Cider Review: Distillery Lane Ciderworks Witches Brew...Plus FLX Cider Week!

There's no denying that fall has come to Upstate New York. Our leaves are turning and mornings now swath everything in fog. Its a magical time. And for me that magic comes primarily from two things, apples and Halloween season. Yes, there's a whole season in my world dedicated (even more than usual) to all thing batty, spidery, and spooky. So, I couldn't wait to crack open a cider called Witches Brew.

This cider was a review sample shared with me by Distillery Lane Ciderworks. I have reviewed a few ciders by Distillery Lane before, but its been a little while. I don't always see them available, but I pick them up when I can.

I reviewed The Jefferson in 2015: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/01/cider-review-distillery-lane-ciderworks.html

And the single-varietal Kingston Black in 2014: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/05/cider-review-distillery-lane-ciderworks.html

And my favorite thus far the Tradition Dry Sparkling cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/08/cider-review-distillery-lane-ciderworks.html

The last link includes more information on the background of this cidery. It is based out of Maryland and has been selling hard cider since 2010 and growing apple trees since 2001. You can visit them in person to taste the ciders and pick fruit.

Find out more at: http://distillerylaneciderworks.com/

Today's review is the Witches Brew. Part of what intrigues me about this cider is the use of Aronia Berries. I had to do a little research because not only have I not seen a cider that uses these before, I've never knowingly tasted anything that uses Aronia berries before. They are also called Choke Berries and are related (albeit not closely) to apples more than to other berries.

Official Description:

“Double, double, toil and trouble, fermentation made our cauldron bubble with this tart, sparkling brew. A delightful blend of DLC's Celebration cider and aronia juice, made form aronia berries grown at the DLC orchard. Tart, with bubbles and a perfect bitter finish.”

Appearance: transparent, magenta, bubbly

This cider is bottled in clear glass for a reason! People passing a shelf are bound to notice this sumptuous magenta color. The Witches Brew pours with foamy excitement, but the mousse doesn't stick around for long.

Aromas: Deep, dusty, leafy, purple aromas

I got berry aromas from this as soon as the bottle was cracked. I can smell all manner of gardeny and fruity smells like berries and stone fruit but also stems and leaves. These smells make me even more curious to taste it.

Dryness/Sweetness: Semi-dry to dry

There's a lot more going on than sweetness level here, but I'll say that the cider is on the dry side without feeling bone dry. Instead its more fruity and astringent at the same time.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, astringent, stemmy, dark fruit

Though its bubbly and perceptibly boozy, the Witches Brew reminds me of tea. The tannins are grippy and astringent. The cider offers up high acid tartness but with an unusual acid profile. This is not so much juicy but more stemmy. Some flavors are downright green-brown and woody.

Secondarily, I taste some buttery and toasty notes. And there's some fruit going on with sour cherry and apple elements. This cider has a nice medium bubbly texture. The finish is leathery and tannic. Overall, the Witches Brew remaings fascinatingly different.

I served this cider with a Quorn Turky Roast, along with mushroom gravy, amish yeast rolls, and oven-roasted beets and baby red skinned potatoes. I wasn't ever a big fan of gravy until I discovered my husband's vegetarian gravy, and now I'm totally hooked. This cider pairs with that salty, rich, umami sauce perfectly. The dryness and woody grippy tannins don't disappear even with an early fall feast.

And just to start whetting your appetite, Finger Lakes Cider Week is coming: September 28^th through October 9th! Expect more coverage in the coming weeks, but for now please check out the website to see the full schedule of events.

http://www.ciderweekflx.com/

I do want to highlight a few that sound especially exciting to me.

Finger Lakes Cider House Grand Cider Buffet on Thursday September 28^th:

This special ticketed event is being hosted at Coltivare and will feature 5 courses of cider oriented dishes and seven ciders by Kite and String Cidery. The pairing combinations will be myriad.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/finger-lakes-cider-house-grand-cider-buffet-tickets-37257429976

Cornell Orchards Apple Spectacular Sunday October 1st

I went on this tour and tasting combination last year, and I loved it. Vistors get to taste fresh pressed juice and create their own juice blends as well as tasting New York State ciders and touring Cornell University's research orchards, learning about the exceptional projects that the Peck Lab is doing on behalf of cider lovers everywhere.

http://www.ciderweekflx.com/event/cornell-orchards-apple-spectacular/

Apple Identification and Documentation Day on Wednesday, October 4^th

Meet orchardists and folklorists alike at the Trumansburg Farmer's Market to have a chance to finally find out what apples your mystery tree is producing. This is part of the Finger Lakes Fruit Heritage Project. They are collecting the history of orchards and other fruit growing in the Finger Lakes.

http://www.ciderweekflx.com/event/apple-identification-and-documentation-day/

Fall Garden Mixer: Celebrate NYS Cider on Wednesday, October 4^th

At the New York State Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, they are honoring New York's cider scene along with nibbles created by the culinary team. The theme is fall, and what better way to celebrate than with cider!

https://www.nywcc.com/events/1492714532/fall-garden-mixer-celebrate-nys-cider

Eve's Cidery Perry Dinner on Friday October 6^th.

