Cider Review: Awestruck Cider's Apples & Pears

The only constant is change. I’m saying it, because I need to continue internalizing this truth. All seasons are seasons of change, even the high peak days of Summer. Now is the time to slow down and appreciate where we are at this moment and know that the world around us will continue to change. We will change. Fruit will ripen. Even the long summer evenings that feel endless will not be with us forever. All the more reason to appreciate the now. Here’s what I smelled and tasted when I took my time with Awestruck Cider’s Apples and Pears.

Before diving into the review, Awestruck Cider comes to us from Sydney, New York. I’m not entirely sure, but I’d call that the Southern Tier region. I’ve reviewed a few Awestruck Ciders over the course of the blog. Here’s the full list. You can find more background information on the cidery in these earlier entries. 

Sugar and Spice: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/03/cider-review-awestruck-ciders-sugar-and.html

Solstice: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/02/cider-review-awestruck-ciders-winter.html

Viking Sahti: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/04/cider-review-california-caboose-ciders.html

Dry Apple + Oak: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/10/cider-review-kite-and-strings-rose-17.html

Hometown Homicider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-reviews-woodchuck-ciders-bubbly.html

Hibiscus Ginger: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/10/cider-review-awestruck-premium-hard.html This cider made my 2015 top ten!

Here’s where to find Awestruck Cider online: https://www.awestruckciders.com/Index

And this is how the folks at Awestruck Cider describe the Apples & Pears.

APPLES & PEARS

Two orchard besties, handpicked and pressed into one enticing refreshment. 5.5% ABV

Appearance: Shining bright warm gold, bubbly, brilliant

The color of this cider is intense. It reminds me of a shade of gold somewhere in between ripe corn and peach flesh. It’s brilliant, bubbly, and active in the glass. 

Aromas: fresh bread, baking spice, cooked apples

As someone who bakes regularly, I’m reminded of baking immediately when a cider smells like bread. This one does, cleanly and beautifully. The aromas are fermented, spicy, and fruity. I get plenty of apple, pear, and baking spices in addition to the lovely bready qualities.

Sweetness/dryness: Sweet!

This apple pear blend tastes aggressively sweet, but it’s so pleasant in that style.

Flavors and drinking experience: full mouthfeel, dark caramel, fruity, petillant

The Apples and Pears cider tastes complex in that there are plenty of flavors happening but ultimately it’s approachable, sweet, and easy to drink. It’s fruity, high acid, and mildly bubbly, more petillant than sparkling, with a satisfying full mouthfeel. The cider finishes with a swerve into dark caramel but back out into bright nectarine.

Overall, this is a nice sessionable cider for fans of sweet ciders and a pleasant sip of something different even for many usually dry drinkers. Awestruck has made something lovely for sitting back with a little treat tray of cheese and salty snacks and good company.

Cider Review: Eve’s Cidery's Orchards and Pastures

I just got back from a trip to Michigan for GLINTCAP. It was lovely. I had such a good time volunteering, seeing friends, continuing to explore Grand Rapids, and tasting some seriously good cider. It's good to be home, even though I seriously enjoyed my first vacation since early February 2020. 

Check out the best-in-show results here: https://glintcap.org/

To soften the blow of coming back to real life though I had to enjoy a genuinely special cider. I chose Eve's Cidery's Orchards and Pastures. I'm a fan of this local cidery; check out earlier reviews to find out more about the background of this fascinating cidery and farm. 

Here is a full list of all of my reviews of cideries and perries by Eve's Cidery.

Kingston Black 2017 (my #4 cider of 2019): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/08/cider-review-eves-cidery-kingston-black.html

Northern Spy: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/04/cider-review-eves-cidery-northern-spy.html

Autumn’s Gold: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/cider-review-eves-ciderys-autumns-gold.html

Beckhorn Hollow Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/10/cider-review-eves-ciderys-beckhorn.html

Albee Hill Still and Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/cider-review-eves-cidery-albee-hill.html

Perry Pear: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/05/very-perry-may-pt3-eves-cidery-wyders.html

Autumn took us on an Orchard Tour and picnic as part of Finger Lakes Cider Week in 2016: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/cider-event-twilight-walk-talk-and.html

Darling Creek (#2 cider of 2018): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-ciders-eves-ciderys.html

And http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-favourite-10-ciders-of-2018.html

Cider Con 2018: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-con-2018-pt-1-eden-specialty.html

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cidercon-part-2-including-heritage.html

Eve’s Cidery has loads on information on the website: https://www.evescidery.com.

