Cider Review: Absolem Cidery's Ferryman

We’re rounding a corner with this beginning of November. Though Winter doesn’t begin until December 21, for me there’s almost a separate season between November 1st and then. This isn’t the Fall of red leaves, pumpkin spice, and golden apple afternoons. These are the newly longer dark nights of fall and the cozy candle afternoons and time to create comfort with loved ones. For me, it’s nesting season. 

And I am happy to share a very appropriate cider: Absolem Cider’s Ferryman. Somehow my images for this cider have vanished, so please enjoy my journey through the first half of fall instead.

Absolem Cider comes from Maine and this is the first Absolem cider appearance on the blog. Here’s a little about how the folks at Absolem describe themselves and their place. 

Our farmhouse cidery and nascent orchard is located along the western side of the Cobbosseecontee Lake nestled between dense woods, and rolling farmland. A short distance from the neighboring towns of Augusta and Gardiner along the Kennebec River that cuts through the heart of Maine. 

Our rustic 150 year-old barn hosts our small cidery where we produce cider and wine. In addition, our barn doubles as a tasting room space where guests can enjoy our hand-made ciders.

Our orchard is dedicated to growing apples varieties originally grown in Winthrop by visionary orchardists like Icabod Howe, Morris Towle, Bill Reid, and John Bunker.

You can check out Absolem Ciders online here: https://www.absolemcider.com/

Fermented with native yeasts in stainless, macerated on Frontenac Noir grape must, and aged in two Port Wine barrels for 12 months. The skin contact enhances the deep berry flavors embedded in the barrel.7.8% ABV.

Appearance: cloudy, rose gold, bubbly

This cider pours with some bubble. It’s cloudy to the point of being opaque. The color reminds me of rose gold. Everything about it is blushing and foggy in a most appealing way.

Aromas: barrel, apple stems and cores, powdered sugar, hay, booze, strawberry

Wow! What a varied range of intriguing smells. The Ferryman first smells like barrels and wine. That’s certainly the port barrel and grape must coming through. I also get a strong presence of apple stems and cores. Something in the mix gives off strong vibes of tannins. In the background, I get hints of powdered sugar, hay, booze, strawberry, and fermented peach.

It’s a wild array.

Dryness/sweetness: Off Dry

The Ferryman tastes dry but not bone dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: fruity, high tannins, soft acid, gently farmy

I love how the Ferryman’s flavor is intense and bold with just enough acid. What the cider really focuses on is high astringence with nutty tannins. I find the Ferryman very fruity in a peach and strawberry way without being a sweet cider. It tastes like it smells. 

What surprised me is how soft it is in both taste and mouthfeel. This is an impressive feat of texture given how tannic and barrel influenced it is, but it manages to be gentle and bright. I find the Ferryman gently farmy but not phenolic. It’s petillant rather than strongly sparkling. A lot of its complexity of tannins and acids may come from the use of grape must or barrel. This is a delicious cider that’s complex and quietly exuberant. What a treat!

Cider Review: Rocky Ground Cider's Pips

We’re about 5.5 weeks from our frost-free date here in upstate NY. I remember it like a birthday or anniversary; May 18th is the declared day of reasonable safety from frost for outdoor plants. It’s a marker of our growing season, just like its inevitable follower the expected first frost date: September 28th. Apples and gardens have a lot to do between that set of dates each year. While I think about all the good work ahead, I can do my planning with a glass of cider. Today, I’m reviewing Rocky Ground Cider’s Pips.

This cider was a gift for me from the Tall One. He saw that Rocky Ground Cider is from Maine and was intrigued. We don’t get that many Maine ciders around here. This is my first experience with this cidery. 

Here’s how Rocky Ground Cider describes themself and the cider making process, “Hard cider made with wild and heirloom apples foraged from Maine’s countryside. We forage because the wild seedlings & old heirloom trees offer us flavors that make a cider we want to drink. Each vintage & blend is a mysterious alchemy of time & place; the available harvest, the soil, & the weather of that growing season. We put the juice in oak barrels & let wild yeast do the work. The fermentation takes almost a year. All of our ciders are dry. We do not use commercial yeasts, sulfites or filtration.”

