Review of Slopeswell Cider Mystrale.  It is my first time trying anything from this cidery.

Cider:  Mystrale
Cidery:  Slopeswell Cider
Cidery Location:  Hood River, Oregon
ABV:  6.9%
How Supplied:  750ml bottles (capped but foil wrapped)
Style:  American craft cider from dessert apples, dry, wild yeast fermented

 

Availability:  Only in parts of Oregon (at least Hood River and Portland)

Cider Description:  Dry, French champagne style, methode ancestrale (spontaneous fermentation with wild yeast), from dessert apples

Cidery Description:  See here for a nice article.  They started in 2015 and have a tap room in Hood River.

Price:  ~ $16
Where Bought:  Bushwhacker Cider in Portland Oregon
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing, when I was in Portland for Cider Rite of Spring (I hadn’t previously heard of this cidery)

First Impression:  Medium straw yellow hue.  Very low carbonation.  Smells very mild, of citrus and yeast.

Tasting Notes:  Dry.  Light bodied.  Low to moderate tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Low sourness, bitterness, and funk.  No tannins.  Notes of lemon, mineral, straw, and yeast.  Moderate length finish.  Low apple flavor, complexity, and flavor intensity.  Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion:  This wasn’t for me, due to the sourness.  Plus I prefer more flavor and a bit more sweetness.  However, my husband enjoyed it.  I bought this at the same time as a number of other bottles, and didn’t have any information on it.

Most Similar to:  A cross between white wine and Spanish Sidra

Closing Notes:  If I had more information on this cider prior to purchase I probably wouldn’t have purchased it.  However, its always fun to try new ciders, as although sometimes there is disappointment, often it results in the opposite!  Everyone won’t like every cider.  I’d recommend this to folks who like dry wine-like food-friendly ciders and who don’t mind a bit of sourness & funk.

Have you tried Slopeswell Cider Mystrale?  What did you think?