Cider Review: Treasury Cider Homestead Semi-Dry Orchard Cider and Eastman's Forgotten Ciders Windmill Watcher

I guess I’m starting to accept that Thanksgiving is coming (and my birthday!). 

I’ve not yet chosen the ciders that I’m bringing to my sister-in-law’s house, but I will be picking three: one lighter super dry cider for cooking time and getting started, a more full bodied cider with some tannins and just a hint of sweetness, and something rich and super fruity with dessert. What will you be drinking and eating?

This week though, I treated myself to a cider shared with me at cider the Gathering of the Farm Cideries in Albany. I brought Treasury Cider Homestead Semi-Dry Cider to a birthday party for a dear friend. She wanted low-key fun, so we watched Clue and put together puzzles. To be fair, I may have done more snacking, chatting, and movie watching than actual puzzle participation. 

There’s a ton of good information online about this cider on Treasury’s website: 

Homestead Semi-Dry 

 SEMI-DRY/ ORCHARD CIDER/TRADITIONAL METHOD

Varieties: Old Growth Golden Delicious/ Cortland/McIntosh/Jonamac/Goldrush/Idared/New-Growth Roxbury Russet/ Ashmead’s Kernel 

Our classic sparkling semi-dry cider. Medium-light bodied and slightly sweet with ripe red apple, pear and apple pie aromas.

ABV 7.8%    Vintage: 2017

I think the coolest part is the orchard info that you can see when hovering over the cider label on the cider page. I’ll just link it, because you should see how Treasury presents it. Just don’t forget to hover your cursor over the cider label to make the orchard info appear.

http://www.treasurycider.com/ourcider

You can visit Treasury Cider online and learn more about all of the ciders: http://www.treasurycider.com/

Here’s what we thought of Treasury Cider’s Homestead Semi-Dry Cider.

Appearance: hazy, bubbly, winter sun

The color of this cider reminds me of that often wished-for winter sunlight. It’s the kind that can trick you into going outside before checking the temperature. It’s important and welcome, but so dangerous! The cider looked slightly hazy and very bubbly in the glass. 

Aromas: pears, citrus, spice, toast, and flowers

The Homestead smells strongly of pears! I secondarily smell ripe apples, citrus, spice, and white flowers. One of my co-tasters got hints of toast in the aroma. 

Sweetness/Dryness: Dry!

This is a very dry take on a semi-dry cider. It isn’t bone dry, but I’d not call it any sweeter than off dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: mellow, pear, high acid, bubbly

The Homestead Cider comes across as mellow, firm cider—lots of acid,  but somehow it doesn’t feel sharp or pointed. It’s well balanced and brings a wonderfully pear-filled finish with each sip. I get some pie cherry notes, even though this cider tastes fairly dry to me. I find it notably dryer than the smell suggests. 

This cider balances it’s high acidity with medium tannins that somehow reminded another co-taster of apple seeds.  I find that the cider has lots of yeast character (as opposed to unfermented apple flavors). You can taste the fermentation, and it’s clean. I appreciate how very bubbly it is! Everyone agreed that this cider was an ideal birthday celebration cider. It’s just so  good! 

Next up, I’m finally sharing an older set of tasting notes for a Michigan cider that I drank quite a while ago. It was a review sample shared with me at GLINTCAP.  Here’s my long over due review of Eastman's Forgotten Ciders Windmill Watcher. 

I’ve previously reviewed a couple of cider by Eastman’s Forgotten Ciders:

The Red Queen: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/04/cider-review-eastmans-forgotten-ciders.html

The Mad Russian: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/07/cider-review-eastmans-forgotten-ciders.html

Cinnister: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/02/cider-review-citizen-cellars-sur-lies.html

The company doesn’t have a traditional web site, but you can check the Facebook page to learn more about this Wheeler, Michigan cidery and orchard: https://www.facebook.com/EastmansForgottenCiders/

Here’s the description for this cider, “This mellow sipper gets its name from your desire to sit on the porch and watch the windmills across from our property while enjoying a taste of cider. It is made with over 50 varieties of our apples, is semi-dry, and slightly carbonated.” 6.9% ABV

Appearance: popcorn kernel, brilliant

This cider has such depth of color. I think of un-popped kernels of popcorn when I look at it. The clarity is unambiguously brilliant. 

