Cider Review: Nine Pin Ciderworks Apple Pie-secco

Boot life continues whenever I leave the house, but this weekend I was able to take some practice time in the house to get used to moving around without it. On flat surfaces, I felt pretty good! Stairs will take a bit more time. The thrill was so real that I had to try a new recipe for my sourdough starter discard. And of course a dessert necessitates a fun cidery pairing! Nerdy domesticity rules my weekends with great joy.

Here’s what I tried: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-chocolate-chip-cookies-recipe

They turned out beautifully with just one notable adjustment; my dark chocolate was a dark chocolate with almonds. Yum! And with that delicious dessert, I was very happy to enjoy Nine Pin Ciderworks’ Apple Pie-secco. Wordplay on apple pie plus Prosecco (the sparkling wine) gives the cider an immediate association with warm cooked apples and baking spices plus the delight of a sparkling beverage. 

Nine Pin Ciderworks is based out of Albany, New York but now distributed and shipped to at least 35 states. Here’s a quick list of all of my previous reviews of Nine Pin Ciders! More background information can be found in these earlier reviews.

Pink Lemonade: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2023/08/cider-revew-nine-pin-ciderworks-pink.html

House of Dabinett: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/04/cider-review-portland-cider-companys.html

Cucumber Lime Light Cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/08/cider-reviews-ninepin-light-cider.html

Gathering of the Farm Cideries (including the Cascara cider): https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/gathering-of-new-york-farm-cideries.html

Peach Tea: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-nine-pin-ciderworks.html

Blueberry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/08/cider-review-nine-pin-cider-blueberry.html

Ginger: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/10/cider-review-nine-pin-cider-works-ginger.html

Signature cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/04/cider-review-nine-pin-cider-works-nine.html

Nine Pin Ciderworks’ website is the best place to learn about all of this New York Cidery’s releases and taproom events: http://www.ninepincider.com

My faithful co-taster Woody picked this up locally. So many different cideries create their own version of fall-spiced ciders, so I’m always curious to see how everyone’s tastes!

Here’s the official description from the folks at Nine Pin: Crafted from apples from Samascott Orchards in Kinderhook, New York, Apple Pie-Secco symbolizes life’s simple joys, autumnal aromas filling our homes, explosions of taste; pure comfort. 6.5% ABV. 

Appearance: Brilliant, brassy blonde, few visible bubbles 

I love how brassy blonde this color looks in the glass. It's too pretty for a can, but I say that a lot. The cider poured brilliant with few visible bubbles.

Aromas: sweet and gentled cooked apple, cinnamon, ginger, 

The Apple Pie-secco offers up a medium intense aroma of ginger, apple and cinnamon. The apple smells mellow and cooked. This definitely gets the autumnal associations flowing. One note, in order to really access these great smells, you must use a glass.

Sweetness/Dryness: Semi-sweet

This cider is on the sweeter side, but it’s notably not fully sweet. This really gives an additional level of complexity to the cider’s other qualities like acids, body, bubble, and Nine Pin’s use of cinnamon.

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, strong cinnamon, vanilla finish

Nine Pin’s Apple Pie-secco starts off with a beautiful burst of high acid that I associate with New York and eastern United States ciders more generally. Next, that acid coalesces into flavors I recognize as ripe peach and cooked apple.  This cider’s midpalate expands to include spices, mostly cinnamon; it tastes holiday-ish and feels a little rough and sandpapery, The cider’s finish is oodles of vanilla.

One of the most interesting characteristics of this cider was how the bubbles felt prickly and spiky and zesty. 

I appreciate that Nine Pin’s Apple Pie-secco doesn’t just go for the same profile as the classic seasonal sipper. The vanilla is a nice touch, as is backing off on the sweetness just a touch. It was a beautiful accompaniment to my chocolate chip cookies, but I imagine it would be even better with shortbread and caramel. 

