Cider Review: Angry Orchard's Baldwin Traditional Method, plus GLINTCAP results!

As I write, I’m smelling a Strawberry Rhubarb pie baking in the oven. The smells of buttery crust and spring fruit are making  my mouth water. That’s what led me to share this set of cider notes for today. I think Angry Orchard’s Baldwin Traditional Method would be the perfect cider to pair with the dessert that’s coming. When I poured this, it was shared with good friends and a pleasing dessert as well.

This is my first Angry Orchard review in a while! I’ve not had access to many new ciders of theirs, but some friends at the Walden, New York Research and Development cider house shared this with me. So many thanks!

I have plenty of earlier Angry Orchard reviews, too many to list them all. Here are a few highlights though.

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

As always I recommend going to the cidery website to learn more about what Angry Orchard is up to: https://www.angryorchard.com/

There’s not a ton of available information about this cider online, but here’s what I know.

The Baldwin Traditional Method is a single-variety cider made with New York state Baldwin apples and finished in the traditional method. That means it’s twice fermented, with the second fermentation occurring in the bottle. The cider’s ABV is 8.7 which classifies it as an apple wine (legally). The cider was bottled in 2018 and disgorged three years later in June of 2021. That’s a lot of resting time in addition to the second fermentation! 

Appearance: hazy, lemon flesh, bubbly

The cider reminds me of lemon curd as I see it in the glass. The color is very much like the flesh of fresh lemons with a creamy haziness that makes me think of lemon curd. The Baldwin has a mousse of bubbles when first poured that has me very excited about the second in-the-bottle fermentation. 

Aromas: apple flesh, cinnamon, powdered sugar, honey, lemon

Tantalizing is the only word for this. The Baldwin Traditional Method smells vividly like crisp white apple flesh with a bit of cinnamon. I get secondary notes of powdered sugar, honey, and lemon.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry but fruity

Some folks say that Angry Orchard will not release a truly dry cider, but they are wrong. Lots of the limited releases from the Walden facility are completely dry and get their flavors from other elements, and the Baldwin Traditional Method is one of them. It’s a fruity, citrusy cider, but not a sweet one.

Flavors and drinking experience: lemon, bitter, clean, high acid, and super bubbly

The Baldwin is pleasing to me in a key regard that isn’t often satisfied. This cider has tons and tons of tiny zesty fun bubbles! The first strong flavor that the cider delivers is lemon, with immediate bitter notes (but not tannins). They fade fast and give way to a clean dry body. The cider is lean! From there,  it performs a clean finish that fades evenly with high acid.

The whole drinking experience is solidly pleasurable. It manages to dodge some of the bumpiness and lack of balance that can occur in a single varietal cider. I love a dry, super bubbly cider with dessert. That’s how I tasted this one, and I recommend that pairing to emphasize the textures and clean flavors of this cider. I’d pour it again tonight with my strawberry-rhubarb pie, that’s for certain!

And in the most exciting news, we have Best-in-Class results from GLINTCAP!

Check them out here: https://glintcap.org/

Full medal results will be coming closer to the end of the month.

Cider Review: Reisetbauer Qualitätsbrand's Apfelschaumwein Vom Kirchdorfergut

I get a small but consistent number of requests for more coverage of international ciders here. That’s something I’m happy to do by opportunity, and I was thrilled to have the excuse to drink a very hyped Austrian sparkling apple wine recently. The name Reisetbauer is more associated with spirits, mostly Eau de Vie and Gin, than with cider. Some folks wouldn’t even allow the word cider here; they would insist on calling it Apfelwein or apple wine. I’m not ready to wade into such a debate, but since it’s fermented apple juice, its certainly something I find worth covering!

This is my first inclusion of anything by Reisetbauer. The company is associated with the distiller Hans Reisetbauer, based in Austria. The company was founded in 1994, but its predated by the orchards planted for it in 1990. The small company’s spirits consistently win awards.

You can visit the website here and learn more about the company’s distilled spirits: https://www.reisetbauer.at/

Here’s how the Reisetbauer website describes the Sparkling Apple Wine.

REISETBAUER SPARKLING APPLE WINE

The base for the sparkling wine is apple juice from the Kirchdorfergut of Hans Reisetbauer.

After producing the apple cider, it rests for 24 months on the yeast. This is the "Champagne Methode" or "Méthode traditionnelle". Instead of sugar, only the juice from the Jonagold apple is used for the "Dosage".

Because of its lower alcoholic volume of 7% the Reisetbauer sparkling apple wine is such a perfect summer drink and a high quality alternative to champagne.

"In the nose ripe apple notes, fine and elegant perlage. Fresh and spicy in the mouth, in the finish is the unique taste of the ripe Jonagold apple of the Kirchdorfergut."

