Review of Wandering Aengus Golden Russet, a single varietal cider from Salem Oregon.  I’ve previously tried their Bloom, Wickson, Oaked Dry, Wanderlust, and Byrd (tap only) ciders.  Wandering Aengus also makes Anthem cider, sold in four packs.

Cider:  Golden Russet
Cidery:  Wandering Aengus Ciderworks
Cidery Location:  Salem OR
ABV:  9.0%
How Supplied:  500ml bottles (and limited quantity of kegs)
Style:  Single varietal craft cider made from Golden Russet apples

  

Availability:  CA, CO, ID, IL, IN, MI, MT, NM, NJ, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, and WA D.C. per this list on their website.

Cider Description:  Made from Golden Russet apples grown organically in Ashland Oregon.  Described as having “rich honey aromas”.  Suggested pairings of roasted duck or aged fontina cheese.  1,200 cases of 12 bottles and 60 kegs bottled Match 2015 from the 2014 harvest.

Cidery Description:  At Wandering Aengus Ciderworks we press and blend over 20 cider apple varietals to craft our ciders. Our cider specific apples originate from France, England, and pre-prohibition America, but are grown now in Oregon. These heirloom varieties are essential for the depth of flavor, excellent body, and delightnful aromatics of our distinctive ciders. All our ciders are always GLUTEN FREE.

They have a tasting room in Salem Oregon open Fridays 4-8pm.

Price:  $8.99
Where Bought:  Whole Foods
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  The Hard Cider Appreciation Society group on Facebook had a couple members mention they really enjoyed this cider.  I haven’t been a huge fan of any Wandering Aengus cider, but wanted to give this one a try.

First Impression:  Light golden bronze amber.  Very low carbonation, large bubbles.  Smells like acidic & tannic apples, honey, yeast, and caramel.

Tasting Notes:  On the drier side of semi-dry.  Moderate acidity and tartness.  Low bitterness and tannins.  A hint of sourness.  No funk.  Caramel and honey notes.  Medium bodied.  Slightly creamy buttery type texture.  Moderate length finish.  Low apple flavor.  Low sessionability.

My Opinion:  I found this a bit less bitter than most of the other Wandering Aengus ciders I’ve tried.  The tartness seemed to overpower the flavor a bit, but I liked the caramel and honey notes.

Most Similar to:  Wandering Aengus Oaked Dry and Wanderlust.

Closing Notes:   This was nice to try, but not my type of cider.  I think with a bit less tartness and bitterness I would have enjoyed it though, as the flavor notes were really nice.  I imagine I may have liked it better too if I had appropriately paired it, but I ended up drinking most of the bottle before dinner.

Have you tried Wandering Aengus ciders?  What did you think?