2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche – 2016 Vintage

October 13, 2017November 15, 2018 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cider tasting, cidre bouche, french cider, French cidre, hard cider

This review is of 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche, a French-style keeved cider. This is their second release of this cider, the 2016 vintage (see my review here of the 2015 vintage). I’ve also tried many other ciders from 2 Towns (see here).

Keeving is a special labor intensive process of fermenting the cider slowly, starving it of natural nutrients. It results in an apple-forward, naturally sweet, lower ABV, and higher carbonation cider. This is typical for French cidre, but is very rare in the U.S.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by 2 Towns. 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: Traditions Cidre Bouche
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis Oregon
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 375ml (12.7oz) fancy single bottles
Style: American craft French style cider, keeved, from cider apples, oak cask aged

Availability: Limited (310 cases of 12 bottles), although 2 Towns ciders are generally available in AK, CA, HI, ID, OR, WA, and Minneapolis MN & Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Inspired by the bittersweet ciders of France, Cidre Bouche is made using an old-world process called keeving. Starting with 100% traditional cider varieties like Kingston Black, Michelin, Reine des Pommes, Dabinett, and Muscat de Lense, we let the fruit ‘sweat’ and intensify in aroma. The apples are crushed and left to soak on the skins before the juice is fermented slowly over the course of a tear in French oak casks. When finished, this keeved cider is rich, thick, and brimming with overripe bittersweet apple character.

Cidery Description: At 2 Towns Ciderhouse we believe that the long history of cidermaking demands respect and deserves to be done right. Starting with the highest quality whole ingredients from local farms, we take no shortcuts in crafting our ciders. We never add any sugar, concentrates or artificial flavors, and instead use slow, cold fermentation methods to allow the fruit to speak for itself. As a family-owned company, we are committed to the growth of our team and enrichment of our communities. We take pride in producing true Northwest craft cider.

Price: n/a (retails for ~ $10)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Moderate amber hue. Low carbonation with some foam. Smells of sweet ripe French bittersweet cider apple juice, yeast, and a predominant funk / barnyard.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low tannins. Low funk. Hints of bitterness. No sourness. Notes of rich ripe bittersweet cider apple juice and pomace, yeast, caramel, and orange. Low oak influence. Moderate to high apple flavor. Moderate sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity.

My Opinion: Awesome! I really enjoyed it. The flavor was amazingly bold and rich, it remained free of sourness (which I’m not a fan of), and the funk added a bit of complexity but remained primarily in the scent.

Most Similar to: French cidres with a bit of funk but no sourness, such as Christian Drouin Pays d’Auge, L’Hermitiére Cidre Brut, and Manoir De Montreuil Cambremer

Closing Notes: I think this release was significantly better than last year’s version, and if I was tasting it blind, I would have guessed it was made in France, not Oregon! 2 Towns has really mastered their keeving technique. Its pretty cool to see a U.S. cidermaker use this old world French process. We may see more keeved ciders, especially in the Northwest, as the NW Cider Association took a group of cidermakers (using grant money) to France and England to learn about keeving in May/June 2017; see here.

However, the price is a bit high (although understandable due to the high cost of cider apples in the U.S., and that this was a very labor intensive and relatively small batch release). Many imported French cidres cost less per ounce. By the way, my favorite budget-friendly French cider is Dan Armor, only $5 / 750ml (only at Trader Joe’s). It is more simplistic (less complex) that this one however. I’m not sure if U.S. cideries will ever be able to compete with those sorts of prices on ciders from bittersweet cider apples.

Have you tried 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche? What did you think?

Notes from a Cider Tasting Class with Reverend Nat

September 22, 2017October 21, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, Bull Run, Cascadia, Liberty, Rambling Route, Rev Nat's, review, Seattle Cider, Wandering Aengus, Washington Cider Week cider, cider class, cider review, cider tasting, Downtown Spirit's, hard cider, reverend nat's, tasting notes, wa cider week, Washington Cider Week

For my third Washington Cider Week 2017 event, I attended a cider tasting class with Nat West of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider (in Portland Oregon), at Downtown Spirits in downtown Seattle. It was my first time at that store, which had a large selection (spirits, wine, beer, cider, mead, etc), plus an area set up with chairs & tables for classes & tastings.

The Event

I only read about the event the day before, but it sounded like a cool opportunity, as The Reverend (as he is commonly referred to – and he is an actual online ordained Reverend) has a lot of interesting insight on the industry. I already missed out on some fun cider week events as I didn’t find out about them until after the fact (apparently the official NW Cider calendar stopped accepting submissions pretty early), so I didn’t want to pass this up.

The tasting list was a bit underwhelming with multiple mass market PNW canned ciders, but the two hour event with 10 ciders only cost $10. That was crazy good deal, as that probably only covered the cider (and maybe even not), so Nat was basically volunteering his time. He took the train up from Portland just for this and one other event. There were only 11 of us who attended (and 2 of those were store employees).

I liked that the class was very informal. We were encouraged to ask questions whenever, and we were even allowed to just pass the ciders around and pour how much we wanted (with a suggested amount so everyone got to try some). Although that meant we couldn’t go back and taste anything (unless there were leftovers), it also meant I didn’t have cider poured into my glass which I would have felt obligated to drink to move on.

Cider Tasting Notes

We tasted the following ciders, in this order: Cascadia Granny Smith, Liberty McIntosh, Wandering Aengus Golden Russet, Seattle Cider Winesap Rosé , Seattle Cider Semi Sweet, Rambling Route Apple, Reverend Nat’s Revival, Bull Run Bramble Berry, 2 Towns Cot in the Act, and Reverend Nat’s The Passion. The first was described as a palette cleanser, the next three as American Heirloom, the following three as American common, and the last three as flavored. Most of the time he would also include some European ciders, like English, French, and/or Spanish, but I think he was limited to what this store had in stock and cold.

The only new-to-me cider was Seattle Cider Winesap Rosé. Nat asked if anyone had tried all the ciders, and I said 9/10, and it was the same for him (apparently that is a new ish Seattle Cider release). The majority of the class seemed to be more so fans of Reverend Nat’s cider (which tend to be beer fans), than overall cider enthusiasts like me.

Cascadia Ciderworks United (Portland OR) Green Apple (6.9% ABV) – This retails for $9.99 / four pack of 16oz cans, and is made by Reverend Nat’s. Semi-dry, very tart, and definitely green apple flavor (single varietal).

Liberty Ciderworks (Spokane WA) McIntosh (8.1% ABV) – See my previous notes here. Liberty was described as a more traditional cidermaker, plus I know they are unique in that they are not orchard based, but only use heirloom & cider apples. This single varietal is available in bottles and on draft, and retails around $16 / 750ml. Nat described this apple variety as making a juice which is very appley (more than many other heirloom apple varieties), and it not being as common in the PNW as it is in the NE. Semi-dry. Low to moderate tannins. Notes of apple juice, caramel, honey, and must. Some other folks in the class were picking up hints of “bandaid” flavor (which is from a combination of Brettanomyces, tannins, and polyphenols). I must not be sensitive to that, as I’ve never noticed it with any cider. However, in contrast, I am very sensitive to sourness, common in farmhouse and Spanish style ciders.

Wandering Aengus (Salem OR) Golden Russet (9.0% ABV) – See my previous notes here. Wandering Aengus was described as one of the first cideries in the NW, starting in the 1990s, under the name “The Traditional Company”. This is a single varietal made using Golden Russet apples which they grew themselves, and dry farmed (no irrigation). It retails for around $9 / 500ml. I would have described it as on the sweeter side of semi-dry, but apparently this measures full dry (my all have different palettes!). Tart, acidic, bitter, and slightly tannic. Rich flavor. Long acidic tannic finish.

Seattle Cider Co. (Seattle WA) Winesap Rosé (6.0% ABV) – I’ve tried multiple single varietals from Winesap apples, and multiple rosé ciders, but not this one. Winesap Rosé is a single varietal from Winesap apples, and pink/rosé from being aged in red wine barrels. It retails for around $11 / 500ml. Semi-dry. Watery. Slightly fruity, with a hint of oak. The carbonation was visible but not detectable. Low tartness and acidity. Hints of tannins. Quick finish. I think this would appeal more to wine folks. Like most of their ciders, the flavor was very mild.

Seattle Cider Co. (Seattle WA) Semi Sweet (6.5% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is a very commonly found cider in Seattle, and retails for about $11 / four 16oz cans. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Fuller bodied. Low acid. Notes of apple juice, honey, and citrus.

Rambling Route (Yakima WA) Apple (6.9% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is made by Tieton, and retails for about $9 / four 16oz cans. Higher carbonation. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Very similar to Seattle Cider, but slightly more apple-forward. We were told these two ciders are so similar as they use the same dessert apple juice blend, same wine yeast, sugar for back-sweetening, etc.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland OR) Revival (5.8% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This retails for about $15 / six 12oz bottles or $6 / 500ml bottle. This is a very unique cider as it gets a lot of different flavors just from the use of multiple yeast strains, piloncillo sugar, and a secret ingredient which he told us but said I couldn’t write down. It is made by mixing two batches of cider together. One has yeast strain 1 and the sugar, and results in a high ABV. The other has yeast strain 2, and results in a more typical ABV. Then fresh juice is added, which is about 20% of the makeup. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Notes of apple juice, yeast, brown sugar, honey, and hints of tropical fruit.

Bull Run (Forest Grove OR) Bramble Berry (6.8% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This cider with marionberries, blackberries, and boysenberries retails for $8 / 500ml. Semi-dry, with the berry more in the nose than the flavor, low acid, and hints of tannins from the berries.

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Cot in the Act (6.2% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is a seasonal apricot cider (made using the whole fruit, not just juice) which retails for about $12.50 / six 12oz cans or $8 / 500ml. Very strong apricot scent. Semi-sweet to semi-dry, juicy, notes of stone fruit, and flavorful.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland OR) The Passion (6.9% ABV) – See my previous notes here. This is a seasonal cider made with Ecuadorian passion fruit juice, toasted coconut, and vanilla, and retails for about $14 / 500ml. I had previously heard this described as a sour cider, but this bottle pour and my previous draft pour were both free from sourness, so I’m game to buy it sometime as I really enjoy the flavor. Semi-sweet (his sweetest cider). Tart. High flavor intensity, with a strong passion fruit scent & flavor, with hints of vanilla & coconut.

My favorite ciders of those were from Liberty, 2 Towns, and Rev Nat’s.