Aromas: Apricot, herbs, applesauce, pineapple 

This cider smells so much like pineapple and apricot! Wow! I am just blown away by the fruity and applesauce-y aromas!

Sweetness/Dryness: Semi-dry

This is very much what I think of when a cider is called semi-dry. It has some sweetness and fruit, but sweetness doesn’t dominate my experience with the cider. 

Flavors and drinking experience: woody, tropical fruit, high high acid

This cider could also be called Windmill Watcher for the exciting round and round it does to my palate! The Windmill Watcher is tart and acidic; makes my salivary glands go into overdrive! Behind all this acid there’s a moderate amount of sparkle and a hefty dose of fruit. I get the pineapple and apricot from the cider’s aromas, but more tropical fruit and even some grassy notes. Then, for the finish I get a gentle glide of vanilla! 

I like the soft woodiness of the Windmill Watcher along with all of the many flavors in its journey. I shared this cider with good friends and excellent cheeses

This is my last post before turning 38! When next I write, I may have more wisdom, experience, and gravitas. Or maybe not!? 

Cider Review: Eastman’s Forgotten Cider's The Red Queen and The Cider Lab's Empire Golden

This week’s post is late! I apologize, but I have been sick for days and getting healthy takes time. Someday, I hope to be the sort of responsible blogger who is always more than one post ahead,  but I don’t see that happening before July at the earliest. Alas. But I’m glad I managed to taste some exciting and flavorful ciders before this cold claimed me. (I won’t have enough of a sense of smell to take new tasting notes for several more days!) 

Eastman’s Forgotten Cider has a slogan, “From Tree to Tap.” The company is very focused on apples. The company comes from an orchard (Eastman’s Apples) with hundreds of different apple varieties (some folks say 1000 plus). It’s based in Wheeler, Michigan where the company also has a tasting room. Eastman’s Forgotten Ciders has been releasing ciders commercially since 2007. I was given a sampling of the cider at GLINTCAP last year, and I’ve enjoyed working my way through them slowly. 

This week, I’m tasting The Red Queen. I know the Red Queen uses red-fleshed apples for the cider, giving all of the color, aromas, and flavor that we’ll find. 

You can find out more about this cider on the Eastman’s Forgotten Ciders Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EastmansForgottenCiders/ 

I’ve previously reviewed a couple of cider by Eastman’s Forgotten Ciders:

The Mad Russian (a rose cider from red-fleshed apples): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/07/cider-review-eastmans-forgotten-ciders.html

More recently I reviewed the Cinnister: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/02/cider-review-citizen-cellars-sur-lies.html

The info I got for the Red Queen comes from entries on beer rating sites; the label doesn’t give much background (just that lovely chess inspired picture). “Blend of red fleshed and crab apples providing a dry finish with just a hint of sweetness.”

Appearance: salmon, brilliant, bubbly 

Though the Mad Russian is Red, the Red Queen is more peachy pinky salmon in hue. It’s a tremendously appealing color, especially in spring. When poured I could see some bubbles and beautiful brilliance.

Aromas: powdered sugar, ripe apples, cherry pie

Yummy, this cider smell so much like fresh baked goods! These aroma notes remind me of  cherry Pie, bread, ripe apples and powdered sugar. I got a few more tropical fruit aromas, and some mineral zinginess that leads me to expect a high acid cider. 

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

Though this cider smell sweet, it tastes dry!

Flavors and drinking experience: Tart, plums, tannins, acidity

My first impression of this cider is how tart it tastes. The Red Queen is sot as sweet as it’s aromas. That doesn’t mean it’s all austere; the cider has plenty of fruit flavors. I taste plums for miles. The ripe apples and powdered sugar aroma notes did not translate directly into flavors, and I think the cider is better off this way.  

