Cider Review: Stowe Cider's Brain Waves Key Lime Pie

I’ve not travelled often or far lately, it’s true. I’ve been both busy at home and cautious. My trip to Michigan for GLINTCAP was definitely the biggest trip of 2021 so far, and it’s likely to stay that way. But I do find other kinds of exploration, including an online class through Morbid Anatomy about contemporary folklore and legend tripping. Last week, our teacher encouraged us to bring a tasty beverage to the last half of class, and I was happy to comply. I chose to bust out a can of Brain Waves: Key Lime Pie by Stowe Cider.

Stowe cider comes to us from Stowe, Vermont. The company maintains a small core of cider styles that are always available, but the majority of the offerings are seasonal, limited, or collaborative. Stowe Cider makes adventurous choices, often pushing the boundaries of what has been tried in cider. 

Here are all of Stowe Ciders’ previous appearances on the blog.

Gin and Juice: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/07/cider-review-stowe-ciders-gin-and-juice.html

Juniper Sessions: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/11/cider-review-stowe-ciders-juniper.html

High and Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-grand-illusion-hard-cider.html

Local Infusion Snow’s Raspberry Hard Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

My 2016 visit to the tasting room as part of my Great Vermont Cider Tour: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-1.html

I recommend visiting Stowe Cider’s website to learn more: https://www.stowecider.com/home

Brain waves is a line of one time experiments by Stowe cider. I was stoked to try the Key lime pie after reading about it. Key Lime Pie is one of my favorite desserts in the world; I am practically obsessed. Stowe Cider did share this sample with me for review, so many thanks! Samples do not however sway my opinion or even guarantee a review. I’m afraid that my review queue is a bit full at the moment!

Here’s the description that caught my eye. 

“Cider fermented with Suzie-Uie gluten free graham cracker crumbs, key lime, coconut, & brown sugar. 6% ABV”

Appearance: Cloudy, floating bits, lemon curd

The cider really looks wild. As the picture shows, it’s totally cloudy. Where my hand is on the back of the glass, none of that is visible through the cider. The color reminds me of lemon curd. There are little floaty bits as well; that could be lime flesh, crumbs of graham cracker, or tiny bits of coconut. With this cider, anything is possible!

Aromas: Lime, apple, graham cracker, and coconut

Key Lime Pie smells emphatically like lime! I do get other notes, including some ripe apple, coconut, and graham cracker. The lime is what dominates though.

Sweetness/Dryness: Semi dry

It’s a little hard to tell how sweet this is because this cider’s acidity is off the charts. 

Flavors and drinking experience: Lime, graham, apple, but mostly lime

The Brain Waves Key Lime Pie tastes mostly of fresh limes, but like with the aromas, I do get notes of apple and graham as well. The coconut disappears though. The drinking experience goes more purely lime as I keep sipping. It’s a full-bodied cider, which I really like. The acidity is delightfully intense. I did share this cider with a couple of fellow tasters, and I was the most fond of it. I think it will be more popular with devoted fans of lime!

This cider was a fabulous pairing with popcorn and fun spooky learning. I kept the snack simple, so my brain could be free to absorb the cool class!

Cider Review: Stowe Cider's Gin and Juice

I don’t even remember how long it’s been raining. This feels like the summer when everything is going to start growing moss, mold, or algae. I’m still grateful though because I remember drought summers here and elsewhere. I’ll take a damp 2 months over a real drought or even a dry hot Summer. But I do need to choose my ciders strategically in order to enjoy these gray drippy days. That’s where Stowe Cider’s Gin and Juice comes in. 

Stowe Cider is named after it’s home base, Stowe, Vermont. The cidery has a tasting room there that I’ve visited and enjoyed!

My 2016 visit to the tasting room: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-1.html

I’ve reviewed a few Stowe Ciders’ previously; here’s the list. You can find lots of background on the cidery in these earlier reviews. 

Juniper Sessions: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/11/cider-review-stowe-ciders-juniper.html

High and Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-grand-illusion-hard-cider.html

Local Infusion Snow’s Raspberry Hard Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

Check out Stow Cider’s website and find out about the ciders, tastingroom, and other projects: https://www.stowecider.com/home

Here’s what I could find out about the Gin and Juice

Innovation. Collaboration. Delicious Libations.

Inside the can is an act of friendship. We paired this cider with post distillation gin botanicals from Barr Hill and sweetened the deal with a touch of Suddabee’s Honey. We like them, they like us, and everyone likes what happens when we work together. 

