Apple Cider is lightly carbonated, slightly tart, perfectly blended cider with a clean, dry finish.” I will be on the lookout for all of these characteristics and see what I find.

Color and appearance: Bubbly, pale, good clarity

After I poured the Harvest Apple, the glass became lined with very tiny still bubbles. This cider is clear and very pale. The color is almost like white gold.

Aroma: beery, yeasty slightly minerally

Different. Not fruity. This is definitely not the cider for someone looking for a sweet beverage, but if one likes British style semi-dry ciders, I’m guessing that this will fit the bill. I love this style, so I’m excited.

Sweet-dry scale: semi-dry

If one reads reviews online outside of the hard cider community (do so at your own peril), no one can make up the internet’s collective mind on how sweet Julian’s Harvest Apple is or is not. Some folks find it unpleasantly dry in a white wine style and others call it sweet. I can see the white wine connection because it does have a tart mineral element, but it isn’t face puckering or bone dry. I’d call this a very friendly semi-dry.

Drinking experience and flavors: beer like, tart, zesty

Refreshing. This cider has a light mouthfeel. It is acidic with a tartness that borders on the pleasant side of sour. This is a convoluted way to say that It all really adds up to being very lively, refreshing, and crisp beverage. It is very summery in a wonderful way. Not very appley though. I might fault the promotional copy’s accuracy a bit on that score.

Finish:  sweetest part of the taste

Though the finish sweetened up the cider a bit, it remained very clean. Not a tremendously long finish.

Pairs with: spring soups, snacks, versatile

I had my Julian Harvest Apple with creamy red pepper and chickpea soup, and then again later with my version of trail mix (roasted almonds, cashews, craisins, then half servings or less chocolate chips and sometimes Reese’s Pieces). It went well with both, but I think it could be enjoyed with many foods. As for the ideal activity for this cider, I must recommend reading outside.

I’d heartily recommend this cider as one to bring to potlucks. Mind you, I’m also likely to buy a 22oz bottle and not share with anyone while I read all afternoon once the semester ends. This is why teachers love summer. The Julian Harvest Apple is a great cider for those who enjoy a crisp cider with some beery characteristics. I do, so I enjoy Julian Hard Cider’s Harvest Apple very much.