Info from Rev Nat

We discussed some cider basics such as sweetness vs. acidity and the cidermaking process. However, I was surprised that I don’t think the word “tannins” came up at all (although it was on the handout, which had one side of general cider info and one side with info about the 10 ciders), despite at least the Liberty and Wandering Aengus ciders being good examples.
Rev Nat’s has five cider bases, and two of them are the Cascadia green & blue cans
- The green can is used to make Sacrilege Cherry
- The blue can is used to make half of Revival and all of Hallelujah Hopricot
2 Towns (another common Oregon cidery) is six times as large as Rev Nat’s (I assume in context of cider produced/year)
Rev Nat’s currently has 22 employees
Rev Nat’s will be moving into a new 25,000 sq ft cidery space, and will then convert their current 8,000 sq ft space into only a tap room, including food. It doesn’t look like the news about this being finalized has been officially announced, but this article from last year mentioned the same info.
Profit margins are about the same for all cideries, so ciders that cost more do actually cost more to make.
Specific gravity is a way to measure the sweetness of a cider, using the weight of the cider compared to the weight of the same amount of water. The interesting thing with SG however is that you can have a cider with a specific gravity lower than water, so that would say the cider was drier than water lol.
Single varietal ciders are apparently more of an American thing, due to our new experimental cider culture. They are probably second most common in England.
Wine/champagne yeast is often used in cidermaking as it ferments cleanly at low temperatures, is easy to remove (it will clump at the bottom of the tank), and it is designed to not impact the flavor.
Rev Nat’s in contrast uses beer yeast, which is designed to impart flavor (we were told the yeast in beer is actually what has the most impact on a beer’s flavor, not the grains or hops). I think this class did a good job showcasing Rev Nat’s ciders, as they were two of the 2-4 most flavorful ciders of the group of 10.
Nat said cider that is cloudy is more of a marketing gimmick, and cloudy ciders don’t really retain more flavor than the more commonly found filtered ones. Cloudiness in a cider can be from suspended yeast, apple debris/pulp, or pectin (naturally in apples). The first two can be filtered out, but not the last. This really made me think, as I’ve had a number of ciders which were cloudy and very flavorful (Downeast comes to mind). They did tend to be sweet and apple juice forward though, so its quite plausible they would have still tasted like that after filtering. Also, I’ve never tried the same cider before and after filtering, which I think would be the real test.
Nat often does an expanded cider tasting class during Oregon Cider Week, which includes 30! ciders in 3 hours

After the Event

I forgot to snag a photo before the tasting, but I got one of the aftermath:

After the event I looked around the Downtown Spirits shop and was excited to find an entire shelf of cider that was 50% off – Alpenfire, Eden, Eric Bordelet, Slyboro, etc. Its sad, but the high end and/or imported ciders just don’t sell very quickly. I’ve heard from several shops that they won’t be re-stocking those sorts of items. It has got more difficult for me to get imports especially. I hadn’t planned to pick up any cider as my cabinet is full, but I picked up six bottles of high end ciders for under $50, as it was too good of a deal to pass up. Very cool!

2 Towns Hollow Jack

September 15, 2017September 10, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Corvallis, hard cider, Hollow Jack, oregon, pumpkin cider, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns’ Hollow Jack, a seasonal cider with pumpkin, sweet potato, and pie spices. I sampled this last year (see here), and I’ve tried most of their line-up (see here).

Cider: Hollow Jack
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 6.4%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles, kegs
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples, unfiltered, with caramelized heirloom pumpkin, sweet potato, honey, and pie spices (allspice, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon)

Availability: Seasonably (September to November), primarily CA, OR, & WA, although in general their ciders are available in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL (Chicago), MN, NV, OR, and WA. See their Cider Finder.

Cider Description: Mischievous & spiced, Hollow Jack is far from empty. A brew of fresh-pressed apples, caramelized pumpkin and sweet potatoes is finished with a dash of honey and spices to carve out this special Fall cider.

Price: n/a (retails for ~ $6.99 / 500ml
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: I first tried it at Cider Summit Seattle 2016, but this time it just showed up

First Impression: Hazy straw yellow hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells vegetal and of pie spices.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of baked apple, pumpkin, squash, sweet potato / yam, caramel, and pie spices. Quick to moderate length finish. Low apple flavor. Moderate to high sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity and complexity. Low to moderate pumpkin & sweet potato flavor. Very low spice.

My Opinion: Although I’m not a huge pumpkin / spiced cider fan, I liked this one, and it is my favorite of the five I’ve tried.

Most Similar to: Doc’s Draft Pumpkin cider (although that was a full sweet) and Tieton’s Smoked Pumpkin cider (although that was quite intensely flavored compared to this). I’ve also tried pumpkin ciders from Ace and Woodchuck.

Closing Notes: Unlike many pumpkin ciders (and beers), this one is actually made with pumpkin. Many just add the pie spices but still call it a pumpkin cider (or beer). Also, it is well balanced, with both the pumpkin and spices remaining light.

Have you tried 2 Towns Hollow Jack? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 29 Tasting Notes

August 18, 2017August 12, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, Double Mountain, Finnriver, Newton Court, review, Whitewood cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 29th visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts with tasting notes here.

I was there on a Tuesday afternoon with my husband, following the Washington Cider Week preview at Capitol Cider. These definitely aren’t my best tasting notes, as we were in a rush to beat the traffic home, and my husband distracted me from taking notes.

Whitewood Cider (Olympia WA) Jonathan (6.9% ABV): This is a single varietal cider from Jonathan apples, also available in bottles. Dry to semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Apple forward with citrus and honey notes. This is one of my favorite dry ciders ever, as it is very approachable, without a harsh acidity, and more flavorful than expected.

Double Mountain (Hood River OR) Dry (6.7% ABV): This cider is made by a brewery, and appears to be draft-only. I tried their Jumpin Jack Heirloom Cider on draft at Cider Summit Seattle last year (see here). Dry. Low sourness and funk. Moderate tartness and acidity. Primarily heirloom apple and citrus notes.

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Afton Field (6.4% ABV): I thought I had tried this one, but can’t find any reviews, so maybe not. Also available in bottles. This farmhouse-style cider is part of their Traditions line, and also available in bottles. Dry. Low sourness and funk. Moderate acidity and tartness. Notes of citrus and mineral.

Newton Court (Herefordshire England) Panting Partridge Perry (5.3% ABV): This is an English perry, also available in bottles, new to the Seattle area at least. They also have a bottled (and likely draft) cider available, Gasping Goose. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low sourness and funk. Pear-forward and fruity.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) City Fruit (6.3% ABV): This cider was made using community apples from City Fruit, and is also available in bottles (this was previously only exclusively sold at Whole Foods). Dry. High acidity. Moderate tartness. Notes of citrus and stone fruit.

Finnriver (Chimacum WA) Lavender Black Currant (6.5% ABV): I’ve had this cider on numerous previous occasions, but I never turn down having some on Nitro tap. Also available in bottles. Semi-sweet. Awesome fluffy texture. Moderate acidity and tartness. It is a yummy flavorful combination of fruity black currant and herbal lavender.

My husband’s favorite was Double Mountain Dry, mine was Finnriver Lavender Black Currant, and the most unexpected (in a good way) was Whitewood Jonathan. There were a surprising number of sour / farmhouse-style ciders (3), which isn’t my thing, but maybe I’ll eventually acquire the taste for them.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

2 Towns Cot in the Act

July 17, 2017July 16, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, apricot cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Corvallis, Cot in the Act, hard cider, oregon, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns’ Cot in the Act, an apricot infused seasonal cider. I sampled this last year (see here), and I’ve tried most of their line-up (see here).

Cider: Cot in the Act
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 6.2%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles, 6 packs of 12oz cans, kegs
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples, unfiltered, with apricots (2 lb per gallon)

Availability: Seasonably (July-September) in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL (Chicago), MN, NV, OR, and WA.

Cider Description: Luminous & divine, Cot in the Act is just too tempting to resist, coupling Northwest apples with local Rival apricots. Referred to as “golden eggs of the sun” by the Greeks, apricots make this seasonal cider the perfect summer treat.

Price: n/a (retails for ~ $7.99 / 500ml or $11.49 / six pack of 12oz cans)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: It showed up

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Very low to low carbonation. Smells of dried apricots.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Moderate tartness & acidity. Hints of bitterness & tannins. No sourness & funk. Notes of apricot, peach, and lemon, and a hint of herbal & floral. Moderate length finish. Low apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity and complexity. High sessionability.

My Opinion: Yum! I really enjoyed how flavorful and juicy this cider was without being sweet (and it tasted even sweeter than the listed sugar content). It is often difficult to find a drier but flavorful cider.

Most Similar to: I’ve also tried apricot ciders from Anthem, Atlas, Carlton, Locust, Stem, Summit, and Tieton. The most similar was from Summit (as it was also a semi-dry, but flavorful), followed by those from Atlas & Locust, (although both of those were sweeter).

Closing Notes: 2 Towns remains a favorite PNW cidery for a reason.

Have you tried 2 Towns Cot in the Act? What did you think?

2 Towns Traditions La Mûre

June 28, 2017June 25, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, barrel aged, blackberry cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, La Mûre, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns’ newest Traditions line cider, La Mûre, a sour Marion blackberry cider aged in Pinot Noir red wine barrels for over a year. It is inspired by Belgian-style sour lambic beer. I tried this previously when it was a cellar series release (see here). I’ve also tried most of their cider line-up; see my past reviews here.

Cider: La Mûre
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 375ml bottles
Style: American craft sour Belgian lambic beer inspired cider with Marion blackberries, aged in Pinot Noir barrels

Availability: In general 2 Towns ciders are available in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL (Chicago), MN, NV, OR, and WA, although this is a more limited release.

Cider Description: Inspired by the historic lambic beers of Belgium, La Mûre embodies the Flemish styles of old. Northwest apples and Oregon grown Marion blackberries are fermented wild with Lactobacillus. Aged in Willamette Valley pinot noir barrels for one year, this unique cider is then removed from these dusty casks and bottle conditioned, revealing complex aromatics and a lactic tang that only time can unfold.

La Mûre won silver medals this year at two cider competitions – GLINTCAP and the Portland International Cider Cup.

Price: n/a (but their other 375ml Traditions releases run around $9)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: It showed up.

First Impression: Bright purple-red hue. Low carbonation (more than the last batch). Smells of blackberries, red wine, oak, and sourness.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Light to medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low to moderate sourness. However, the sourness is more at the front of the palate than a typical sour cider where the sourness hits further back. Hints of funk and bitterness. Tannic sour oaky blackberry flavor. Moderate length finish. Moderate red wine influence, oak influence, complexity, and flavor intensity. No apple flavor. Low sessionability.

