Review of Barns Etc (Hard Cider Shed) Counry Elegance Heirloom Blend cider, Medium sweet.  “Barns Etc” is the cidery in Wenatchee WA, and they have a tasting room called “The Cider Shed” in Cashmere WA.  This is my first time trying anything from this cidery.

Cider:  Country Elegance Heirloom Blend, Medium
Cidery:  Barns Etc / Hard Cider Shed
Cidery Location:  Wenatchee/Cashmere WA
ABV:  7.0%
How Supplied:  750ml bottles
Style:  American craft cider from heirloom cider apples

 

Availability:  very limited (see here), mostly only through their tasting room, plus local delivery for large orders, a few shops in the Cashmere / Wenatchee / Leavenworth WA area, and possibly shipping

Cider Description:  Our attention to blending sweet and tart heirloom apples provides this wonderful cider. Grilled salmon pairs nicely with our Country Elegance Heirloom blend ~ medium. 

Cidery Description:  Country Elegance artisan hard ciders are hand crafted using all natural fresh pressed heirloom apples from Cashmere and Wenatchee, Washington family orchards.  The delicate blending of sweet and tart apples provide a pure and uniquely flavorful blend of ciders.

Price:  $22
Where Bought:  Broken  Barrel, a bottle shop + tasting room with wine & cider in Leavenworth WA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  browsing, when we were in town for a few days in early December 2017; see my Leavenworth cider roundup post here

First Impression:  Light gold hue.  Very low carbonation.  Smells of acidic heirloom apple cider.

Tasting Notes:  On the sweeter side of semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  Hints of tannins and sourness.  No funk or bitterness.  Notes of heirloom apple juice & pomace, caramel, orange, and grapefruit.  Moderate length finish.  Moderate apple flavor and flavor intensity.  Moderate to high sessionability and complexity.

My Opinion:  I liked it.  Nice flavor and complexity.  A perfect amount of sweetness for my tastes.  Not super tart/acidic like so many heirloom apple ciders (likely balanced by the additional sweetness, as so often they go fully dry).  However, it would have been awesome without that hint of sour (I’m really sensitive to it and it just hits my taste buds wrong).  Also, at $22, I think it is a bit spendy, costing more than most all other local ciders I’ve bought, even those from cider apples, which usually run ~ $15-20, like from Alpenfire, Snowdrift, Liberty, Dragon’s Head, and Whitewood.  Although 750ml can look like a lot, its only 25.4 oz, and at only 7% ABV, it was easy for me to finish the bottle by myself in one night.  Its always great to see ciders made from heirloom and/or cider apples, instead of the flavored ciders from dessert apples which make up the majority of the market.

Most Similar to:  nothing really, as it had a different flavor profile than most heirloom apple ciders I’ve had, but it was a bit similar to Frecon Farms Scrumpy and Eden Guinevere’s Pearls

Closing Notes:  They also have dry and sweet versions of this heirloom cider, as well as a cherry cider and a perry, all retailing for $22.

Have you tried any cider from north central Washington?  What did you think?