Cider Reviews: Citizen Cider Currant Affair and Starcut Cider’s Pomace Cult

Summer has finally arrived, Cider Lovers. And we had our first whole weekend of warm bright summery weather. After such a rainy spring, this feels especially welcome! I spent part of my weekend touring around my region in search of food and beverage excitement, and the other part of my weekend was spent preparing my screened in porch for semi-outdoor relaxing. There’s nowhere quite like a screened in porch for a summer cider.

This week, let’s start with a limited release Citizen Cider that I picked up from them quite some time ago: Currant Affair. Citizen Cider makes Burlington, Vermont it’s home base. The company now sells it’s ciders in several states, but it certainly maintains its strong ties to Vermont. 

I’ve reviewed quite a few Citizen Ciders before. Here’s the rundown in no particular order. 

Sur Lies: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/02/cider-review-citizen-cellars-sur-lies.html

Barrel Aged: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/02/cider-review-citizen-ciders-barrel-aged.html

The Wood: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/07/cider-review-citizen-ciders-wood-and.htm

Companion Sour Cherry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/06/pickcider-review-citizen-ciders.html

Tulsi: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/03/cider-review-fable-farms-greensboro-and.html

Wit’s Up, a Belgian beer inspired cider: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/04/cider-review-citizen-ciders-wits-up.html

Citizen Cider bRosé: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/02/cider-review-citizen-cider-brose.html

I visited Citizen Cider's production facility and tap room in Burlington: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-2.html

You can visit Citizen Cider online to learn more about the company including recent releases, special events, and more: https://www.citizencider.com/

Now on to Citizen Cider’s Currant Affair. Here’s the official description: 

Currently, Citizen Cider is having an affair with currants and cider. Currants like the cold, so do apples, and as it happens they pair well through fermentation. This rose cider is big, bright, fruity and exciting. Please have your own little affair and enjoy this cider. 100% locally sourced apple cider, black currants, sugar. Contains sulfites. Naturally gluten-free. 6.9% ABV

Appearance: tawny, brilliant, bubbly

What fun color. It’s almost hard to characterize because it has shades of red, brown, and orange but somehow seems more carnelian and gem like with a tawny hue.

Aromas: Raspberries, red fruits, powdered sugar, green wood

The Currant Affair smells like raspberries and red fruits. I get hints of aroma that remind me of sweetness particularly powdered sugar. There’s something else though; I can detect a flexible backbone of green wood.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi Dry

This cider is semi-dry, but that’s far from the most exciting thing about it. 

Flavors and drinking experience: super tart, tannic, bubbly, red fruit

The Currant Affair is tart and tannic! I get a strong salivary reaction the second I taste it.
Not all tannins are the same; these notably taste fruity and astringent. They come from the currants rather than from wood aging or apples. 

One of the other features of this cider I noticed first was how bubbly it is.  This high acid cider brings tons of red fruit and fun to every sip. I get some apple notes but it reminds me more of black currants, red raspberries, and super tart cherries. I enjoyed it very much, and I recommend pairing this cider with relaxing with your favorite animal companions and just quietly watching the world go by. Food wise, it goes well with a light and creamy pasta salad or some goat cheese and grapes.

Now, I want to rewind one last time to my trip to Grand Rapids this spring. While in Michigan, I judged for GLINTCAP, took my CCP Level 2 exam and volunteered for the Grand Rapids Cider Festival! It was a whirlwind trip. And one of the ciders I got taste at the Grand Rapids Cider Festival was Starcut Cider’s Pomace Cult. 

The name alone was intriguing, but once I saw that list of apples I had to try it. 

Starcut Ciders is  based in Bellaire, Michigan and was founded in 2014. 

I first reviewed Starcut Cider when I tried the Immortal Jelly: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/01/cider-review-starcut-immortal-jelly.html

More recently, I tasted Pulsar: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/04/cider-review-slyboro-cider-houses.html

You can learn more about Starcut Ciders at: http://starcutciders.com/

Here’s Starcut Cider’s Pomace Cult’s official description: 

Pomace Cult is a dry cider made with a blend of heritage apples. Made with Golden Russet, Brown Snout, Jonagold, Spitzenburg, Dabinett, Reine des Pommes, Yarlington Mill, Goldrush, Kingston Black, Reinette Zabergau, Calville Blanc, Roxbury Russet, Bramley’s Seedling, Harry Masters Jersey, Puget Spice, and Macoun apple varieties, this golden colored cider has an inviting aroma of tart fresh apples. Crisp and clean, this cider finishes dry with apple tartness. 7.7% ABV

Appearance: deep butternut color, hazy, bubbly

This cider brings such vibrant color to my glass. I’ll call the hue butternut squash. I couldn’t quite tell the clarity working with the cups we had at the festival, but I think it was just a bit hazy and bubbly.