My Opinion: I’m not a sour cider fan, so no surprise, I wasn’t a big fan of this cider. And thats ok…not everyone likes every cider. With my last tasting of this I had three cider friends over (as well as my husband), and I discovered that this cider was a big hit with lovers of dry & sour ciders. My tolerance to sour has increased in the last year though, and I found this cider much more palatable; therefore it is possible I may still acquire the taste for sours.

Most Similar to: Finnriver Barrel Berry Sour from Port Townsend WA (although less sour) and WildCraft berry ciders from Eugene OR (all their ciders have a slight sourness although most aren’t advertised as sours).

Closing Notes: If you love dry sour & farmhouse-style cider, Belgian-style lambic beer, etc, this cider will probably be to your liking. I don’t think this cider will have a mass appeal, but I think it will be appreciated by fans of this style

Have you tried any sour ciders? What did you think?

2 Towns Hop and Stalk

June 5, 2017June 16, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Hop and Stalk, hopped cider, rhubarb cider, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns’ Imperial Hop and Stalk, a seasonal release with Citra hops and rhubarb. I sampled this last year (see here), and I’ve tried most of their line-up (see here).

Cider: Hop and Stalk
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 8.2%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles and kegs
Style: American Imperial (high ABV) craft cider made from dessert apples, with Citra hops and rhubarb

Availability: Seasonably (May-Aug) in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL (Chicago), MN, NV, OR, and WA.

Cider Description: Fresh and citrusy, Hop & Stalk packs a Northwest punch. Fresh-pressed apples and rhubarb are dry-hopped with Citra hops, creating a cider erupting with fresh aromatics and a tart, biting backbone.

Price: n/a (runs $7.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Hazy lemonade medium straw yellow. Low carbonation. Smells very aromatic, primarily of citrus, with some hops and strawberry-rhubarb.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of citrus (lemon, lime, and orange), hops, floral, rhubarb, and strawberry. Long finish with some baked apple. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity. Moderate to strong hoppiness.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it, but I liked last year’s batch better, as it seemed a tad more balanced (more fruity / less hoppy).

Most Similar to: Hopped ciders with lots of citrus notes and some fruitiness. Portland Cider Hop’Rageous also uses Citra hops, so you get more citrus & floral than bitter hops. Tod Creek Mala-Hop also had a lot of citrus notes, but used Chinook, Sterling and Centennial, not Citra hops. This is the most citrusy hopped cider I’ve tried though, and the only one with another fruit addition.

Closing Notes: Another winner from 2 Towns!

Have you tried 2 Towns Hop and Stalk? What did you think?

2 Towns Prickle Me Pink ^2

June 5, 2017June 2, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cactus fruit, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, oregon, Prickle Me Pink, tasting notes, watermelon

Review of 2 Towns Prickly Me Pink ^2 , a new iteration of the previous limited release (which I reviewed here in 2015), with prickly pear cactus fruit, and this time, watermelon. I’ve also previously tried most of their line-up (see here).

Cider: Prickle Me Pink ^2
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 5.7%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples with prickly pear cactus fruit and watermelon

Availability: Seasonably (May-Aug) in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL (Chicago), MN, NV, OR, and WA.

Cider Description: Exuberant & quenching, Prickle Me Pink ^2 is pink and multiplied by pink. Glowing with a naturally derived color, this taste bud oasis is crafted with Northwest apples, prickly pear cactus fruit, and now watermelon.

Dave Takush, the head cider maker said, “If you’re wondering what to pair it with, we’d suggest a watergun fight set to the tunes of Wham..”

Price: n/a (runs $7.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: I first tried this at Cider Summit Seattle 2015.

First Impression: Bright pink hue. Nearly still. Smells moderate fruity.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to dry. Light to medium bodied. Mild tartness. Mild to moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness and funk. Notes of cactus fruit, watermelon, strawberry, and kiwi. Low to moderate flavor intensity and complexity. No apple flavor. High sessionability. Quick finish.

My Opinion: Yum! I really enjoyed this, especially how fruity and flavorful it was for the dryness. It was too easy to drink. I had imaged this higher carbonated, but at the same time, I don’t think it would work as well as I think it would.

Most Similar to: Nothing much. I’ve not had any other ciders with cactus fruit except 2 Towns’ first release of this cider. I’ve had a handful of other ciders with watermelon though; namely, Pear UP’s Watermelon Perry.

Closing Notes: I’m surprised they went so dry with this; however, it worked. I think this was even tastier than the last release. The watermelon was a great addition, and also helped so the cider wasn’t quite so fluorescent pink (and likely reduced the ingredient cost too).

Have you tried 2 Towns Prickle Me Pink? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 25 Tasting Notes

April 14, 2017April 14, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, Alpenfire, Aval, Carlton, Cockrell, Finnriver, Locust, North Idaho Cider, review, Schilling, Sea Cider cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 25th visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts with tasting notes here.

I was there on a Tuesday when they were having a 2 Towns event (they had Return of the Mac, Made Marion, Cherried Away, Flight of the Kiwi, and Sun’s Out Saison on tap). I started with a flight.

Finnriver (Chimacum WA) Fire Barrel (9.0% ABV): This year’s Fire Barrel was just released (I’ve tried it previously; see here). It is made from cider apples (this year they are all Organic and all from Finnriver’s own orchard), then Whiskey barrel aged for 5 months (previously it was aged in charred Bourbon barrels). They have a detailed fact sheet on this and all their other ciders now too. This time around it is a higher ABV, and is being released in a 750ml corked bottle (part of their Orchard Series) for $23, instead of a 500ml bottle for $11. I prefer smaller bottles for lower prices. I think it was underpriced before (I recognize these barrel aged ciders from real cider apples cost significantly more to produce), but $23 is a bit steep.
Darker hue. Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness, acidity, bitterness, tannins, and funk. No sourness. Notes of apple pomace, caramel, and molasses. Long warming finish. Oddly enough I liked this better as it warmed up, as it seemed to have more depth (often for a higher ABV cider, they become harsh as they warm). Moderate flavor intensity, apple flavor, sessionability, and complexity. Low to moderate oak and spirit flavor. I really enjoyed it, but the previous version was better, as it seemed more complex (I didn’t pick up the vanilla this time) and had more oak & spirit flavor, likely as it was a bit sweeter.

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Peach Saison / Sun’s Out Saison (5.8% ABV): I thought this was something I hadn’t tried, as it was labeled Peach Saison (they write whatever the keg label says on the tap list board, so sometimes it varies from the official name), but it turns out it is Sun’s Out Saison, back for its 2nd seasonal release (also available in bottles); I’ve tried it previously (see here). Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Light bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Notes of peach, pear, citrus, and green apple. Quick finish. Low apple flavor. Low to moderate flavor intensity. Moderate to high sessionability. Low to moderate complexity. I really enjoyed it. This year’s release seemed slightly sweeter and more flavorful.

Locust Cider (Woodinville WA) Seckel Perry (6.0% ABV): This draft-only perry is made from Seckel pears. Smells slightly of vinegar, sourness, funk, and citrus. Hazy hue. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied, with a nice texture. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Mouth-puckering without being overly tart or acidic. Hints of sourness, funk, bitterness, and tannins. Pear-forward with some citrus, even lime. I enjoyed it. Snowdrift also makes a nice Seckel Perry (see here).

Sea Cider (Saanichton B.C.) Wolf in the Woods (9.9% ABV): This is a special release cider, part of their Canadian Invasion Series, with hops and pine tips, also available in bottles (for more info see here). Dry to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low to moderate bitterness. Low tannins. Flavor notes were on the earthy and botanical side, with hops, wood, and citrus. Long warming finish, but that was the first time the ABV showed up. Low apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity and complexity. Low sessionability. I enjoyed it.

Cockrell Cider (Puyallup WA) Call Me Dusty / Dusty Dry (6.8% ABV): This is their flagship dry cider, also available in bottles. Dry to semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. Rather apple-forward and flavorful for a drier cider. Hints of peach, pineapple, and lemon. Low to moderate flavor intensity. Moderate sessionability, complexity, and apple flavor. I enjoyed it.

Alpenfire (Port Townsend WA) Traditional Heirloom Dry (8.0% ABV): This is a draft-only new cider release from heirloom apples. Dry to semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low tannins. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Apple-forward flavor with some citrus and floral notes. Moderate apple flavor, flavor intensity, complexity, and sessionability. I enjoyed it. Even Alpenfire’s simpler ciders are exceptional (like their Simple Cider).

Sarah also shared a few sample ciders with me.

Carlton Cyderworks (McMinnville OR) Sidra Natural (6.9% ABV): This is a special release Spanish Sidra-style cider (first available November 2016), made from bittersweet & bittersharp PNW apples. Semi-dry to dry. Low to moderate tartness, acidity, and sourness. Low funk. Notes of citrus but not much else. Low flavor intensity and complexity. I found this rather uninspiring, plus I’m not really a fan of Sidra / sour ciders. However, this would be a good introductory Sidra for someone as it isn’t overly harsh. Interestingly, imported real Spanish Sidra can be bought around here for significantly less than local Sidra-style cider, so I’m curious how these cider styles will sell. Rustic and farmhouse-style ciders seem to be gaining in popularity in the PNW (or at least, in production).

Aval (Bretagne France) Cidre Artisinal (6.0% ABV): This is a semi widely available French cider from the Brittany region, known for sweeter and higher carbonated apple-forward ciders, typically without the sourness & funk which is common is ciders from the Normandy region. Darker hue. Smells sweet, of caramel. Unknown carbonation level (this had gone flat, but I’m guessing it was higher to start with). On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Low tartness, acidity, tannins, and bitterness. Notes of apple pomace and caramel. Quick finish. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate to high apple flavor. Low to moderate complexity. I enjoyed this; it is a very easy-drinking French cider, similar to Celt, which is a staple cider in my house and a steal at $7.99 for four 11.2oz bottles.

North Idaho Cider (Hayden ID) Logger (6.9% ABV): This cidery’s ciders are new to the Seattle area (see this article), and this one retails for ~ $7.99 / 22oz. Logger is a dry cider aged on oak and pine. Dry. Low sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness. Notes of oak/wood, earth, and citrus. Mild flavor intensity and apple flavor. Moderate sessionability and complexity. I thought this was nice, and reminded me of Grizzly Ciderworks The Ridge.

For probably the first time, I actually enjoyed every cider in my flight. However, my favorites were the Finnriver Fire Barrel and 2 Towns Sun’s Out Saison. Of the bottle pours, I enjoyed the Aval best. It was awesome to have several true artisan cider selections on tap (those made from cider apples by cideries with their own orchards), as most of the draft selections tend towards ciders made from dessert apples with added flavors (fruit, hops, etc).

