Cider Review: Penning's Farm Cidery's Wild Series The Continental and New York Cider Week!

It’s almost New York Cider Week! This is a busy time of year; there are more people I’d love to see and things I’d love to do than time. I tasted this cider with the Tall One this evening for two reasons. One, this was a gift from my dear friend Maria who is off on her own cider adventures; it’s a nice way to remember a faraway friend. Two, Alex is practicing taking tasting notes for a certain upcoming cider exam in less than two weeks! Many thanks to Maria for this important study aid!

Before I get into my review though, let me encourage folks to check out information about this fall’s New York Cider Week: https://ciderweeknewyork.com/

Pennings Cidery has a limited run cider called the Wild Series: The Continental. It’s my first ever review of anything by this Warwick, New York cidery. You can find this farm and cidery in the Hudson Valley. The farm is home not only to the cidery itself but also a tasting room and farm that grows apples, pumpkins, nectarines, apricots and peaches. I sense a certain flavor profile here! 

And this is just a little bit from Pennings Farm Cidery’s website about the Wild Series Continental project. 

With nutrient-rich soil and micro-climate conditions, it is no surprise that the Hudson Valley region has been an agricultural hub for more than 200 years. What wasn’t farmed, grew naturally on its own. Among the apple trees, we planted in our own orchard was one such wild seedling apple tree. In 2018 that tree produced an abundance of apples that we picked to be the main ingredient in our first Wild Series Cider, The Continental. Wild apples provide characteristics that cannot be found in culinary apples from cultivated trees. Our Wild Series Ciders will come from such wild seedling trees growing freely throughout the Hudson Valley. When we claim to be #CiderCountry here in Warwick, NY.

And here’s just a bit about how the cidery describes the cider’s taste.

The Cider Notes

You will be at ease with the first sip of The Continental. The tropical fruit aromatics and flavor offer a mood-lifting first impression, followed by a brilliant medium body finish that marches across your palate with a polished texture and intensity from the tannin-heavy skins.

I recommend visiting the Penning's Farm Cidery page to learn more: https://www.penningscidery.com/.

Appearance: intense nectarine color, gentle haze, sediment, visible bubbles

I love the rich dark nectarine skin color! It’s hazily golden with some sediment even on the first two pours. I could see some tiny bubbles rising to the top.

Aromas: homemade applesauce, butterscotch, apricot, toffee and nuts

As soon as I poured the Wild Series, I noticed its powerful and appealing applesauce aroma. I’m a sucker for that scent. Sniffing deeper revealed notes of butterscotch, toffee, and toasted nuts. I almost wonder if barrel aging was involved.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

This is a truly dry cider. It doesn’t taste only challenging or austere. The Wild Series Continental has plenty going on. Read on for more.

Flavors and drinking experience: peach, orange, baking spices, chipotle pepper, tannins and acid

The Wild Series Continental’s flavor comes across as more restrained than bold, but the cider is definitely fruity. I can taste peach and orange. One of my co-tasters got notes of apricots. Secondarily the cider is redolent with notes of baking spices and smoky chipotle pepper.

In terms of mouthfeel, the cider is petillant with a relaxed level of sparkle. It’s high acid and tannic; repeated sips emphasize the papery tannins and apple bark notes The Wild Series has a light angular body and a lingering fruit leather and limestone finish.

We enjoyed it very much with our first chili of the year. 

Cider Review: Hudson North Cider Co.'s Toasted Pumpkin

Today I watched chipmunks in a garden during my lunch break and walked with normal shoes on campus for the first time in almost a month. I relished the bright blue sky and dappled shade. I noticed how good the outdoors looked and felt grateful to get to enjoy these things and notice them as they happen. This moment of seasonal shift is a lovely one. We’re almost to the Autumnal Equinox, and harvest is already underway.

Over the weekend I had the fun of trying a new-to-me cidery! One of my most wonderful co-tasters, Woody, picked up a six-pack of Hudson North Cider Co. for the first time. This Hudson Valley cidery is hoping to open a taproom in Fall 2024 and now is available in some states and shipping to many more. The apples come from Minard Farm in Clintondale, New York. 

This is the first time I’ve reviewed anything by Hudson North Cider Co. 

Find out all about the cider offerings and sign up for the newsletter here: https://www.hudsonnorthcider.com/

Here’s how the folks at Hudson North Cider Co. describe the Toasted Pumpkin.

Hitting all the flavor notes we crave in the fall, Toasted Pumpkin is packed full of warming spices and pumpkin pie. Made with Hudson Valley apples, this cider pours hazy golden brown reminiscent of a chilled mulled cider.