Enjoy this cider in the spirit of Vermont - cold, and in good company. 6.9% ABV

Appearance: medium intensity, hazy, pineapple yellow, no visible bubbles

This cider just looks refreshing straight out of the can. I know cans are convenient but I love getting to know a cider’s look and aroma more intimately with a good glass. The Gin and Juice is hazy with a medium intensity of color. The shade reminds me of fresh ripe pineapple. I didn’t see any bubbles in my glass. 

Aromas: white flowers, clover honey, green grapes, and fresh apples

The Gin and Juice smells simply mouthwatering to me. I love herbal and floral notes, and this cider opens up with a waft of white flowers. I also smell clover honey which makes sense considering the use of honey. I also get notes of fresh apples and green grapes. None of the smells are overwhelming. 

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

Though the cider is described as dry on Stowe’s website, the graphic representing its sweetness on the can itself indicates something in the off-dry to drier side of semi-dry. I think the cider comes across as a semi-dry. There’s some sweetness in the flavor but not enough to take over the cider. 

Flavors and drinking experience: juicy, high acid, pineapple, herbs, grapefruit, bubbly

I’m so glad that I reached for this cider. It was warm and still night. I needed something zesty and exciting to cut through the humidity. The Gin and Juicy does in fact come across as super juicy with some very exciting high acid. The acidity feels like it’s building pleasantly, even as it becomes ear curling on the finish.

The Gin and Juice tastes like herby green plants, pineapple, grapefruit and pear. It’s wet and playful: herbal and clean. The mouthfeel is almost thick with strong bubbles.

This cider goes beautifully with spicy popcorn. It didn’t need anything more elaborate.

Cider Review: Stowe Cider's Juniper Sessions

Hi cider friends. Ordinarily I would be writing to you about cider pairings for Thanksgiving, but things are just so different this year. I’m following the advice and not travelling and not seeing family. It’s hard, but I want to keep them (and my household) safe. It’s what I can do. So, I’m not going to pretend that tradition is what’s in the cards this year. Besides, Thanksgiving is certainly a holiday that needs some reflection and change anyway. 

Instead, I want to enjoy innovation. I’m sharing my notes on Stowe Cider’s Juniper Sessions. I’ve had this cider a few times, and I tend to enjoy gin botanical infused ciders. What I just learned is that there are many different Juniper Sessions, and the one I’m reviewing today is Volume 10 Smuggler’s Notch. Now I want to track them all down and try the rest!

Stowe Cider is a small Vermont Cidery based in a ski town. I don’t get access to many Stowe ciders, but I pick them up when I visit my in-laws in Vermont and whenever I see them in our local bottle shop, I pick some up. And sometimes they send me review samples, but this is a cider I picked up for myself a while ago.

Here are Stowe Ciders’ previous appearances in this blog.

High and Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-grand-illusion-hard-cider.html

My 2016 visit to the tasting room: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-1.html

Local Infusion Snow’s Raspberry Hard Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

Visit Stow Cider online to learn about all the ciders and other projects: https://www.stowecider.com/home

Here’s how the cidery describes this cider.

Juniper Sessions #10 Smuggler’s Notch

VOLUME 10

Smugglers’ Notch Distillery

Tasting Notes: Juniper, Citrus, Anise, Citrus Peel & Hops

And for the curious here’s a link to the collaborator Smuggler’s Notch Distillery: https://www.smugglersnotchdistillery.com/

Appearance: pale moonglow, bubbly, brilliant

This is a lovely and delicate cider to the eye. The color reminds me of luna moths or whilte flowers viewed in early morning light. It’s a little bit gold but also a little bit green and glowy. I can see lots of bubbles with great clarity.

 Aromas: Pine, vegetal, nutty, ripe apple and funky

The Juniper Sessions smells piney and nutty to me. There are lots of vegetal and herbal notes in the mix. There’s also some ripe apples and hints of funk. These are some complex aromas!  I also get more mysterious elements like pine nuts or even corn nuts.

Dryness/Sweetness: semi-dry

This is a semi-dry cider but it’s on the sweeter side of that spot. There’s plenty going on besides sweetness though.

Flavors and drinking experience: Herbs, apple, warming, piney, spicy finish 

The Juniper Sesssions tastes herbal, with some almost rosemary or soapy notes, but I also get plenty of apple. I can taste apple even more than I could smell it. I love that this cider has a spicy finish; there’s even a note that reminds me of green pepper. It’s all so fresh tasting!

The cider has nice acidity and body. Juniper sessions has a medium strong bubble. The drinking experience is slightly warming and piney. 