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

Cider Rite of Spring 2017 – Post 2/2 – Tasting Notes

March 31, 2017March 31, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, 7 Bev, Alter Ego, Bauman's, Elk Horn, event, Finnriver, McMenamin's, NV Cider, Rev Nat's, Runcible, Square Mile, Swift, Tumalo, Woodbox, ^ 5 Cider cider, cider event, cider review, Cider Rite of Spring, cider tasting, hard cider, oregon, portland, tasting notes

This is Part 2/2 on Cider Rite of Spring 2017 in Portland Oregon, which includes tasting notes on the 18 ciders I tried. See HERE for Part 1/2, covering the event itself. Note that I have more notes on some ciders than others depending on how much of it I tried and what was going on at the event (kinda tough to take notes with one hand while holding on to your tasting glass in the other!)…its not a reflection on the cider itself.

^ 5 Cider (Portland OR) Strawbasaurus Hop, 6.9% ABV, $6/500ml: This is a flagship hopped strawberry cider, and the first I’ve tried from the cidery. Dry to semi-dry. Light bodied with a lot of foam. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Moderate bitterness. I couldn’t get past how overly hoppy the flavor was. The light strawberry flavor with the intense hopped flavor was also odd. I think hops are nice to enhance a cider’s flavor, but I don’t like when they overpower it.

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Pommeau, 19% ABV, $23/375ml, VIP offering: This is an awesome Pommeau (apple brandy + apple cider, oak barrel aged for 1 year); see my previous review here.

7 Bev / Queen Orchard (West Linn OR) Green Man, 6.7% ABV, draft only: This cider is for the Willamette Ale & Cider House, expected to open in West Linn Oregon on June 15th, and is the first I’ve tried from the cidery. It was described as inspired by English cider, but I found it more farmhouse-style than anything else (none of the characteristic tannins of English cider). Hazy hue. Smells of sulfur, sourness, and funk, but those qualities oddly enough didn’t transfer to the flavor. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Low to moderate acidity. Apple-forward with citrus notes. Nice flavor, but the scent was off-putting. It could be a first production issue.

Alter Ego Cider (Portland OR) The Guardian Angel, 6.5% ABV, $8/500ml: This is a flagship blueberry pomegranate cider, and the first I’ve tried from the cidery. Dark berry hue. Semi-sweet to sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. High flavor intensity, with blueberry, pomegranate, and grape, but not much apple. High sessionability. Juice-like. Reminds me of Atlas’ ciders. I liked it.

Bauman’s Cider (Gervais OR) Peach Raspberry, 6.4% ABV, $12/22oz: This summer seasonal cider adds peaches and raspberries, and is the first I’ve tried from the cidery. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Moderate to high flavor intensity, with rather straight-forward peach and raspberry notes. Well balanced with a lot of flavor without being too sweet. I really enjoyed it.

Elk Horn Brewery (Eugene OR) Grape Perry, 6.0% ABV, draft only: This is a perry made from dessert pears, sweetened with Concord grape juice, and the first I’ve tried from the cidery. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Very light fruity flavor, primarily grape. I was expecting a sweeter more flavorful cider between the pear (unfermentable sugars typically lead to a higher residual sugar content even if fermentation isn’t stopped early) and grape, although you can tell even from the color than not a lot of grape juice was used.

Elk Horn Brewery (Eugene OR) Cherry’s Pie, 7.5% ABV, draft only: This is a cider with cherries added. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. I found the flavor a bit weird…kinda bitter…but I just had a sip or two shared with me.

Finnriver (Port Townsend WA) Apply Ol’ Fashion cocktail, VIP offering: Made with Finnriver’s Spirited Apple Wine (brandy-fortified cider, 18.5% ABV, $25/500ml) and Oak and Apple cider (6.5% ABV, $10/500ml). I’ve previously had both ciders on their own, but I didn’t like this cocktail in the least, and neither did my husband or friend, as none of us are fans of bitters. Its likely the proportions may have got off since they made this rather rushed…it was quite an undertaking to serve a non-pre-mixed cocktail at a busy event like this. They were also offering pours of just the Apple Wine, which is what I should have chosen. See my Oak and Apple review here. My favorite from Finnriver however is their Fire Barrel (see here); this year’s vintage was just released, and it is a great value at ~$11/500ml.

McMenamins Edgefield Winery (Portland OR) Black Cherry Cider, 6.8% ABV, draft only: Semi-sweet. Nice real cherry flavor. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. High flavor intensity. I liked it. I had previously only tried Edgefield’s flagship cider.

Pear UP (formerly NV Cider, East Wenatchee WA) Raspberry Perry, unknown ABV, $5/500ml: This is a perry (only pears, no apples) with raspberries. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Nice moderate to strong fresh raspberry flavor with a hint of pear. Refreshingly flavorful. I was surprised how much more flavorful this was compared to their Watermelon Perry, as it is only slightly more sweet. I like the flavor intensity of this best of all their perries I’ve tried, but the watermelon flavor remains my favorite (I’m a huge watermelon fan).

Reverend Nat’s (Portland OR) New Moon Mandarin, 7.2% ABV, $7/500ml: This seasonal cider is made with mandarin and tangerine juice, and finished with chamomile flowers. Dry. Light bodied. High tartness. Moderate acidity. Very mild citrus flavor. Warm boozy finish. This was nice, but more subtle than I prefer.

Runcible Cider (Mosier OR) Light of the Moon, 8.1% ABV, $17/750ml: This is their flagship cider made using heirloom apple varieties, and the first I’ve tried from this cidery. Hazy hue. Semi-dry. Low tartness, bitterness, and tannins. Moderate acidity. Hints of sourness and funk. found this to be a slightly farmhouse-style apple-forward cider with some honey and citrus notes. I liked it.

Runcible Cider (Mosier OR) Old Hoot, 7.4% ABV, $17/750ml: This is their Farmhouse-style cider, made with English cider apple varieties. Very hazy hue. Dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low funk and tannins. Hints of sourness. This was well made, but a bit too rustic for my liking.

Shoutout to Kelly McCune of Runcible Cider – she had actually heard of Cider Says prior to the event, and said she likes my blog – very cool! They are a brand new cidery (this was their first event) and have their own orchard of 500 cider apple trees, which is awesome, as so many cideries actually aren’t orchard-based. I think it takes a cidery’s cider to the next level.

Square Mile Cider (Portland OR) Rosé, unknown ABV, draft only, VIP offering: This special release cider was made with hibiscus and rose hips. Semi-dry to dry. Light bodied. High tartness. Moderate acidity. Very light fruitiness, with floral and herbal notes. This was nice, but more subtle than I prefer.

Swift Cider (Portland OR) Marionberry, 6.8% ABV, $8/22oz: This is a dry flagship cider with marionberries, and the first I’ve tried from the cidery. Dry to semi-dry. Light bodied. Low berry flavor intensity. This was nice, but more subtle than I prefer.

Tumalo Cider (Tumalo OR) Prickly Passion, unknown ABV, $6/500ml: This is the first I’ve tried from the cidery. Semi-dry to dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Very low fruity flavor intensity. This was nice, but more subtle than I prefer.

Tumalo Cider (Tumalo OR) Hibiscus, unknown ABV, $6/500ml: Semi-dry to dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness acidity. Low flavor intensity, more fruity than floral. Slightly more flavorful than the Prickly Passion. This was nice, but more subtle than I prefer.

Woodbox (Portland OR) Double Barrel Whiskey Barrel Ice Cider, 12.7% ABV, $17/375ml: This is a ice cider (made by using freezing temperatures to naturally concentrate the flavor and sugar content in apple juice before fermenting it) aged in whiskey barrels, and the first I’ve tried from the cidery. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Full bodied. Low to moderate tartness and acidity. Low tannins. Rich flavor notes including caramel and vanilla. High apple flavor. Moderate to high whiskey flavor. Moderate oak flavor. Awesome! They made a sign to highlight the cider’s price as the program had a mis-print of $33, which is quite a difference.

Closing Notes:

My favorite ciders of the event were the Woodbox Ice Cider and 2 Towns Pommeau (and my husband and friend agreed).
- The ice cider was an especially good value too (often they run $30+ as they are so expensive to make), and the only bottle we ended up picking up (although our friend bought a number of ciders).
Of the non-specialty ciders, I most enjoyed Alter Ego Guardian Angel, Bauman’s Peach Raspberry, Pear UP Raspberry Perry, and Runcible Light of the Moon.
I was surprised how many dry ciders were being offered, and especially how many cideries were only offering dry ciders, which is nice. However, especially when made from dessert apples, dry ciders can often end up very subtlety flavored, while I prefer a really in-your-face flavorful cider (whether an added flavor or due to use of cider apples). I usually go for semi-dry to semi-sweet, as they tend to be more flavorful, but not too sweet.
There were also a number of cideries breaking from the pack and going more Farmhouse-style (like Runcible and Baird & Dewar), which isn’t typically as crowd-pleasing, but sticks to the roots of early American cider.
There were plenty of sweet offerings too, but mostly from the more established / larger cideries that I had already sampled (like Portland Cider Co., and the Seattle-area’s own Locust and Schilling cideries).

That will do it for Cider Rite of Spring 2017. Stay tuned for more tasting notes from my Portland trip, from Reverend Nat’s tap room and Bushwhacker Cider!

2 Towns Flight of the Kiwi

March 1, 2017February 24, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cider tasting, flight of the kiwi, hard cider, kiwi, oregon, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns’ Flight of the Kiwi, their newest special release cider, made with all NW ingredients – dessert apples, kiwi berries, and gooseberries, fermented with Sauvignon Blanc yeast, then oak aged. See the press release here. It is my first time trying this cider, although I’ve tried most of their lineup (see here).

Cider: Flight of the Kiwi
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 5.8%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples, with kiwi berries & gooseberries, oak aged

Availability: limited release, primarily in CA, OR, and WA

Cider Description: Corvallis, Oregon’s 2 Towns Ciderhouse has a new uniquely fruited hard cider out called “Flight of the Kiwi,” an oak-aged cider made with NW kiwi fruit, fresh-pressed apples, and some gooseberries for good measure. This tropical-flavored cider has a sessionable 5.8% ABV. Two pounds of hardy kiwi berries, small cousins of the better-known kiwifruit, go into every gallon of this cider, which is fermented cold with Sauvignon Blanc yeast and is named after New Zealand’s curious flightless bird….Flight of the Kiwi has the backbone to stand up to flavorful and hearty fare—try pairing it with chipotle pork or bacon grilled cheese sandwiches.