Serve the Reisetbauer sparkling apple wine cool and in a big white wine glass.

And now for my notes!

Appearance: Brilliant, warm straw, medium intensity, few miniscule bubbles 

This is a lovely cider. I can see just a few of the tiniest bubbles. The color is a classic shade of warm straw with medium intensity. It poured with a disappearing head like champagne. 

Aromas: Dust, intense fruit notes, red grapes, cantaloupe, apricot,

The apple wine smells mostly of fruit, but there are mineral and dust notes floating around in the mix. The fruit notes come across intensely, almost as though they have been concentrated. I get aromas that remind me of red grapes, cantaloupe, and dried apricot.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This is completely dry. It’s fruity and has big flavors, but the flavors do not come from sweetness.

Flavors and drinking experience: white flowers, light honey, tannic, funky

I found the Apfelschaumwein Vom Kirchdorfergut tasted complex and stimulating without being too challenging. It opens with notes of white flowers and light ethereal honey. It wasn’t just gentleness; this cider has a bit of fusel oil funk to it too. One note of bitterness slightly recalls red pepper. The flavors are so savory. This is wonderful!

I love that this beverage brought me all of the strong bubbles I was hoping for based on what I saw when it poured. The mouthfeel was drying with just a bit of cotton mouth astringence. The cider completes its experience with a long, gentle apple finish. 

I had this cider with some cheeses, homemade bread, and fruit shared with good friends. We enjoyed it all on my porch before the weather got too terribly warm. There’s not a lot I can imagine as more enjoyable than delightful company, good cider, and tasty cheese. This cider would work well with many pairings, but I don’t think you’d find a better one. 

Cider Review: Putney Mountain Winery of Vermont Apple Maple Wine

So, I've had an internal conflict for some time about whether or not to review products labelled apple wines on my blog. There is no consensus about what difference may exist between hard cider and apple wine. There are some tendencies, like ciders are more often sparkling and apple wines more often still or that the ABV level is commonly higher than what we tend to see in ciders. Again though, these are tendencies only; it is easy to find exceptions. That's why I decided that if I feel like reviewing an apple wine, I'll do it. Here's my first such review.

Charles (yes, *the* Charles Dodge: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dodge_%28composer%29)  and Kate Dodge, along with their production manager and associate winemaker Jason Hubner, have been creating fruit wines in Vermont for some time now. The Dodges began in the 1990s when Dodge felt inspired by his music students' stories of their own home-brewing. You can read all about Putney Mountain Winery on their website here: www.putneywine.com. Or you can see them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/PutneyMountainWinery.

In reading their story, I found this part to be the most interesting and the most communicative of what Putney Mountain Winery is all about.

 [N]ear the end of the drive home to Putney one evening, as he passed Green Mountain Orchards, Charles had an epiphany. He realized that many of the best experiences he and Kate have, in drinking wine throughout the world, come from drinking local wine, made from local fruit, enjoyed near the local winery.

Then and there, he decided to stick with Vermont tradition and craft delicious fruit wines from the delectable local produce.

Now that we've all been properly introduced, let's talk about tonight's beverage. I'm trying Putney Mountain's Apple Maple Wine with several visiting friends who have a whole spectrum of beverage experience and preferences. This bottle is being shared between two cider aficionados, one wine fiend, one beer guy, and a most-of-the-time non-drinker. I expect some variety of opinions around the table tonight. 

Here's the official description of the Apple Maple Wine.

Apples. Maple syrup. The twin tastes of Vermont. This light, semi-dry wine combines two of Vermont’s signature flavors. At first taste the apple dominates, rendered fruity but not too sweet by the syrup. Then a subtle maple aura emerges to create its very long finish. A favorite of many customers, our Apple Maple wine is also a consistent award winner. It makes the basis for a spectacular mulled cider wine (find the recipe on our Facebook page). We serve it chilled in the Summer and mulled in the Winter.

This is sold in 750ml bottles and has a 10% ABV.

Appearance: Brilliant, dark maple color

When poured, this looks completely still. It features a deep dark maple color and total brilliance. There is not one hint of haze.

Aromas: maple syrup, mulled cider, wood, cooked apples

I noticed tons of smells in this cider as soon I as I lifted my glass. Between everyone in the party, we smelled: mulled cider, green wood, vinous-ness, home cooked applesauce, and everyone noted the maple syrup.

Sweetness or Dryness: Sweet!

Though this is described as semi-dry, we all agreed that this tastes distinctly sweet. To me, with my biased palate, this tastes very much like a dessert cider or wine.