Aromas: melon, apples, mild

Though the aromas aren’t strong, the Pomace Cult smells like freshly cut melon and apples.
Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This is a dry cider! I have no doubts about this. 

Flavors and drinking experience: astringent, high acid, bubbly

I had this cider after volunteering for a few fun and sunny hours, so I was ready for something with acidity and plenty of flavor. The Pomace Cult did not dissapoint. I wanted a cider that could wake up my mouth, and the super tart astringent cider did exactly that. I think my initial notes just said, “acid, like whoa!”

I would pair this cider with a hot soft pretzel and honey mustard or with an episode of Good Omens. 

Cider Review: 2 Towns Ciderhouse Afton Field and James Creek Ciderhouse Harvest Moon

This is my last post before the Summer Solstice, and I can barely make sense of that idea! The weather doesn’t feel summery, and I am not ready to be headed toward longer nights and shorter days. Enough of my fretting though, the seasons circle around and the weather does what it will do. What I can muster is appreciation the lovely long spring we’ve had, and enthusiastic participation in the warm weather fun that I know is coming.

I’ve reviewed quite a few 2 Towns Ciders, but the Ciderhouse’s offerings are so different, I want to showcase the variety. 

Most recently, La Mûre knocked my socks off: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/02/cider-review-albemarle-ciderworks.html

Fighting winter vibes is easy with the Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy, a lemon and raspberry cider:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-eden-ciders-siren-song-and.html

I loved The Cidre Bouche; it’s my favorite of anything they’ve made. It made my top 10 of 2017: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/11/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouses-cidre.html

During Very Perry May last year I tried the Pearadise:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/05/very-perry-may-2-towns-ciderhouses.html

I tried the Pineapple because I am enraptured by that fruit: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/02/cider-review-portland-cider-company.html

Speaking of enrapturing fruit, The rhubarb and hops of The Hop and Stalk was delicious: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/12/cider-review-2-towns-ciderhouse-hop-and.html

I reviewed the Bright Cider as part of a travel roundup: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/07/cider-review-roundup-common-cider-co.html

The  2 Towns Ciderhouse Website has tons more info about the company and all the ciders: https://2townsciderhouse.com/

Here’s 2 Towns Ciderhouse’s description for Afton Field.

AMERICAN FARMHOUSE CIDER~ Oregon grown crab and heirloom apples ~ ~ Fermented with wild yeast strains ~ ~ Aged in oak barrels ~  

Inspired by farmhouse ciders of the pioneer West, Afton Field is a testament to the tenacity of these settlers and their enduring orchards. Fresh-pressed, hand-picked Wickson crab, Newtown Pippin and other pioneer apple varieties are fermented, aged in oak barrels, and bottle conditioned with wild Brettanomyces yeast. Bone dry, unfiltered and uncompromising, this farmhouse cider is wild at heart and at home on the rustic table. 6.9% ABV

Appearance: Hazy, warm straw, no visible bubbles

This cider looks like a wild ferment! It’s cloudy, straw colored and shows no bubbles.

Aromas: Funky, barnyard, cheesy, musty, 

This wild cider is funky! I get mild hints of apple and citrus, but much more than that this cider smells of barnyard and farmhouse cheese. It’s a bit reductive and very tart smelling.

Sweetness/dryness: Dry

This cider certainly is dry! The crab apple tartness and Brettanoyces sourness amp up the perception of dryness.

Flavors and drinking experience: oaky, lemon, bready, tart and astringent

The Afton Field tastes much fruitier than it smelled. To taste it, I got waves of lemon, ripe apple, and sourdough yeastiness. It’s a zesty astringent cider with acid going sky high. It’s very true to a sour farmhouse style. I had this with colleagues and fun snacks; it worked that way. 