Price: n/a
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: cidery press release

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells mild, of kiwi and white grape.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of kiwi, white grape, mango, pineapple, mineral, lemon, and oak. Quick finish length. Low apple flavor. High sessionability. Low flavor intensity. Moderate complexity. Low oak influence.

My Opinion: This was a subtle wine-like cider, which I usually don’t go for. However, I really liked the flavor and complexity of this one, plus it was very easy to drink and food-friendly.

Most Similar to: Moa Brewing Kiwifruit cider, which is the only other cider with kiwi added which I’ve tried; it also had a lot of wine-like subtlety, but was carbonated.

Closing Notes: This was another winner from 2 Towns!

Have you tried 2 Towns Flight of the Kiwi? What did you think?

My Favorite Ciders of 2016

December 30, 2016February 3, 2019 cidersays 2 Towns, AEppelTreow, Alpenfire, Angry Orchard, Aspall, Bertolinos, Celt, Christian Drouin, Cidergeist, Cidrerie du Vulcain, Dan Armor, Doc's, Dunkertons, Dupont, E.Z. Orchards, Eden, EZ Orchards, Farnum Hill, favorite ciders, Gowans, Honeywood, Jester & Judge, Longdrop, One Tree, Rev Nat's, review, Schilling, Sea Cider, Sheppy's, Thatchers, Wandering Aengus 2016, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, tasting notes

What an awesome year 2016 was in the cider world! Cider Says has now been up for a year and a half. Like other cider bloggers, I thought it would be fun to make a list of my favorite ciders of 2016. See here for my list from 2015. To make it a bit different and easier, I put them into categories instead of trying to do a top ten list or similar.

Note that I wouldn’t try to make a list of the best ciders, just those I enjoyed, as it would be an impossible task to try every cider out there and be impartial. My only criteria for this list is that I drank the cider in 2016.

Multi pack: Reverend Nat’s Revival – This one is complex for being made from dessert apples, with lots of unique flavor just from the yeast varieties used. Celt – I always keep this easy drinking apple & yeast forward French cider in the house as its convenient & affordable. Thatchers Green Goblin – For how commercial it is, I ended up really enjoying this sweeter simple English cider.

Canned: One Tree Crisp Apple – I don’t usually go for plain flagship ciders, but this one had some nice unfiltered apple juice flavor without being over the top sweet. Cidergeist Semi Dry – This reminded me of French cider; too bad it isn’t available locally. Long Drop Vanilla Honey – Awesome honeycomb flavor.

French: Dan Armor Cuvée Spéciale Cidre Brut – A $5 selection from Trader Joe’s which doesn’t disappoint and has some great apple forward sparkling goodness. Christian Drouin Pays d’ Auge – I loved the bittersweet apple flavor, and that the funk remained mild.

English: Aspall Imperial – Rich flavor, high ABV, and a low price tag. Dunkertons Dry (awesomely tannic) and Black Fox (nice fruity twist on an English cider), which I hope to find locally now that they are distributed in the U.S.

Italian: Bertolinos – My first Italian cider, which I found to be simple but tasty, and budget friendly too.

Swiss: Cidrerie du Vulcain Transparente – My first Swiss cider, which reminded me of French cider, in between the typical Brittany & Normandy styles.

Canadian: Sea Cider Ruby Rose – This fruity high ABV cider is made with rhubarb and rose hips, making it a unique summer sipper.

Fruity: Doc’s Draft Sour Cherry – A cherry cider is difficult to pull off without tasting medicinal, but the flavor is spot-on with this one. Jester & Judge Pineapple Express – Although simple, this cider has some awesome pineapple flavor, a nice frothy texture, and a hint of lime.

Rosé: Eden Imperial 11 Rosé – This drier cider with red currant is high ABV and amazingly fruity. Alpenfire Glow – This sweeter cider is made from rare red fleshed apples and also amazingly fruity, with a high flavor intensity.

Limited Release: Angry Orchard & Eden collaboration, Understood in Motion: 01 – This cider is only available at Angry Orchard’s Walden NY cider house, and was made from Vermont heirloom apples, barrel aged, and mixed with some ice cider; awesome!

Hopped: 2 Towns Hop & Stalk – I wouldn’t call myself a fan of either rhubarb or hops, but for whatever reason I really enjoyed this cider; the flavors really complimented each other and created a unique and surprisingly complex cider (I’m also a sucker for Imperial / high ABV ciders).

High ABV: Alpenfire Smoke – This 16% ABV sipping cider has an amazing complexity, with rich oaky smokey flavor. If I had to name just one favorite cider, this would probably be it, although its not an everyday sort of cider. I hope it gets released again soon, as I’m down to only one bottle!

Oaked: Sheppy’s Oak Matured – I love the strong oak flavor in this cider; as a bonus, it is budget friendly too.

Barrel Aged: Reverend Nat’s Whiskey Barrel Aged Golden Russet with Black Currant – This was my favorite cider from Cider Summit Seattle 2016, with awesome berry, oak, and whiskey flavor.

Sparkling: AEppelTreow Appely Doux – This methode champenoise cider has a wonderful texture & flavor, and would be a great champagne alternative.

Perry: EZ Orchards Poire – I’m not a huge Perry fan, but those I do like tend towards the French Poire style; this one has a creamy texture and complex fruitiness.

Pommeau: Etienne Dupont Pommeau – This is their Cidre Bouche aged in Calvados barrels with Calvados added, and is flavorful, rich, and complex. Wandering Aengus Pommeau – Milder in flavor than some other Pommeaus, but still rich and complex.

Ice Cider: Eden Heirloom Blend Apple Brandy Barrel Aged – I’ve enjoyed all of Eden’s ice ciders, but this is my favorite, as it had the added depth from barrel aging in addition to all the rich complexity of their typical ice cider.

Great Value: Schilling King’s Shilling – I’ve picked up a 22oz bottle of this for as low as $4 (and as high as $7), which is a steal for a tasty barrel aged brandy infused cider.

Wine-like: Honeywood Winery Hard Apple Cider – Quite different than I was expecting, but I liked it; this one reminded me of dessert wine with the white grape notes, higher ABV, and sweetness.

Draft-only: Wandering Aengus Bittersweet – An amazingly rich and tannic cider made from bittersweet apple juice from Poverty Lane Orchards (Farnum Hill); wild fermented but it wasn’t funky.

Unexpected: Gowans 1876 Heirloom – This cider almost seemed to good to be true, as it was so full flavored and apple forward.

Well, there you have it, a list of 32 of my favorite ciders from 2016. They have a lot in common–most are rich and full-flavored. Still, it seems like so many great ciders didn’t make the cut, which is unfortunate.

What are your favorite ciders?

2 Towns Return of the Mack

December 5, 2016December 3, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Corvallis, hard cider, oregon, Return of the Mac, Return of the Mack, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns Return of the Mack, a limited release unfiltered oak aged cider made with McIntosh apples. I previously tried an earlier release of this on draft (see here). I’ve also tried many other ciders from 2 Towns (see here).

Cider: Return of the Mack
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis Oregon
ABV: 8.4%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles (and kegs)
Style: American craft unfiltered cider with McIntosh apples, aged 12 months in oak foeders

Availability: Limited release, but 2 Towns ciders are generally available in AK, CA, HI, ID, OR, WA, and Minneapolis MN & Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Rich and complex, Return of the Mack is a specialty cider aged for 12 months in 1800 liter oak foeders and finished with McIntosh apples. So good. Yes, I cried, yes, I cried.

From Dave Takush, head cider maker for 2 Towns Ciderhouse: Return of the Mack is super rich, exceptionally juicy and has a big oak tannin backbone. It makes a great pairing with dark and stormy nights, and 90s slow jams.

Price: n/a (retails for $7.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: It showed up at my door (I’m spoiled!).

First Impression: Hazy dark pumpkin straw yellow. Still (no carbonation). Smells like tart unfiltered apple juice.

Tasting Notes: On the drier side of semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Smooth with a well-hidden ABV. Notes of unfiltered apple juice, lemon, orange, honey, and a hint of floral. Quick to moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity. Low oak influence (I expect it smoothed the flavor out more than adding any significant overt oak flavor).

My Opinion: I enjoyed Return of the Mack, but it is more of a basic easy drinking cider which I would expect to find in a multi pack, vs. a single bottle specialty release.

Most Similar to: I’d call this a sweeter, more boozy, and slightly more complex version of 2 Towns Out Cider.

Closing Notes: 2 Towns makes some great stuff. My favorites are Traditions Bourbon Barrel 2012, Bad Apple, Hop & Stalk, Traditions Cidre Bouche 2015, and Pommeau 2015.

Have you tried 2 Towns Return of the Mack? What did you think?

2 Towns Traditions Riverwood New World Brut – 2015 Vintage

November 28, 2016November 28, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns 2 Towns, barrel aged, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Riverwood, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns Traditions Riverwood New World Brut, 2015 vintage, a champagne-style cider. This is one of two ciders which were released to start off their new Traditions line. Their Traditions line will replace their separate Traditions brand and focus on barrel aged vintage cider from heirloom apples. The other is Cidre Bouche. Two others will soon be released, Afton Field and La Mûre. This is the third vintage of Riverwood. I’ve tried the two previous vintages, Traditions brand 2013 vintage and 2 Towns brand 2014 vintage. I’ve also tried many other ciders from 2 Towns (see here).

Cider: Traditions Riverwood New World Brut, 2015 Vintage
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis Oregon
ABV: 6.3%
How Supplied: 375ml bottles
Style: American craft champagne-style cider from heirloom apples, barrel aged

Availability: Limited (only 240 cases of 12 bottles), although 2 Towns ciders are generally available in AK, CA, HI, ID, OR, WA, and Minneapolis MN & Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Willamette Valley grown Jonagold apples. Oregon grown bittersharp cider apples. Finished in chardonnay barrels. Inspired by sparkling brut champagnes of the past, Riverwood is a contemporary take on a classic. Slow fermentation at cold temperatures allows the intense passionfruit-like aroma of freshly picked and pressed Jonagold and Porter’s Perfection apples to flourish. Dry, bright, and floral, this New World cider brings the brut style out of the past and into the present. Pairs well with lobster mushroom risotto, butternut squash ravioli in sage brown butter, asparagus with lemon aioli and Moroccan chicken with dates and braised greens.

Price: n/a
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. Moderate carbonation. Smells mildly floral and of high acidity.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Subtle notes of floral, lemon, grapefruit, and mineral. Moderate length finish. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Low flavor intensity. Low to moderate complexity. Low oak influence.