Flavors and drinking experience: boozy, sweet, spicy, loooong finish

Again, the sweetness dominates the experience for me. I'm not quite sure that a 750ml is the most logical size for this beverage, based on its intensity of flavor. This wine is almost completely still, but just onf the verge of being pettilant. It tastes warmly boozy, even when chilled. Goes down a little spicy in a slow, non-alarming way. The wine offers up a strong long finish with plenty of maple. It gives a heavy mouth coat, nearly syrupy. Some tasters detected hints of salty toffee. We all agree that it tastes rich and toasted like a port or a tokaji dessert wine. This would tastes best with candied nuts. You could also use it as a glaze.

Though not for review, I did try their Vermont Cassis a few weeks ago as part of a movie night featuring the Original 1970s Wicker Man.  It also shared the intensity, warmth, and richness of the Apple Maple Wine.

Overall, I was impressed with both products within the realm of sweet fruit wines. Neither lines up precisely enough with my preferences to make a regular appearance, but I think they do what they do very well.

Roundup of Angry Orchard Reviews: Strawman, The Muse, and Traditional Dry

I realize that I am not always an organized person. This leads to me having scattered bits of cider notes in my phone, in my husband's phone, and on every computer I ever approach. It is a problem, perhaps. Eh. Besides not being able to find what I want at the moment I want it, there is an upside. Sometimes I find sets of cider notes that I thought had been lost forever. That's the story of this post.

Dear friends of mine host dinner at their home most Thursday evenings. I frequently bring ciders and write up my notes there. Last Thursday I brought Angry Orchard's new Ciderhouse offering, The Muse. This was a very nice coincidence because someone else brought a six pack of the brand's Traditional Dry. I thought doing a double-header Angry Orchard post might be a good way to actually see what's going on with both of those ciders. So we did notes and pictures and several folks gave me their impressions. Then we all ate way too much delicious food: two vegetable based no pasta lasagnas, two meat lasagnas, and a vegan pesto with sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts. Then milkshakes made with local ice cream. And we do stuff like this every week and most weekends. It is a good thing.

Once I recovered from my food coma, I realized that I've really not covered Angry Orchard's offering very much in this blog. I don't drink them often, so they don't show up. This is a real oversight on my part because so many other folks drink Angry Orchard a lot. Depending on who you ask, Angry Orchard might sell the most cider in the United States these days. 

So this post aims to fix that. Here are three Angry Orchard reviews appearing together. I'll go in the order what I liked most to least.

#1. Angry Orchard Straw Man

This is the only Ciderhouse selection that I've liked enough to purchase more than once. Definitely my favorite. I'll let Angry Orchard explain what they were going for with this particular cider.

For centuries Farmhouse Cider making has been a tradition celebrated by farmers in the English and French countryside. Strawman combines a distinct blend of juices from traditional culinary and bittersweet apples, which is then aged on oak. The result is a full-flavored, complex, and balanced cider with wine-like characteristics, rounded out by apple and citrus notes. Its lingering, earthy finish is an homage to the origins of this unique cider. 10% ABV.

Appearance: coppery orange, foamy, hazy

In the glass, this cider looks deeply colorful like a brand new penny. It does create an unusual amount of foam when poured. Not brilliant but more hazy. It does look more like an english style cider, especially when compared with Angry Orchard's other ciders.

Aroma: boozy, surprisingly not fruity

The Strawman exudes a strongly alcoholic scent, but it is not fruit-forward. I get more dust and minerals than fruit. Maybe, I can smell a little pear and wine. There is definitely some straw and hay smells, but the cider does not smell farmy. Once the cider warms up a bit in my glass, fruit scents of overripe apple emerge, but that took some time.

Sweetness: Dry

Wow! Angry Orchard is capable of making a dry cider. I would never have guessed. What I find particularly fascinating is that the official product description does not place it on a dry to sweet scale. Pleasantly tart with some fruit that still remains dry.

Flavors and drinking experience: Medium tannic, high acidity, high carbonation, warm

My first impression is of the high  but not soda-like levels of carbonation. I like a lot of bubbles and this delivers almost more than enough. Strawman's very high alcohol content makes for a lingering warmth; it recalls a harder drink in its aftertaste. Though the cider is dry, it's mouthfeel is so coating and full as to be slightly cloying. I note an immediate aftertaste of wood which is where the medium level of tannins come out. There's a lot going on, but I like it.

#2. Angry Orchard Traditional Dry

One of Angry Orchard's "core ciders," the Traditional Dry is one of the most widely available ciders across the United States. I'm curious to see Angry Orchard's interpretation of both traditional and dry. I have my suspicions that I might disagree on one if not both. I found a few different descriptions on the Angry Orchard website, including: "This traditional English-style cider is bittersweet and slightly spicy with a bright apple aroma and a dryness that makes you pucker." 