5% ABV — Gluten Free  —  8g Sugar

Appearance: foamy, intense pumpkin orange, hazy

The Toasted Pumpkin pours initially with a head, but it dissipates relatively quickly. The color is a fun one! It looks just exactly like a fresh pumpkin with all of that orange intensity. The cider is mildly hazy with some visible bubbles.

Aromas: Orange, citrus, nutmeg, allspice and cake and cinnamon and yeast!

Initially Hudson North’s cider’s aromas remind me of orange and other juicy citrus fruits. Secondarily, I get ripe apple, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and yeast. All in all, the range of aromas remind me of a spiced pumpkin frosting. The scents are very seasonal and appealing. 

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

There’s a lot going on in the Toasted Pumpkin cider, and it has some sweetness. In England, this would be called a Medium. I’ll call it a Semi-dry here. I think the sweetness is necessary to bring other elements together into a pleasing whole. Keep reading to see what all is going on.

Flavors and drinking experience: mild tannins, sour, apple, spices, funky

Everyone who tried Hudson North Cider Co.’s Toasted Pumpkin along with Woody and me quite enjoyed it. The cider bring mild tannins, moderate sourness,  apple, spices, and funk to the seasonal party. For me the medium sweetness really helped balance out the spices and tart or sour flavors. It reminds me of sour beer, but it’s still very recognizably cider, which is much more appealing for me! We agreed that it’s just a little bit funky, but what dominates is lots of apple followed by some pleasing Fall spice.

The Toasted Pumpkin has a light body and medium level of sparkle. It was a total delight with vegetarian sausages and multiple different kinds of homemade soft pretzel. What a treat!

Cider Review: Angry Orchard's Margil

It’s sunny enough and and getting warmer each day, that I’m worrying about keeping my seedlings and house plants from getting scorched in the sunroom. I am amazed yet again by how quickly the seasonal shift can come. 

One day, I’m still reaching for thick fluffy socks and hiding from the blustery winds and not long after I’m wearing shades and shedding layers. The surprises are energizing! And this week, I wanted to relish a memory from last summer’s trip to Angry Orchard’s R&D facility in Walden, New York. That means finally opening up my Angry Orchard's Margil.

Over the ten years of this blog, I’ve reviewed many offerings from Angry Orchard, including several from the Walden location. Here is an incomplete list.

Buddy King: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/11/cider-review-angry-orchards-buddy-king.html

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

Newtown Pippin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/08/cider-review-angry-orchards-newtown.html

Baldwin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/05/cider-review-angry-orchards-baldwin.html

Understood in Motion 2: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/02/cider-review-critz-farms-double-vision.html

Understood in Motion 3: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-angry-orchard-ciders.html

Wooden Sleeper: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-angry-orchards-wooden.html

Spiced Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-angry-orchards-spiced-apple.html

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

Rosé: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

Walden: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/09/cider-review-angry-orchards-walden.html

And if you want more, just click on the Angry Orchard Tag on any of these posts, and you can find the rest. 

I recommend visiting the Angry Orchard site to see the ciders and check out what’s happening at The Treehouse in Walden, New York: https://www.angryorchard.com/.

Here’s how the Margil is described on the Angry Orchard website.

This single varietal cider features only the Margil apple. With no added sugar, it is a bright off-dry offering with notes of pear and apple skin aromatics. 6.4% ABV.

And from the label itself, “An apple with mysterious origins dating back to 18th century England (or maybe France), the Margil has biome a favorite of ours in Walden for its texture and aroma. With no added sugar, this off-dry cider is bright, fresh, and gives lively pear and apple skin aromatics.” 

And now for my tasting notes on Angry Orchard’s Margil Cider.

Appearance: brilliant, medium intense color, pale straw

This cider has gorgeous shining brilliant and a pale straw color. I can see a few bubbles at the ring of the glass. 

Aromas: Stone, cotton, apple skin, vanilla

The Margil smells first of stone and cotton. Secondarily I get notes of cleanly-fermented fruit. It’s so different from most Angry Orchard ciders. It doesn’t smell like unfermented sweet fruits. I do get the impression of tart apple skin. 

Sweetness/dryness: Off-dry

It’s interesting to isolate the sweetness in this cider. It doesn’t taste particularly sweet, but it must have some sweetness to round out the other elements that it has in such plentiful quantities without becoming severe. Read on to find out more. 

Flavors and tasting experience: Very high tannins, medium-high acids, bright fruit notes, tiny bubbles

The Margil tastes sophisticated yet playful. The cider is lightly sparkling with fine bubbles and very high tannins, but they give way to bright fruitiness. The acidity feels medium-high with lots of citrus notes. The tannins keep coming back to make their presence known with every sip. Gosh, I like this! 

