There's more to Fall than Thanksgiving! : )

Hey cider lovers. My nose is alternately running and completely stuffy, so I cannot bring a new cider review to the blog this week. It’s such a key time for cider, so I hate to skip out entirely. Everyone is talking about Thanksgiving. It’s a big food holiday. The menu is tremendously cider compatible. That’s wonderful. I feel like I’ve helped contribute to the thinking about cider and Thanksgiving already. I don’t have much that’s new to say about it. 

Here are a few Thanksgiving and Cider resources for those who want them!

My traditional Thanksgiving food and cider pairing guide: https://www.ciderculture.com/thanksgiving-cider-pairing/

Vegetarian dressing with cider and my 2018 Thanksgiving cider choice: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-ciders-eves-ciderys.html

Pairing at my house for Thanksgiving and my birthday back in 2016.

The plan: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/pick-cider-for-thanksgiving-and-my.html

The results: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/happy-to-pickcider-for-thanksgiving.html

Cider Culture’s Plant Based Thanksgiving Cider Guide (by the awesome Emily Kovach): https://www.ciderculture.com/plant-based-thanksgiving-recipes/

Thanksgiving isn’t the only big event of Fall in my house. I’m pretty fond of my birthday. 

It’s not the easiest birthday to love, since it falls in the shadow of a holiday that’s both major and controversial. The weather isn’t often inviting; the time isn’t easy to schedule; people are often recovering from a very heavy and traditional meal. But the beauty of a birthday is that we get to make its style of celebration and its meaning. 

I don’t need a giant feast the day after Thanksgiving, but I do want to enjoy something other than leftovers for my birthday. Here’s the plan and the cider.

Dinner will be a Delicata squash salad with arugula, baby spinach, fresh apples, dried cranberries, pecans, a crumbly blue cheese, shredded carrots, radish, roasted quarter rings of Delicata squash. I figure we’ll make a big salad and then an array of different protein options to go on top: marinated tofu, dijon salmon, and chicken breast for the meat eaters. The dressing will be a homemade maple dijon vinaigrette. 

To pair with this, I want a bone dry super sparkly cider with only apples. I prefer something twice twice fermented so either a method ancestral or a methode champenoise. I’m planning on looking through my cellars for options by cideries really committed to aromatic bubbly ciders. I haven’t chosen yet, but don’t be surprised if it’s from Eve’s Cidery, Snowdrift Cider,  Eden Specialty Ciders, Albemarle, Haykin Family Cider, or Seminary Hill. Then again, my cider sometimes surprises me. There’s at least one bottle I’ve been saving since a friend sourced it for me a few months ago. Only time will tell.   

Dessert has to be cheesecake. I love most kinds of cake. It’s seriously one of the best parts of being a human. I truly want a maple cheesecake with mini chocolate chips. We’re going to try a Cabot Creamery recipe: https://cabotcreamery.com/blogs/recipes/maple-cheesecake

It’s my birthday, so I get a dessert pairing as well. If you know me, you know it’s going to be pommeau. But which sweet, rich, layered, fiery pommeau will it be? I’ll probably decide next week. 

I hope everyone gets to celebrate their special days with delicious food, cider, and loved ones!

Thanksgiving Ciders: Eve's Cidery's Darling Creek and Blake's Beard Bender Plus a Cider Event in Vermont!

Cider for Thanksgiving! Yes, it’s obvious but it’s just so good. There’s no way I’m going to celebrate the foodiest of all holidays without cider! This year, my mom came up to celebrate with us. And she stuck around for my birthday morning! The food and good times were simply marvelous, even with record-breaking cold temperatures. We hit -5 degrees overnight! Here’s how we incorporated cider into the Holiday!

We did cook with cider. We used a can of Blake’s Cider’s Beard Bender to add some cider notes to the vegetarian dressing, to the cooking liquid to our Celebration Roast, and into the mushroom gravy!

I use a dry yet fruit cider for cooking for most purposes. I do want to bring some acidity an apple to the finished dish. Plus cooking with cider usually enhances the compatibility for pairing with cider. I chose the Beard Bender because it is purely about the apple and neither too dry nor too sweet. It’s tart, zesty, and has some acid and tannin presence. And the Beard Bender came through for me. It improved each dish it touched markedly.

