Cider Review: Western Cider Co.'s Dry and Dandy

Before I even woke up this morning, I was immersed in ideas and imagination. The brightness of the fall sunrise seeped into my unconscious mind to gift me with notions of lush greenery, hidden adventures, and the image of a blue opal cartouche. Sadly, none of it was cider-oriented, so I’ll have to save these ramblings for other creative outlets. What I love to do though on the shorter autumnal evenings is to let my ruminations cavort wildly with a cider in one hand and a paper notebook in the other. We’ll see how much these two worlds ever overlap in the coming weeks and months. 

Most recently I tried this with a cider that’s been waiting in my cellar for far too long: Western Cider Co.'s Dry and Dandy. It’s my first ever taste from Western Cider Co. out of Montana. I love how the cidery folks introduce the company, so I’ll quote from the website, a whole section called, “Who the Heck Is Western Cider?”

WESTERN CIDER is located on the banks of the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana. Our dream was seeded in 2012 when co-founder Michael Billingsley planted 2,500 cider apple trees in Montana's Bitterroot Valley - just south of Missoula. Now, we have nearly 5,000 trees and over 50 varieties of apples. We use those apples, as well as apples from Northwest orchards, to produce easy going and traditional ciders. We are plain-speaking cider weirdos who can hang with the nerdiest of cider nerds and the gnarliest of dive bar flies. As a company, Western Cider aspires to create an institution of great cider, good times and a life worth living in this far-flung region of the American West.

Visitors can come try Western Cider Co.’s offerings in the Missoula, Montana tasting room. I recommend checking out Western Cider Co.’s website to learn more. 

Find it here: https://westerncider.com/

The official description of the cider tells us lots of meaningful information including the apples used for the cider and the cider-making style.

A Pet-Nat from our Orchard in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley

A refreshing blend of Golden Russet, Harrison, Calville blanc D’Hiver, Baldwin Ashmead’s Kernel, Hudson’s Golden Gem,  Bedan des Parts, Binet Rouge, and McIntosh apples. Bottled at the tail end of fermentation in the petillant naturel style. Rested for 6 months. Lightly hazy, ripe pineapple aromatics, eminently drinkable.

And the cider comes with a warning adorably put, “The bubbles dance! Chill before Serving and Open slowly!    

The cider is listed as 8.1% ABV.

Appearance: extremely bubbly, gentle haze, warm popcorn kernel yellow

The Dry and Dandy poured with an impressive head. The bubbles are multitudinous and active. When the label said that they dance, it’s accurate. It’s a lovely medium intensity color that reminds me of golden popcorn kernels with just a hint of haze.

Aromas:candied pineapple, cherry, and golden syrup

Wow! Based on the petillant naturel style of this cider I didn’t expect its rich concentrated fruit aroma. This oozes with candied pineapple, cherry, and golden syrup scents. I’m sure it won’t taste as sweet as it smells just because fermentation will have transformed the sugar to bubbles and alcohol, but what I smell reminds me of sweet things!

Dryness sweetness: Dry!

My brain wins over my sensory expectations. Indeed, fermentation sciences is real and the fruity smells of the cider do not translate into residual sugar. The Dry and Dandy is dry as promised.

Flavors and drinking experience: very high acid, tannic, floral, bitter, bubbly

Now that I’m actually tasting this cider instead of speculating about it based on descriptions or aromas, I understand what’s happening. The Dry and Dancy is aggressively zingy in that’s fully dry while also tasting super tart! The high acid causes an immediate salivary reaction. Not only does this cider bring the acid, tannins are part of the celebration too!

By bottling the cider before its fermentation is complete, it has become an extremely bubbly beverage with tiny bubbles. As I continue tasting, I notice something blocky in the tannins as they create the mouthfeel. Flavorwise, it seems related to a streak of floral bitterness like a powdery spring flower. I really enjoy the strong wood notes and powerful malic acid.

Dang! This is a complex and grown-up cider. As I continue to sip, more notes come to the fore, including mild lemon peel and ripe cherry. The finish swings back green wood and salt. What a remarkable cider to contemplate! I enjoyed it very much with writing and thinking time, but it would taste ever so nice with an orzo casserole and the last of the summer squash.

Cider Review: Eden Cider's Cobble Knoll Petillant Natural 2021 and GLINTCAP Results

We’ve entered the tumultuous end of summer and back-to-school gauntlet. I see spiderwebs each morning, and leaves are showing the darkest opaque green, even showing some veins of red or gold in places. Fall is coming, so it doesn’t feel like it was only a month ago when I last reviewed an Eden cider. Then days were sweltering in the 90s, and now I’m reaching for a lap blanket and hot coffee for my mornings. I love this shift. It fills me with energy and reminds me of the magic in nature.