Now for the James Creek Cider House Harvest Moon!

I’ve not reviewed anything by James Creek before, but I had the pleasure of meeting folks from there at CiderCon 2018. From North Carolina, James Creek Ciderhouse makes ciders from local farms from 125 miles or fewer of the home base. James Creek put in an on site orchard in 2009 with over 65 different apple varieties. I was given a bottle of the James Creek Harvest Moon Dry Cider back in 2018, so this review is long overdue.

Visit this Ciderhouse’s website https://jamescreekciderhouse.com/

Appearance: marigold yellow, very bubbly,  brilliant

Gushingly bubbly, I can see explosive sparkle action once I pour this cider. I’ll call the color marigold yellow. 

Aromas: Apple skins, apple pastry, mouth watering

The Harvest Moon smells like apple skins and apple pastry. Ooh this lush aroma makes my mouth water. Yeast smells can very so much, so when I get one that hits fruity and fresh like this, I get excited.

Dryness/sweetness: Dry

This cider tastes dry as promised, but there’s a lot more going on there. 

Flavors and drinking experience: overripe apples, tangerine, tea, floral finish

I love how the Harvest Moon tastes likes overripe apples, tangerines, and tea. This cider brings lots of acid to the drinking experience. The Harvest Moon is refreshing and approachable with a  light body and plenty of fizz. I especially like the crab apple sharpness to the acid. The cider winds down gently with long floral finish.

I had this cider with a meal of chili lime sweet potato fries, brown bread topped with butter and radishes and some excellent Field Roast sausages. It was followed by game of Scrabble; sadly, I didn’t win. But the cider and the evening were both fantastic.

Perry Reviews: Haykin Family Cider's Harrow Pear and Le Pere Jules Poiré de Normandie

I know we just completed Very Perry May, but I had the unexpected good fortune to run into two deeply enjoyable perries in the last couple of weeks. I didn’t want to save these notes almost another year until May comes around again. So, I’m indulging myself with a double perry review. Perhaps I’m not the only one who can’t resist a special perry. And I love bringing two new producers into the blog in the same week!

I want to start with a perry I brought home from GLINTCAP. I got to share a meal with Talia and Daniel Haykin and run into them a few times in those busy days. This cidery and tasting room operates in Aurora, Colorado. We found our a few weeks later that Haykin Family Cider’s  Harrow Pear earned a Bronze in the Modern Perry category.

What I didn’t yet know when we met is that the Haykins and I share a love of bubbles! I was chuffed to see a more prominent mention of the importance of sparkle in their beverages. That’s not the only way I like my cider or perry, but I do love the fizzy ones!

Learn about all the fun stuff going on at Haykin Family Cider online: https://www.haykinfamilycider.com

Here’s the official description, “Harrow Pears are a Canadian variety that produce a lot of tannin when grown in Colorado. It ferments into a rich perry, with a lush and juice aroma, like a virtual bite of a ripe and melting pear on a warm day, like pear drop candy, lime and tonic water, offset by clay and minerality. Pears grown at Ela Family Farms.6.7% ABV”

Appearance: bubbly, warm straw color, brilliant 

Pours with a massive head, but the foam doesn’t stick around. Even so, it’s obvious how bubbly this cider is when you take a peek. It’s almost too bubbly to see that it’s brilliant, but I could tell after waiting a bit. The color is a warm straw.

Aromas: citrus, yogurt, stony, spicy

This perry smells exciting and dynamic. I can detect aroma notes including: yogurt, citrus, sharpness, and stones. The whole impression I get from this perry is a fun interplay of spicy, nutty ( particularly macadamia), and fruity.

Sweetness/Dryness: Sweet

This is a lovely sweet cider. The specific style of sweetness is burnt sugar, vanilla, and pear

Flavors and drinking experience: super bubbly, tart yet sweet, vanilla, tannic finish

The Harrow Pear tastes quite sweet with a soft vasilla first note, but that’s followed by plenty of tartness. The perry is just loaded with oodles and oodles of flavor!  I get some neat nutty/yogurty acids at the start and at last fascinating tannins coming only at the finish. As I hoped, the Harrow Pear is extremely bubbly.