My Opinion: This was well made, but not really a style I enjoy, with its subtle wine-like flavor and high acidity. However, its very food-friendly and a great champagne alternative.

Most Similar to: Cockrell Jonastar, Alpenfire Dungeness, and Seattle Cider Washington Heirloom.

Closing Notes: I liked last year’s vintage better, as it seemed more apple forward, more intensely flavored, sweeter, and less acidic.

Have you tried 2 Towns Traditions Riverwood? What did you think?

2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche – 2015 Vintage

November 25, 2016November 28, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cidre, cidre bouche, French, hard cider, keeved, tasting notes, Traditions

Review of 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche, a French-style keeved cider. This is one of two ciders which they released to start off their new Traditions line. Their Traditions line will replace their separate Traditions brand and focus on barrel aged vintage cider from heirloom apples. The other is Riverwood, which I’ll be reviewing next. Two others will soon be released, Afton Field and La Mûre. Its my first time trying this cider, although I’ve tried many other ciders from 2 Towns (see here).

Cider: Traditions Cidre Bouche
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis Oregon
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 375ml bottles
Style: American craft French keeved style cider from heirloom apples, oak aged

Availability: Limited (only 240 cases of 12 bottles), although 2 Towns ciders are generally available in AK, CA, HI, ID, OR, WA, and Minneapolis MN & Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Oregon grown bittersweet heirloom apples. Old world keeving method. Aged in French oak casks….Inspired by the bittersweet ciders of France, Cidre Bouché is made with an Old World process called keeving. We start with 100% traditional cider apple varieties like Kingston Black, Michelin, Reine des Pommes, Dabinett and Muscat de Lense, and then let the fruit ‘sweat’ and intensify in aroma. Next, the apples are crushed and left to soak on the skins before the juice is fermented slowly over the course of a year, and aged in French oak casks. When finished, this keeved cider is rich, thick and brimming with overripe bittersweet apple character. Pairs well with classic French fare— think savory crepes, pork terrine, camembert and blue cheese.

Price: n/a
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Hazy medium orange amber hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells slightly funky and apple forward.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate to high acid. Low funk and tannins. Hints of sourness and bitterness. Notes of unfiltered apple juice, apple pomace, honey, orange, grapefruit, and butterscotch. Moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate complexity.

My Opinion: I really enjoyed it, and thought it paired well with Thanksgiving dinner. It got a bit funkier as it warmed up, so I preferred it cold. I’m a fan of these sorts of bold and rich ciders, and of (not too funky or sour) French cidre.

Most Similar to: French cidre. It definitely seemed true to the style, in between Normandy and Brittany French cidre as it was a bit funky (as Normandy cidre can tend to be), but not overly so. However, it was a bit higher acidity and more fruity though (although the grapefruit I picked up might have been more from the high acidity than anything else), which was a nice twist.

Closing Notes: I look forward to trying the other ciders in their new Traditions line. I think they made a great choice to release them in smaller 375ml bottles, as it will reduce the price point and increase the number of bottles available. I also think the switch to keep these under their 2 Towns brand but in a separate category was a smart move.

Have you tried 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche? What did you think?

2 Towns Nice & Naughty Imperial Spiced Cider

September 26, 2016September 25, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, imperial, Nice & Naughty, spiced cider, tasting notes

Review of 2 Towns’ Nice & Naughty Imperial Spiced Cider, their winter seasonal high ABV cider with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I’ve tried this before (see here), and even tried the bourbon barrel aged version (see here), but only on draft. I’ve previously tried most of their lineup; see here.

Cider: Nice & Naughty
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 10.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles
Style: American craft apple honey wine with spices

Availability: Thru the end of 2016 in AK, CA, HI, ID, OR, WA, and Minneapolis MN & Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Festive and warming, Nice & Naughty is crammed full of whole cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and a touch of honey to celebrate the season. Made with Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Clove.

Price: n/a (retails for ~$8)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Light to medium straw yellow hue. Low carbonation. Smells sweet, of baked apples and cinnamon.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tartness. Moderate to high acidity. Low bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of baked apples, juicy apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, hints of cloves, honey, and citrus. Long warming slightly boozy finish. Low to moderate sessionability. Moderate apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity / spice intensity. Low to moderate complexity.

My Opinion: Tasty. I liked it better closer to room than fridge temperature, oddly enough (considering the high ABV). The level of spice is nice…not overwhelming. I also liked that it wasn’t overly sweet. It is however a bit on the acidic side.

Most Similar to: AEppelTreow Sparrow Spiced and Elemental Seasonal Spiced Apple, both which had similar levels of sweetness and flavor profiles, but not as high of an ABV. Reverend Nat’s Winter Abbey Spice has a higher ABV, but had an odd sourness.

Closing Notes: If you are looking for a unique spiced cider, one with a bit more kick but not too much sweetness, this is a nice choice.

Have you tried 2 Towns Nice & Naughty? What did you think?

Cider Summit Seattle 2016 Post 2/2 – Tasting Notes

September 14, 2016April 16, 2017 cidersays 2 Towns, Apple Outlaw, Aspall, Cider Summit, Coquerel Calvados, D's Wicked, Double Mountain, Dragon's Head, event, Finnriver, Incline, J. Seeds, local, Maeloc, Montana Ciderworks, Moonlight Meadery, Nectar Creek, Number Six, NV Cider, Rev Nat's, review, Sea Cider, Seattle Cider, Steelhead, Summit Cider cider, cider event, cider review, cider summit, cider tasting, hard cider, seattle, tasting notes

This is post 2/2 on Cider Summit Seattle 2016, covering tasting notes. Post 1/2 (see here) covered the event.

2 Towns (Corvallis Oregon) Hollow Jack (6.4% ABV) – This fall seasonal pumpkin cider was just released. They added caramelized pumpkin, sweet potato, honey, and spices. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low tartness, acidity, and bitterness. Notes of pumpkin, squash, and cinnamon. It was very lightly flavored, unlike many other pumpkin (and more frequently found, “pumpkin” spice ciders, which actually don’t have any pumpkin) which are overwhelming.

Apple Outlaw (Applegate Oregon) Chocolate Raspberry (unknown ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry. The chocolate was added by soaking cacao bean husks in the raspberry cider. These husks would otherwise be discarded in the chocolate making process. Smells delicious, purely chocolate and raspberry. Semi-dry. The flavor is almost all raspberry, but hints of dark chocolate shone through in the slightly bitter and tannic finish. Moderate tartness and acidity. This was a bit of a novelty, but nice.

Aspall (Suffolk England) Perronelle’s Blush (4% ABV) – Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Moderate tartness and acidity. Light to medium bodied. Lovely fruitiness with moderate blackberry flavor plus hints of cranberry and blueberry. This is a nice sessionable summer sipper without forgoing flavor. I’ve never been disappointed by Aspall.

Boonville (Boonville CA) Bite Hard Semi-Sweet (6.9% ABV) – Their semi-sweet flagship cider is a follow up to their Dry Bite Hard variety. I found it as advertised, semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Fruity, with notes of tropical fruit like pineapple, plus green apple (all from the apples). I prefer this semi-sweet cider to their drier variety, which was more wine-like (which corresponds to their wine making background and methods).

Bull Run (Forest Grove Oregon) Mango (unknown ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry. This hazy cider looked like mango juice. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Very juice-like and moderate mango flavor intensity. Moderate tartness and acidity. Simple but tasty.

Carlton Cyderworks (McMinnville Oregon) Impearial Asian Pear Hard Cider (5.8% ABV) – This is a pear cider (apples + Asian pears + Hood River Oregon pears). Semi-dry. Light bodied. Light sourness. Mildly flavored with notes of pear, pineapple, lemon, green apple, and mineral. I prefer more flavor, but this would pair well with food.

Coquerel (Victot-Pontfol, Normandy, France) Calvodos Fine VSOP (40% ABV) – This was my first time trying straight Calvados, an aged apple brandy (I’ve only had it with cider, as Pommeau). Semi-dry. Definitely boozy, with a very long warming finish. It surprisingly had only a mild apple flavor, although its possible my palate was a bit overwhelmed by the alcohol. I’m not really into straight alcohol (especially when served room temperature). I think I’ll stick to Pommeau.

d’s Wicked (Kennewick WA) Cranny Granny (6.9% ABV) – This is a granny smith apple cider with cranberry juice. Hazy pink hue. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Simple with only notes of moderately tart granny smith apples and cranberry. If you like tartness and cranberry, you’ll like this cider.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon WA) Columbia Crabapple Cider (6.7% ABV) – A single varietal cider made from Columbia crabapples. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity with hints of bitterness and tannins. Sharp flavor with notes of mineral, green apple, honey, white blossom, and lemon. Wine-like and nuanced with low flavor intensity. This is the sweetest variety I’ve tried from them. Their Kingston Black or Traditional is probably my favorite though.

Double Mountain Brewery – I’ll add a bit about them as they aren’t yet distributed in Washington, only Oregon. They have brewed beer for 9 years, but just started making cider, and have one introductory variety.

Double Mountain (Hood River Oregon) Jumpin Jack Heirloom Cider (7.3% ABV) – Fully dry. Mild sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild bitterness and tannins. Notes of green apple and a hint of hops (not sure if they were added, or there might have been some tap line contamination). I didn’t pick up the richness of any of the cider apple varieties they added, but there was definitely sharp heirloom apple flavor. I thought it was ok.

Finnriver (Chimanum WA) Apple Abbey (6.5% ABV) – A Belgian-inspired cider made from dessert apples. Foamy and hazy. Smells of sourness and citrus. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Yeast-forward. Notes of citrus and green apple. Hints of sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. I liked it.

Finnriver (Chimanum WA) Pomona’s Nectar (6.5% ABV) – This is a new Crew Selection sour nectarine cider. Smells like Spanish Sidra. Semi dry. Mild to moderate sourness. Notes of lemon, yeast, and mineral (I didn’t pick up any stone fruit). I’m still trying to acquire the taste for sour ciders, but I found this one pretty tolerable; its a bit more approachable than the average Sidra.

Incline Cider (Auburn WA) Scout (6.5%) – A hopped marionberry cider. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Light marrionberry and moderate hops flavor. I think I prefer their plain Explorer hopped cider variety.

J. Seeds (Fairfield CA) Apple Cider Whiskey (35% ABV) – Whiskey made including apple cider. Semi-sweet. Apple forward and quite tasty, although I don’t have anything to compare it to as I’m not a whiskey drinker (I’ve previously found it too harsh). However, I’m not into straight booze, so I think I’d prefer it watered down or mixed. It looks to be available locally and is quite affordable. I wouldn’t mind trying this again. Being sweeter, it reminds me of what flavored sweetened vodka is to plain vodka.

