Tasting notes from my 19th visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA.  Check out my past posts with tasting notes here.

<can’t beat 32 cider taps!>

I was there on a Monday for 2 Towns’ re-release of Made Marion (this time in cans) and the re-release of their Cot in the Act cider (this time as a Fruit Seasonal).

I enjoyed a flight of four ciders, then samples of Cot in the Act and Made Marion.

<left to right: Incline Lemongrass & Hops, Locust Berry Session, Dragon/s Head Columbia Crab, and Etienne  Dupont Apéritif>

Incline (Auburn WA) Lemongrass Lure (6.5% ABV): This is a draft-only limited release cider with Citra hops and lemongrass.  Smells of lemongrass, citrus, and herbs.  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Light bodied with a nice frothy texture.  Low tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk.  Notes of lemon, grapefruit, herbs, and only a hint of hops.  Low apple flavor.  High sessionability.  Low to moderate complexity.  Moderate flavor intensity.  I enjoyed it; I think it had just the right amount of hops–not overpowering (the flavor was primarily lemongrass).

Locust Cider (Woodinville WA) Berry Session (4.0% ABV): This is a draft-only sessionable berry cider.  Smells of blackberries and strawberries.  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Light to medium bodied.  Low to moderate tartness and acidity.  Hints of bitterness and tannins.  No sourness or funk.  The flavor is just berry, mostly blackberry with some strawberry.  High sessionability.  Low apple flavor.  Moderate flavor intensity.  Low complexity.  I’m usually not a huge fan of berry ciders as I find them overly simple, but I thought it was pretty good.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon WA) Columbia Crab (6.0% ABV): This is a new draft & bottled cider made from crabapples.  Smells of sharp crabapples, honey, and lemon.  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Light bodied.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  Hints of bitterness and tannins.  No sourness or funk.  Light flavor, not as sharp as most crabapple ciders.  notes of crabapples, honey, lemon, and white blossoms.  Moderate apple flavor.  Moderate sessionability.  Moderate complexity.  Low to moderate flavor intensity.  This is much sweeter than the other ciders I’ve tried from them, which was surprising, but I’m guessing it may have been perceived.  I enjoyed it.

Etienne Dupont (Pays d’Auge France) Aperitif / Pomme / Pommeau (17% ABV): This is a special release of Pommeau (cider mixed with apple brandy).  It is Cidre Bouche from bittersweet apples, aged in a Calvados barrel, with 1998 reserve Calvados mixed back in.  Smells boozy, like Pommeau, rich, and of caramel.  Semi-sweet to sweet (although apparently it is very low residual sugar so it may just perceive sweeter).  Still.  Medium to full bodied.  Mild tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Mild tannins.  Hints of bitterness.  No sourness or funk (which was surprising considering the base Cidre Bouche definitely had that going on).  Notes of rich bittersweet apples, caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla.  No sessionability.  Moderate to high apple flavor.  Moderate complexity.  High flavor intensity.  Amazing!

<2 Towns Cot in the Act>

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Cot in the Act (6.0% ABV): Although this unfiltered apricot cider has been out for a few years, it is being newly released as a Fruit Seasonal, in both bottles and kegs.  Smells mild and fruity.  Semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  Hint of bitterness.  No sourness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of apricot and peach.  Low apple flavor.  Moderate to high sessionability.  Low complexity.  Low flavor intensity.

<2 Towns Made Marion>

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Made Marion (6.0% ABV): Smells strongly of blackberries.  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Medium bodied.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  The flavor is primarily blackberry, with hints of blueberry.  Low apple flavor.  High sessionability.  Low complexity.  Low flavor intensity.

The Etienne Dupont Pommeau was my favorite; I wish bottles were available of it locally.  I thought it was worth the $5 for 2oz!  Its probably my favorite Pommeau so far, although I also enjoy the 2 Towns and Finnriver varieties.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says!  Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?