Top 10 Favorite Ciders in 2023

The Winter Solstice has come and gone but we’re still in the dark days of the year but hopefully accompanied by good friends and festive meals with delicious ciders. I can scarcely believe that this is my 11th year of sharing a list of my favorite ten ciders to celebrate the coming of a new year. No matter what sort of year it’s been, I do enjoy settling in to think about the ciders that have delighted and surprised me the most. 

Here are all of my earlier gatherings of favorite ciders, year by year.

2022: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/12/

2021 Top 5: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/12/my-favorite-5-ciders-of-

2021.html

2021: My 10-5 countdown: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/12/5-of-my-favorite-10-ciders-of-2021.html

2020: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2020.html

2019: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/12/my-10-favourite-ciders-of-2019.html

2018: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-favourite-10-ciders-of-2018.html

2017: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2017.html

2016: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2016.html

2015: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2015.html

2014: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2014.html

And the one that started it all, 2013: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-10-favorite-ciders-of-2013.html

Here’s a short recap of how it works. I only choose one cider per company, because my tastes are consistent enough that there would be many fewer cideries celebrated otherwise. I’m only human! My tastes belong to me, and I don’t think everyone would make the same choices. Still I want to spread the love to as many different cideries each year as I can. I can choose any cider I’ve reviewed in 2023. Lastly, I’ll quote from last year, “I want to reiterate that these are my favorites; these are just ten ciders that wowed me the most this past year.”  

Let's start with something different. For the first time, I want to give an Honorable Mention to Portland Cider Co.'s Cranberry Mule.

https://www.portlandcider.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/12/cider-review-portland-cider-cos.html

This cider got edged out of my top ten, but just barely. It’s also really different from the profiles I tend to like most consistently. The Cranberry Mule marries ginger spice, apple fruitiness, cranberry zing, with just a kick of lime. This is a fun seasonal that I highly recommend! 

10. Western Cider’s Dry and Dandy

https://westerncider.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/10/cider-review-western-cider-cos-dry-and.html

The Dry and Dandy had me excited from the first whiff of aroma. I loved it’s floral bitterness, complexity, and green wood finish. 

9. Alde Cider from Hardanger

https://www.aldesider.no/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/07/yesterday-i-weeded-in-garden.html

What a treat, trying two ciders from Norway! The Alde Cider from Hardanger was sweet without being simple, and I found it totally beguiling with it’s tropical fruit notes and creamy mouthfeel. 

8. Seminary Hill: Delaware Dry

https://www.seminaryhill.co/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/12/cider-review-seminary-hill-ciders.html

Seminary Hill Cider has found a fan in me. I love the style of restrained, tannic, high acid ciders that come from this place. The Delaware Dry was utterly fantastic with it’s austere minerality and edge of bitterness. I can’t wait to taste more.

7.Aga Sideri’s Bøddel Sider

https://www.agasideri.no/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/05/cider-review-sider-aga-boddel.html

My Norwegian battle axe cider! This felt like one of the biggest unknowns when I reached for this cider and yet it was completely rewarding. It was part of our rescue from an unexpectedly snowy cold night on our visit along with Norwegian pizza. The cider brought awesome dryness, fresh fun acidity, and some complex tannins into the mix. I think this cider would be a big hit here! 

6. Big Fish Cider Co.’s Monterey Maple

https://www.bigfishcider.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/02/cider-review-big-fish-cider-cos.html

This cider was part of my winter holiday celebrations with the Tall One and my father last year. I think it’s my favorite maple cider ever. It utilizes apple brandy barrels as well as maple to beautiful effect. I loved the hints of apple butter and baking spice as well as the aromas contributed by the maple and barrel.  

5. Runcible Cider's Idyll Acres

https://www.runciblecider.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/05/cider-revew-runcible-ciders-idyll-acres.html

The Idyll Acres was a barrel-aged beauty I tasted this Summer. It was refreshingly dry while still managing to brim over with ripe fruit notes. Check out the full review to see the amazing list of apples that made up this sophisticated and delicious cider. 

4. Snow Capped Cider’s Dabinett

https://snowcappedcider.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/02/cider-review-snow-capped-ciders-dabinett.html

This semi-sweet cider brought gorgeous overripe apple and yeast notes to my glass and just enough funk to keep things interesting. I loved the leathery finish and high acidity.  It was a real treat with takeout Ethiopian food, but would pair well with a lot of spicy dishes!

3. Haykin Family Cider’s Method Ancestrale Jonathan 2018

https://www.haykinfamilycider.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/10/cider-review-haykin-family-ciders.html

This is Haykin Family Cider’s second time landing a third place spot in my favorites list, but this time it’s for their Method Ancenstrale Jonathan cider from 2018. This cider was all about acidity, ripe apple, and floral notes. It reminded me of citrus and honey in the best possible ways. Delish!

2. Troddenvale’s Countryside Farm (100% Harrison)

https://www.troddenvale.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/02/cider-review-troddenvales-countryside.html

My dearest brought me this cider (I am so lucky), because it uses 100% Harrison apples. The scent was powerfully woody and enticing. It had a full mouthfeel, subtle barrel character, and beautiful phenolics. I guess I should stop second-guessing single varietal ciders!