Cider Review: Whitewood Cider Co’s Olivia and Virtue Cider’s The Mitten Reserve

As I pen this review, still sleepy from the weekend's time change, I'm watching snow falling out the window. It feels like a near weekly tradition this time of year. I check in on the weather and realize that winter is still here. Its still time for big bold flavors, hearty food pairings, and nestling under a blanket. I know it can't last forever, so I'm sharing another double review this week of ciders better for now than when spring finally peeks her head over the window sill.

Whitewood Cider Co.'s Olivia Newton-Jonathan Cider Blend

Long time cider community contributors (seriously, look up what all they've done) Dave White and Heather Ringwood founded Whitewood Cider Co. in South Puget Sound. They are a very small, apple-centric cidery with an eye toward traditional methods. Whitewood Cider Co received a Good Food award in 2017. For those unfamiliar with Good Food Awards, this prestigious competition has stringent requirements both for standards of production, sustainability, and business practices as well as a delicious final product.

Read all about the company on the website: http://whitewoodcider.com/

This is my previous review from 2014 of their Northland Traditional Blend:

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/01/cider-review-whitewood-cider-company.html

And the Olivia is a punny cider. It's named after both a pop singer and an apple blend because the cider is a blend of Newtown Pippins and Jonathans. Very clever indeed!

Appearance: nearly brilliant, apricot tinted gold, bubbles

This cider came to me in a clear bottle. That's exceedingly unusual in the cider world. But, to look at this lovely cider, I can see why. It has a soft and warmly tinted color, it's yellow but with just a hair's breadth of apricot. I can see bubbles around the time of the glass when the cider is freshly poured.

Aromas: Ripe apple, fresh fruit and leaves, tannic

The Olivia smells richly of apple and green leaves. Everything about this is zingy and fresh and a bit sweet to my nose. The apple notes are somewhere between ripe and cooked apple. There's also just a hint of the dustiness that tells me to expect some tannins.

Dryness/sweetness: semi dry

The Olivia is semi-dry with lots of acidity and fruit flavors.

Flavors and drinking experience: medium high acid, balanced, some tannins

This cider is fun, it lives up to having an apple pun for a name. Though its very drinkable and balanced, this cider isn't too smooth and easy to be interesting. I found the acidity medium high acid and a medium low level of tannins, but they were present. This is actually pretty unusual for a cider. Folks often either go all in for tannins and make something strongly tannic or they work with fruit that have no tannins at all. Lightly tannic is actually pretty neat and super tasty.

In terms of texture, I found the cider petilliant or lightly sparkling. The flavor notes were very fresh and almost springy. The Olivia offers up blueberry, tropical fruit, as well as greenly woody branchy notes.

One thing I especially appreciated is how clean the fermentation is on this cider. The Olivia has a long finish, but its not cloying. Instead I found this cider refreshing in each sip.

I really enjoyed this cider, pairing it with a corn chowder was easy and perfect. The acidity of the cider and the creamy weight of corn chowder were a natural fit. I look forward to tasting the rest of what Whitewood shared with me.

Virtue Cider's The Mitten Limited Reserve

Virtue Cider is a major player in the excellent Michigan cider scene. They have a beautiful tasting room in Fentonville, and this cider could only ever be purchased there. Luckily, a friend and fellow cider judge who works at Virtue was able to share a bottle with me after CiderCon.

Find out all about Virtue's ciders on the website, including their newly released rosé: http://www.virtuecider.com

All of my previous reviews for Virtue ciders are listed below. These go back for the history of the blog.

Percheron: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/10/cider-review-virtue-ciders-percheron.html

Ledbury: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/02/cider-review-roundup-virtue-slyboro.html

Red Streak: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/06/trying-virtue-and-olivers-ciders-at.html

The Mitten: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/05/cider-review-virtue-ciders-mitten-and.html

The official description on the bottle is brief, “The Mitten Reserve is a special blend of our very best cider from the first use barrels of the season. The cider that came out of these barrels is very balanced and soft with huge caramel notes.” ABV 8.4% I did see that someone from Virtue confirmed online that the cider is bottled still rather than sparkling.

Appearance: popcorn yellow, still, brilliant

The Mitten reserve looks like a cheerful popcorn yellow with nary a hint of haze. This brilliant cider also looks still as it doesn't show any visible bubbles.