There are hints of sweetness, but the cider is decidedly not sugary. What’s there feels like a neat deep sweetness from the apple’s essence itself and not the residual sugars. The Margil is wonderfully textural and evocative. This delightful cider makes me think of ripe oranges, vanilla, and pears with tropical fruit notes on the finish.

We had our bottle of Margil with a five-cheese pesto pizza and kale salad. The combination was wonderful because the cider helped me remain awake to the delightful contrasting textures of a soft pillowy crust, sharp curly kale leaves, and the melty cheeses. This has to be one of the tastiest ciders I've ever had from the crew at Angry Orchard. Delicious!

Cider Review: Angry Orchard's Buddy King

I should be thinking about Thanksgiving, about food, pairing, and gathering. Here’s the thing; I just don’t feel ready today. Tonight, I was ready to come home from work and enjoy vegetarian sausage, bell peppers, broccoli and some goat cheese and sun-dried tomato ravioli. It's a nice for living in the moment and enjoying the peace of not yet guesting, hosting, planning, or prepping. The big days will come soon enough.

Tonight I’m so happy to remember my trip to Angry Orchard’s Walden Orchard facility this past Summer and review the Buddy King cider that I picked up there. If you’re not familiar with the Walden Research and Development facility, it’s magical. Let go of all of your expectations of Angry Orchard or stereotypes about national brands. This cidery is doing its own thing and the ciders are very different from the super approachable and often sweet choices that Angry Orchard supplies to grocery store shelves. 

Here are a few of my earlier Angry Orchard reviews which include a mix of national and more limited offerings.

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

Newtown Pippin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/08/cider-review-angry-orchards-newtown.html

Baldwin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/05/cider-review-angry-orchards-baldwin.html

Understood in Motion 2: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/02/cider-review-critz-farms-double-vision.html

Understood in Motion 3: this collaboration with Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider (this was my #6 cider of 2018): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-angry-orchard-ciders.html

Wooden Sleeper: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-angry-orchards-wooden.html

Spiced Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-angry-orchards-spiced-apple.html

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

Rosé: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

Walden: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/09/cider-review-angry-orchards-walden.html

Visit Angry Orchard online here to learn about the ciders and what’s happening at Walden: https://www.angryorchard.com/

Here’s how Angry Orchard describes the Buddy King, “A wild fermented cider that we aged on Missouri-grown blackberries and blueberries from our friends at Side Project Brewing. 7.2% ABV.”

Here’s a link to the collaborator Side Project Brewing: https://www.sideprojectbrewing.com/

Appearance: apricot, bubbly, brilliant

This brilliant cider shows off some lovely active bubbles. The bubbles are easy to see because the cider is so very transparent in its welcoming shade of apricot.

Aromas: wild, acetic acid, twiggy

Buddy King smells very obviously like a wild fermented cider. It’s zingy with notes of tropical fruit and acetic acid. What I like about the aroma is that it’s anchored with some twiggy wood notes. I definitely know to expect a tart or even sour cider from these aromas.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This is a completely dry cider. It’s unusual to have a wild fermentation that retains sweetness because of the difference in controlling a pitched fermentation and a wild one.

Flavors and drinking experience: sour, high acid, pineapple, peppers, tannic 

My estimation based on the Buddy King’s aromas was proved right; its super sour! This high acid cider tastes like malic and acetic acids. My first impression is how very basque-inspired or Sidra like it tastes. It’s far from one dimensional though. The cider also proffers red bell pepper and tropical fruit notes while it remains bone dry.

The Buddy King is very angular with all that acid and some tannins. The hints of tomato and berry seem like they’d be in conflict, but they work harmoniously together. I appreciate that it’s petillant rather than more strongly sparkling. The acid provides enough excitement on its own without needing the needling of aggressive bubbles. 

I need to emphaize just how much tart acid the cider has. The Buddy King can cut through any food! Be sure to use this superpower and pair it with food. You could choose something hearty like Shepherds Pie or something with plenty of cheese like my ravioli meal. The fun thing about pairing the Buddy King is how much the cider changes. The cider’s funk is revealed even as the acid is tamed. What a complex and wild offering from Angry Orchard’s Walden Cider House!

Cider Review: Angry Orchard's Newtown Pippin Traditional Method

Last week I was able to take a few days for a cider trip down to the Hudson Valley. It was finally time for my sensory retake of the Certified Pommelier Exam. The timing worked out amazingly so I could also visit Treasury Cider (http://www.treasurycider.com/) for a meet up with New York Cider Association members and tour Angry Orchard’s Walden Orchard and research cidery (https://www.angryorchard.com/tours/plan-your-visit). What made it sweetest of all is that my darling partner (He’s called The Tall One here) passed his Cider Certified Professional Level One exam shortly before, so he got to take the Pommelier test as well.  