Visit the Blake’s Hard Cider website to learn about all of the ciders Blake’s makes: http://www.blakeshardcider.com/

I have reviewed several Blake’s ciders, most recently the Apple Lantern: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/10/cider-reviews-blakes-hard-ciders-apple.html

On the table itself, I wanted something dry, bubbly, acid-driven and sophisticated. I knew that I would get all of that and more with a bottle from Eve’s Cidery!

Eve’s Cidery is a local orchard-based cidery in Van Etten, New York. The company has been around since 2001. The cider makers planted an orchard, focusing on heritage apple varieties and cider-specific apple varieties. 

You can visit the website and learn much much  more at: http://evescidery.com

I have reviewed several Eve’s Cidery ciders before.

In 2013, I reviewed Autumn’s Gold back when the blog was first running: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/cider-review-eves-ciderys-autumns-gold.html

And later that year the Beckhorn Hollow Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/10/cider-review-eves-ciderys-beckhorn.html

I reviewed the Albee Hill in 2015: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/cider-review-eves-cidery-albee-hill.html

And in 2017, Eve’s Perry was part of Very Perry May: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/05/very-perry-may-pt3-eves-cidery-wyders.html

Eve’s Cidery made in into both posts about Cider Con 2018

This has a mini-review of a previous year’s Darling Creek: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-con-2018-pt-1-eden-specialty.html

And part 2 has a more recent year’s vintage of Autumn’s Gold: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cidercon-part-2-including-heritage.html

And perhaps my most in-depth educational experience with Eve’s Cidery was the Twilight Walk, Talk, and Picnic Dinner with cidermaker and own Autumn Shostek back in 2016: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/cider-event-twilight-walk-talk-and.html

Now for my thoughts on Eve's Cidery's Darling Creek Batch 2017. Here’s the short description: 

Deeply layered, complex, off-dry bittersweet cider.

Evolving aromas of powdered sugar, cloves, and espresso mingle with suede leather, cowboy sweat and a bit of glamour which hang off an angular frame. The mid-palate is hefty, with a hint of refreshing bitterness which dissipates into a tropical finish of ripe, sweet-sour pineapple.

And you can read more about this particular cider’s history here: https://www.evescidery.com/ourcider/2017-darling-creek/

Appearance: antique gold, bubbly, brilliant

This brilliant cider’s color is a beautiful antique yellow gold.  As the pictures show it’s brilliant, showing off a generous helping of bubbles

Aromas: Woody, Autumnal apples, funky, savory

The Darling Creek smells woody and beautiful. This drying smell activates my salivary glands immediately. Something about it reminds me of both Oak and autumnal apples in a clean and earthy root cellar. These aromas are both funky and savory.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

Wow! This is so interesting. I’ve tasted previous years of Darling Creek and found them to be pleasantly off dry, but this year’s batch perceives to me as much drier. The website still lists it as off dry, but I think the increased use of bittersweet and bittersharp apples makes it taste drier than it might be chemically.

Flavors and drinking experience: funky, dry, bubbly, tart

The Darling Creek tastes dry, tannic, funky, and astringent. And this lovely cider is oh so very very bubbly! That thrills me so! Some note in the flavor reminds me of dried leaves. The whole experience is like drinking late fall. Obviously that made it perfect for a harvest meal like Thanksgiving.

The Darling Creek has a wonderfully full mouthfeel and tons of nuanced sophisticated flavor. It’s best appreciate in small sips. That pointed acidity is zingy! I love how complicated and thoughtful this cider is. The flavors are bright with high acid and high tannin. The cider is herbal, savory, with notes of pine and white pepper. 

And with our meal, the whole experience was decadently lovely.

And I am thrilled to announce that I'll be leading a guided tasting in Winooski, Vermont at Eden's Boutique Taproom and Cheese Bar! I'm visiting on December 19th to talk about cider styles and how we can get the most out of the information on a cider's label. This should be a fantastic time! If you're anywhere near the Burlington/Winooski area, please come up!

Learn more about the event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/447866402411371/

#PickCider for Thanksgiving, Vermont Cider Co.'s Ingrained Review

My last review before time to #PickCider for Thanksgiving! I wanted to choose a cider both seasonal and food friendly, so I'm taking a chance on the new Vermont Cider Company offering, Ingrained. This is a barrel aged cider, and those tend to have enough mouthfeel to be great food pairing ciders. We'll see if my suspicions are correct.