This intimate dinner will focus on a vertical perry tasting through the perries made by Eve's Cidery, a Tom Oliver Perry, and other pear surprises amidst local food, music, all at their cider barn in Van Etten. I've never even heard of a perry dinner before, so this made it on to my list immediately!

https://www.evescidery.com/event/eves-perry-dinner/

Cider and Cheese Day at the Grand Opening of Brews and Brats Saturday October 7^th.

Folks from the Finger Lakes Cheese Alliance will be sharing samples of their cheeses paired with ciders from the NY Cider Association at the grand opening of this new spot in Trumansburg, New York. Featured Cideries include The Cider Lab, Lake Drum Brewing and Black Diamond Ciders. And this event is free!

Stay Tuned for more highlights in my next review!

Cider Review: Harpoon Brewery's Pumpkin Cider

Pumpkin has become a divisive topic. I can only blame its popularity for the pumpkin backlash. Anything beloved enough to be a craze is going to make some haters. And for cider purists, the idea of a pumpkin cider is blasphemy. But I refuse to participate. I like pumpkin and I love cider, so I try new pumpkin ciders every year. Some formulas work beautifully. Others don't.

Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on Harpoon Pumpkin Cider. This is my first review of a cider by Boston-based Harpoon Brewery. They've made cider since 2007 and beer since opening 1986. They are primarily a brewery, but I can see five different ciders on the website, though I've only seen two available for sale in my travels. (Full disclosure, I did receive this review sample from Harpoon.)

Read about their ciders and beers at the website: https://www.harpoonbrewery.com

Or, take a peek at this compilation of cat pictures that feature Harpoon Beers (and one of this cider!)

https://www.harpoonbrewery.com/blog/16-cats-who-are-loving-beer-and-loving-life-341

Official Description:

• Appearance: Straw/light golden
• Aroma: Freshly pressed Northeastern Apples, traditional pumpkin pie spices and a hint of pumpkin.
• Mouth feel: Light, crisp, tart, cleansing. Sprightly.
• Taste: Apple forward with all the traditional Autumn flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg, and a touch of sweetness for balance.
• Finish: Dry, light, refreshing.

Reading elsewhere on the website, I learned that some selective mixing of their Winter Warmer beer and their signature cider inspired making this spiced cider. It has a very low alcohol content with an ABV of 4.8%. That's really not typical.

Appearance: barely hazy, saffron, a few clinging bubbles

There's no mistaking this cider for beer as its poured! It doesn't form a head and instead just shows off a few clinging bubbles in a gentle barely hazy sea of saffron liquid.

Aromas: beer yeast, apples, spice

The smells of this cider aren't super potent, but what's there is yeasty, spicy, clean, and appley. All of these relatively low intensity aromas are pleasing and subtle. Reading about their ciders, My perception of a beer yeast is borne out. They use a proprietary ale yeast in all of the ciders.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry

This is a straightforward semi-dry, but if folks are not used to to flavors brought by a less fruit beer yeast, this might taste a bit less sweet (even if not exactly drier).

Flavors and drinking experience: Nutmeg, balance, yeast character

The spice blend makes up a significant part of the cider's flavor; it favors nutmeg, but includes enough cinnamon, ginger, and clove to really bring out that mulled cider, pumpkin pie, autumn feeling that any pumpkin item promises. Here's what I love about it though. This cider is really pleasantly balanced. That doesn't sound like a giant high point, but trust me it is. The beer yeast is the absolute perfect way to counter the sharpness of baking spices. We get all the notes, apple, spice, bread, and pumpkin.

This is an exceptional cider both for the format and for style. Its light bodied with medium acid and no tannins. This cider is the classic autumnal flavor experience that so many things promise.

I enjoyed mine with fresh homemade salsa, black bean and corn salad, tortilla chips and the two-part finale of Twin Peaks The Return. The show may not have offered answers(to do so would have betrayed the show entirely), but the cider and snacks certainly did.