1. Albemarle Ciderworks’ Brut D’Albemarle Hewes Crab

https://www.albemarleciderworks.com/

https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/09/cider-review-albemarle-ciderworks-brut.html

What a cider! I knew when I tasted it in September that it would be on this list, and I’m not surprised that it remained unsurpassed for the final months of the year. Ths cider managed to bring gorgeous fruitiness, tannins, and perfect bubbles together in a way that simply sang. It was a complete winner in every regard. I loved it. There is nothing like the concentration of beautiful flavor possible with skillful fermentation of crabapples! 

Looking back, this is an astonishingly strong line up. Two Virginia single-varietals at the top of my list! That tells me I might be overdue for a trip to explore Virginia cider country.

Thanks so so much, cider friends! I didn’t get to see nearly enough of you in person this year, but know that I’m so grateful for everyone in our little corner of the world. May your Winters be peaceful with time for rest and may Spring come gently this year. I hope our paths can cross in 2024. Until next time, cheers!

Cider Review: Western Cider Co.'s Dry and Dandy

Before I even woke up this morning, I was immersed in ideas and imagination. The brightness of the fall sunrise seeped into my unconscious mind to gift me with notions of lush greenery, hidden adventures, and the image of a blue opal cartouche. Sadly, none of it was cider-oriented, so I’ll have to save these ramblings for other creative outlets. What I love to do though on the shorter autumnal evenings is to let my ruminations cavort wildly with a cider in one hand and a paper notebook in the other. We’ll see how much these two worlds ever overlap in the coming weeks and months. 

Most recently I tried this with a cider that’s been waiting in my cellar for far too long: Western Cider Co.'s Dry and Dandy. It’s my first ever taste from Western Cider Co. out of Montana. I love how the cidery folks introduce the company, so I’ll quote from the website, a whole section called, “Who the Heck Is Western Cider?”

WESTERN CIDER is located on the banks of the Clark Fork River in Missoula, Montana. Our dream was seeded in 2012 when co-founder Michael Billingsley planted 2,500 cider apple trees in Montana's Bitterroot Valley - just south of Missoula. Now, we have nearly 5,000 trees and over 50 varieties of apples. We use those apples, as well as apples from Northwest orchards, to produce easy going and traditional ciders. We are plain-speaking cider weirdos who can hang with the nerdiest of cider nerds and the gnarliest of dive bar flies. As a company, Western Cider aspires to create an institution of great cider, good times and a life worth living in this far-flung region of the American West.

Visitors can come try Western Cider Co.’s offerings in the Missoula, Montana tasting room. I recommend checking out Western Cider Co.’s website to learn more. 

Find it here: https://westerncider.com/

The official description of the cider tells us lots of meaningful information including the apples used for the cider and the cider-making style.

A Pet-Nat from our Orchard in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley

A refreshing blend of Golden Russet, Harrison, Calville blanc D’Hiver, Baldwin Ashmead’s Kernel, Hudson’s Golden Gem,  Bedan des Parts, Binet Rouge, and McIntosh apples. Bottled at the tail end of fermentation in the petillant naturel style. Rested for 6 months. Lightly hazy, ripe pineapple aromatics, eminently drinkable.

And the cider comes with a warning adorably put, “The bubbles dance! Chill before Serving and Open slowly!    

The cider is listed as 8.1% ABV.

Appearance: extremely bubbly, gentle haze, warm popcorn kernel yellow

The Dry and Dandy poured with an impressive head. The bubbles are multitudinous and active. When the label said that they dance, it’s accurate. It’s a lovely medium intensity color that reminds me of golden popcorn kernels with just a hint of haze.

Aromas:candied pineapple, cherry, and golden syrup

Wow! Based on the petillant naturel style of this cider I didn’t expect its rich concentrated fruit aroma. This oozes with candied pineapple, cherry, and golden syrup scents. I’m sure it won’t taste as sweet as it smells just because fermentation will have transformed the sugar to bubbles and alcohol, but what I smell reminds me of sweet things!

Dryness sweetness: Dry!

My brain wins over my sensory expectations. Indeed, fermentation sciences is real and the fruity smells of the cider do not translate into residual sugar. The Dry and Dandy is dry as promised.

Flavors and drinking experience: very high acid, tannic, floral, bitter, bubbly

Now that I’m actually tasting this cider instead of speculating about it based on descriptions or aromas, I understand what’s happening. The Dry and Dancy is aggressively zingy in that’s fully dry while also tasting super tart! The high acid causes an immediate salivary reaction. Not only does this cider bring the acid, tannins are part of the celebration too!

By bottling the cider before its fermentation is complete, it has become an extremely bubbly beverage with tiny bubbles. As I continue tasting, I notice something blocky in the tannins as they create the mouthfeel. Flavorwise, it seems related to a streak of floral bitterness like a powdery spring flower. I really enjoy the strong wood notes and powerful malic acid.

Dang! This is a complex and grown-up cider. As I continue to sip, more notes come to the fore, including mild lemon peel and ripe cherry. The finish swings back green wood and salt. What a remarkable cider to contemplate! I enjoyed it very much with writing and thinking time, but it would taste ever so nice with an orzo casserole and the last of the summer squash.