This is what prompted me to reach for Eden Cider’s Cobble Knoll Petillant Natural 2021. I love Eden Ciders and Pet Nats, plus they are meant to be enjoyed promptly. If you’re not familiar with how a pet nat is made, here’s a link: https://cidercraftmag.com/cider-bubbles-with-pet-nat/. Pet Nat is a cider for the moment; don’t ask the moment to last, just enjoy it when it comes.

Here are all of my previous reviews of Eden Ciders, including a super recent one from last month. If you’re looking for more background information on this cidery, many of these can tell you plenty about this apple-centered Vermont cidery.

Sorciere: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/07/cider-review-eden-ciders-sorciere.html

Oliver’s Twist Foxwhelp Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/11/cider-review-eden-ciders-olivers-twist.html

Brut Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/07/cider-review-eden-ciders-brut-rose.html

Benjamin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/06/cider-review-eden-ciders-benjamin-and.html

Deep Cut: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/08/cider-review-eden-specialty-ciders-deep.html

Peak Bloom: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/09/cider-review-eden-ciders-peak-bloom-and.html

Ezekiel: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/01/cider-review-eden-specialty-ciders.html

Extra Sec: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-super.html

Eden Heritage Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/06/cider-cans-crush-it-eden-heritage-and.html

Siren Song: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-eden-ciders-siren-song-and.html

Brut Nature: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-con-2018-pt-1-eden-specialty.html

Imperial 11 Degree Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-january-2017-cidrbox-and-edens.html

Sparkling Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/cider-review-eden-sparkling-dry-cider.html

The Sparkling Dry featured in Thanksgiving & Birthday celebrations in 2016: 

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/pick-cider-for-thanksgiving-and-my.html

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/happy-to-pickcider-for-thanksgiving.html

You can visit Eden Cidery online to learn about the harvest ciders, aperitifs, and ice ciders that Eden Cider makes: https://www.edenciders.com/

Here’s what Eden shares with us about this cider. 

Cobble Knoll Pet Nat 2021

Clean, crisp, and so refreshing! Cobble Knoll is a Petillant Naturel made from apples entirely from our newest orcharding partner of the same name. Cobble Knoll has a lively, fruity acidity imbued with flavors of white flowers, wet stone, and green mango.

Cider Character: Dry, Naturally Sparkling

Apple Varieties: Ellis Bitter, Dabinett, Brown Snout, Wickson, Newtown Pippin, St Edmonds Russet, Calville Blanc, Ashmead's Kernel, Pine Golden, and Sweet Coppin

Harvest Date: September 2021

Release Date: June 2022

Elevage: Native yeast fermented, bottled during primary fermentation for natural carbonation. Nothing added.

Tasting Notes: Green mango, white flowers, wet stone. Drink 2022

7.5% ABV | 0g residual sugars | 750mL

Only 70 cases produced

Appearance: intense goldenrod yellow, brilliant, very bubbly

The cider’s petillance reveals itself with the plentiful cute tiny bubbles ascending in my glass. I appreciate the appealingly intense goldenrod color. 

Aromas: Peach, lemon, lemongrass, stones

Oh what smells! The Cobble Knoll reminds me of Peaches, lemons and lemongrass. I also get a strong mineral quality that reminds me of dry stones. I’m anticipating some very angular acid based on what notes are coming through.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

It's a dry cider. Pet Nat will be dry based on how it's made. 

Flavors and drinking experience: high tannin, very high acid, bubbly with mild funk

The Cobble Knoll starts with zingy high acid, high tannin, and a little funk. This cider is  everything but sweet. To the contrary it’s quite dry, but the peach notes carry a fruitiness to the fore. Some mild funk is present but under control, just barely. The bubbles just bring the Cobble Hill to life for me!

As I sip this cider bubble, tannin and farminess interaction dynamically, and the whole experience is carried by acids. The cider is bright and warm at once. In big sips there’s a slightly green buzzy, herbal finish. Some folks might find this one a challenge but ultimately it’s a delightful one.

And now for 2022 GLINTCAP results. We have full medal information for the world’s largest cider competition, and you can check them out at the link below. 

https://glintcap.org/

Cider Review Open Spaces Cider's Early and Wild

Friends and family sometimes share ciders with me, and I always appreciate it. When they share ciders that are hard to come by or unusual in some way, I treasure the kindness all the more. Recently, some dear friends came over and brought this cider for sharing. I made my first veggie pot-pie, so we’d have something for pairing. My friends shared Open Spaces Cider’s Early and Wild with me, and I’m so grateful.