Here’s a link to learn more about the American Cider Association’s Certified Pommelier program: https://ciderassociation.org/certification/.

That’s why I chose to review one of my special Walden Cidery offerings from Angry Orchard to review this week. I’m so happy to share my thoughts on Angry Orchard’s Newtown Pippin! Full disclosure, this cider was shared with me by some cider friends who work for Angry Orchard.

Here are a few of my earlier Angry Orchard reviews:

Baldwin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/05/cider-review-angry-orchards-baldwin.html

Understood in Motion 2: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/02/cider-review-critz-farms-double-vision.html

Understood in Motion 3: this collaboration with Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider (this was my #6 cider of 2018): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-angry-orchard-ciders.html

Wooden Sleeper: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-angry-orchards-wooden.html

Spiced Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-angry-orchards-spiced-apple.html

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

Rosé: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

Walden: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/09/cider-review-angry-orchards-walden.html

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

You can learn more about what Angry Orchard is up to, including a new series of cider-based cocktails inspired by tall tales: https://www.angryorchard.com/

This cider is the Single Varietal Newtown Pippin Traditional Method. Here’s what Angry Orchard has to say about this particular cider.

Newtown Pippin 

Using only the Newtown Pippin apple this cider is tart and dry with notes of apple skins and wild honey. 6.8% ABV. 750 mL bottle.

Appearance: bubbly, ripe straw, transparent

This looks glowy and inviting with a color reminiscent of ripe straw. The Newtown Pippin pours with an aromatic mousse of bubbles.  

Aromas: Intense, breadcrumbs, champagne

I love how strong the Newtown Pippin’s aromas are. I could smell this cider as soon as I popped the cork. It’s bread crumbly, yeasty, and has a very champagne-like aroma. It reminds me of ripe grapefruit and white grapes.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This is a lovely dry cider. If you think Angry Orchard cannot make a dry cider, please try some of the special offerings from the Walden facility. This team can do it!

Flavors and drinking experience: intense sparkle, clean, pear, grapefruit, medium high acid

Nice! The Newtown Pippin is blowing me away. I’m such a fan of this. The first impression is how super bubbly it is. This cider brings a awesome intensity of sparkle from that second fermentation. The Newtown Pippin doesn’t really go for tannins but it offers medium high acidity and a beautiful fresh and clean fermentation. 

The flavors I notice early are pear, grapefruit and buttery breadcrumbs. The citrus that I noticed in the cider’s aroma remains. It’s all very golden, crisp, and polished. The body strikes me a lithe  but subtly rounded! The cider is so very pleasing.

I had this with a sweet corn ravioli in a blush tomato sauce with sauteed yellow squash, stripey tomatoes, and a red pepper. The pairing was delightful. The Newtown Pippin’s bubbles had a zesty cleaning effect between creamy pasta bites. 

The Pommelier test was challenging, and I won’t know how we did for a few weeks yet, so I’ll just share a few tour pictures in the meantime. 

Cider Review: Angry Orchard Super Natural and Eden Cider's Extra Sec

Lots of exciting cider events are approaching in the next few months (GLINTCAP, NY Cider Competition), but they aren’t here yet. I don’t know about you, but patience isn’t my most developed quality. I like the fun thing to be happening today or if not today then very soon. I needed some extra fabulous ciders to help me wait out the next several weeks until I can count down till the fun starts.  

I’m starting with the Angry Orchard Supernatural: something I picked up when I visited the Innovation Center for Angry Orchard in Walden, New York. 

Here’s what I wrote about that visit for Cider Culture: https://www.ciderculture.com/angry-orchard-innovation-cider-house/

You can also visit Angry Orchard online: https://www.angryorchard.com/

Here's a quick list of some of my previous Angry Orchard reviews (this is not all of them!)

Wooden Sleeper: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-angry-orchards-wooden.html

Understood in Motion 3: this collaboration with Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider (this was my #6 cider of 2018): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-angry-orchard-ciders.html

Spiced Apple from March of 2017: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-angry-orchards-spiced-apple.html

I reviewed the new Pear as a part of Very Perry May: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-review-of-greenwood.html

I reviewed the Rosé last March: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

I did get to try an early release from the Innovation Cider House: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/09/cider-review-angry-orchards-walden.html

Angry Orchard's official description reads, “This cider is pet-nat and also unfiltered so sediment is natural. It will absolutely slay at your dinner table. Enjoy.” What it doesn’t mention is that pet-nat stands for Petillant Natural, also known as Method Ancestrale. What it means is that the bubbles in the bottle come from the primary fermentation finishing up in the bottle so that the Carbon Dioxide produced by fermentation stays trapped in the bottle. This method has been used for both cider and wine for a couple hundred years at least.