Visit Rocky Ground Cider online to learn more: https://rockygroundcider.com/

Do not neglect to visit the Beasts page!

Here’s the specific description of the Pips cider. 

Pips, 2018, 7.5% ABV

750ml/375ml

Sparkling, dry. Crisp with gentle tannin. 39 wild pippins and 8 heirloom varieties. Bottle fermented with honey.  Our classic blend. You're gonna love it.

Appearance: intense cloudy bronze, bubbly, some sediment 

Pips pours with a head from the first and toward the end of the bottle, we got some sediment. The cider’s color reminds me of a warm orange bronze; there’s lots of color and cloudiness.

Aromas: tannic, woody, floral and honey

I could immediately smell that this cider was fermented with honey; there’s a floral wildness that only honey brings. Pips brings forth notes both woody and floral. The honey is just so clear on the nose tha I keep thinking of it with each sniff, but I don’t get the expectations that the cider will be sweet. Instead, I think this cider will be acidic and tannic; perhaps a bit of a UK taste profile. We shall see.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

Yes! This is a dry cider. There’s a lot going on, but none of it is sweet.

Flavors and drinking experience: very high acid, tangy, low fizz, dried apples

How very interesting! Pips is all about tartness and wildness.  This cider brings very high acidity to the tasting experience; I think multiple acids are competing here, including both malic and acetic. The notes remind me of cold slices of lemon and dried apple. The acid interacts with its low carbonation to emphasize the sparkle that’s there. Pips’ tannins arrive in two waves—fast and then slower on the tongue. I’m reminded of a leafy funk, like a raked pile of autumn leaves as its first turned over. 

The cider has the lowest of low levels of sweetness, but a hint of sweet warmth blooms in the finish. Again dried apples specifically come to mind. This cider is all about big, adventurous flavors. It’s anything but boring. Drink slowly to savor the tangy wildness. Fans of Sidra Naturel and Basque or Spanish ciders will be very excited for this one. I paired Pips with vegetarian sloppy joes and sauteed zucchini for a simple supper at home. You could also serve it with something cremier and get that acid to work cutting through a rich meal. Cheers!

#PickCider Review of Ricker's Hard Cider Mainiac Blueberry

As we keep on gearing up to #PickCider for the 4th of July, I wanted to share thoughts on a cider I was given at CiderCon this past February in Chicago. But, as soon as I saw the Ricker Hill Mainiac Mac Blueberry, I knew this was a cider for summer. So, I waited.

And I waited and waited some more. But, finally, its downright hot and sunny outside. We are 10 days from the official start of summer just a few weeks from the 4th of July. Now I'm definitely thinking summer every time I #Pickcider.

Last week, I enjoyed a tart cherry cider from Citizen Cider out of the Vermont at a deck party: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-citizen-ciders.html

 This week I'm sitting on my porch to enjoy the Mainiac Blueberry from Mainiac Hard Cider out of Turner, Maine.

This fruit wine business grew out of Ricker Hill Orchard. They pride themselves on doing everything on the orchard from growing the apples to bottling, canning, and serving the cider.

You can learn about Mainiac Cider at the website: https://www.rickershardcider.com

The official description reads, “Mainiac Blueberry is a filtered, mildly carbonated hard cider primarily made with McIntosh apples with a special blend of other varieties of apples as well as blueberries. The result is a sweet, fruity drink – one full of refreshing blueberry goodness. This drink embodies the Maine wild blueberry taste that so many people love.” 5% ABV.

Appearance: dark purple, brilliant, fizzy

When first poured this billowed into a tall foamy head with a fun fuchsia color. The head didn't stick around, but it was definitely the tallest I've ever seen on a cider!

Aromas: grapes, blueberry muffines, red wine

Oh my! This smells so interesting: like grapes, red wine, and blueberry muffins. The smells are sweet, fruity, and summer.

Sweetness/dryness: sweet

The Mainiace Blueberry is a sweet and fruity cider. It does not use tartness or bitterness in any way; its blueberry and apple notes are easy-drinking sweet.