Here’s how Open Spaces Cider introduces the project, “Open Spaces Cider is a tiny, art-driven project foraged and fermented by a willing group of collaborators, focused on access to the bounty of public and marginal lands. OSC is made in service of reparations and reconciliation for stolen land and lives, with an agricultural and access focus.”

Open Spaces Cider is based out of the finger lakes region of New York and makes a point to start by acknowledging that the land that grows apples for the cider is Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ land. If you’d like to learn more about the indigenous people of this area, I think this is a good start: https://cayuganation-nsn.gov/tribal-history.html.

The partner collaborators are listed as: Melissa Madden, Rachel Freier, Pete Messner, and Jenn Smith. There are additional collaborators including other Finger Lakes Cideries, artists, and non-profit organizations. 

Right now, these ciders are only available in the seasonal reparations packages from Open Spaces or sold through the cider clubs of partnering ciders like Redbyrd Orchard Cider and Eve’s Cidery.

Learn more about Open Spaces Cider online: https://www.openspacescider.com/

That’s a lot of intriguing background for a cider producing group that’s more than a little unusual, but now for the cider itself. Here’s info from the label.

100% foraged apples from public space

Cold settled and racked before wild fermentation

In October 2021

Bottled during primary fermentation in November 2021

Disgorged in January 2022

Open Carefully and cold!

7.5% ABV

Produced and bottled by Eve’s Cidery, Van Etten, NY

The cider is also described as Petillant and Dry.

Now for our collective cider tasting notes.

Appearance: intense tawny orange, cloudy, bubbly 

Because the Early and Wild is bottled in clear glass, I knew it would have a rich intense color. It’s tawny orange like some earthy teas. The glasses all poured with a mousse, so I know there will be awesome levels of bubble. The cider is cloudy with some sediment pouring in the final glass of the bottle.

Aromas: olive bring, wild tang

The Early and Wild does smell wild. I get notes of olive brine, savory spices and it’s  mildly reductive. I have a feel this cider will be plenty tart and tasty.

Sweetness/Dryness: Dry

Petillant Naturels end up dry as fermentation feeds sugar to yeast and pet nats complete their fermentation in the bottle. The interventions taken to make a cider sweet aren’t really compatible with this method of cider making. 

Flavors and drinking experience: tangerine, tannic, fine bubbles

Delicious! Oh what a treat. I love when a cider can be dry and yet still substantially fruity. The Early and Wild does exactly that. It manages to be strongly reminiscent of sweet citrus, particularly tangerines, while remaining dry and crisp. Everyone agreed on citrus notes immediately! I think the reactions went like, “ So lemony and orangey—no, tangerine!”

It tastes acidic in such a refreshing way. The Early and Wild comes across as quite different in taste than in its aromas. I love how unusually fruity (though not actually sweet) this tastes for a pet nat. It’s simply a delicious cider with medium tannins, high acid, and very fine bubbles.

We enjoyed this with veggie pot pies and excellent conversation, and I’m excited to keep my eyes on Open Spaces Cider to see where they go from here. 

Cider Review: South Hill Cider's Sunlight Transformed

As we get closer and closer to Thanksgiving, I want to mention how grateful I am for my friends. I’m grateful for so many things, but friends make every part of life better. Without them, I certainly couldn’t run this blog, but there are so many things that wouldn’t be the same without the shared knowledge, experience, and support of good friends. And dear friends saved this very special cider to share with me.

South Hill Cider has to be one of my local favorites. Founder Steve Selin helps to anchor the Finger Lakes cider scene with a beautiful lineup of ciders and a full calendar of events that keep the cidery hopping. If you’re curious about South Hill Cider and don’t live locally, South Hill has a cider club! 

Here’s how South Hill introduces the cidery’s home orchard.

LOCATED ON A BUCOLIC HILLTOP, OUR ORCHARD IS PART OF A HARMONIOUS ECOSYSTEM THAT RELIES ON DIVERSITY AND FERTILITY AS ITS FOUNDATION.

Our home orchard started out as a collaboration with an adjoining landowner who permitted us to plow his fallow fields and to plant it to apple trees. This land, being only 4 miles from downtown Ithaca, is under intense development pressure. So, in an effort to protect it from subdivision and development in perpetuity, we successfully have it protected by a conservation easement. We have never applied synthetic chemicals to the farm and use only organic certified inputs.

Here’s the rundown of all of my earlier reviews for South Hill Ciders.  