Maeloc Cider (Galithia Spain) Dry (4.8% ABV) – This is a commercial Spanish Sidra. Semi-dry to semi-sweet (despite the “Dry” name). Medium bodied. Mild sourness and funk. Notes of citrus and green apple. It is a more approachable Sidra, a style I’m still learning to acquire a taste for. I learned they use apples from within 50 miles of the cidery, grown in a damp climate similar to the PNW, and use wild yeast fermentation for all their ciders. Overall it was ok.

Montana CiderWorks (Darby MT) Spartan Dry-Style (5.5% ABV) – This is a small batch oak aged single varietal made with Montana-grown Spartan apples, in the style of Northern Italy’s Sauvignon Blanc. Dry. Light bodied. Nuanced and wine-like, with high acidity, and sharp green apple, herbal, and baked apple notes. It was nice, but I prefer their fuller flavored Darby Pub cider. This is a wine-lovers cider.

Moonlight Meadery (Londonderry NH) Crimes of Passion (4.1% ABV) – A black currant seasonal cider. Semi-dry. Light sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild to moderate black currant flavor intensity. I enjoyed it, although without the sourness I would have enjoyed it more. I was excited to learn they will soon be offering their How Do You Like Them Little Apples cider in cans (currently all their ciders are draft-only), starting in October/November, including in the Seattle area.

Nectar Creek (Corvallis Oregon) Honeycone (6.9% ABV) – This is a hopped mead (no apples, just honey and water). The smell is all hops, no honey. Semi-dry. Mild flavor intensity with more hops than honey. I found this sessionable lightly carbonated mead to be lacking the full flavor I enjoy in the higher ABV sweeter meads.

Number Six Cider (Seattle WA) Peach Fuzz (6.5% ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry, a spiced peach cider. Semi-dry. Very full bodied (chunky and smoothie-like). Low peach flavor and moderate to high spice intensity. It was a bit too strange for my liking as it was so full bodied, and overly spiced.

NV Cider (East Wenatchee WA) Watermelon Raspberry (unknown ABV) – This perry (no apples) with watermelon and raspberry was their fruit cider challenge entry, and was served through a watermelon. Semi-sweet. Light bodied. Moderately flavorful, but with more raspberry than watermelon notes, and no pear. I prefer their watermelon perry without the raspberry. Both however are refreshing options.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland Oregon) Sour Cherry (7.2% ABV) – This cider was made from granny smith apples, with pie cherry juice which was soured, pear juice, and “hint” of ghost chili peppers. Semi-dry. Moderate cherry flavor. Low sourness. Low to moderate heat/spiciness from the ghost chili peppers. I liked the cherry portion of the cider, but spicy ciders aren’t my thing (and a bit of a palate killer too). I’d love to see this without the spiciness (which I believe was new for this year).

Reverend Nat’s (Portland Oregon) The Passion (6.9% ABV) – Cider with passion fruit juice, coconut, and vanilla. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Mild sourness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. Strong passion fruit flavor with hints of vanilla, pineapple, and coconut. I really enjoyed it. I liked how fruity it was without being too sweet. I had heard this was very sour so I hadn’t got around to trying it, but I wish I had sooner! I wonder if they did away with the sour aspect this year, as I really didn’t pick up any. I’ll have to try this again to see if my sour taste buds were busted when I tried it.

Reverend Nat’s (Portland Oregon) Whiskey Barrel Aged Golden Russet with Black Currant (9.5% ABV) – This is Wandering Aengus’ Golden Russet cider with black currant puree from Oregon Fruit Products, aged for 6 months in whiskey barrels. It was made for the Portland and Seattle Cider Summits, but will be a Tent Show cider club release in October. Semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild tannins and bitterness. Moderate barrel and spirit influence. Awesome! I really loved this cider. I usually find berry ciders to be boring, but when barrel aged, they can be amazing. This reminded me of Alpenfire Calypso and Apocalypso, except more boozy, and whiskey not rum barrel aged. Too bad they weren’t selling bottles of this at the event, as I would have picked some up.

Sea Cider (Saanichton, B.C., Canada) Ruby Rose (9.9% ABV) – This summer seasonal is made with rhubarb and rose hips. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Mild to moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. Intensely fruity, with floral, rhubarb, strawberry, and watermelon notes. I really liked it! Oddly enough I didn’t find it too boozy, despite being 9.9% ABV.

Sea Cider (Saanichton, B.C., Canada) Witch’s Broom (9.9% ABV) – I got a taste from the first bottle poured in the U.S. of this fall seasonal. It was described as a “bouquet of pumpkin patch spices”. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. It was moderately spiced with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and baked apple. Mild tannins, bitterness, tartness, and acidity. Cinnamon was the most present, both in the nose and the finish. One of my favorite spiced ciders, but I’m not usually a huge fan of them.

Both of these ciders from Sea Cider are part of their Canadian Invasion Series, meant to draw attention to invasive species and their threat to farms and natural areas.

Seattle Cider (Seattle Washington) City Fruit (6.3% ABV) – This is a special release cider only sold at Whole Foods, made using apples collected in the Seattle community by the non-profit City Fruit. Dry to semi-dry. Wine-like and acid forward. Notes of red grape and mineral. Overall very mild flavor intensity. This is a wine-lovers cider, and would pair well with food.

Steelhead Cider (Manson WA) Chimera Cherry Apple (5.5% ABV) – This is a newer cidery who just started distributing (at least kegs) in the Seattle area. I previously tried their Peargatory. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Moderate to strong real cherry flavor. It was sweeter than I prefer, but I liked the intense cherry flavor.

Summit Cider – I’ll add a bit about them as they aren’t yet distributed in Western Washington (only Idaho and Eastern Washington). This cidery was started in 2014, making them the first in Idaho, and the only in Coeur d’Alene. Their bestseller is Apricot, although of late their Hibiscus cider has been popular with wine drinkers. They have a tap room in Coeur d’Alene. I met co-founder Davon Sjostrom, who has a background in Botany, which I imagine brings something new to cidermaking.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Apple (6.5% ABV) – Semi-dry. Low tartness and acidity. Low to moderate apple flavor. Rather plain, but likeable.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Apricot (6.5% ABV) – Semi-dry. Lots of (true) apricot flavor for the level of dryness (typically drier ciders have a less intense flavor than sweeter ciders). I really enjoyed it. Davon described testing out many varieties of apricots to find the one whose flavor came across best in cider.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Hibiscus (6.9% ABV) – Semi-dry with nuanced light floral and herbal notes. I can see why this would be a wine-lovers cider.

Summit Cider (Coeur d’Alene Idaho) Blackberry (unknown ABV) – This was their fruit cider challenge entry. I found it semi-dry and very mild in flavor. I think with some barrel aging it would have been nice though.

In Summary

My Favorite Cider – Reverend Nat’s Whiskey Barrel Aged Black Currant

Other Favorite Ciders – Reverend Nat’s The Passion, Summer Cider Apricot, Sea Cider Ruby Rose, and Steelhead Cherry

Most Interesting Cider – One Tree’s PB&J cider, a raspberry cider with peanut butter whipped cream (I didn’t try it, but a photo is available here – more dessert than cider).

Other Interesting Ciders – Reverend Nat’s Sour Cherry, due to the use of ghost chili peppers. Schilling’s Grumpy Bear, due to the use of coffee and a Nitro can (my tasting notes here). Schilling’s Sour Raspberry Smoothie, due to its high viscosity (apparently for some of their ciders with high fruit content, they have a keg or two per batch which are smoothie-like). Apple Outlaw’s Chocolate Raspberry, due to the use of chocolate in a cider (I’ve only heard of Woodchuck doing this previously). 1o1 Ciderhouse Black Dog, due to the use of activated charcoal (poured last year, with my tasting notes here).

Schilling Cider House Visit 19 Tasting Notes

August 12, 2016August 7, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, Dragon's Head, Dupont, Incline, Locust, review, Schilling cider, cider bar, cider review, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 19th visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts with tasting notes here.

<can’t beat 32 cider taps!>

I was there on a Monday for 2 Towns’ re-release of Made Marion (this time in cans) and the re-release of their Cot in the Act cider (this time as a Fruit Seasonal).

I enjoyed a flight of four ciders, then samples of Cot in the Act and Made Marion.

Incline (Auburn WA) Lemongrass Lure (6.5% ABV): This is a draft-only limited release cider with Citra hops and lemongrass. Smells of lemongrass, citrus, and herbs. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light bodied with a nice frothy texture. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of lemon, grapefruit, herbs, and only a hint of hops. Low apple flavor. High sessionability. Low to moderate complexity. Moderate flavor intensity. I enjoyed it; I think it had just the right amount of hops–not overpowering (the flavor was primarily lemongrass).

Locust Cider (Woodinville WA) Berry Session (4.0% ABV): This is a draft-only sessionable berry cider. Smells of blackberries and strawberries. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light to medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. The flavor is just berry, mostly blackberry with some strawberry. High sessionability. Low apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity. I’m usually not a huge fan of berry ciders as I find them overly simple, but I thought it was pretty good.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon WA) Columbia Crab (6.0% ABV): This is a new draft & bottled cider made from crabapples. Smells of sharp crabapples, honey, and lemon. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Light flavor, not as sharp as most crabapple ciders. notes of crabapples, honey, lemon, and white blossoms. Moderate apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Moderate complexity. Low to moderate flavor intensity. This is much sweeter than the other ciders I’ve tried from them, which was surprising, but I’m guessing it may have been perceived. I enjoyed it.

Etienne Dupont (Pays d’Auge France) Aperitif / Pomme / Pommeau (17% ABV): This is a special release of Pommeau (cider mixed with apple brandy). It is Cidre Bouche from bittersweet apples, aged in a Calvados barrel, with 1998 reserve Calvados mixed back in. Smells boozy, like Pommeau, rich, and of caramel. Semi-sweet to sweet (although apparently it is very low residual sugar so it may just perceive sweeter). Still. Medium to full bodied. Mild tartness. Moderate acidity. Mild tannins. Hints of bitterness. No sourness or funk (which was surprising considering the base Cidre Bouche definitely had that going on). Notes of rich bittersweet apples, caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla. No sessionability. Moderate to high apple flavor. Moderate complexity. High flavor intensity. Amazing!

<2 Towns Cot in the Act>

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Cot in the Act (6.0% ABV): Although this unfiltered apricot cider has been out for a few years, it is being newly released as a Fruit Seasonal, in both bottles and kegs. Smells mild and fruity. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hint of bitterness. No sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of apricot and peach. Low apple flavor. Moderate to high sessionability. Low complexity. Low flavor intensity.