Flavors and drinking experience: blueberry, fresh, sweet, soda

This gorgeous dark purple cider tastes astonishingly like blueberries. I don't get a strong apple flavor or many notes from yeast or fermentation. The bubbles make the experience zingy and light and fun. The experience of drinking this cider is somewhat reminiscent of a slightly-grown-up berry soda.

I found the Mainiac Blueberry pleasant but not challenging. Not even tart. Says it in the can. Very sweet but kinda fun. 

I would pair this cider with a plate full of fresh veggie and fruit-forward flavors. It would go excellently with corn on the cob, fruit skewers, and a heavily loaded leafy green salad with blue cheese, walnuts, and shredded carrots. This is one that was simply designed for the chance to #PickCider for the 4th of July.

Cider Review: Oyster River Winegrower's Hoboken Station Cider (including bonus cat + cider picture)

This cider showed up my collection recently after my husband went to our local cider store without me. I'd never heard of Oyster River Winegrowers, much less their Hoboken Station Cider. A cider from Maine! This is a first for me. Exciting! When I tried to find out a bit more about Oyster River Winegrowers, I used their Facebook page because their website does not appear to be current or operational. Oyster River Winegrowers' Facebook page however is full of interesting and useful information. They appear to be a small vineyard winery, farm, and cidery in Warren, Maine.  They say this about themselves, "We are a Maine vineyard and winery focusing on farming with draft horses and without the use of synthetic chemicals." And yes, the FB page has pictures of their horses. Too cute.

About this particular cider, their Hoboken Station Cider. I'll be piecing together information from a few different sources. The bottle says, "Produced in Warren, Maine from a variety of mostly esoteric apples chosen for superior cider quality. Dry and bottle conditioned." Bottle conditioned means that a second fermentation takes place over time in the bottle, allowing the cider to become naturally sparkling, in this case they use organic cane sugar for the bottle conditioning. One post on Oyster River Winegrower's Facebook page says this about the Hoboken Station Cider, "This Cider is dry, native yeast fermented from a blend of obscure more cider specific apples ( Golden Russet, Dabinett, Esopus Spitzenberg, Calville Blanc d'Hiver, Blushing Granny, Ida Red, and Golden Delicious) with heavier tannin content and high sugar content giving us 9% alcohol. It is a sipper, but surprisingly easy with wine like, or perhaps Belgian beer-like complexity and just a small amount, not so much to be distracting, of carbonation from a natural bottle fermentation."Let me add that the cider has a hefty 9% ABV; cider by winemakers, indeed!

Hoboken Cider with curious cat Amelia

Appearance: hazy,  intense mango

The color is more deep than with many ciders. When I look at my glass, I can see lots of still bubbles cling to all sides of the glass. A few move to the top almost by turns. This isn't a totally brilliant cider which comes as no surprise as it is unfiltered.

Aromas: ripe apples, dust, minerals

Primarily, I smell ripe apples that communicate a bit vinously. Slightly winey apples warmed in the sun. The secondary scent reminds me of mineral dust mingled with and followed by a hint of sweetness.

Sweet to dry: Semi-dry

Though this cider is plenty fruity, I'd cal it semi-dry. I really dig the level of tannins that balance out the fruits as I take my second and third sips. I can see the comparisons to both wine and Belgian beer. It does sort taste in waves and an early wine like wave of flavor is followed by a one that reminds me of yeasty slightly sour Belgian beer. This is pretty tasty, though I rather miss the smoothness that complex ciders can have.

Flavors and Drinking experience: apple, stone fruits, honey, hints of yeast

At first this cider tastes fruit forward and light. Winey notes bite the mid-palate a bit roughly.Honey whispers through the long finish. Pleasant amount of fine-bubbled carbonation. It feels warming because of the higher than average ABV. 

I'd pair this with heavier foods but nothing too spicy. Actually this would be a perfect cider to have with shepherds pie or a layered vegetable lasagna. This is also a great sharing cider. Invite people over and make this your pot luck cider of choice. Though everyone is putting out Thanksgiving recommendations, I'll add this one to the list as well. I think it's strength of flavor could really remain present and enjoyable through many of this holiday's big big flavors.