After a few sips, I notice bits of burnt sugar blending with the spiciness. Drinking this perry is exceedingly interesting; it’s complex, thoughtful, and highly drinkable. My co-taster noticed that big sips are nice; just a little note of bitterness—this correlates with the dust and stony scents. What a charming perry; I’m so glad I got to try it!

And my other perry of the week is Le Pere Jules Poiré de Normandie Brut.

My introduction to perry included perries from Normandy right away; they have a reputation for reaching the apex of what’s deliciously possible for pears.

Le Pere Jules makes not only perry, but also cider and Calvados (apple brandy) and started doing so in 1919. It is still a family business, founded by Jules Desfrièches, now in its third generation with Thierry Desfrièches.

See the website in French or English here and learn more about Le Pere Jules: http://www.calvados-leperejules.com/

Here’s Poiré de Normandie’s Official description 

Our “Poiré”, or Pear Cider, is produced from three varieties of pears that come from multi centennial orchards.  It is known it’s the fresh and refined taste.  As with the cider, our Poiré is lightly filtered and  bottled to develop its fine natural gas.  It is excellent to drink with any sea food. 4%ABV”

Appearance: hazy, lemon curd, bubbly

This perry reminds me of homemade lemon curd in color. It’s hazy gentle gold just makes me think of citrus and cream. 

Aromas: farmyard, mineral, citrus

This perry’s aromas certainly remind me more of French and English perries than most American ones I’ve tastes. There’s some farmyard, citrus, and stony mineral smells going on (tiny hint of volatile acidity), but I expect it might taste fairly different from how it smells. 

Sweetness/dryness: off dry

This Brut Perry tastes off dry to semi-dry and very natural in its suggestions of sweetness. There’s far more to the whole experience than its level of sweetness.

Flavors and drinking experience: Bubbly, tart, pear skins

I love this perry’s beautiful bubbly texture. I was wowed by it immediately! There’s a high level of sharp and fruity tartness that wakes up the entire mouth. The Poiré de Normandie tastes minerally but somehow stays so fresh, floral, and fruity And I simply adore how the finish is warm pear skins. Perries sometimes do this magical thing where they allow me to taste what seems like the texture of a ripe yet firm pear. This perry allows me exactly that! 

Her Father's Cider Bar and 3 Windswept Orchard Ciders: Ida Red, Crimson Crisp and Golden Russet

I spent Memorial Day weekend in Toronto celebrating a birthday; This meant three amazing days, eating, walking, gawping at fish in the aquarium, and generally exploring this cool new city. No exploration is complete without checking out a new cider scene, and I was stoked to see what Toronto has to offer cider-wise. 

After a shockingly intense thunderstorm, we headed off to Her Father’s Cider Bar for dinner and cider. I’d heard about this particular spot for more than a year. When we arrived, I was instantly charmed by seeing how the world-class cider selection is stored and displayed. Looking at the menu only increased my excitement. The cider menu didn’t fit in a paragraph, or a column, or even a page. It was a book and a chalkboard. I knew we’d come to the best place in all of Toronto, and that was before we tried the chickpea fries!

You can see some lovely photos and check out the extensive menus online: https://www.herfathers.ca

I love how the ciders are divided into styles in the menu of bottled and canned ciders. That gives the drinker enough information to really hone in on a style they like and still try something unfamiliar. Plus the flags make identifying cidery location very simple too. Check out this cider by the glass page. It's positively swoon-worthy.

My cider co-pilot Woody had an adventurous flight of ciders with different additives and fermentation technique experiments, and I tried the Single Varietal Flight from Windswept Orchards. I love apple blends, but I am always curious to try a single varietal from an apple I've not tasted singly before and this flight had two: Ida Red and Crimson Crisp. And the one apple I did know from other single varietals is the Golden Russet which has contributed some fantastic ciders.

Windswept Orchard Ciders is a relatively young Ontario cidery: started in 2016. From what I read on the website; Windswept uses foraged fruits from abandoned orchards and has invested in the future with a young orchard on the farm.

Visit the cidery website to learn more and to peek at all the gorgeous labels: https://windsweptcider.com/

Ida Red

Here’s Windswept Orchard Cider’s official description:

Ida Red apples are known for their sweet aromas and zippy tart finish. Light, crisp and delicate, great on it's own as an aperitif. Crafted with 100% Ida Red apples from a single orchard overlooking the shores of Georgian Bay near Thornbury, Ontario. Bottle conditioned, contains lees. 7.4% 500ml 101 cases produced.