As for texture, the Red Queen offers medium bubble, some tannins, and massive acidity. It’s a fun a cider. I opened on a quiet TV night with the question of what snacks would complement it. Our options were Girl Scout Cookies, popcorn, or cheese, and we had no trouble choosing a creamy brie and wheat crackers to accompany this cider. It was delicious! 

The Cider Lab's Empire Golden

My next cider for this week is a New York cider from Geneva, New York. The company is The Cider Lab. It’s a relatively new venture with a portfolio of four ciders. For more background on the company, check out my first review of one of the ciders.

 Read about the company and the ciders here: https://theciderlab.com/our-cider/

I have reviewed one of them before, the Empire Royale: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/02/cider-review-cider-labs-empire-royale.html

Here’s the official description, “Empire Golden An award-winning, rich, hard cider made from fresh-pressed New York Empire apples grown on the golden shores of Lake Ontario. The sweetness of The Cider Lab’s Empire Golden is perfectly balanced with the tart acidity of the fruit. A luxurious nose seduces the senses while hints of apples and honey comfort like a warm day. A smooth cider experience that pairs well with foods that have a spicy finish or simply as a luxury to be enjoyed on its own. Enjoy responsibly and share Empire Golden with friends.” 7%ABV 

Appearance: super bubbly, canary yellow, brilliant

This is an exciting cider to see! I love how bubbly it is. The color is vibrantly canary yellow with excellence brillance. 

Aromas: yeast, cinnamon, rip apples, lemon

The Empire Golden smells both fruity and yeasty. Specific notes all center around ripe apples but also include cinnamon and lemon. I got little bits of funkiness when I first poured a glass, but they were fleeting.

Sweetness/dryness: Sweet

This is a sweet cider with lots of fruit flavor. It isn’t sweet like sugar but sweet like cooked apples. 

Flavors and drinking experience: high acidity, great mouthfeel, juicy

This cider’s sweetness is kept in balance with high acidity and just a fun amount of funk. What I enjoyed most about the cider is also related indirectly to it’s sweetness: the mouthfeel. While I love a light and lithe dry cider as much as anyone I know, I also enjoy ciders that have some heft and gravitas. The Empire Golden has a fun big mouthfeel buoyed by lots of bubbles. It’s a juicy and substantial cider, and that’s what’s best about it. 

The Empire Golden is so fruity and apple, tropical, pineapple, that it’s almost sticky. It reminded me of certain Tiki drinks while still being 100% apple focused. I shared this cider at birthday party with my first ever experience with an MST3K movie, Manos the Hands of Fate. Thankfully, the cider made much mores sense than the film did, with or without robot commentary. Nonetheless it was a lovely addition to a tremendous party. 

Cider Review: The Citizen Cellar's Sur Lies and Eastman's Forgotten Ciders Cinnister

I’m trying to write this week’s blog post with a very cuddly cat. Princess Peppercorn doesn’t really care that I’ve got a deadline, or that I found two really interesting ciders to review for the week. All she concerns herself with are ear scritches. Nonetheless, I am thrilled to share my thoughts on two more ciders that were waiting for another cold wintery week like the one we just had. I chose both of these ciders for their seasonal suitability.

I’m starting with Citizen Cellars Sur Lie. The Citizen Cellars line is the limited small-runs available at the Citizen Cider tasting room in Burlington VT. I’ve reviewed many a Citizen Cider before; here’s the list. 

I enjoyed another Citizen Cellars before in 2017 when I reviewed the Barrel-Aged: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/02/cider-review-citizen-ciders-barrel-aged.html

The Wood used juice purchased from Poverty Lane Orchards. That orchard is home to Farnum Hill Cider (http://www.povertylaneorchards.com/farnum-hill-ciders/): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/07/cider-review-citizen-ciders-wood-and.html

The Tulsi is a cider that uses a lesser known variant of basil: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-fable-farms-greensboro-and.html

I enjoyed the Companion Sour Cherry at a summer picnic in 2017: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-citizen-ciders.html