These online tasting notes give a bit more information, "Our Traditional Dry cider is made in the style of English draft ciders. This cider is bittersweet and slightly spicy with a bright apple aroma. It is a leaner cider with a dry finish and without any juice added to impart extra sweetness." The cider has a more standard ABV of 5.5 and the color is listed as amber. I have my doubts about the color description considering almost any cider or beer coincides with one shade or another of amber, but I'm heartened to see some suggested food pairings; they are:

• Sweet and sour chicken or pork
• Grilled bluefish and scallops
• Seafood Alfredo
• Roast chicken with mushroom cream sauce

Now let's actually try the Traditional Dry.

Appearance: deep caramel color, brilliant, no visible bubbles

Like the Strawman, Angry Orchard's Traditional dry has a darker color than most ciders. this one looks a bit less warm and orange and more rich caramel brown. No haziness here, just brilliant clear cider with almost no visible bubbles.

Aromas: Not a lot of smell, a bit bready and dusty.

This cider does not offer much in the way of aroma. I poured half of the bottle into a wine glass in an attempt to open up the aromas and make them more perceivable, but I didn't get much more. When I try I can smell some yeasty bready notes and similar hints of dust and must like I get from the Strawman. Not much going on.

Dryness: Semi-dry

Though I could not smell much sweetness on the nose, this cider is not truly dry. I cannot say that I am surprised; many many many ciders sell themselves as dryer than they taste. This isn't completely sweet either though and the sweetness I get is a fresh fruit sweetness. More on that in the flavors section.

Flavors and drinking experience: distinct tastes not melding, grapes and fruit, lingering sweetness

To my tastebuds, The Traditional Dry divides into a thin fruity layer of taste and a much larger watery one. This cider falls right in the midle of what I am reviewing to day in terms of sweetness; it tastes drier that the Muse but still not dry. I taste plenty of grapes, either juicy white or concord depending on who you trust. Everyone tasting this cider got grape notes but we did not agree on the details. The finish is mostly clean but sweetness lingers. I can definitely tastes the added citric acid. Overall, it tastes cleaner and colder than either the Muse or the Strawman; I think the lower ABV of 5.5% versus Muse's 7.7% and Strawman's 10%.


#3. Angry Orchard's The Muse

This was the cider that I felt compelled to share with my friends at dinner, and yet this is the cider that comes in last in my group of three. I do love the bottle though. This is not a bad cider, it just goes for a number of goals that aren't my favorites. Here's what Angry Orchard has to say about this one.

Inspired by the festive nature of slightly sweet demi-sec champagnes and sparkling wines, The Muse is a bubbly, effervescent cider made from traditional culinary and bittersweet apples and aged on French oak. The cider is sweet upfront with a juicy apple aroma and bright acidity, and slightly drying on the finish with a lingering sweet apple note. The French oak adds a subtle wood impression, imparting notes of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and hints of vanilla. 7.7% ABV

Appearance: brilliant, apricot, lot of active visible bubbles

This was the lightest of the three reviewed here, and still this is a more pronounced color than many ciders. I see this color as a rich apricot. You can see all of the motion of the bubbles in this shot; it looks a bit champagne like in that regard. This is also an extremely brilliant cider. I would have no trouble reading text right through it.

Aromas: oak, sweet, sour, fruit

Angry Orchard's Muse definitely has more going on in the aroma department than their other ciders. I cannot quite tell how these notes of sweetness, sourness, fruit and oak will translate into taste, but I do expect some depth of flavor and sweetness.

Dryness: Uncomplicatedl sweet

This is where the french cider influence is coming in. Many Normandy ciders have some real sweetness to them but also complexity, woodiness, and farminess. Angry Orchard imitated the level of carbonation and aroma but didn't really obtain the necessary complexity to give the cider enough identity.

Flavors and drinking experience: green apple candy, minerals, lychee

My biggest disappointment with this cider is that the flavor goes a little candyish at the midpalate. The Muse drinks pleasantly, a little French, very nice minerals, not outweighed by its caramel flavor. In terms of fruit, I mostly taste lychee rather than apple. The Muse has been carbonated brightly with tons of big bubbles making it a little soda-esque. The phrase on the bottle "Carbonated apple wine" should have led me to expect that, but I was so distracted by the mention of oak that I completely passed it up.

There you have it folks, I've been trying a few Angry Orchard ciders here and there, but now I've organized my thoughts and put them together. If you want to go back to my Angry Orchard Elderflower review from last year, you can find it here: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/cider-review-angry-orchards-elderflower.html

What do you think? Should I track down their other flavors? Does the combination format work?