I found the Ida Red a bubbly dry, delicate cider. I loved it’s pear-apple aromas and clean fermentation. It brough an airy  light body and lots of bubbles to the experience. This is definitely one I’d like to seek out again. 

Next up was the Crimson Crisp: a GLINTCAP Silver Medalist

Here’s the official description for Crimson Crisp: 

A modern varietal with heirloom appeal, Crimson Crisp apples are rich, tart and full of flavour. Lush, vinous and textural. Crafted with 100% Crimson Crisp apples sourced from a single orchard and grown on the slope of the Niagara escarpment on Georgian Bay. Bottle conditioned, contains lees. 7.4% ABV 500ml 101 cases produced.

For me the Crimson Crisp smelled just like homemade apple sauce; it reminded me of ciders with a lot of Northern Spy. I like the super vivid apple aromas that make me think of the texture of ripe apples as much as the taste. When drinking, I found this cider a bit more yeasty and fermented. Something about it connoted cold though it’s serving temperature was the same as its compatriots.

I want to finish up with the Golden Russet, starting with its official description:

Rich, lively honey apple finish. Coveted amongst cidermakers, Golden Russet apples are known for their perfect balance of sweetness, acidity and tannin. Crafted from 100% Golden Russet apples grown in a single orchard overlooking the shores of Georgian Bay near Meaford, Ontario. Bottle conditioned, contains lees. 7.4% ABV 500ml 155 cases produced

Oh boy! This cider smells mature and farmy! The Golden Russet is the funky one of the flight! It was smart to put it last on the list, as it’s a build up to this wild and barny cider. The aromas remind me not only of barn wood but also a dry sherry. The tastes are very different from the cider’s smells. The Golden Russet tastes like pear and like a soft overripe apple. I love this one.

The food was absolutely as good as the cider, and I wouldn't trade the whole experience for anything. Toronto was a great place to visit and a fun place for cider. 

Very Perry May with Windfall Orchards Perry and Champlain Orchards Cranberry Cider + GLINTCAP Results

How can it feel like summer so soon after cold nights and chilly mornings? We worried about apple blossoms so recently that it scarcely feels real to be mowing, weeding, and grilling already. This is the magic of May. Today marks my last official entry into 2019’s Very Perry May (though I do have a couple more interesting perries up my sleeve that I’ll be reviewing soon).

I was able to get a bottle from a very small run of perry from Windfall Orchards over the winter, so I’ve been waiting on break this open. This past week, I had the perfect opportunity when doing pescatarian hot pot with some dear friends.

Cornwall, Vermont is the home of Windfall Orchards.I’m not finding out a lot about this small cidery online, save that the company has been making cider, perry, and ice cider since 2009. Windfall Orachards grows a large number of apple and other fruit varieties on a small Vermont farm.

Visit the website to learn about the products Windfall Orchards makes: https://windfallorchardvt.com

The run was small, but the labelling makes clear that the perry is 9% ABV. Elsewhere online, I was able to see that the Farm House Perry uses 12 types of pear to create this perry.

Appearance: hazy, bubbly, warm straw

Like many American perries, the Farmhouse Perry has a mild warm straw color and just a hint of haze. I could see lots of bubbles in the glass when it was poured.

Aromas: pear flesh, dust, hay, flowers, salt
 
Windfall Orchards’ Farmhouse perry smells enticing and delicate at once. I get notes of pear flesh, dust, hay, Daffodils, and salt. I cannot quote predict what this perry will taste like based on such a range of aromas, and that’s exciting to me!

Sweetness/dryness: off dry

The Farmhouse Perry tastes off dry but only just. The sweetness that’s there is very directly like pear.

Flavors and drinking experience: burstingly bubbly, green tea, fresh pear, grippy

Oh wow! This is such a delightful perry. It’s bubbles are so plentiful and active that it splashes into your face when you are sniffing it. I love that this perry reminds me of delicate herbal notes like green tea and lemongrass while also tasting like fresh pears and a bit of squash.

This off dry Perry is high acid with medium tannins and a tiny bit of funk. I relish it’s delightful big fruit flavors. It’s most rewarding in large sips that show off it’s good grippy toothsome texture and fruity finish. This is a complete delight! I loved having this with hot pot too!