I couldn’t find much out about this cider online, so here's what I read from the label.

“Naturally sparkling dry cider grown on our farm and wild foraged. Native yeast fermentation. Tasting notes: sweet clover, farmyard, sourdough bread. This cuvee is a blend of every cider and perry we make this season, barrel fermented and aged on its lees for 9 months in the bottle. Dry, tannic, tart and funky, this cider makes the perfect companion for cheese. 8% ABV. Batch No. 2019.”

Appearance: hazy, intense harvest gold, mousse

This cider pours with a beautiful mousse and plentiful haze. I love its intense harvest gold color. It makes me think of fall which will be here so soon. Everything about this appearance is inviting. 

Aromas: softened apples, pears, leather, nuts

The Orchards and Pastures smells of softened apples, pears, nuts, and leather. I love how everything comes together in this cornucopia of warm and mellow scents. The barrel aging definitely comes through in the caramel and vanilla notes. I also get golden raisins which remain among my favorite scents in a cider. 

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This cider has plenty of fruity aromas, but it tastes completely dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: funky, wild rice, dried apple, Meyer lemon

I love how everything I noted in the aromas comes through in the Orchards and pastures flavor, but they are transformed. The cider tastes dry and funky yet perfumed. I get notes of overripe oxidized dried apple, wild rice, Meyer lemon, and Seville orange. The cider is redolent of baking spices.

The mouthfeel leads with high tannins and astringency, but a balancing level of bracing acid. The body has heft and fullness, but it's very firm and nearly austere. This cider sparkles strongly, and I love it. 

Eve’s Cidery has created something special with this aged cuvee blend. I love how mature and fermented it smells and tastes. I shared this with friends in my living room. We paired it with sharp cheddar and good conversation. It was simple and perfect because the cider brings plenty of fascination all on its own. 

Cider Review: Virtue Cider's Pear and Woodchuck Cider's 802 Collection Lil' Dry

The first heat wave of the season has hit the Finger Lakes, and I’ve gotten am ambitious sunburn. While the calendar still says Spring, it now feel like Summer to me. With Summer, comes a whole new set of foods for cider pairing. My drink preferences change as well. I’m more prone to reach for a hopped cider, lower ABV canned ciders have extra appeal, and I’m still looking for perries when I can. Luckily, I have one for this week and one for next week too! 

This week the folks at Virtue Cider were kind enough to send me some review samples of the new Pear cider. For those who don’t know. Virtue Cider was founded in Michigan in 2011. The company is now owned by AB In-Bev. Reading on Virtue’s website, but the focus remains on Michigan apples. 

Here’s a fun section of the website that I recommend checking out. It’s Virtue’s guide to cider making and cider history: https://www.virtuecider.com/cidermaking-101

Several Virtue ciders have made it onto the blog before. Here’s the list. 

Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/02/cider-review-1911-rose-and-virtue.html

Brut: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/02/cider-review-citizen-ciders-tree-tapper.html

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

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

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

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

Red Streak: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/trying-virtue-and-olivers-ciders-at.html

You can find out more about any of these ciders on Virtue’s website: https://www.virtuecider.com/ 

Here’s how Virtue introduces and contextualizes the Pear cider.

Virtue Cider Pear is a blend of hand-pressed heirloom apples and pears. Drinks like a Sauvignon Blanc, appeals to all. 

STYLE: Semi-Sweet Cider with Pears 

INGREDIENTS: Apples, pears, and yeast 

ABV: 5%  

TASTING NOTES: Our pear cider is made with hand picked heirloom Michigan apples that are pressed and fermented on our solar powered farm. That cider is blended with the finest pear juice for a soft, semi-sweet flavor. Notes of mellow apple up front with a soft pear finish. Zero sugar added. 