The label also lists the apples included, “40% Dabinette, 34% Gold Rush, 11% Marie Menard, 11% Muscadet de Lense, and 4% Northern Spy.”  I love love love that this label includes the apple varieties! This one even introduced me to an apple I’d not heard of before: the Marie Menard. This is a french bittersweet variety.

Appearance: dandelion yellow, lightly hazy, bubbly

This does look like pet nat. Because the sediment created by fermentation (the lees) is never filtered out or disgorged, the cider cannot be fully brilliant. It does however have lots of bubble and a cheerful bright yellow shade. 

Aromas: sour apple, volatile acidity, sour, grain, ripe apples

I can smell lot of dynamic and exciting fruity, sour, and grainy notes in the Supernatural. There’s definitely some funk to these aromas! The fact that this is a wild fermentation is not at all surprising.

Dryness/sweetness: Semi-dry

This cider is semi dry but it might come across as completely dry, depending on the drinker’s habituation to high acidity. 

Flavors and drinking experience: finy bubbly, juicy, fresh sour

Ooh! I like Angry Orchard’s Supernatural, even though I am often not the biggest fan of Sidra style ciders. It’s more than tart, but only has a little acetic acid and volatile acidity. The cider is semi-dry with very fine bubbles. I find that Pet Nat textures can be so very exciting and fresh; this is no exception! 

The supernatural manages to be juicy and fresh without being sweet or tame. The whole drinking experience is very raw and sour- it’s vivid and exciting. My co-taster called it a cider with bite, and I think they’re right.

Eden Cider is a small specialty cidery operating in Northern Vermont. Eleanor Leger runs this inventive cider house that not only produces heritage orchard-based ciders but also fine ice ciders and infused cider blends for cocktails. You can find out more background on Eden Specialty Ciders in early reviews.

I tasted the Ezekiel most recently: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/01/cider-review-eden-specialty-ciders.html

Over the summer, I was able to sample the Eden Heritage Cider in a can: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/06/cider-cans-crush-it-eden-heritage-and.html

My number one favorite cider of 2017 was the Imperial 11 Degree Rose: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-january-2017-cidrbox-and-edens.html

I relished trying Eden’s Sparkling Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/cider-review-eden-sparkling-dry-cider.html

And I included it as part of my Thanksgiving and 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

Visit Eden Speciality Cider website to find out more, including new releases: https://www.edenciders.com/

Eden offers so much more than just an official description for all of the ciders. I’ll give what info I can, but do recommend checking out the webpage: https://www.edenciders.com/store/detail/?item=2016sparklingextrasec750ml

The description reads.

Champagne-method cider made from heirloom and bittersweet apple varieties grown in Vermont and at Poverty Lane Orchards in New Hampshire. It is naturally sparkling and clean - we hand-disgorge the yeast from every bottle! Beautifully balanced between fruit, acid, and tannin. The barely perceptible dosage serves to bring forth the fruit character of the cider. Perfect with roast pork, turkey and vegetable gratin dishes.

Appearance: honeybee gold, fine bubbles, brilliant

This brilliant cider has the deep gold I see on honey bees for color. The Extra Sec shows off a beautifully fine bubble. It’s easy to wax ecstatic about this how lovely this cider is to see.  


Aromas: Overripe apples, honeydew, peach, pine

There are more fruity aromas than savory ones in the Extra Sec, but this cider does include both. I can smell overripe apples, peaches, honeydew melon, and a waft of pine. 

Dryness/sweetness: Off dry to sem-dry

This is an interesting one. This cider is described and even named for a being a bit sweeter than many of Eden’s Heritage style ciders, but the residual sugar is still at .9% which would be called dry by some other cider makers. For me the result tastes not quite dry but certainly not semi-sweet; it’s more of that gentle slope from off dry to semi-dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: rich mouthfeel, tea, leather, bright, steely

I love how rich the Extra Sec tastes; the cider offers up a viscous mouthfeel from the ice cider backsweetening. That doesn’t take away from the little bit of steel I can taste on the front. Melon sweetness in the middle palate balanced by tannic tea notes and leather on the finish. This cider surely is bright and bubbly, but the acid makes it feel bubblier than it looks (and indeed may be).  