Champlain Orchards Cranberry  Cider

I want to stay with Vermont beverages this week and share my experience with Champlain Cranberry Semi-Dry. I’ve tasted a few ciders by Champlain Orchard but not nearly as many as I’d like based on how much I’ve enjoyed those I’ve tried. 

I reviewed (and loved) the Heirloom (it made it to my #5 favorite cider that year): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/09/cider-review-champlain-orchards-cidery.html

I included Champlain Orchard’s Single-Varietal Honeycrisp Ice Cider Library Edition in a pairing dinner last year with dessert: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-dear-friend-el-just-had-birthday.html

My first encounter with Champlain Orchards was when I visited on the 2nd day of my Vermont cider trip: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-great-vermont-cider-tour-day-2.html

I recommend Champlain Cidery’s website to learn  more about all the different ciders Champlain Orchards makes: http://www.champlainorchardscidery.com

Champlain keeps the official description short and sweet, "Delicious and refreshing, our Apple Cranberry Hard Cider balances the sweetness of apples with the tartness of Vermont cranberries. ABV 5.6%"

Appearance: brilliant, true ruby, no visible bubbles

I love the look of many fruit ciders, and the Cranberry Semi-Dry is no exception. It’s too pretty to be sold in a can! I’d call the color true ruby and it appears brilliant.

Aromas: dusty, cranberries, almonds

Oooh! I can smell that dusty, mineral aroma that I find on lots of tannic ciders. This one also smells very directly of cranberries. The last note I get reminds me of granola with almonds.

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry
This semi-dry cider needs both the dry and sweet elements to keep it well rounded and balanced. I’ll explain more below. 

Flavors and drinking experience: tart, astringent, good body, balanced

The Cranberry Semi-Dry tastes almost alarmingly tart, but because it’s semi-dry, the overall experience balanced out into pleasant tartness, sweetness, fruit, and astringence.  I apprecaite the heft to this cider’s body, the clean fermentation and the tannins from the cranberry. The whole drinking experience feels admirably balanced and hangs together nicely. 

I had the Cranberry Semi-Dry with black bean burritos and found it delightfully refreshing.  The cider has medium-rich mouthfeel and a good strong sparkle. I appreciate that it has just the right amount of sweetness—not so much that it loses interest.

This lovely cranberry cider also tastes more appealing when poured into a glass.  The cranberry in the can, without being aerated, tastes a bit more like juice. I know canning is totally practical, but when you can pour your cider into a class to access all of it’s delicious aromas!

And for those who have been following GLINTCAP, the full medal results are up! Check them out here: https://glintcap.org/

Very Perry May with Vandermill's Ice Ice Perry, Black Diamond's Somerset Jersey & GLINTCAP Best in Class

I write on a nearly quiet evening after a full and busy few days in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’ve been here to judge at GLINTCAP, take my CCP Level 2 exam, and I ended up volunteering with for the Great Lakes International Cider Festival as a fun bonus. It’s been a whirlwind of training, judging,and  getting to see cider friends from all over the country. But I knew it would be a chance for me to find new treats to continue Very Perry May.

That’s how I was able to sample Vandermill’s Ice Ice Perry at the Great Lakes International Cider Festival.

Vandermill is key to GLINTCAP and the Michigan Cider Alliance. The company started as a cider mill just over 10 years ago in Grand Rapids in 2006. Now, Vandermill Cider sells cider in seven states and operates two taprooms open to the public: Grand Rapids and Spring Lake. And that’s not even scratching the surface of all that this cider has going on!

Visit the website to learn more here: http://vandermill.com/.

I’ve reviewed one Vandermill Cider before, the Totally Roasted: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/07/cider-review-vander-mills-totally.html

The company also features in my CiderCon coverage from 2017: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/02/cider-con-2017-part-1-industry-growing.html

I wasn’t able to find an official description of the Ice Ice Perry online, but I found some notes and I got some info when the perry was poured today. The Ice Ice Perry uses Bartlett pears and gets blended with 9% heritage apple ice cider. At some point some or all of the perry or cider spends time in barrels. 6.33% ABV.