FOOD PAIRING: Enjoy Virtue Cider Pear alongside a chopped salad, pretzels, or vanilla ice cream.

Appearance: brilliant, pale straw, few bubbles

The Pear looks a cooler tone of straw than most ciders. Its a bit silvery rather than very golden, but I’ll call it pale straw. It’s completely brilliant, and I can see a few bubbles but not many.

Aromas: sweet, tropical fruit, cooked fruit

The Pear smells sweetly tropical like pineapple, mango and starfruit. At the same time, there’s something about the sweetness and concentration of the fruit aromas that comes across as either overripe or cooked fruits. Everything in the aromas comes across as intense and soft.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-sweet

I’m so glad that this pear cider is exactly as sweet as I expected it to be from both the description and it’s aroma. I knew this would be sweet and fruity, and it is!

Flavors and drinking experience: very apple and pear, full bodied, mildly bubbly

Virtue’s pear cider tastes very much like apple and pear, but it’s also gently nutty. Perhaps because of the sweetness, this feels full bodied and lush. The pear cider is only mildly bubbly.

There’s no funk here; it's a clean fermentation. That’s interesting because Virtue’s lineup runs the gamut in terms of the squeaky clean to fun and funky. I get medium acidity and no tannins.


I had mine with soft tacos and chips. The sweetness goes very well with a kick of spice!

Now, for Woodchuck Cider’s 802 Collection Lil’ Dry!

I received this cider from Woodchuck for review. Woodchuck has been part of my blog coverage since the very beginning. The company was founded in the late 1990s in Vermont. Now, Woodchuck Cider is owned by Vermont Hard Cider LLC which is in turn owned by C&C Group. 

You can visit http://www.woodchuck.com/ to learn about all of Woodchuck's ciders.

Here are some of my previous reviews include the following (there are many more):

Odd Crush (Collab with Farnum Hill): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/07/cider-review-woodchuck-farnum-hills-odd.html

802 Kinda Cloudy: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/01/cider-review-embark-ciderworks-apple.html

Pearsecco: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/05/cider-review-very-perry-may-with.html

Bubbly Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/08/cider-review-farnum-hill-extra-dry-and.html

June and Juice: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/10/cider-review-woodchucks-june-and-juice.html

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

Pear Ginger: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-review-of-woodchucks.html

And I loved visiting them on my Vermont Cider Tour: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-3.html

Here’s the official description for Woodchuck Cider’s 802 Collection Lil’ Dry.

SEMI-DRY CIDERA traditional cider made with only fresh pressed Vermont juice from our orchard partners. Enjoy this semi-dry cider with good friends and good company. 5.1% ABV.

Appearance: Brilliant, no visible bubbles, palest white gold

This cider looks even paler and more cool toned than the Virtue pear cider; it reminds me of white gold. It’s brilliant and reveals no bubbles.

Aromas: Baked apples, brown sugar, apple juice and Play Doh

This cider blooms with oodles of aroma. Immediately after cracking the can I could smell baked apples. I poured my cider and got juicy apple notes along with brown sugar and Play Doh.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

The Lil’ Dry is described as semi-dry in Woodchuck’s introduction to this cider. I think that’s  accurate. It has some sweetness, but that doesn’t dominate the experience of drinking this cider.

Flavors and drinking experience: Medium acidity, overripe apples, golden raisins

Woodchuck’s Lil’ Dry tastes more rounded and friendly than dry to me. This cider has medium acidity and lots of natural apple and fruit notes, but it doesn’t come across as dry. Instead, if there’s a profile difference between this cider and some others in the Woodchuck portfolio, it’s that the Lil’ Dry feels more natural and lush than many Woodchuck ciders.  It’s not dry but it does taste like pear nectar and golden raisins.