Aromas: barrel, cooked apple, caramel,

Winter friendly, indeed! All of the aromas of this cider just say cozy. It smells like barrel, cooked apples, caramel, toasted breadcrumbs, and vanilla pudding.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

Lots of the flavor descriptors down below are words usually associated with sweetness, but do not be fooled. This is a dry cider.

Flavors and drinking experience: cooked apples, barrel, vanilla, marshmallow

Virtue wasn't kidding about the power and difference in a first use barrel. This cider has a lot of bourbon barrel aging on display. The characteristics of the booze soaked wood speak loudly, though the cider and apple presence isn't totally overwhelmed. I get so much flavor here, including notes like cooked apples, honey, vanilla, and burnt marshmallows.

But that's not all there is to it. The cider is also challenging. It's still, boozy, heavy and a bit bitter. I like how much it tastes both like wood and slowly-cooked apples. The Mitten Reserve has a long finish that stays boozy and perfumed for several beats after the last swallow. In some ways the after tastes are even nicer than the flavors directly.

The Mitten Reserve isn't subtle. It's bold. As such, it deserves to be paired with other strong flavors. Otherwise, it can come across as overwhelming. I'd have it with vegetarian shepherd's pie and a classic film, maybe something you've been meaning to watch for years and somehow haven't quite gotten to yet.

Cider Review Vander Mill's Totally Roasted and my CCP certificate!

Some days are perfect. We don't have responsibilities; the weather is fine; we get to see friends while enjoying tasty food and drinks. These are easy days. My day didn't start out so well because I had to take my perfect cat to the vet. But, the way a day starts is not necessary how that day will finish. Here's how my lame day got better. 

I got my official Cider Certification Program recognition in the mail!!

Even my photo bombing cat Pie May couldn't resist checking it out!

Vandermill is a cidery I first started encountering at GLINTCAP three years ago. I had the pleasure of judging with a cider maker from Vandermill, and the business donated plenty of cider to the event. Two very nice early impressions. I cannot believe its taken me this long to actually review one of their ciders. The company started as a cider mill in 2006. They focus on local fruit, using only Michigan apples. Their cider can be found in at least four different states, but they maintain an aura of drinkability and approachability.

You can read tons more about Vander Mill on the website: http://vandermill.com/

So, Totally Roasted

 The medley of cinnamon, pecan, and vanilla will dance on your palate. This is a mind altering example of what cider can be. We hope you love it as much as we do. Gluten-free

I also found some earlier descriptions elsewhere on the web. This gives us just little more info: 

This cider was specially made for a draft customer in Grand Rapids, MI.. We are using over 4 lbs. of homemade cinnamon roasted pecans in a 30 gallon batch of this limited edition cider to bring you Totally Roasted. You will notice that soaking pecans in cider brings a unique texture and taste to the drink. We use cinnamon and vanilla during the roasting process and follow that up by adding whole cut vanilla beans to the cider. These subtle tastes certainly make this a cider all it’s own.

Appearance: Bright and bubbly gold

This pours with a light color, but don't mistake that low visual impact. Rather than from the color, the intensity comes from loads and loads of visible bubbles. Cider appears brilliant.

Aromas: dust, apples, sweetness, like brown sugar

Despite the abundance of bubbles, I cannot get a lot of aroma from this cider. I smell some fresh apple and some sweet blend of spice, but it isn't distinct.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-sweet to sweet

This is a sweeter cider. It's part and parcel of the experience. The sweetness adds to the mouthfeel and helps bring out the spicy and nutty flavors this cider is all about. 

Flavors and drinking experience: nutty, sweet, tart, brown sugar and spice

Fascinating! This cider does have something roasty and nutty going on, but I'm not sure how it works. I taste brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nuttiness.  At the same time, I cannot help but notice the high acid. Totally Roasted offers up really good mouthfeel; it's rich yet sharp. Unsurprisingly, I notice no tannins. Sweetness is brown sugar plus tartness.