In the past, I've reviewed two ciders by the Vermont Cider Company.

I started with their flagship cider, Addison: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/cider-review-vermont-cider-cos-addison.html

And during Winter Storm Stella, I tried Wassail: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/03/cider-review-winter-storm-stella.html

Find out more about Vermont Cider Co. on the web: http://www.vermontciderco.com

The official description  tells us something about how Ingrained was crafted.

Ingrained uses 100% local apples from Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, VT.  After fermentation, this cider was aged for nine months in WhistlePig Rye Whiskey barrels from Shoreham, VT for an incomparable taste experience. Ingrained has balanced botes of American oak & rye whiskey over a crisp New England apple backdrop.

Appearance: shining, bright gold, few visible bubbles

This color is intense! The shining gold is just riveting to look at. Of course its brilliant. There aren't many bubbles to see either, just shining color.  

Aromas: vanilla, barrel, booze, and ripe apple

This smells mouthwateringly of vanilla, barrel, and rich booziness. I get secondary notes of caramel, apple, and spice.

Sweetness/dryness: Sweet

This is a sweet and rich cider, redolent with dessert qualities.

Flavors and drinking experience: sweet, complex, thick mouthfeel

This cider has a nice balance of body, sweetness, and acidity, but in an equilateral way. This is a pyramid with a strong base of sweetness, lightened by medium acidity, topped of with some barrelly tannins. The flavors are complex and roll through a bright sweetness through a mellow mid-palate and long luxuriant finish.

Ingrained has a thick mouthfeel and a sweetness that remind me of an ice cider, but it has an ABV that allows it to be consumed very differently. The Ingrained is easy pleasant drinking, perfect for an evening by the fire with a good book or a riveting movie, something scary or with lots of action. I really enjoyed Atomic Blonde, especially with that soundtrack. Let the holiday movies wait another week. 

My food pairing recommendations would be glazed carrots, vegetarian roast, and mashed potatoes. This is a great choice to #pickcider for Thanksgiving.

#PickCider Review Wild Hare Hard Cider's Hopscotch, & I'm off to judge cider again!

Its time to start thinking about how to #pickcider for Thanksgiving, and I wanted to challenge myself to think about taking this really delicious easy pairing and give it a fun challenge. I want to find out if a hopped cider can work for the Thanksgiving meal, so I'm trying Hopscotch by Wild Hare Ciders out of Virginia.

Based on the way that Wild Hare introduces themselves, I can see that they also care about variety and challenge in their ciders. This is what Wild Hare says by way of introduction, “From classic dry ciders to more modern ciders infused with hops and herbs, we craft cider with a variety of personalities. Throughout the year we will have our standard offerings, and also seasonal batches and experimental flavors. Come in to find the cider that is the perfect match for you”.

I also found out online that this micro Virginia cidery sources apples from the Shenandoah Valley. They pride themselves on producing ciders different from folks will find on grocery store shelves. This boutique micro-cidery talk about both modern fermentation techniques and the long history of cider. The founder is Jay Clement, and the cidermaker is Nathan Briggs. They do have a tasting room where visitors can try their current selections.

Find out more on the web at: http://wildharecider.com

Today's cider is their Hopscotch; it's label describes it as “a lightly dry-hopped cider.” This grammar nerd found that an interesting order of modifiers. In the end it looks like the level of hopping will be light and the method of hopping is dry hopping, but we'll see whether or not tasting the cider bears this out. As for a Thanksgiving pairing, I tend to think the fresh lightness of a hopped cider, provided it is a balanced beverage, would complement many traditional Thanksgiving side dishes, including sweet potatoes, carrots, and brussels sprouts.

The full official description reads,

This small batch cider gives a nod to beer making and does so by dry hopping a special blend of finished cider. With a variety of aroma hops, the process imparts a floral & citrus aroma, creating a truly unique product that is not bitter, but has the spirit to stand up to beer and wine.

This cider is a 2017 GLINTCAP Bronze medalist. Its ABV is 6.9%

What I don't know about Wildhare Cider's Hopscotch is much about the apple varieties used to make it. But the best way to find out more about this cider will be to taste it.