The Lil’ Dry has a full body and medium bubble. The flavor notes include soft fruit and some minerals. The whole experience is Less Jolly Rancher and more apple juice. This is a great cider for marinated tofu and broccoli slaw. Those savory and salty flavors really highlight what’s best about this juicy and approachable offering from Woodchuck.

Cider Review: Blake's Hard Cider Company's Wakefire and Peckham's Wild all the Way

I hope no one reminds me how finished I feel with summer right now when I’m freezing in March. We had two beautiful days of mild weather last week, but we’re already back into another uncomfortable heat wave. Still, I took advantage of those two days and spent one almost entirely outside and on the other day, I enjoyed a classic southern meal on my porch with a beautiful cider.

This week’s first cider is Wakefire by Blake's Hard Cider Company. The company shared a nice blend of their ciders with me earlier this year, but since I can’t really get them locally, I’ve been spacing them out. Once these are gone, it may be a while. 

Blake’s ciders are not easy for me to get  because the company is based out of Armada, Michigan. Blake’s makes a large variety of different ciders: a core lineup, a full calendar of seasonal releases, limited releases of experiments from the taproom, and a signature series of all traditional cider methods including keeved, champagne-style, and ice cider.  

I’ve reviewed several Blake’s ciders over the years of this blog.

Most recently, I got to taste the long-awaited Black Philip(cranberry and blood orange): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/04/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-black.html

Back in March 2017, I paired The Tonic (cucumber & ginger) with asian-inspired home cooking: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-companys.html

As part of my first Very Perry May, I tried the Grizzly Pear(pear, prickly pear cactus, & elderflower):
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/05/very-perry-may-pt-5-e-z-orchards.html

Before that I tried the Snapdragon (rum raisins): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/11/cider-review-blakes-hard-ciders.html

My first Blake’s cider was the El Chavo (habanero and mango): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/11/cider-review-blakes-hard-cider-companys.html

Here’s a link to the Blake’s Hard Cider Company website: http://www.blakeshardcider.com/

This is Blake’s description of the Wakefire, “It’s impossible to replicate a Michigan summer. Recreating a northern night under the stars would be a futile endeavor. So, we’ve done the next best thing – we’ve crafted summer’s perfect ally. Experience WakeFire, a comforting blend of Michigan-grown cherries, orange peel and our famous Blake’s apples.” 6.5% ABV.

Appearance: brilliant, shell pink, almost no bubbles

This cider looks lovely in a glass. I understand that cans are practical, but if you are able pour the Wakefire in a nice clear glass to appreciate its brilliance and delicate shell pink color. I saw very few bubbles, but there were enough such that I don’t expect a totally still cider. 

Aromas: cooked apples, orange, minerals , barest hint of cherry.

I almost wish my friends and I could have smelled this cider blind and not known what to be sniffing for. I’m curious how many people would have identified cherry on the nose. It was present but only subtly so. I smelled more mineral, cooked apples, and orange peel. The aromas weren’t very strong in a wine glass; I’m not sure if they would come out at all in a can.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

Again, because I shared this with two friends, we were able to get a range of interpretations on the sweetness level. Our thoughts veered from off-dry to semi-sweet, but our average came out to semi-dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: tart, orange peel, good mouthfeel, balanced

I so enjoyed getting to quiz folks on this cider as we were tasting it. We agreed on a substantial mouthfeel and pleasant tartness. I perceived a lot more cherry in flavor than in aroma. Everyone noticed a predominance of orange peel on the finish. Folks agreed on a nice clean fermentation that left some yeast character that is more like a bakery than farm. 

The cider has plenty of fruitiness. The fruit notes include cherries, strawberries, tropical fruit, and jam. All of the fruit was a nice blend of both sweet and tart. I’m not the biggest cherry fan in the world; that’s why I enlisted the help of some friends more fond of this very popular fruit. They all agreed that they could have handled even more cherry, but I appreciate how much apple remained in this fruit blended cider. 

Peckham's Wild all the Way

My only previous coverage of Peckham’s Cidery and Orchard is from this year’s CiderCon. The international guest contingent was from New Zealand, and I got to taste this cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cidercon-part-2-including-heritage.html

I didn’t get to write up a full review then and there, so I was glad to snag an unopened can from the festivities and bring it home. 

