Review of Angry Orchard’s newest Ciderhouse Collection selection, Walden Hollow, named for their cidery headquarters and orchard in Walden New York.  It is made exclusively from apples grown in New York state, including some from Angry Orchard’s own 60 acre orchard.  I’ve previously tried a number of ciders from them; see here.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Angry Orchard.  Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free.  The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue.  I love free stuff, especially cider!  Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here?  Contact me.<<

Cider:  Walden Hollow
Cidery:  Angry Orchard
Cidery Location:  Cincinnati OH
ABV:  8.0%
How Supplied:  750ml corked bottles
Style:  American commercial cider made from New York state dessert & heirloom apple varieties, wild yeast fermentation

 

Availability:  year round, wide release, limited availability, with plans to release a new batch each Spring

Cider Description:  Walden Hollow is an annual vintage cider made with our cider maker’s choice of heirloom New York state apples varieties, including apples from the Angry Orchard in Walden, NY. The 2016 edition is a mildly tannic, off dry cider with intense apple aroma and notes of butterscotch and almond. The cider makers wanted to capture the essence of wild fermentation, but without the funkiness or sour qualities sometimes associated with the process.

With Walden Hollow, Angry Orchard’s cider makers fermented the cider with wild yeast to evoke earthy, farmhouse qualities that complement the cider’s clean finish.  This cider has a bright aroma of fresh peeled apple skins, a rich full body, medium sweetness in taste with tartness characteristic of New York State.

Their Ciderhouse Collection also includes Iceman, The Muse, and Strawman.

Apple Varieties: Rome, Jonathan, Macintosh, Rhode Island Greening, Golden Russet, Newtown Pippin, and Northern Spy

Interestingly enough the press release they sent only mentioned the heirloom apple varieties (“apple varieties include…”), but their website also listed the dessert apple varieties.

Price:  n/a (retails for $14.99-$17.99)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

First Impression:  Bright medium straw yellow.  Still (no carbonation).  Smells sour, of citrus, honey, and floral.

Tasting Notes:  Dry to semi-dry.  Light to medium bodied.  Mild sourness, funk, bitterness, and tannins.  Moderate to high tartness and acidity.  Mouth-puckering sourness and tartness, but the sourness is only at the front of the palate, not the back like a true sour cider (farmhouse-style or Sidra).  Notes of lemon, grapefruit, honey, vinegar, hay, floral, and mineral.  Moderate length finish.  Low to moderate apple flavor.  Low sessionability.

My Opinion:  I don’t really appreciate this style of cider (sourness and funk isn’t my cup of tea), but those who like this style will probably enjoy it.

Most Similar to:  This seems to be a less intense (less sour) version of traditional farmhouse-style cider (like from Millstone Cellars) or Spanish Sidra.

Closing Notes:   I’m glad I got to try this cider.  Angry Orchard really branched out with it…I’m curious how it will be received by their typical customers.

Have you tried Angry Orchard Walden Hollow?  What did you think?