Appearance: hazy, vibrant straw, no visible bubbles

This definitely looks like a hopped cider. They are more likely to be hazy and appear less bubbly. 

Aromas: mildly hoppy, sweet, fruity, lychee

I'm digging the mildly hoppy cider aroma; its pleasing and mellow. The notes are sweet fruity with lots of lychee smell. I'm anticipating a bright cider based on these smells.

Sweetness/dryness: off dry

You could call this cider medium dry or more precisely off dry. The sweetness is balanced by acidity and fruitiness. Yes, I'd definitely call this balanced. The Hopscotch tastes less sweet than it smells.

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

This cider tastes like green or light fruits: pears, lychee, and golden apples. I'd say its surprisingly less sweet than I expected based on the aromas. The Hopscotch offers up plentiful acid and a very nice amount of hop flavor. There are no tannins to speak of.

I found its light body and medium sparkle very appealing. One of the more exciting flavor notes for me in this cider is the subtle spiciness. The hops are indeed aromatic hops but there's just enough bitterness to remind me of a fresh tonic with apple and Quinine. Its pleasing and not as cooling and summery as some hopped ciders. I do think it would pair well with some vegetable sides for Thanksgiving.

Also, I will be judging at the Pennsylvania State Farm Products Show (or just the PA Farm Show) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania later this month. And its not too late to enter!

Their cider entries must arrive by November 17th, so the deadline is coming up very soon. Read more here: http://www.farmshow.pa.gov/exhibit/rules-regulations/Pages/default.aspx

This is a first year for this competition, so I’m super excited to be judging. 

Happy to #PickCider for Thanksgiving

I enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving and birthday dinner and putting 4 lovely ciders on the table. The day was remarkably stress free and the food came out deliciously. I thought I'd share some pictures of the feast! I shared my plans for the day in this recent post: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/11/pick-cider-for-thanksgiving-and-my.html

As promised, we started with Eden's Sparkling Dry Cider. It remains crisp, austere, extremely bubbly and delicious. I simply love this cider. If you have any chance to try it, you should.

After a glass of this, we were ready to fill our plates. Here's the breakdown: sweet potatoes with pecans, dressing, Brussels sprouts with faux bacon, biscuits, mushroom gravy, corn pudding, mashed potatoes, yeast rolls, cranberry relish, and two vegetarian centerpieces. The picture cannot come close to the wondrous reality.

I offered two cider choices for the main meal. The first was a black currant cider from Number 12 Cider House. This ended up being amazingly tart and quite dry. If we worried that all of the carbs could put our palates to sleep, this cider was the cure.

I also wanted to share a still cider, but not just any still cider, something I knew would still have substance enough to stand out. I chose a Finger Lakes option from Good Life Cider, their Hickok. As I hoped this had plenty of fruit and richness while still remaining refreshingly dry. It had a subtly herbal aroma that really did complement my dressing well. This is a very savory cider with notes of black pepper along with well balanced minerality. I really like this one a lot. 

Here's a view of my plate before the destruction began.

Last I'd like to share pictures of our dessert course: two pies and Slyboro's Ice Harvest Cider. A nice long meal like Thanksgiving strikes me as the ideal time for an ice cider because one can really take the time to savor it. And this is an ice cider worth savoring.

The first dessert was for my birthday: dark chocolate tart with a gingersnap crust. 

And for our Thanksgiving pie we had apple pie with walnuts and blue cheese. The little twist on a classic was perfect and this pairs exceptionally well with Slyboro's Ice Harvest Cider.

All in all, I could not have been happier with my cider picks. Folks had choices and variety. Several of the pairings brought out an extra element in the food successfully. And I got to share some really special ciders with special people in my life. This is what I'm thankful for.

Pick Cider for Thanksgiving! And my Birthday!

I am so excited to share food and cider with my husband, my mom, and two of my very dear friends this year. Everyone is coming to my house. And how did I get this lucky? By having my birthday on Thanksgiving. Yep! I find that folks are plenty amenable when you get to double up on holidays like that. So consider all of these choices picked to go with a vegetarian Thanksgiving Feast that is also my Birthday Dinner!

I like to start with a welcome glass of cider when someone either walks in the door for Thanksgiving or when the emerge from the kitchen into our part-time dining room. This is the cider that comes before introductions, before sitting down at the table, before anything really.