You can learn about Peckham’s more from the website: https://www.peckhams.co.nz/

Here’s the official description for Wild all the Way, “2017 NZ Champion Cider. A blend of three wild ferments that have been maturing for over a year; a rich, caramel Kingston Black single variety, a gentle yet tannic bittersweet blend, and a complex oak fermented and matured Perry. The result is a rich Kiwi cider with deep English cider country roots.” 6.2% ABV.

Appearance: brilliant, small ring of bubbles, carrot

I don’t know if a cider’s color has ever reminded me of a carrot’s hue before, but that’s what I’m seeing. The cider is brilliant and poured with a petite ring of bubbles just where the liquid meets the glass. It looks very much like a cider made from cider specific fruit.

Aromas: apple sauce, straw, iron, water

I so enjoy the smell of this cider. I could smell it as soon as I cracked the can open, but it was so much more pronounced once poured into a proper glass. I can smell apple seeds, water, iron, sweet apple sauce, and warm straw. There's a lot of complexity and UK influence here.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi dry

This cider has a nice balance of sweetness. It’s enough to open up some of the fruit flavors and add to the mouthfeel, but not a touch more. 

Flavors and drinking experience: mellow, fruity, extra-tart

This cider manages both to taste extra tart in the beginning but fruity and mellow for the rest of the journey. The Wild all the Way has big satisfying mouthfeel and a tannic finish. I taste ripe apples and ripe pears with some tea and leather. There’s not a lot of bubble going on; I’d call it petillant more than fully sparkling. Other flavor notes include metal and wood.

I adore how much the pears come through. I expected more of an English style cider from the appearance and the ingredients, but the Wild all the Way is not quite like most United Kingdom ciders, while still showing the influence of those UK cider varietals.

I had this cider with veggie chicken nuggets, corn on the cob, and southern style green beans (They are the best. I will fight you.)The cider had a strong presence that complemented the meal beautifully. It was not a changing flavor after that initial shift from acidity to fruitiness. The Wild all the Way sustains it flavors and remains consistent but is simply excellent. I particularly appreciate how balanced in sweetness, tannins, and acid, it is, all with some nice dark flavors too.

Very Perry May: 2 Towns Ciderhouse's Pearadise and Wildcraft Cider Works Hard Cider

Welcome to the last week of this year’s Very Perry May. I hope this continued exploration of perry, pear cider, and pear blends has been as fun to read as it has been to taste. I have one last pear blend and a cider to share this week, both of which come from Oregon. Also, I want to point folks once again to the GLINTCAP page to learn the full medal results of this year’s competition. 

Let’s start with the Pearadise by 2 Towns Ciderhouse out of Oregon.

I’ve written about a fair number of 2 Towns ciders and shared some background in these prior entries. Just to give a quick bit of background. 2 Towns Ciderhouse is based in Corvallis Oregon since 2010. Now they have a tap room and two production facilities. It is Oregon’s largest craft cider outfit. They make several differnt lines of ciders including seasonals, limited releases, collaborations, their flagship ciders and a line called traditions.

Some of my previous 2 Towns Ciderhouse reviews include the following:

Most recently the Pineapple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

The Hop and Stalk: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/12/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouse-hop-and.html

The Cidre Bouche: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/11/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouses-cidre.html

Bright Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/07/cider-review-roundup-common-cider-co.html

Find out more online: https://2townsciderhouse.com/

Here’s the Pearadise’s Official description: 

Imperial Getaway. Fruity and complex, Pearadise is found in this distinctly Northwest libation. Fresh-pressed pears are fermented together with local apples, then finished by blending in a touch of white wine, resulting in a sophisticated imperial style with plenty of panache. 8.6% ABV, which explains the Imperial tagline.

On the same page it say, “Made with D’Anjou pears and Muscat grapes.”

Thank you for the fruit detail. That’s always something I appreciate. Also, this cider is a revamp of a 2012 limited edition cider, tweaked up the aromas and structure. This bottle was shared with me as a review sample.

