I’m freshly home from a cider adventure in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Late last week, I was lucky enough to get to judge cider for the PA Farm Show. I’ve joined this group for 6 years now, as long as the competition has been running. I like the people tremendously, and I’ve been introduced to some wonderful cideries this way. And if you’re in the Harrisburg area in January, check out the PA Farm Show event!
PA Farm Show: https://www.farmshow.pa.gov/pafarmshow/Pages/default.aspx
One of the ciders I was able to bring home this year was Brother Monk Ciderworks’ Blacklick Hard Cider. It’s my first time ever reviewing this PA cidery. The cider comes to us from Northern Cambria where this cidery and orchard were started in 2017.
Here’s a little info about Brother Monk Ciderworks from the website.
Our Approach
We specialize in hand-crafted hard cider, cider-style fruit wine, and mead. The trees we planted in our orchard were selected especially for hard cider. This includes apple varieties like Roxbury Russet, Kingston Black, St. Martins, Hewes Crab, Harrison, Bulman’s Norman, and Dabinett. These cultivars, add a tremendous amount of complexity and richness to the ciders. We have taken over the management of an older orchard, which has allowed us to add other apples to our hard ciders. These apple varieties include Winesap, Cameo, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, and Macintosh.
Visit the Brother Monk Ciderworks website to keep up with all the cider releases and news: https://brothermonk.com/
Here’s the official description I found for the Blacklick Hard Cider
Blacklick Hard Cider
This limited release cider is an off-dry traditional cidr made from locally-sourced, specially selected apples. Blacklick cider was barrel aged which imparted a subtle soft tannin note. This cider is a balanced combination of tannins, tartness, and moderate sweetness. 6.5% ABV.
Appearance: hazy, varying shades of warm gold, few visible bubbles
I found it so interesting that when I poured two glasses of this cider the first came out a more intense and rich shade of warm peachy gold and the second was lighter and yellower. The change wasn’t overwhelming, but it was noticeable.
Aromas: Funky, barrel, stone fruit
I don’t get the strongest aromas from the Blacklick, but I do notice some wild tanginess, barrel character, and stone fruits. This gives me hope for something exciting and complex.
Dryness/Sweetness: Semi-Dry
The cider’s label calls it off dry, but for me the cider registers as a semi-dry. That can be perceptually different for different drinkers, so I am not that surprised to see it called off dry. What sweetness is present comes across as more attached to the barrel aging of the cider than other elements.
Flavors and drinking experience: Barrel, high acid, peach and ripe apple
The first note that absolutely shouts in the Blacklick hard cider is a wild edge of acetic acid tartness. It’s a rangy and zesty little spike that evens out on the midpalate. That’s where more of the cider’s barrel-aged qualities come to the fore. Yes, it’s still high acid, but the structure and bread crumb notes emerge. In terms of fruit, the Blacklick offers up plentiful peach and apple notes with a background of twiggy green wood tannins.
I appreciate the fine bubble and round sweetness, which complement one another nicely. The cider’s finish is a return of the barrel with a gentle vanilla send off. It is indeed a complex cider with loads going on! I would love to see these elements pull together in a more integrated way; the tannins, acids, and sweetness stand alone more than combine into a recognizable cider profile. I like what’s here plenty.
I paired this cider with spinach tortellini and broccoli and a simple side salad. I think the acid was especially good with pasta, and I’d recommend that pairing for sure!