I love how the Extra Sec’s finish rolls in waves of strong aromas, a little astringence, sweetness and bitterness alternating. Factually speaking, the cider leverages medium high tannins, high but not extreme acid, while remaining off dry. This beautifully balanced cider is refreshing for every moment of the experience, but it’s also thoughtful. 

The Extra Sec paired well with homemade pesto pizza and wonderful company. I couldn’t have asked for a better cider to share with the best of friends. 

Cider Review: Angry Orchard Rosé and Stowe Cider’s Local Infusion Snow's Raspberry Hard Cider

This week’s theme is Think Pink! Extra points to anyone who gets my Funny Face reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX6TaA6IRkk

The weather won’t turn springy. It solidly refuses, though today is the Vernal Equinox. What the weather won’t do, I’ll try to do for myself. I want spring, so I’m sipping Rosé cider. What is Rosé? That’s actually not a simply question because we are borrowing and heavily adapting a wine term for cider here.

In the wine world, Rosé is reserved for wines made from red grapes that have limited skin contact such that the finished wine is a shade of pink, hence using the French word for pink, Rosé. Rosé ciders are pink, but not because of skin contact. Red apple skins do not impart a pink color. That tempting shade could be due to red-fleshed apples, contact with red grape skins, additional red fruits, or other additives. Today I’ll review two pink ciders and think of spring.  

Angry Orchard Rosé

I can share several previous reviews of Angry Orchard ciders but not all because there are too many to link back to all of them. Please consider these my favorites:

Probably the most interesting thing I’ve reviewed from them in a long while is the Walden
Hollow from the Research and Development facility: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/09/cider-review-angry-orchards-walden.html

I appreciate that the Stone Dry is a consistent drier cider from their lineup: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/10/cider-review-angry-orchard-stone-dry.html

Back in 2014, I shared a roundup review of a few of their ciders Strawman, The Muse, and Traditional Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/05/roundup-of-angry-orchard-reviews.html

Also fun, Angry Orchard’s Knotty Pear is a blend pears and apples: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/06/cider-review-angry-orchards-knotty-pear.html

Most recently, I reviewed their Spiced Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-angry-orchards-spiced-apple.html

As always, you can find out tons more at Angry Orchard's website: http://www.angryorchard.com/

My first of two rosé reviews for today is  Angry Orchard Rosé. This cider has been taking the market by storm, so I was very happy to receive samples to taste. 

Angry Orchard's official description:

The red flesh apples in Angry Orchard Rosé are from France. Each apple is crisp, juicy and red to the core, adding an irresistible rosy blush and apple-forward taste with a refreshing, dry finish. Angry Orchard Rosé can be enjoyed outside with friends or at the dinner table.

FLAVOR PROFILEABV: 5.5% Apple Varieties: Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and red-fleshed apples sourced in France

Appearance: brilliant, intense rose pink, few visible bubbles

Look at this amazing color. It's beautiful! The cider just shines in the glass with a deep rose color and perfect brilliance.

Aromas: berry, hibiscus, apple candy

It's a shame that this cider is so often served in a narrow neck bottle because the aroma are much more apparent after pouring the cider into a glass. The Rosé smells zesty, sweet and fruity like berry, hibiscus, apple candy, and bubblegum.

Sweetness/dryness: Sweet

This is a sweet cider. I've seen it described as semi-dry, but I find it sweet.

Flavors and drinking experience: medium acid, hibiscus, sweetness

There's a lot of ripe apple flavor but it doesn't taste fermented. The medium acidity never veers into sharpness or tartness, instead sweet flavors dominate the experience. Some specific flavor notes that came to my mind include: cane sugar, hibiscus, blueberries, watermelon, and bubble gum.

I think the Angry Orchard Rosé will encourage a ton of folks to try cider for the very first time, and that's fantastic. It has a lot of vibrant flavors and doesn't take simply like Martinelli's sparkling soft cider. This springy beverage will help folks to discover that there's more to cider than they knew.

Stowe Cider’s Local Infusion Snow's Raspberry Hard Cider

For a bit of background, Stowe cider was founded by a husband and wife team in 2013. Stefan Windler brought his background in chemistry, biology, and agriculture to the venture along with his wife Mary. They have a tasting room in the popular skiing town of Stowe, Vermont, and they participate actively in Cider Week Vermont. Since then, they've only grown and expanded their cider offerings. 

I visited Stowe cider on the first day of my Vermont Cider Tour in 2016:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-1.html

Find out about the cidery on the website: https://www.stowecider.com

This cider isn’t marketed as a rosé, it’s described with its ingredients: cider with raspberry, basil, and honey. The official description is very simple, “Infused with Stowe raspberries, Craftsbury basil and Northwood apiary honey.”