You could have this cider with a lot of different dishes, but I recommend something heavy on cheese but otherwise simple. It would be great with a baked homemade macaroni and cheese and some broccoli. Let the many notes of the Juniper Sessions sing for themselves, loud and clear!

Cider Review Grand Illusion Hard Cider Mystic Citra Pineapple and Stowe High and Dry

This past weekend was one of the local school’s move-in weekends. That means our sleepy little town swelled in population not only because of thousands of incoming students returning, but many of them came accompanied by family and all of their worldly possessions. It’s intense. That made it a great weekend to make a point of sitting on my back porch with cider and cats. I’m happy to say that I survived and tasted some delicious stuff.

For the first time, I’m reviewing a cider by Grand Illusion Hard Cider. The company is from Carlisle, PA. The company both makes hard cider and also runs a restaurant/taproom with weekly table magic event. The whole operation sounds fascinating.

Visit Grand Illusion on the company’s website: https://www.grandillusioncider.com

Before I start my review, I will give the usual caveat that this cider was a sample shared with me for review. That doesn’t change what I taste, but I think it’s important to let folks know when I’m drinking a review sample.

Of the cans Grand Illusion shared with me, I am starting with the Mystic Citra Pineapple. I chose it because it sounds quite summery: just the thing for hiding from crowds in my own backyard.

The official description of the Mystic Citra Pineapple reads, “Has a pineapple ever played tricks on you? This cider will. Floral and fruity with passion fruit, grapefruit, pineapple and lemongrass overtones. Dry hopped with a combination of Cascade and Citra hops.” ABV 6.5%.

Appearance: cloudy, pineapple color, some bubbles



This cider is too cloudy to show many bubbles, but it did froth a bit when poured from the can into a glass. The color reminds me of pineapple, and as the photo shows, this is decidedly opaque.

Aromas: wet green hops, pineapple, sweaty

The Mystic Citra Pineapple certainly lives up to its name in terms of aroma. I can smell hops that are more wet and green grassy than either soapy or piney. My drinking companion detects some sweat notes, which is not uncommon for hopped ciders, but it didn’t strike me as strong. It does also smell like pineapple, but more like canned than fresh.

Dryness/sweetness: semi-dry

This is on the dry side of semi dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, lots of pineapple, bubbly

The Mystic Citra Pineapple tastes a little different than how it smells. Though it smells very hoppy, the flavors include more pineapple than apple or hops. It’s still plenty fruity and herbal. Though the cider tastes juicy, it’s not too sweet. There’s plenty high acid to balance out what sweetness is present, but it’s not crazy high.

The drinking experience changes a little bit as it goes. At first sip, there’s a hint of bitterness that flares first and then fades. The mid palate is mostly pineapple and the after taste reminds me of all the hops I smell in those green aromas.

The cider’s texture is nice and bubbly like a canned cider should be. I think the Mystic Citra Pineapple has a fair amount of body, probably because it's not filtered. This cider is super approachable and easy to drink and fun.

Next up is Stowe Cider’s High and Dry

I’ve had Stowe ciders occasionally since I visited the tasting room two years ago. The company has been around since 2013 in Vermont. The company focuses intently on local ingredients and local collaboration.

I talked about Stowe back in 2016 when I visited the tasting room: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-1.html

I tasted the Local Infusion Snow’s Raspberry Hard Cider back in March: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-angry-orchard-rose-and.html

Learn all about Stow Cider online: https://www.stowecider.com/home

The High and Dry is one of the company’s three flagship ciders.

Stowe’s official description reads, “A Super Dry, Brut Like Cider. Apple Forward, Crisp, And Refreshing. 100% Locally Sourced Apples.” ABV: 6.5%.

Appearance: Transparent, warm straw, visible bubbles

This cider is totally transparent. It has a very familiar warm straw hue. I could see bubbles very clearly in this cider.

Aromas: minerals, cooked apples, fermentation, mild funk

From what I can smell, I anticipate this cider being complex. The aromas are slightly reductive, slightly funky, but mostly like cooked apples and fermentation. The High and Dry has lots of nice mineral notes. There's enough going on in the smell that drinking this in a can would be a waste

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This cider knows that it’s dry. It leans into that dryness and makes it work.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, medium funky, light mouthfeel

The first thing I notice when drinking this cider is its high acidity. Wowza! The High and Dry showcases a medium level of funk. It’s not really tannic, but there's something good about these apples. I like that this cider is dry and astringent. The High and Dry is an austere cider.

In terms of texture, the cider has medium bubble and a pleasantly light mouthfeel. This would be a great cider for people who say they aren't into cider. I think the yeast characteristics could win over some beer fans. It tastes like fermentation and not like raw fruit. I like how bright it is. Overall, this is definitely a winner!