Eden Sparkling Dry

Yes, this is a known choice. I have reviewed a previous iteration of it before: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/06/cider-review-eden-sparkling-dry-cider.html And it was my #4 cider of 2015. But its just so so good! And it really is the perfect cider to stimulate both conversation and appetite.

Find out more about all of Eden Specialty Ciders here: https://www.edenicedcider.com/

Here's the description of the Sparkling Dry.

Champagne-style cider made from heirloom and bittersweet apple varieties grown in Vermont. 50% of the blend is the famous cider apple 'Kingston Black'. It is naturally sparkling and clean - we hand-disgorge the yeast from every bottle! Goes well with oysters, seafood and vegetable dishes.

My choice to go with something known at the beginning of Thanksgiving is far from arbitrary. This is the only known choice of the four, but it guarantees that the meal will start deliciously. I know this cider doesn't need food to balance it out. The Eden Sparkling Dry can stand on its own.

I have chosen two ciders for the main event as it were. They can be taken as an either/or recommendation if you have a strong preference for sparkling or still cider. Alternatively, You can have some of both. I'm always a big fan of choose both rather than either.

Number 12 Cider House Black Currant Dry

I reviewed the Number 12 Cider House Sparkling Dry this Summer: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/06/cider-review-number-12-cider-house.html

And you can learn more about all of their ciders here: http://www.number12ciderhouse.com/

Here's the description:

Number 12 Black Currant Dry begins with aromatic notes of jam and rich black currant followed by a crisp, dry cider finish. Once considered the “forbidden fruit” due to a 100 year ban, the black currant is now experiencing a resurgence in America’s conscience. It pairs beautifully with locally grown apples by providing a tannic structure needed for depth and complexity. This is the cider that will change your perspective.

Here's why I'm choosing the Black Currant Dry. There will be plenty of creaminess at my Thanksgiving table. I want at least one dry bubbly option, but one with enough flavor that the food will overpower it completely. The currants should add pleasant tannins and acid. This would also be great for folks who have the traditional turkey as a main dish, but at my house it will be pair with something vegetarian along with sides of dressing, pumpkin mac and cheese, green bean casserole, and Alex's fabulous mashed potatoes.

Also on the table...Good Life Cider's Hickok Dry Still Cider

My previous review of a Good Life Cider is of their Barrel Rye: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/cider-review-good-life-ciders-barrel-rye.html

Here's the Good Life Cider's page (on the Finger Lakes Cider House website) http://www.fingerlakesciderhouse.com/good-life-cider/

The official description reads simply, "Still and dry Aromas of damp earth and dark fruit. Pair this cider with the good life." The ABV of this cider comes in at 8.5%.

This is specifically to off set my other favorite Thanksgiving recipe: cranberry relish. I want a still dry cider with some rich mellowness because my cranberry relish is tart and raw. I use the food processor to blend cranberries, eating apples, oranges, and pecans and this year I will skip the maple syrup to sweeten and instead borrow just a little from my last course cider. 

And with dessert...Slyboro Ice Harvest Cider

I got to visit Slyboro on the way back from our Vermont Cider Tour this summer. Previously, I reviewed the Black Currant cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/07/cider-review-slyboros-black-currant.html 

And back in the early days of the blog, I reviewed a now sold out cider, the Old Sin: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/cider-review-slyboro-ciders-old-sin.html

Slyboro's website can be found at: http://www.slyboro.com/

To share the official description: 

Fresh, artfully blended apple cider is pressed in the depths of our North Country winter and tucked outside to freeze. At the first thaw, a rich apple essence is drawn and slowly fermented till summers end. The resulting ambrosia is redolent of tropical fruits and warm baked apple with hints of spice. For dessert, as an aperitif & very special occasions. Serve slightly chilled. 11% alc/vol 11.5% residual sugar. 375ml

Here's the mystery though, will dessert be traditional pumpkin pie, the glorious looking cranberry curd recipe I found online, or a birthday cake? I think this cider would accompany all three beautifully as I tend to prefer desserts that emphasize richness over sweetness. I want most of the sweetness to come from this enticing ice cider. 

And if you're planning on serving or drinking cider for Thanksgiving, share your choices on Twitter with #pickcider!