Appearance: butterscotch, hazy, bubbly

The cider’s color reminds me of butterscotch. It’s hazy and when poured from draft, visibly bubbly.

Aromas: acidity, citrus, vanilla, cooked apples

This is a complex set of smells! This perry smells like citrus, vanilla, and cooked apples. But that’s not all that’s going on. I also detect a hint of wild tart tanginess. I can definitely tell that this spent some time in a barrel!

Dryness/sweetness: Semi-dry

This comes out feeling semi-dry, but based on other characteristics, I wonder if it doesn’t have more residual sugar than it tastes like.
Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, low tannins, lots of barrel

While the methods used to reach this effect were anything but traditional, this perry actually reminds me of a few of the English perries I’ve enjoyed over the years. It’s soft, a little sweet, fairly tart, a little tannic, and quite funky.

The barrel aging I could detect in the aromas remains present in the flavors in that it tastes like vanilla and oak. It also has such pleasant soft rounded fruit character at the same time as it’s bright and zesty acidity. There’s a lot going on here!

Black Diamond's Somerset Jersey

You’ll have to read through to the end to see exactly why I’m sharing my notes on the Somerset Jersey by Black Diamond this week, but I’m always happy to review any cider by Black Diamond. This rural orchard-based cidery has been part of my cider landscape since it officially opened in 2014, not long after I moved to the Finger Lakes regions. The cidery and orchard are run by Ian and Jackie Merwin, two long-time contributors to the cider world. For more background information on the cidery, check out some of my earlier reviews of Black Diamond Ciders.

You can also learn more by visiting Black Diamond Cider online: https://www.blackdiamondcider.com

Earlier this spring (when it still felt like winter) I enjoyed the Geneva Tremlett’s: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/03/cider-review-black-diamonds-geneva.html

I reviewed the Slatestone last year:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/11/cider-reviews-big-hill-ciderworks.html

I have reviewed a few Black Diamond ciders previously. 

The Solstice cider was my second favorite cider in 2017. It’s still one of the most delightful still ciders I’ve ever encountered:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/08/cider-review-black-diamonds-solstice.html

The Hickster was my third favorite cider in 2016:
http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/12/cider-review-black-diamond-ciders.html

Black Diamond’s award-winning Porter’s Pommeau made an appearance at the 2017 Locavore pairing dinner in 2017:
https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2017/09/finger-lakes-cider-week-and-birthday.html

My first Black Diamond review is the Rabblerouser: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2015/09/cider-review-black-diamonds.html

Somerset Jersey’s label description is pleasingly complete.

Black Diamond Farm is a family-owned cidery in Seneca County, New York-the heart of the Iroquois People’s ‘Land Between the Lakes.’ Our Ciders are handcrafted from home-grown fruit, using traditional methods that express the fertile soils and unique climate of our lakes region. Somerset Jersey cider is a small-batch varietal blend of heritage apples, dominated by the English bittersweet called Harry Master’s Jersey, a scion of the ‘Somerset Jersey’ clan of apples that originated in southwest England during the late 1800s. This cider is semi-dry, with notes of vanilla and passionfruit, light acidity, and soft tannins that create its long astringent finish. Best when served slightly chilled. ABV 7.7%.

Appearance: hazy, bubbly, apricot

Somerset Jersey looks like the glowing color of dried apricots. The cider is hazy and bubbly. 

Aromas: ripe apples, vanilla buttercream, tropical fruit

This is what keeps me coming back to Black Diamond ciders so eagerly. These folks know how to bring out strong and pleasing aromas in a cider! This one smells like ripe tart apples and vanilla buttercream. I also get plenty of tropical fruit notes. It makes my mouth water. 

Sweetness/dryness: Semi-dry-to-semi-sweet

This feels just a hint dryer than a semi-sweet and almost too sweet to be a semi-dry. It’s a delicate spot with only very natural fruit sweetness coming through. 

Flavors and drinking experience: Citrus, minerality, tropical fruit, and astringence

This is so lovely! The Somerset Jersey tastes astringent and fruity at the same time. It has lots of minerality and citrus, plus a showering of tropical fruit. I often enjoy ciders that are high acid and high tannin; this fits that profile exceptionally well.

I love the Somerset Jersey’s rich mouthfeel and strong bubbles. Everything going on from first sip to lingering finish works together and works beautifully. I love it, and I’m not the only one. Keep reading to see who else does...

