Review of Frecon Farms Scrumpy cider, part of their Estate line.  This is my first time trying anything from this cidery.  I picked up this Pennsylvanian cider when I was in California.  Note that “Scrumpy” is a term used traditionally in English cider to describe a “rough” cider from unselected apple varieties, and to “scrump” means to steal fruit from an orchard.

Cider:  Scrumpy
Cidery:  Frecon Farms
Cidery Location:  Boyertown PA
ABV:  7.8%
How Supplied:  750ml flip top bottle
Style:  American craft cider from dessert, heirloom, cider, & crab apple varieties, wild yeast fermented, barrel aged

  

Availability:  limited, at least partially through Shelton Brothers, plus some online sales (although they have a cider finder, I only saw Philadelphia PA location on it)

Cider Description:  True to it’s west country heritage, this batch of Scrumpy features a diverse blend of unselected cider apples from England and the US. Barrel aged, this traditional english dry style has a nice coated mouth feel with a smooth but strong finish. The apples in this blend are Dolgo Crab, Gold Rush, Kingston Black, Ashmeads Kernel, Yarlington Mill, Wickson Crab, Roxbury Russet, Winesap, Northern Spy, Golden Russet, and Golden Delicious!  Grown and Harvested in 2016 in the Piedmont region of Pennsylvania.

Cidery Description:  We make traditional cider using classic techniques & use apples from our family orchard, which as been growing quality tree fruits since 1944. Using a blend of dessert, cider & aromatic apples, both heirloom & modern, our cider makers select the best balances to ferment into the final product. We’re proud to continue an American tradition of fine ciders that feature great aroma & flavor, recently recognized with bronze medals for the Hogshead and Crabby Granny by the Great Lakes Cider & Perry Association.

Price:  $13.99
Where Bought:  K&L Wines in San Francisco CA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing, when we were in San Francisco on a cruise port stop

First Impression:  Light straw yellow hue.  Very low carbonation.  Smells of acidic heirloom apples, with citrus and a hint of sourness.

Tasting Notes:  On the sweeter side of dry.  Light bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Low sourness.  Hints of bitterness and tannins.  No funk.  Notes of sharp heirloom apple, lemon, grapefruit, mineral, and pineapple.  Moderate length sour finish.  Moderate flavor intensity and sessionability.  Moderate to high complexity.  Low to moderate apple flavor.  Low overt barrel influence, but I’m guessing it smoothed out the flavor.

My Opinion:  I don’t like sour, so I wasn’t personally a fan of this selection.  I was hoping for English style based on the description, but it was closer to farmhouse style.  Every cider isn’t for everyone though, and I’m glad I got to try it.  I’d recommend this to folks who like dry sour cider (farmhouse-style, rustic, wild yeast fermented, Spanish Sidra, etc).

Most Similar to:   Runcible Cider Light of the Moon, Alpenfire Pirate’s Plank, Brooklyn Cider House Half Sour, Number 12 Sparkling Dry, Angry Orchard Walden Hollow, Sietsema Traditional Dry, and multiple varieties from Wrangletown

Closing Notes:  A number of times now I’ve seen cider described as English-style when it isn’t really close, primarily due to the use of different apples (dessert or heirloom instead of bittersweet cider apples).  At times it appears the term is used just to describe that it is dry and/or more rustic in style, and varies from the majority of U.S. cider which is sweeter and clean (no sourness or funk).  This is a great example of our need for consistent terminology, which will likely just take time.

Have you tried Frecon Farms cider?  What did you think?