<2 Towns Made Marion>

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Made Marion (6.0% ABV): Smells strongly of blackberries. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. The flavor is primarily blackberry, with hints of blueberry. Low apple flavor. High sessionability. Low complexity. Low flavor intensity.

The Etienne Dupont Pommeau was my favorite; I wish bottles were available of it locally. I thought it was worth the $5 for 2oz! Its probably my favorite Pommeau so far, although I also enjoy the 2 Towns and Finnriver varieties.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

2 Towns Cellar Series La Mûre

June 13, 2016June 11, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, Blackberry, cider, cider review, Corvallis, hard cider, La Mûre, lambic, oregon, sour cider

Review of 2 Towns’ newest Cellar Series cider, La Mûre, a sour blackberry cider aged in Pinot Noir red wine barrels for over a year. It is inspired by Belgian-style sour lambic beer. I’ve tried most of their cider line-up; see my past reviews here.

Cider: La Mûre
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle
Style: American craft sour Belgian lambic beer inspired cider with blackberries, aged in Pinot Noir barrels

Availability: Limited release of 70 cases, mostly in the 2 Towns tap room and a few select accounts in Oregon. In general 2 Towns ciders are available in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL (Chicago), MN, NV, OR, and WA.

Cider Description: La Mûre is made with 100 percent fresh-pressed Northwest apples and whole, Oregon-grown blackberries…Inspired by the Flemish beers of Belgium, La Mûre is 6.9% ABV, bone dry, and holds complex fruit character. La Mûre is aged in local Pinot Noir barrels with lactobacillus for over a year, resulting in a strong backbone, light oak flavors and a wild lactic tang. “This cider is for the more adventurous cider drinker who dabbles in wild ales, sour beers and farmhouse or Asturian-style ciders,” said Dave Takush, head cider maker at 2 Towns Ciderhouse. “La Mûre is French for blackberry. We named this cider after the berry to pay homage to the Flemish ciders of Belgium, and echo wild lambic beers like framboise and cassis.”

Price: unknown (probably ~$20)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home, with a group
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Red wine hue. Still. Slight turbidity and sediment. Smells of blackberries, red wine, oak, sourness, and funk.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Light to medium bodied. A balance of moderate tartness, acidity, and sourness. However, the sourness is more at the front of the palate than a typical sour cider where the sourness hits further back. Hints of funk and bitterness. Tannic blackberry flavor. Moderate to high red wine influence. Low to moderate oak influence. Moderate length finish. Moderate flavor intensity. No apple flavor. Very low sessionability.

My Opinion: I’m not a sour cider fan, so no surprise, I wasn’t a fan of this cider. And thats ok…not everyone likes every cider. I knew going into it that I needed some backup, so I had three cider friends over. They are all sour cider lovers, especially berry sour ciders, and loved this one. We opened a lot of ciders and this was one of the few that actually got finished.

Closing Notes: If you love sour & farmhouse-style cider, Belgian-style lambic beer, etc, and can find this special release, give it a try. 2 Towns really branched out with this one, making something that won’t be a crowd pleaser, but will be truly appreciated by those who enjoy these types of uniquely crafted ciders.

Have you tried any sour ciders? What did you think?

FlavorActiV Cider Sensory Kit Series One

May 31, 2016May 29, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, cider education, FlavorActiv, review 2 Towns, cider, cider education, cider sensory kit, FlavorActiv, hard cider, OutCider, review, sensory analysis

This is a unique review…not of a cider, but of FlavorActiV’s Cider Sensory Kit Series One. Kits like this are used in cider sensory analysis classes (such as at CiderCon – see this great post at Along Came a Cider, or for cider certification courses such as USACM CCP or NACM), at cideries for cidermaker education, for judge preparation at a cider competition, etc. It enables the taster to identify the scent and flavor of specific individual compounds (typically faults) which may occur in cider. I heard about it through CiderGuide, and was intrigued enough to contact the company.

About: This kit was developed specifically for the cider industry in conjunction with one of their global beer/cider customers. They are currently developing a Series Two kit, and are interested to get industry feedback on it. They will also soon launch an open cider taster proficiency scheme (see here for more information) so that cider producers can regularly train and test themselves. FlavorActiV offers over 125 flavor standards, including kits for beer, wine, and coffee. Here is info on the individual cider flavor standards they sell in addition to this kit of 10 standards.

>>This is a review of a sample kit provided to Cider Says by FlavorActiV. 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 review cue. I love free stuff, especially cider! Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here? Contact me.<<

Samples included: Sour, Musty, Earthy, Barnyard, Phenolic, Acetaldehyde (Acetal), Sulphitic, Indole, Metallic, Mercaptan

Cost: 120 pounds ($170 USD), with free worldwide shipping. Note that one kit makes approximately 1.2 liters (40.6 oz) of each sample, and a 100 ml (3.4 oz) sample is recommended for each taster, so one kit is recommended for 12 tasters (and can probably be used for even more with smaller sample sizes).

How to order: Through their website or by e-mailing cider@flavoractiv.com. For more information, to provide feedback, or to purchase, their e-mail is cider@flavoractiv.com. I received this within a few days even though it traveled from the UK to Seattle WA USA.

Packaging: Bubble mailer, with the samples in capsules individually packaged in a booklet, padded with cardboard so they couldn’t be crushed.

In the box:

10 capsules in a booklet, labeled by type, with descriptions
Instructions
Flavour Wheel of tastes and odors
Handout of the 20 year history of FlavorActiV Flavor Standards
Brochure on their technical taste panel training and management products

Instructions:

Empty the powder in each capsule into 200 ml (6.8 oz) of cider, then swirl the container to release the flavor.
Top off the container with 1 liter (33.8 oz) of cider to reach the recommended tasting concentration.
Pour a 100ml (3.4 oz) sample for each taster.
(Therefore as-directed, you would need 12 liters of cider to mix the powder into, but it would be for 12 people.)

Supplies I used:

three 12oz cans of cider
1/4 cup (50ml) measuring cup (x2)
11 tasting glasses which held at least 4oz (one for each sample plus a control)
butter knife to stir with
index cards
pencil

My experience:

I purchased 2 Towns OutCider, which I consider to be fairly neutral, and is cost effective as it comes in a multi pack (plus I like it). Oddly enough I didn’t have any suitable cider in the house as the only ciders I had more than 1 bottle/can of were flavored.
To use less cider, I ratioed down the powder to make a smaller sample size, as it was just me.
I ended up emptying out each capsule onto an index card, taking a pinch of the powder and putting it into a glass (estimating 1/12), then adding 100ml of cider.
- It worked out fairly well, and I could add cider or add powder to change the ratio if needed. I ended up only adding more powder, not cider.
Of the 10 capsules, one was difficult to open so I cut it open and one had a bit of powder left in it (slight bit of moisture). Overall they were fairly easy to use.
I used all the tasting glasses I had in the house. I think small clear plastic disposable cups would be ideal, especially for a group, as ideally you want to prepare all the samples at once, instead of one by one. The instructions call for a pitcher to mix it in, but the way I did it, I didn’t need one. I found the powder easily dissolved, so I didn’t really need to add a bit of cider, stir, then add more, like they recommended.
The recommended 100ml was a good sample size when doing it individually as it was enough to stir. For a group when mixing it in a pitcher, an even smaller sample size could probably be used. I only had a couple sips of most of them as the only flavor I actually enjoyed was sour (this is a learning exercise, not a pleasant tasting experience).

The samples:

Control (2 Towns OutCider): Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Slightly cloudy as it is less filtered than most ciders. Smells mild, of only apples. Low to moderate tartness & acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. I think this was a fairly good choice for a neutral cider (their Bright Cider would have probably been even better, but I like Out Cider much more). As a bonus I have 3 cans of cider left.
Sour: Scent unchanged. Flavor change was citric acid tartness, not a true “sourness” like sour beer.
Musty: Scent impacted. Flavor was muted and the musty effect lingered on the palate. Tasted like an antique shop.
Earthy: Scent greatly impacted, and it smelled exactly like fresh dirt. Flavor wasn’t as impacted as smell. This was a negative type of earthiness, not the pleasant type which I’ve found in some ciders with significant tannins.
Barnyard: Scent moderately impacted; it smelled of dirt plus “wild”. Taste slightly impacted, mostly in the finish.
Phenolic: Scent slightly impacted. I didn’t taste anything, so I added more powder. Then I got some citrus scent and a slightly herbal & floral flavor. Overall I found it very mild, even when I tripled the amount of powder.
Acetaldehyde (Acetal): Scent impacted, smelling of chemicals like paint. Flavor impacted, and it overall just tasted “off”. Really difficult to describe.
Sulphitic: Scent not impacted. Slight sulfur flavor and flatness. I added more powder and it became more of a chemical flavor.
Indole: Scent and flavor not impacted, so I added more powder. I only smelled and tasted a bit of floral. Overall very mild.
Metallic: Scent not impacted. I didn’t taste anything either, so I added more powder. Then I picked up a flatness and dulling of the flavor. Overall very mild.
Mercaptan: Scent very strongly impacted, of sulphur. Disgusting strong sulphur sewer type flavor.

My comments:

This is great for a large group/class, but the kit isn’t sized for one person. I would have needed 12 liters of cider to make as directed. However, it was definitely doable to scale it down without too much effort. The powder to cider ratio doesn’t need to be exact, and it can be adjusted with more powder or cider if necessary.
- In fact, I liked having extra powder left as there were a few samples I couldn’t detect, so I was able to keep adding powder until I tasted them.
- I think the only easier way to do it would be to have the samples as drops, but I’m not sure if that is a stable way to store them.
Some other samples I would have liked to see, which I assume may be included in Series 2 (and some of which they currently offer individually):
- Diacetyl, a buttery off-flavor formed by yeast; its something I’ve thought I’ve tasted a couple times, but wasn’t sure about
- True sour, like sour beer, often from wild fermentation…very different from tart
- Acetic, a vinegar-like flavor often found in Spanish cider
Sensory analysis such as this is really helpful to help you detect certain scents and flavors in cider, much more than just a description of that scent/flavor. Everyone experiences these differently too (for example, with a few samples I barely detected anything)

In closing: I’m glad I got the opportunity to test out this kit. I haven’t yet attended a cider sensory course, so this was a great introduction! It was educational, easy to use, well-packaged, and a good value when using it for a group. I look forward to seeing what else they come out with (such as the Series Two kit).

I should note that other companies make flavor standards which I haven’t tried/compared to FlavorActiV. However, the only other company I found online which seemed to have samples geared specifically for cider was Aroxa.

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