And, saving some excitement for the end of this week’s post, I want to share a link to GLINTCAP’s Best in Glass results!


https://glintcap.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GLINTCAP_2019_Best_in_Class.pdf

Very Perry May with Left Foot Charley's Perry and Stoic Cider's The First Batch

Welcome back to Very Perry May, Cider Lovers! It’s a fabulously cider and perry filled week for me. I’m travelling today to the Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (https://glintcap.org/), my Pommelier exam (https://ciderassociation.org/certification/), and Grand Rapids Cider week(https://www.experiencegr.com/cider-week/). If you’ll be at any of these great events, please come say hi! 

Starting with the Perry from Left Foot Charley today. This Traverse City Winery and Cidery  was founded in 2004. Now it’s an urban winery and cidery that purchases fruit and juice from a number of Northern Michigan fruit growers. 

I previously reviewed Henry’s Pippin (and it was made my top 10 for 2016: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/12/cider-review-left-foot-charleys-henrys.html

You can visit the Left Foot Charley website to learn more about the wines and ciders: http://www.leftfootcharley.com

Here’s the description from the bottle for this perry, “Perry is hard cider made exclusively from fermented pear juice. We harvested Bartlett pears from Northern Michigan and fermented the juice in small steel barrels for 10 months. After this rest, we bottled the perry with a slight bubble. It’s fresh pear aromas and aged yeast tones add complexity to this dry perry. Only 800 botttles were produced.” ABV 6%

Appearance: brilliant, no visible bubble, pale green glow

This perry has a nearly green pale glow in it’s still brilliance. It looks more like a white wine than many of the ciders and perries 

Aromas: tropical fruit, citrus, ginger, flowers

I smell concentrated fruitness from this perry like something tropical, I also get ginger and citrus. It includes floral and wild notes but it’s also just a little bit creamy.

Sweetness/dryness: off dry

The off-dry sweetness level doesn’t really communicate even the tip of the iceberg for this perry.

Flavors and drinking experience: intense acid, phenols,

There are some aggressive phenols in the flavor that weren’t hinted at in the aroma. This perry has twisty funky dance moves to show off. I scarcely know what to say because I was so surprised at the jolt from this perry’s aromas to it’s flavors. I enjoy the rich mouthfeel. It has a little bit of tannin and spice that grows on me as I sip it more. I like the notes of tea and lemongrass. I had this after dinner while sitting down to be cozy with cats, and that was very pleasant indeed.

Stoic Cider The First Batch

And I’m thrilled to finally share my thoughts on the first Stoic cider I’ve tried. This company makes cider in Prescott, Arizona. Over the last few years, I’ve gotten to know the cidery owners at cider events around the country, and I’ve watched their progress with great curiousity. And now I’m so glad to finally review The First Batch. 

Visit the company online: http://stoiccider.com/

Here’s the official description, “The first release of Stoic Cider! Artfully crafted from a blend of heritage apples in a small batch. A slow cold fermentation preserves the fruit-forward character. The cider matures to develop balance and complexity, yielding a delicate and rustic charisma. Shockingly drinkable. Created and bottled by hand, this rich golden cider is nearly dry and perfectly light and crisp. Pairs well with good friends and good food. Enjoy!” ABV of 6.5%

Appearance: butternut squash, transparent, few visible bubbles

This looks like a very tannic cider based on its deep squash color, but we’ll see how it tastes. It’s transparent with a small number of visible bubbles

Aromas:hay, lots of apple, oak, pollen 

Ooh this cider smells like so many things! I enjoy how the First Batch brings lots of apple, hay, oak and pollen to the forefront. It really melds some funky farmy notes with fruity ones. There are other scents in the background like caramel and dust.

Sweetness/dryness: semi-dry

This cider falls on the dry side of semi-dry for sure. 

Flavors and drinking experience: high acid, tropical fruit notes, banana

Wowzas! This cider is almost off the charts with it’s high acid. The First Batch offers up all sorts of nice tropical fruit and some fun zingy mouthfeel. It’s light and just a little bubbly. I get some banana notes as well. I had this cider with a porch picnic and it was an excellent accompaniment to sweet potato hummus, sharp cheddar, bell peppers, cashews, grapes and strawberries.