Review of Number 12 Ciderhouse’s Sparkling Dry, their flagship cider.  I previously tried their Chestnut Semi-Dry.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Number 12.  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:  Sparkling Dry
Cidery:  Number 12 Ciderhouse
Cidery Location:  Buffalo, Minnesota
ABV:  7.4%
How Supplied:  750ml bottles
Style:  American craft cider from Minnesota apples, fermented dry, sparkling

 

Availability:  Number 12 ciders are sold in these locations in Minnesota.

Cider Description:  Number 12 Sparkling Dry is a truly dry, English style cider with a slightly tart finish. It has just the right amount of dry and tart, with an appley bouquet and a champagne-like sparkle. It is blended with 10 varieties of local apples, picked and pressed and fermented to goodness. Sparkling Dry is the culmination of 17 years of experimentation and we’re ready to share!

Cidery Description:  Balance is everything . . . In life, and in great ciders.  Number 12 is no different.  We are continuously experimenting to achieve a perfect balance.  Number 12 gets its namesake from the 12th recipe developed in 2011.  It became our first award winner and the beginning of our recognition from the cider community.  Since then, it has become more of a concept, our ideal if you will.  Number 12 represents the idea that greatness in cider is out there somewhere . . . To strive for, to create, to perfect!

They have a tap room in Buffalo Minnesota.

Price:  n/a (retails for $13)
Where Bought:  n/a
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  n/a

First Impression:  Dark straw yellow hue.  Moderate carbonation with some foam.  Smells mild, of citrus with hints of sourness and funk.

Tasting Notes:  Fully dry.  Light bodied.  Moderate tartness.  Very high acid.  Moderate astringency.  Mild tannins, bitterness, funk, and sourness.  Notes of lemon, grapefruit, mineral, green apple, pineapple, white blossom, and crabapples.  Sharp mouth-puckering flavor.  Moderate length finish.  Low apple flavor.  Low sessionability.  Moderate flavor intensity.  Moderate complexity.

My Opinion: Well-made, but its not really a style I enjoy.  It reminds me of farmhouse-style cider, with its high acidity and some sourness & funk.  Sparkling Dry is similar to their Chestnut Semi-Dry, but drier, higher acidity, more fruity, and without oak.  I didn’t really pick up on the English-style mentioned in the description (which makes me think of tannins and rich cider apple flavor).

Most Similar to:  Other farmhouse-style dry acid-forward ciders such as Millstone Farmgate Dry, Sietsema Traditional Dry, and Angry Orchard Walden Hollow.

Closing Notes:   I’m glad I got to try this one.  Next up I have their Black Currant Dry.

Have you tried Number 12 Ciders?  What did you think?