Appearance: Brilliant, salmon, 

One of the fun things about rosé is the range of pink hues that all full under that blessed umbrella. Salmon, coral, and the peachier shades of pink definitely describe this Raspberry cider. 

Aromas: Fresh apple, watermelon, honey

The Snow's Raspberry Cider smells like fresh apples and watermelon primarily. I can definitely detect a tendril of wild honey sweetness as well.

Dryness/sweetness: Semi-dry

This is a fun cider with enough sweetness to keep things approachable, but not enough to push it over into semi-sweet territory. What sweetness is there is fruity.

Flavors and drinking experience: bubbly, high acid, sessionable

I love how intensely bubbly this cider is. This Snow's Rasberry Cider also bring some serious fruity acid to the party. The most prominent flavor is berry, followed by apple, and then honey.

The Snow's Raspberry cider remains fun and sessionable through the bottle. The raspberry flavor is almost subdued by so many bubbles. That's a plus in my book because I like medium fruity but super bubbly, and I don't think I'm terribly unusual in this regard. Overall, I found this cider floral, tart, and enjoyable. I didn't get much of the basil that was promised on the label, but that seems like a very difficult ephemeral bit of delicacy to capture. Overall, this is one pink cider I'd be happy to drink again.

So until we get spring, at least we can dream in rosé.

Cider Review: Angry Orchard's Knotty Pear

Today I'm sharing my review of Angry Orchard's  Knotty Pear. This is my first review from Angry Orchard's Orchard's Edge series. This is how the brand introduces it, "Our cider makers are excited to continue expanding the idea of what American cider can be. Orchard’s Edge is our innovative line of ciders developed at the orchard." One of the facts I find most intriguing about this line is that they have been developed and produced at the R&D center, The Innovation Cider House in Walden, New York.  Some kind folks at Angry Orchard sent me two bottles of this and the other Orchard's Edge cider, the Old Fashioned (expect that review in August).

I've review other lines and ciders from Angry Orchard before. Here are just a few.

The Hop'N Mad Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/03/cider-review-angry-orchards-hopn-mad.html

The Elderflower: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/cider-review-angry-orchards-elderflower.html

A roundup of Strawman, The Muse, and Traditional Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/05/roundup-of-angry-orchard-reviews.html

Most recently, I review the Stone Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/10/cider-review-angry-orchard-stone-dry.html

"Knotty Pear’s main ingredient is juice from American apples, and also features pear juice, which adds a new dimension to the cider, creating a pleasantly dry flavor. Cardamom imparts a slight spicy flavor. With subtle notes of citrus and mint. This cider and showcases fresh acidity, lasting tannin, and a pleasantly dry finish from oak aging." There are a few references to dryness and one mention of tannins in this description; these will be features to look out for.

Beyond the description, the website also gives some facts. I love having these here to anchor my expectations.

ABV: 6.5%

Culinary Apples: Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith

Special Ingredients: Juice from culinary pears including Bartlett, Doyenne de Comice, and Bosc, D’Anjoucardamom. Cardamom

Gluten Free: Yes

Packaging Options: 12oz bottle (6-pack)

Availability: Year-Round

Appearance: bright brass, brilliant, few visible bubbles

This is a shockingly bold color. I never know what to expect colorwise when I'm pouring from dark glass bottles, but this was a lovely surprise.

Aromas: Powdery zingy fruity smells, Citric acid

Wow, I can smell so much tart acidity in this. It really reminds me of citric acid plus some extra zingy tropical fruit smells.

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

Though the profile of this cider mentions dryness, I found this cider decidedly sweet.

Flavors and drinking experience: dried apricots, sweet spice, green apple candy

The Jolly Rancher green apple flavor comes through the most clearly, but I can also taste rich sweet dried apricots, super ripe peaches, and tropical fruit. This cider offers up notes of pineapple as well. There's no getting around that sweetness, even with the cider's medium acid.

Here's where it gets interesting though. I do notice some astringency and fun mouthfeel. That's not from the pears, but it could be the oak aging. I'm also surprised by how relatively low profile the pear was in this mix.

The strangest thing is I had this cider twice and formed relatively different views of it each time. The first, I had it after eating far too much movie theater popcorn and watching X Men Apocalypse. Then, it tasted sweet yet invigorating and different. I think the sweet & salty contrast served it well. When I had it most recently, it was as an after dinner cider. Dinner had been amazing grilled pizzas and salad made by my friend Phil Sandifer (of Eruditorum Press http://www.eruditorumpress.com/). The pizza had plenty of savory and salty flavors being topped with homemade sauce, feta, mozzerella, roasted red peppers, basil and sun dried tomatoes. But after this, the cider felt much more like sweet apple candy and didn't unfold in quite the same ways it had before. 

