Review of Eden Beeflustered, ice cider aged in Superstition cherry mead barrels. It is my first time trying this, but I have had much of Eden’s line-up (see here). I’m a fan of both Eden‘s ice ciders and Superstition‘s meads (see here for mead tasting notes from my 2015 visit), so this was an easy choice. Ice cider is made using apple juice which has been concentrated by cold temperatures, resulting in a sweeter higher alcohol dessert cider.

Cider:  Beeflustered
Cidery:  Eden Specialty Ciders
Cidery Location:  Newport VT
ABV:  13.0%
How Supplied:  375ml bottles
Style: American craft ice cider from heirloom apple varieties, 2014 harvest, aged 6 months in Superstition cherry mead barrels (originally used for rye whiskey)

Availability:  online only; see here

Cider Description:  Naturally cold-concentrated before fermentation in our Vermont winter weather. Arrested fermentation leaves residual sweetness. Ice cider made from heirloom apple varieties and aged 6 months in 2 barrels from Superstition Meadery – originally rye whiskey barrels that they used to aged their cherry mead.
See here for complete info.

Cidery Description:  Our mission is to support small local orchards who grow special apple varieties using environmentally sustainable practices. Together we grow a fascinating array of varieties to use in our ciders –  old New England heirlooms like Blue Pearmain and Roxbury Russet, iconic sweets and sharps like Hudson’s Gem and Esopus Spitzenburg, zingy crabapples like Dolgo, Kerr and Wickson, and historic tannic varieties, including bittersweet and bittersharp varieties that originated in France and England. We press once per year after harvest, using the natural winter cold at our farm to concentrate the flavors and sugars of the apples before fermentation. We don’t use sugar, colorings, acids, or industrial flavorings, and all of our ciders are naturally gluten-free and vegan friendly.  Welcome to cider from a wine point of view!

Price:  $35
Where Bought:  their online store
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  e-mail notification about new releases (sign up here)

First Impression:  Amber-red hue. No carbonation. Smells sweet and rich.

Tasting Notes: Full bodied. Very sweet. Moderate tartness. Low acidity. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Hints of tannins. Notes of baked apple, cherry, and rich brown sugar, with hints of oak and vanilla. Long tart alcohol-forward finish. High complexity and overall flavor intensity. Moderate apple flavor. Low to moderate cherry flavor. Very low sessionability.

My Opinion:  I liked it. I was surprised how much cherry flavor was present just from aging in barrels previously used for cherry mead.

Most Similar to:  Eden’s heirloom ice cider, except with tart cherry and a hint of oak

Closing Notes:  Another awesome ice cider from Eden!

Have you tried ice cider?  What did you think?