Packbasket 15’: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/01/cider-review-south-hill-ciders.html

South Hill Cider’s Tasting Room: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/09/south-hill-ciders-tasting-room-and.html

Prelude #3: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/12/cider-review-south-hill-ciders-prelude.html

Prelude #7: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/07/cider-review-aeppeltreow-scarlett-rosey.html

Bluegrass Russet: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/04/cider-review-sea-ciders-ruby-rose-and.html

Finger Lakes Cider pairing dinner: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/09/finger-lakes-cider-week-and-birthday.html

My top cider of 2016, the Stone Fence Farm: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/cider-review-south-hill-ciders-stone.html

2014 Packbasket: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/04/cider-review-south-hill-ciders-2014.html

And my first review for them was the hyper-limited Hypothesis: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/05/cider-review-south-hill-ciders.html

I recommend visiting the South Hill cider website to learn all about the cidery, the ciders, and fun upcoming events: https://www.southhillcider.com/

Today’s review is the super-limited club selection: Sunlight Transformed. One of my dear friends is a member of South Hill’s club, and she held it back for a few weeks until we could get together to enjoy a special cider with snacks.

Here’s the description, 

      Sunlight Transformed

      ABV 7.8%

      This co-ferment is a blend of Dabinett apples and Cab Franc grape skins. The grape skins were from        Bloomer Creek in Hector and the apples from Bob Norris in Wolcott. After the grapes were pressed        we added them to some fresh pressed Dabinett juice. The result is a rich and textured pet-nat with a        lot of natural pectin. The artwork is by Erika Medina, a neighbor who shares a fascination of fruit,           cycles, and nature. Tasting notes: clove, nutmeg, watermelon, rich, full-bodied, earthy, sweet                  tobacco, cola, negroni

And for a little bit of background, I want to link to a definition of petillant naturel: https://www.foodandwine.com/wine/what-exactly-is-a-pet-nat

There aren’t that many Petillant Naturel ciders for sale, relative to the size of the cider market, which makes finding each one extra exciting! Let’s see how this wild and bubbly cider tastes.

Appearance: cloudy, mulberry, bubbles

This cider looks unlike any other I’ve seen. It’s extremely cloudy and a deep mulberry color. There are just a few visible bubbles at the rim of the glass. There could be more bubbles deep in the glass, but the cider is so dark and opaque it’s hard to tell.

Aromas: malt, cinnamon, grape, baking spice, VA

The wildness of this cider is the first impression it gives. Sunlight Transformed flowers with just a little bit of volatile acidity. Other prominent notes include malt, overripe apples, cinnamon, grape, and baking spices. It’s funky and not necessarily in a familiar way. The cider doesn’t smell just like a spanish-style funky cider or a UK funky cider. Sunlight Transformed smells fresh, fruity, and tangy.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This cider has almost more flavors than can be counted or identified, but none of them come from perceivable sweetness. It's difficult to know how much sugar is chemically present because the acidity and bitterness complicate tasting any sweetness.

Flavors and drinking experience: bitter, rich, fruity, funky, tannic

Sunlight Transformed cast a spell over everyone gathered at our table. We loved its bitterness, richness, and complexity. This cider is fascinating! Waves of fruit and velvety tannins and high acidity just wash over the palate. It brings spices, full body, and complexity. The funkiness that I sensed in the cider’s aromas are mellow in its flavors. There are so many flavors!

Sunlight Transformed is off the charts good! I think it's the combination of intense apple and grape fruitiness with bracing bitterness. 

Cider Review: Mission Trail's Champagne Style Hard Cider and Kite and String's Green Man #1

Good morning, cider fans! This is the last post before the Winter Solstice! This means that very very soon, the days will stop getting shorter and soon start longer again. We may not be able to feel the difference at first, but we’ll be headed in my favorite direction before long. I will raise a glass in the coziness of winter for the eventual return of the sun!

I shared Mission Trail’s Champagne Style Hard Cider with the Tall One’s family when we got together for good meal recently.

Mission Trail is a small cidery out of Bradley, California (that’s Monterey County). I’ve only reviewed the Perry previously. The neat thing about this company is the range of fruit beverages they produce including port, cider, perry, and jerkum (an alcoholic beverage made from only stone fruit like plums). 

Perry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/05/very-perry-may-pt-2-woodchuck.html

You can learn more about all of the beverages and the farm online: http://www.missiontrailranches.com/

Here’s the official description for the Dry Champagne Style Cider.