Earlier that year, I reviewed the Wit’s Up, the Belgian beer inspired cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/04/cider-review-citizen-ciders-wits-up.html

And a long while ago, I shared my thoughts on the Citizen Cider bRosé: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/02/cider-review-citizen-cider-brose.html

My favorite coverage of Citizen has to be when I visited the tasting room and production facility in Burlington during the summer of 2016: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-2.html

The official description reads, “Sur Lies translates from French into ‘fine lees’ and is a method of aging where a thin layer of ‘lees’ (yeast and apple fruit leftover from the fermentation) is allowed to settle during aging, imparting flavors into the cider and smoothing out the mouthfeel. This dry and bubbly cider was sur lies aged for 18 months in American Oak barrels. So we spiritedly offer this cider aged on fine lees to you, the more-than-fine citizen.” 6.9% ABV

Appearance: brilliant, bubbly, warm straw

This looks like many American ciders with it’s warm straw hue and brilliance. I expect a very bubbly cider not only from the description but from how this looks when poured. 

Aromas: flowers, barrel, honey, minerals

I didn’t know quite what to expect from the aromas of this cider, but what I got was certainly complex. The Sur Lie smells of summer flowers and barrels, vanilla and honey. I expect based on some of these aroma notes that the cider will taste very mineral rich.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

This is a dry cider, but it’s not the simplest cider to categorize because of what’s going on with this cider. It’s doing so much more than just tasting sweet or dry. You’ll have to read on to learn more. 

Flavors and drinking experience: barrelicious, bright acid, white chocolate

Oh my, oh my! This is an exciting cider that I think only got better for waiting around in my cellar for too long. My first impression comes from many barrel qualities in this cider. That includes a host of flavors including, bread crumbs, vanilla, brown sugar, and substantial mouthfeel. 

The Sur Lie doesn’t only taste like it’s barrel aging though. There’s enough bright acidity to keep the  mouthfeel firm and crisp. I get fruity flavors as well like ripe apple and pear, but they don’t appear alone. This cider just oozes with white chocolate notes! I love how creamy the Sur Lie feels.

The combination of tartness and body is very pleasing. I had this cider with pesto pasta with asparagus, roasted red pepper, and and cherry tomatoes, and it was outstanding.  

Next up, I brought the Forgotten Ciders Cinnister to a party.

Several select ciders from Eastman’s Forgotten Ciders were shared with me at the most recent GLINTCAP. This Michigan cidery doesn’t make it easy to find out very much about the ciders, but the cidery does have a well-liked Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/EastmansForgottenCiders/

I shared my notes on The Mad Russian (a red cider made from red-fleshed apples) in March of 2018: 
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-fable-farms-greensboro-and.html

Here’s what the label says about this cider, “Once a high priced ancient world spice from the Silk Trade Route, this now common spice evokes many memories of fall and flavor. An inviting aroma and delicate warmth are peeled back  in this cider, artfully infused with the once rare and exotic cinnamon spice” 6.9% ABV.

Appearance: pumpkin, brilliant, no bubbles

This cider looks still and brilliant. I didn’t notice any bubble action when it was poured. The color reminds me of pumpkin or roasted butternut squash.

Aromas: cinnamon roll, cleanly bready, yeasty, fruity

The Cinnister smells like cinnamon roll. The notes of powdery cinnamon are not too sweet but persistently roll between spicy and fruity. This just smells so pleasant. I appreciate the clean and yeasty bread notes. I feel like I should check on the oven to see if my cinnamon rolls are done, but sadly there are no cinnamon rolls.  

Here’s the most interesting part of the Cinnister’s aromas; as I lifted my glass and the drink approaches, I could sense the acidity as it neared. I’d not call the experience volatile acidity, or some of the aroma notes that traditionally 

Dryness/sweetness: Dry!

This cider shocked me with it’s dryness. After all of those rich and desserty aromas, this is a rough and tumble spicy dry cider! 