And next weekend the other school has move in! Wish us luck.

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.

My Fantastic Vermont Cider Tour: Day 1 (Starting with New Hampshire)

I know my trip is Vermont trip, but it starts with a significant stop in New Hampshire. After breakfast with family at the Fairlee Diner and a quick stop in Hanover, we were off to the legendary Farnum Hill at Poverty Lane Orchards, where we were greeted by the cider dogs Crosby, Marianne, and Newton—and of course, by Steve Wood and Nicole LeiBon.  Nicole took us on a pleasantly casual but deeply educational tour of Farnum Hill's complex. She's famous within the cider world as, "the nose" for her fabulous sensory abilities and her passion for blending great ciders.  

One of the ways that Farnum Hill has communicated with fans this year has been the #OrchardYear project.  Every Wednesday they post an Instagram photo of what's going on at the cidery that week.  Mid August is clearly preparation for apple harvest: dozens of bins are left to dry in the sun before they're needed, and it reminds me of just how many apples go into those lovely bottles.  

Farnum Hill harvests entirely by hand and press small batches on-site.  According to founder Steve Wood, The orchard, dating to the early 1960s, is as important to them as their cider. He says, "The two are inseparable."  

We explored two holy barrel rooms and sampled (with a pipette!) some of the perry and the semi-dry. These barrels sit stacked high to the ceiling; some are twenty years old, and neutral in flavor, "save for an occasional hint of vanilla," according to LeiBon. 

Our conversation ranged broadly but centered on the current state of the cider world until Steve gave us a tromp through his orchards.  Steve Wood has been working with these trees since he was eleven years old, "and if that doesn't blow your mind, it should."

The public face of Poverty Lane Orchards is the grove of U-pick McIntosh and Cortland apples, but behind it are the Wickson, Spitzenberg, Golden Russet, and Dabinett apples that made Farnum Hill unique.  The trees are old and widely spaced; beneath each grows tall grass that cushions the apples' fall.  I was reminded of England and its cider heritage. These trees are grown deliberately for their results and not for their aesthetics. 

I could have chewed the fat with these two all day, but it's a working farm, and I had miles to go.  Specifically, our next stop was Fable Farms in Barnard, a cooperative so new that their cider is really only found at the local farmer's market and a few high-end restaurants.  But if their gorgeous production barn (modeled after a 1745 building) and lofty ambitions are any indication, you may be hearing more about them.  

Christopher Piana looks the young rural prophet and speaks much the same: his vision of cider is foraged apples, wild fermented, and creatively combined with other local fruits, botanicals, and honeys. Fable Farms is unabashedly ecological and esoteric in their craft, which was invigorating and inspiring.  

"There are no boundaries to cider and what it could and should be," says Christopher.  Similarly cidermaker Johnny explains that in pressing 3500 gallons from apples all hand-foraged within an eight-mile radius, Fable has begun to think of terroir as more than merely the ground, but the broader context and origin story of a cider.  

We tried four bottles by Fable and were thrilled to buy and take home a few with us.  Their strengths lay in their high tannins, strong acid, and a unique combination of the better elements from both English and Basque traditions.  Expect reviews in the coming months.

We then switched things up with a brief but absurdly delicious visit to the Vermont Creamery.  Oh goodness, that butter, that cheese.  Or as our server's t-shirt declared, "Chèvre Forèvre." I'll stand by that.

Finally, we drove to the buzzing tourist destination of Stowe, where Stowe Cider has just opened their new tasting room.  There we met with Nikki, a longtime fan of the blog and the tasting room manager for the company.  Hi Nikki!

Nikki let us try all five ciders on tap, and we walked out having purchased an armload more.  Among our favorites from Stowe Cider were their Smuggler's Bourbon (a very drinkable winter cider with good notes of maple and a little tannin) and their surprising Snow's Raspberry (sweet, yes, but so much basil!).  

Stowe Cider has a really clean finish and look (thanks in part to their cross-flow filtering), and their plans to expand their reach into New Hampshire will surely excite our Granite State readers.  I got a great vibe from Nikki's energy and from the thematics that Stowe is going for, and the elegant balance they strike between local ingredients, modern methods, and accessibility.  

That's all for the cider today!  I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the completely amazing dinner we had at Plate in Stowe.  Ho. Ly. Cow.  Forward-thinking and delicious, with lots of creative vegetarian options.  Paradise on a platter.  Tomorrow, we're off to Citizen, Shacksbury, and Champlain.

Here's the link to Day 2:https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-2.html