“A delicious dry, fruity sparkling cider, made exclusively from 29 apple heirloom varietals. A secondary fermentation create a great cider and champagne alternative. 9% ABV”

Elsewhere on the label, the cider making process is described as Charmat method. I’ll share a link because other folks can explain this elsewhere for those who which to geek out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparkling_wine_production#Charmat_method

Appearance: brilliant, honey, bubbly

As one would expect, this cider is bubbly! It’s also brilliant with glorious shine. The color reminds me of mild clover honey.

Aromas: champagne, biscuits, minerals, and grapes

This cider smells absolutely like a champagne! Maybe it’s the higher ABV coming across, but the cider smells vinous, biscuity, with some hard edges of minerally. I also get clear notes of concord grape.

Dryness/Sweetness: Semi-sweet

I’d definitely call this a semi-sweet. The label says dry. I would have paired it differently had I known. 

Flavors and drinking experience: raisins, blackberry, full body, mild tannins, lots of bubbles

When tasting this cider I was at first surprised by how not dry the method charmat left this cider. Once I got into the groove with this cider, it really grew on me, The champagne style offers a lovely crystalline quality. The cider tastes like raisins, ripe apples, pears, and blackberries. 

I’m pleased to find this cider a little tannic with medium (but bright) acidity. The sweetness that surprised me along with the higher than usual ABV do give this cider lots of body and the bubbles lift that body effortlessly. The whole experience is creamy, relaxing, and languorous. I love the berry notes in the finish.

Next up, I want to share my latest treat from Kite and String: The Green Man #1. 

Kite and String is the cider that comes out of the Finger Lakes Cider House right here in the Finger Lakes region of New York. This company has been featured in quite a few reviews, so I'll leave the background there, if you'd like to learn more. 

Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/10/cider-review-kite-and-strings-rose-17.html

Barrel Rye: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/cider-review-good-life-ciders-barrel-rye.html

Cazenovia: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/09/cider-review-good-life-ciders-cazenovia.html

King of Hector:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/07/cider-review-kite-and-string-ciders.html

The Hickok has  appeared a few times including:

Thanksgiving 2016: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/happy-to-pickcider-for-thanksgiving.html

and the Finger Lakes Locavore Birthday Dinner:  
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/09/finger-lakes-cider-week-and-birthday.html


Read about both the Finger Lakes Cider House and Kite and String Cider on the website: http://www.fingerlakesciderhouse.com

Here’s the description by the folks at Kite and String. This is pieced together from a photo of the label because I cannot find the full description online. My apologies if I got the line endings wrong! Please send me corrections!

The Greenman series are ciders created in the Pet-Nat style (petillant naturel) little intervention but with a lot of intention. Peter Hoover, our local Greenman has inspired generations of orchardists, pagans, and lovers of good food and cider. This cider grows out of all the kindness, curiosity and passion for the absurd that Peter poured over our roots over the years. Thank you, Peter. 8% ABV.

I was able to taste and purchase Green Man #1 from a little pop-up shop in the DeWitt Mall in downtown Ithaca. That was a treat, being able to find something new in my regular shopping rounds!

Appearance: Jack O'Lantern glow, hazy, mousse

This Green Man cider poured with an active mousse of bubbles. My tasting companion called the color Jack O’Lantern glow, and I think they are really on to something. The color is warm and orange but lit with something more bright. I’d not call the cider brilliant; it’s just a little hazy. 

Aromas: applesauce, citrus, juiciness

I have to acknowledge the amazing intensity of aroma the Green Man brings! It is a joy! I love it when I can smell a cider seconds after opening the bottle, without even needing to bring my nose to the glass! The cider wafts up soft juicy applesauce scents along with piles of fresh citrus. 

When I do inhale its fragrances, I add notes of raisins, tangerine and ripe apples to the melange. It’s utterly mouthwatering. 

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

This is a dry cider, but it doesn’t feel bone dry because of the fruit and acid.

Flavors and drinking experience: Nectarine, tangerine, pineapple, high acid

This dry cider still brings a fruit party! I can taste nectarine, ripe apples, golden raisins, pineapple and tangerine. The Green Man offers up the region’s signature high acidity, this time balanced with medium tannins. I appreciate how dry and citrusy it manages to be.

In terms of texture, the cider has many small bubbles that make up a gentle sparkle. Petillant Naturel is another specific way of achieving a sparkler. (Please read more about this fabulous style of bubble here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/08/dining/drinks/wine-review-petillant-naturel.html )

This cider pleases from the aroma to it’s long fine finish. It’s an inspired start to a new series of ciders and a tasteful farewell to someone who was so generous to the local cider scene.