Cider Reviews Colorado Cider Co's Pato Feo and Descendant Cider Company's Descendant Dry

So much for Fall in New York. Winter’s here! Our first large snow fell Thursday evening, all through the night and into Friday morning. Ten inches later, it feels like a whole new season, even before Thanksgiving. None the less, I’m getting ready for this food-filled holiday, and I’m still thinking about pairing my favorite Thanksgiving dishes with delicious ciders. That’s how I chose the two ciders to share this week. They each have a killer Thanksgiving pairing. 

Let’s start with Colorado Cider Co.’s Pato Feo. 

Colorado Cider Company volunteers the slogan, “Fresh Genuine Balanced” prominently on the website. This cider company was founded in 2011 in Denver, Colorado. There’s even a tasting room open year round for visits. 

Learn more online: https://www.coloradocider.com/

For full disclosure, this bottle was a sample sent to me for review. Here’s the official description, “This brettanomyces fermented sour cherry was aged in rum and wine barrels for over a year. After 3 months, we dubbed it the "ugly duck" but it ignored the taunts of the other ciders and proved us all wrong. Enjoy the beautiful Pato Feo!” 6.7% ABV

I did review a Colorado Cider Company cider earlier this year. I tried & enjoyed Block One: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-colorado-cider-cos-block.html

Appearance: brilliant, still, brandied cherries

This lovely cider perplexed me with it’s color. I looked up swatches of ochre, umbre, brick, and tawny. It’s brilliant and still, but the color falls into a delicious in between place with hints of red, brown, and and orange. I’ve even seen a similar shade called russet, but in the cider world, that means quite definitely something else. It’s the color of brandied cherries or certain old book bindings.

Aromas: leather, ripe apple, cherries

The Pato Feo smells like leather, cherries, and apple. It’s a rich and enticing set of aromas. But that’s not all there is to it; I also smell some hints of funky tartness like sour citrus.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-dry

There’s a ton going out outside of sweetness/dryness, but I’d call this cider a semi-dry, but it will perceive as on the dry side of that.

Flavors and drinking experience: still, funky, fruity, barrely

The Pato Feo has some sour funk; do not mistake the promises on this bottle for exaggerations.

This cider surprised a few of my companions when it was still. I explained that many ciders this barrely are going to be still. This one certainly is barrely, dark and fruity, while being quite tannic.

The fact that the Pato Feo is semi-dry makes it easier to pair with foods, because it has some astringence. I think it makes a great choice for Thanksgiving because it tastes more sour and astringent with many sips, and that makes it an excellent palate cleanser for the heavy rich foods of the holiday. I love this cider a root veggie roast. It’s easy to cut and roast turnips, parsnips, carrots, onion, and Brussels Sprouts all together after a quick drizzle of olive oil and balsamic and a sprinkle of pepper and salt. This cider complements all those earthy flavors beautifully.

My second cider review for the week is Descendant Cider Company’s Dry.

I have previously tasted their Succession: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/01/cider-review-descendant-cider-companys.html

And the Dry by Descendant makes a brief appearance in my write up of this year’s Gathering of the Farm Cideries: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/gathering-of-new-york-farm-cideries.html

I reviewed the English Kills back in August: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-descendant-cider-company.html

Read all about the Queens-based New York company on its website: http://www.descendantcider.com/

Here’s the official description of this limited edition Descendant Dry cider, “Dry has strong ripe apple aromas and bright acidity balanced with bittersweet tannin. It is medium body and bone dry. It also has bright appearance as a result of the aging process.” 6.9% ABV.

Appearance: Brilliant, popcorn, bubbly

This cider isn’t still! I can see a gathering of bubbles in my glass and it makes my mouth water to see them. The rich golden color reminds me of unpopped popcorn. The cider is brilliant in terms of clarity.

Aromas: ripe apple, parmesan, chalk

This cider smells like so many things that I associate with a crisp, acid-driven cider. The dry smells like ripe apple, chalk, and Parmesan.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

This is a dry yet fruity cider. There’s a ton of flavor.

Flavors and drinking experience: bubbly, acidic, tropical, dry

This is such a fun yet serious cider! It’s absolutely perfect for the main event of the Thanksgiving meal, the Celebration roast! (Or Tofurkey or Qorn Roast) or whatever you put at the center of the table. It reminds me of overripe apples but without the sweetness.

The Dry offers up thrillingly high acid. This cider will curl your toes with how tart and zesty it is. I get pineapple and tropical fruit notes all over it, and I can taste peach as well. It’s just loaded with so much fruit presence for a dry cider.


In terms of texture the dry has lots of bubbles and a relatively light mouthfeel. It has some light tannins, but most of the excitement comes from the acidity. I love this for an entree, but it really is a flexible enough cider you could enjoy it with all the elements of a classic Thanksgiving feast.