Flavors and drinking experience: Tart, petillant, high tannins

Wowzers, the Cinnister tastes extremely tart! And yes, this cider was surprisingly dry to everyone at the party! It simply doesn’t smell how one expects a dry cider to smell, and I think that’s because we are conditioned as Americans to associate cinnamon with dessert. 

In terms of texture the Cinner has relatively low carbonation; I’ll even call it petillant. What the cider doesn’t have in sweetness or fruity notes, it does compensate for with high tannins and high acid. The body is sharply pointed. 

This is an ideal cider for the true cinnamon fan. Notably we usually associate cinnamon with ripe apples (perhaps because of apple baked goods) but these notes are of tart underripe apples. The fermentation tastes clean, and the overall impression is very fresh and pleasant. I appreciate the spicy start that eventually shifts into an apple core finish. We had this some luxurious baked macaroni and cheese, and the contrast was epic.

Whether you’re hibernating at home next to warm cats like me, or out taking in the outdoors whatever the conditions, I hope you find just the right cider for your season. Cheers!

Cider Review: Eastman's Forgotten Ciders' The Mad Russian

These are the weeks when lots of folks travel or move. Yes, its hot, but I love the quiet of staying in town through upstate's high summer. Things slow down; I walk on nearly desert college campuses in evenings. I watch the backyard wildlife from my porch, usually with a cider. Today's cider is a red cider from Michigan, another hard to find cider I obtained by trading with Darlene Hayes of Cider Cocktails: Another Bite of the Apple. Thanks again, Darlene!

This is The Mad Russian by Eastman's Forgotten Ciders. This small cidery comes from Wheeler, Michigan; it grew out of a specialty orchard, Eastman's Antique Apples. The company cares tremendously about heritage apples and the history of hard cider. This is part of how they introduce themselves:

We aim to produce cider reminiscent of our forefathers and founders - when cider was safer than water and the preferred drink of presidents and farm workers alike. We are enjoying a return to drinking cider across the nation and country, and look forward to providing this unique beverage with a great history and taste.

Find out more about them on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EastmansForgottenCiders/

This will be my first review of anything by Eastman's Forgotten Ciders. The Mad Russian's official descriptions vary on the bottle and on various beverage rating websites, but the bottle's promotional copy was too entertaining not to share.

Driven into a fit of rage from running out of this blood-red hard cider, The Mad Russian has lived up to his nickname. The crisp red cider is concocted from a combination of Russian red-fleshed, crab and heirloom apple varieties- leading to its red state. This semidry, tart cider will kick you in the teeth with its taste and drive you into a madness for wanting more. Go ahead and try a glass; just make sure you have enough to keep your sanity.

Now, let's find out how this Mad Russian tastes. 

Appearance: Brilliant, ruby, ringed with bubbles

There's no mistaking this color for anything other than deep ruby red. Though the color shines red, the cider is brilliant. My picture shows the ring of bubbles.

Aromas: grapes, tart cherries, apples, peaches and plums

Just bringing my face near the glass shows off how much this cider smells like plums, grapes, tart cherries, along with apples and peach. It offers tons of fruit. It doesn't smell exactly like unfermented through there, there's that hint of extra tart acid and some zing that tell me this will be real cider and not juice.

Sweetness/dryness: dry

Ooh! This cider isn't sweet. It has almost everything going for it without any sweetness.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, med-high tannin, fruity

The Mad Russian tastes excitingly bitter, dry, and astringent. This is a serious cider! It's tart but not in the pointed or sharp way of many Finger Lakes dry ciders. Its dry while being fruity and tannic! These tannins take a moment to unfold, but they are here.The overall effect is massively stimulating and fun. This cider hits with acid right away but then backs off. 

I love finding ciders like this that remain fruity and dry.  I find this refreshing and rare. To speak more specifically about the fruit flavors; they shine as bright slightly under-ripe fruit- maybe a little nutty. This cider has a light body and medium high bubble.

You could pair this cider with anything rich and full bodied. I recommend a pairing of pasta with cream sauce and Game of Thrones for this equality surprising and rewarding cider. High drama television deserves a show stopping cider, and this one can deliver.