If you're interested in trying this cider, I'd go for an intense salty and sweet pairing. The popcorn really did show it off well!

Cider Review: Doc's Draft Gold Rush Cider and GLINTCAP is open for entries

Good day all. I feel like after some of my cider adventuring, it is time to come back home as it were and review a New York state cider, so I finally got to open up my bottle of Doc's Draft Gold Rush Cider. Also, if you've got any curiousity about cider competitions, after the view, I'll be posting a bit about the largest Cider and Perry competition in the world: GLINTCAP!

Here the website for Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery which not only talks about their cider but also their other beverages and all the happening at their tasting complex: http://www.wvwinery.com/

If you just want to read about cider, you can read about a few of their varieties here: http://www.wvwinery.com/cider/ 

I have actually reviewed six ciders by Doc's Draft before! They make a numver of specialty ciders and interesting fruit blends, and their releases always show up for sale in my area. In case you'd like to see the previous reviews, here's a the full list.

Hard Apple: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/01/cider-review-docs-draft-hard-apple-cider.html

Dry Hopped: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/07/cider-review-docs-draft-hopped-cider.html

Cranberry spice: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/05/cider-review-docs-draft-cranberry-spice.html

Pumpkin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/10/cider-review-docs-draft-pumpkin-hard.html

Cassis: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/05/cider-review-docs-draft-hard-cassis.html

Peach: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/04/cider-review-docs-draft-peach-hard.html

The Doc's Draft website does not list their Gold Rush Cider. The only information I was able to find came from the back of the bottle. That reads, "Crafted from 100% organic goldrush apples, Doc's Gold rush is fermented using the traditional keeving method which makes a sold cool fermentation over a 6 month period of time. The result is an aromatic flavor with a hint of residual sweetness."

Keeving might be a pretty unfamiliar term, even for some cider lovers. It basically means reducing the nutrients in juice to slow a fermentation down and leave some perceivable sweetness in the cider naturally even after a complete fermentation. If you want to read more about keeving as a fermenation process, I highly recommend checking this page out: http://www.cider.org.uk/keeving.html.

Enough background, time for Doc's Draft Gold Rush Cider!

Appearance: brilliant, plenty of visible bubbles, 

The Gold Rush cider is a true brilliant light straw color that's great for showing off visible bubbles.

Aromas: green grapes, tart fresh apples, wine, and brown paper

The Gold Rush smells like green grapes, wine, tart fresh apples (thin, high fruit acid plus low dusty russet), a hint of brown paper or leather

Sweetness/dryness: off-dry

Huh, I expected more sweetness from a keeved cider. Perhaps I was wrong to expect that, but this cider is off dry in a way that I associate with many other fermentation methods.

Flavors and drinking experience: green fruit, high acid, lingering

At first, it's pleasant and maybe even a little sweet, then it twists into a raw, vegetal, VERY high acid peak. Gold Rush lingers all through the mouth and throat, and the finish surprised me with hints of carrots!  The cider is off dry with medium tannins. I got lots of zesty lime and green twig  flavor.  This plays off of hints of underripe apple and strawberry flavors

The Gold Rush is a summer cider for sure because its so refreshing and tart as to make me feel colder. Small sips give pleasant bright notes with active salivary response.  The whole tasting experience takes about five full seconds to proceed through its stages: a long rise and fall of puckering acidity. 

Texturally, Bubbles are pleasant and small.  At 7.2% ABV it feels boozier than it tastes.  Compared to other ciders by Warwick Valley, this cider almost certainly uses a different yeast strain. Perhaps its this perception that makes the different fermentation choices most clear. This reminds me that I want to learn more about keeving and keeved ciders for sure!

I'd recommend pairing the Gold Rush cider with something heavy, mild, creamy,and not sweet. I enjoyed mine with a tuna and corn chowder. Chowders and dry high acid ciders tend to work tremendously well together.

Now, let's talk about GLINTCAP!  

That GLINTCAP acronym stands for Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition. I've judged for the past two years, and I'm thrilled to say that I'm signed up again to judge this year! The competition happens in Grand Rapids, Michigan on the weekend of April 22-24, 2016. 

You can learn about the competition on its website: http://glintcap.org

Judges train and calibrate together, all tastings are served blind, and all ciders and perrys are judged according to specific style guidelines. 

If you are interested in sending some of your ciders (either commercial or non-commercial) this is the page to read. http://glintcap.org/register/