My only complaint is that in some moments, this one can taste a little artificial more like green jolly rancher than like fruit or fermentation. What I cannot complain about is how extremely lively and pleasant I find this level of bubble.

I think pairing can make the difference between a reasonable experience and a really wonderful one with a cider like this. I found the spice and roastiness on the subtle side, especially when balanced by the high acidity. Therefore, I recommend having this cider with a slightly sweet bread and a soft cheese. That should bring out the best in everything. 

Reviewing Ciders for Winter: Tilted Shed Ciderworks' Barred Rock Barrel Aged Cider

Perhaps this season's last review of cider that I think will be specifically appropriate for winter. Wow. We've come through a good one this year, but Spring is undeniably coming. Between snow storms things are really melting, plus I've seen both snow drops and crocus. But back when I drank this cider, Barred Rock Barrel Aged Cider, I chilled it outside in the two feet of snow on the ground, and I simply needed to serve it with cider bread and veggie chili. You can even see some snow clinging to the bottle.

I chose the Barred Rock Barrel Aged Cider by Tilted Shed Ciderworks to become part of my winter cider series because of its barrel aging. I've had a few barrel aged ciders before. What they tend to have in common is a strong sense of warmth, sometimes smoke, and interesting savory notes. It is a really neat sub-category.

Here's the list

http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/04/cider-review-sonoma-cider-anvil-bourbon.html
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/01/cider-review-woodchucks-private-reserve.html
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/12/cider-review-crispin-georgia.html
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2013/12/cider-review-thistly-cross-whisky-cask.html
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/05/cider-review-virtue-ciders-mitten-and.html

Similarly I have a previous review of a Tilted Shed Cider that appeared earlier in this series. I sampled their January Barbeque which is a smoked cider. Here's a link to that post: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/03/reviewing-ciders-for-winter-tilted.html

And you can read more about the company at their website: http://www.tiltedshed.com

Here's the official description with loads of info from Tilted Shed Ciderworks.

9% ABV • Only 84 (750ml) & 150 (375ml) cases produced • Released November 2014
A savory sipper, Barred Rock is a blend of late-season Sonoma County heirloom and cider apple varieties slowly fermented in the New England style, then aged for over 3 months in Tennessee bourbon barrels. Heady butterscotch on the nose, plush mouthfeel, clove, amaretto, and vanilla notes, and a long, rich finish. This cider was fermented to dryness, no backsweetening, so your palate will experience all that the barrel aging has to offer, without any cloying effects.  This is dessert in a glass, but it's also delectable with apple crisp, figs, and rich cheeses. Let this warm up to 60 degrees or more, don't be afraid. The warmer, the more decadent. Serve in a white wine glass.

Appearance: Dark red gold, glittering

As recommended, I found a white wine glass for this cider and the glass really shows it off visually. Gorgeous! Just off brilliant. The bubbles travel in the tiniest lines up to the top and mostly show just at the bottom of the glass, like someone tossed a handful of gold pebbles into the glass. The color reminds me of tangerines, orange leaves in the fall, and the shiniest of new pennies.

Aromas: barrel, sweetness, minerals

The Barred Rock smells like whiskey barrels and s'mores, so a very grownup camping trip! I also the distinct sweetness of aroma that makes me think of marshmallow, syrup, and fruity depths. Separately I can smell hints of tannins which so often come across to me as dust and minerals.

Sweetness: Dry

This is hard to quantify as either sweet or dry because it has so much going on that is neither. But I'll call it dry yet extremely flavorful.

Flavors: alcohol burn, dry, extremely fine bubbles, tannins, Very little fruit.

The Barred Rock plays all over with flavors of wood and caramel and booze notes. It has a sense of whiskey barrel burn, which isn't really a plus for me but might be for some folks. I do like the dryness and texture; dry dry bubbliness is something I dig. Whoa, continuing, I can barely get over how boozy this is. I'm glad I'm drinking it with food! My pairings are cider bread and veggie chili which I would recommend with this cider. And it is definitely warming, making it a perfect way to wrap up this list of ciders for winter!