Cider Review: Colorado Cider Co.’s Block One and Mountain West’s Ruby Hard Cider

Time to travel out west. For me, I'm travelling with my taste buds but staying in my living room. I chose two ciders from western states: Colorado and Utah. This is my first review for each of these companies. My cider experience has been largely shaped by availability, which means I taste more ciders from the states nearest me. I'm excited to expand my repertoire with not only new cideries but new states!

Colorado Cider Co.

Colorado Cider Company was founded in 2011 to produce fresh hard cider for the discerning Colorado drinker.

https://www.coloradocider.com/

There’s a tabbed design that makes it easy to miss that you can learn not only about the company but also their orchard and their take on cider history. FYI, this bottle was a sample sent to me for review.

Here's the official description of the Block One.

This cider is made from the first planting (2013) of eleven plus cider and heirloom apple varieties at our orchard in Hotchkiss, Colorado. We are trying to determine what traditional apples will grow at altitude and produce unique flavorful ciders. We are happy with this first Block One harvest and think you’ll like it too! The 11 heirloom apple varieties are: Yarlington Mill, Golden Russet, Ellis Bitter, Major, Michelin, Kingston Black, Dabinett, Northern Spy, Foxwhelp, Brown’s Apple, and Wickson Crab 8.2%abv

Those apple varieties...I'm swooning already.

Appearance: hazy, bubbly, bright daffodil 

Shockingly bright, I am stunned by this color. It reminds me of daffodils, but perhaps I am still dreaming of spring. The cider is more hazy than transparent, but I can see a fair number of small bubbles. 

Aromas: lemon zest, peaches, tart

This smells mouthwateringly fruity and tart. The scents remind me of crab apples, peaches, and lemon zest. Whoa! My anticipation just flew off the chart. From that crab apple smell, I’m hoping for a high acid winner!

Sweetness/dryness: Off Dry

This cider is decidedly towards the dry end of the spectrum without being bone dry. I’d call it off dry with confidence. It does have some tannins and acid that help create this drier experience.

Flavors and drinking experience: medium tannins, fruity, high acid

The Block One certainly brings the acidity I hoped for based on its aroma. Yum! I like that it’s a fruity tartness rather than something too spiky and austere (though there certainly are days for that). I notice a clean fermentation and medium tannins. I appreciate how balanced it is.

This off dry cider shows its fruity side readily, with notes of citrus, lemon zest, and tart peaches.

But it isn’t only fruity. The Block One also reminds me of green tea with some grassy green notes. This cider is certainly a springy one, full of bright and enlivening notes. I like this so very much!

Mountain West

Continuing the western exploration, I want to share notes on my first Mountain West cider, the Ruby Hard Cider. This intrepid cider company is nearly on its own in Utah, but making a big impression in Salt Lake City. It was founded by Jennifer and Jeff Carleton not too many years ago, but they produce cider and run a tap room. The cider maker Joel Goodwillie comes from the wine world, but all are dedicated to using local ingredients.  I received a sample of the Ruby Hard Cider, and I’m excited to expand my knowledge of what this segment of the county can produce.  

Find out about the company at: https://mountainwestcider.com

Official Description: 

A crisp 6.8% alcohol by volume hard apple cider for year-round enjoyment and everyday get-togethers. Taking its name from the surrounding red sandstone, Ruby Canyon encompasses 25 miles of the Colorado River shared between Utah and Colorado. Ruby Canyon brings together the two states, like Ruby Hard Apple Cider brings together family and friends.

This doesn’t tell us a tremendous amount about production process or apple selection, but the taste will tell us more!

Appearance: transparent, warm straw, no visible bubbles

I couldn’t see any bubbles in this cider, but I could see great transparency. The color is a pleasant warm straw.

Aromas: Fresh apples

Unsurprisingly, the Ruby Hard Cider smells appley, but specifically it smells like fresh apples right after they’ve been washed and cut.  I associate this smell with lots of malic acid. The cider also has some of those dusty and stony aromas I often enjoy in ciders.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This cider perceives dry as promised. It’s more than that too though.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, clean, bright

I can totally see why this is Mountain West’s flagship cider. It’s cleanly fermented, extremely high acid, and fruit forward without being too sweet. This is exactly the sort of cider that many folks look for in a regional craft beverage. It isn’t a sugar bomb or a recipe; it’s simply local apples.

This is a trustworthy cider that incorporates zesty tartness, a zippy light body, and some achingly crisp fruit notes. It doesn’t bring any tannins or a weighty mouthfeel to the experience, but it isn’t trying to be that sort of cider. I’m guessing this cider uses eating apples. Instead, it’s a little spicy and very appley, but in a totally natural way.

Overall, I’m very happy to take a little tasting trip out west from the comfort of my living room. Utah and Colorado ciders aren’t the same as the New York and Vermont ciders I drink most often, and they are very different from the craft beer inspired experimentation I see coming out of the Pacific Northwest. And I’m always thrilled to try something new and fresh.