Appearance: brilliant, deep straw, some bubble

This cider looks very appealing. I appreciate its brilliance and deep color. The color would most often be called straw but its deep and a hint warmer than some ciders that receive the term.

Aromas: ripe apples, pears, grapes, all dusted in sugar

Oh la la! These aromas are striking and different. I can smell sugar-dusted fruits, primarily ripe red apples, but also pears and grapes. I also get the impression of tropical fruits. There’s also a creamy note going on in the Pearadise. I get some salivary response for certain to all this excitement.

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

This is one sweet and fruity cider.

Flavors and drinking experience: fruity, sweet, boozy

This is definitely influence by the pear juice in flavor, but it feels much more tropical than that. I can taste pineapple and citrus as well. The fruity notes play together nicely in concert. The initial hit of flavor is distinctly sweet but it shows some maturation as the flavor builds and develops. There’s even the briefest glimpse of astringency in the mid-palate, but it vanishes quickly. 

What I do notice is that the booziness impacts the mouthfeel and the finish. It feels a little hot. I enjoy this cider’s tartness, even as sweetness eventually dominates. This is a complex beverage with a lot going on. I had mine with a very summery plate of corn, baked beans, and new potatoes. It worked well with those simple foods because this beverage has enough flare on its own!

Wildcraft Cider Works Hard Cider

Now for a cider from Oregon: Wildcraft Ciderworks Hard Cider. This is my first writing about anything by Wildcraft Ciderworks. They are based in Eugene, Oregon and have this to say about themselves, 

At WildCraft Cider Works, we pride ourselves on developing innovative, artisanal dry ciders inspired by traditional and wild methodology. We insist on whole fruit and botanicals grown in Oregon to create pure ciders without artificial flavorings, sulfites or added sweeteners. WildCraft cider is uniquely dry cider unpasteurized & bottle conditioned. We consider ourselves stewards of the outdoors and always act consciously to ensure that our ingredients are regional.

These concepts of local fruit, wild fermentation, minimal additives is a distinct style of low-intervention cidermaking. Looking at the website makes me very curious to try the other styles the cidery makes, including several dry fruit-blended ciders. I got this bottle entirely by chance in the Portland, Oregon airport on my last trip there.  

I’m starting with the flagship hard cider. Here’s its official description

Hard Cider6.9%  ABV  |  500mlOur flagship Dry Cider, made entirely from Oregon apples is locally sourced and pressed. This is a classic dry session cider with enough complexity to enjoy year round, all the time. Unpasteurized & bottle conditioned.

Appearance: Hazy, lemon curd, bubbly

This cider looks hazy and very bubbly in the glass. The color reminds me of lemon curd.

Aromas: yeasty, lemon, hay, phenolic

The cider smells like good clean bakery yeast in a good way. I surmised that it might have been fermented with a nonstandard yeast based on the aroma before reading about the cider. Other aroma notes include lemon and hay. Something about it also smells phenolic and a bit cottony.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

Whoa. Yeah. This is a dry cider

Flavors and drinking experience: lemon, tannic, grapefruit, high acid

Lots of what came through in the aromas of this cider remain present in its flavors also. This dry cider tastes very lemony and somewhat phenolic. There’s a tiny sweet note that appaers and then disappears almost instantly. The tannins, astringency, and bubbles all conspire to rise fast and cancel out the sweetness.They then flourish brightly before a relatively clean finish.

What a fascinating cider! I found it super refreshing. This cider tastes best in big sips. I love that nice grapefruit-peel flavor that causes such salivary action. Some of the wild fermentation comes across in grainy notes flavor notes. Overall this cider is fun and super tart and dry. I had mine with a version of Cobb Salad (radishes and veggie bacon, yay!) and homemade multi-grain bread. That was utterly fantastic. 

The last thing I’d like to share today is the full GLINTCAP results. There are so many ciders here I’ve never tried! And so much sounds delicious. This would be a great list to shop from, just find your favorite style and start tracking down the golds (and silvers and bronzes)!

http://glintcap.org/

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!