Liberty Ciderworks Spokane Scrumpy

Review of Liberty Ciderworks’ Spokane Scrumpy. I previously tried this at Cider Summit Seattle 2017 (see here), but I hadn’t reviewed a bottle. It was made using community sourced apples and supports the Second Harvest food bank in Spokane Washington. Here is an article on its release. I’ve also tried Liberty’s Manchurian Crabapple SV, Crabenstein, English Style, Abbess, Stonewall, Gravenstein, Cellar Series #G15, New World Style, Cellar Series (# unknown), McIntosh, and Golden Russet SV.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Liberty Ciderworks. 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: Spokane Scrumpy
Cidery: Liberty Ciderworks
Cidery Location: Spokane WA
ABV: 6.4%
Residual Sugar: 1.5%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: American craft cider from community-harvested apples, wild yeast fermented

Availability: Special release. Their ciders are in general available in Washington and Oregon (see a list of locations here). They also have online sales through Vino Shipper (although at the time of review I didn’t see this one listed).

Cider Description: A hyper-local concoction of backyard, roadside and otherwise under-appreciated apples fermented wild for a light and refreshing, yet complex flavor profile. A partnership with Second Harvest food bank, a portion of proceeds goes toward helping feed people in need in our community. (WA sales only)

Cidery Description: Located in the largest apple-growing region on the continent, Liberty Ciderworks is all about the apple, showcasing the diversity and wonders of locally grown fruit. From well known apples like McIntosh and Jonathan to rare, cider-specific fruit like Kingston Black and Dabinett, Liberty ciders put apples in their proper place: Front and center. We started Liberty Ciderworks in 2013 with a simple, two-part mission: 1) Using apples from local farms and fields to create unique, wonderful ciders, and 2) Sharing them with friends and neighbors across the great Pacific Northwest. Welcome to the cider revolution.

They have a tap room in Spokane WA, which also now has a bottle shop of selections from around the world

Price: n/a (probably ~ $15 like their other ciders)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: one of the co-owners/cidermakers contacted me, Rick Hastings

First Impression: Hazy lemonade hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells very mild.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness, tannins, and funk. No sourness. Notes of lemongrass, green apple, honey, butter, straw, and mineral. Long finish with a slightly sour aftertaste. Moderate apple flavor, complexity, flavor intensity, and sessionability.

My Opinion: I liked it. The flavor was really interesting in a good way, but the aftertaste was a bit weird/different, although mild. Neither me or the two others I was tasting with could really describe it. I think it was likely a slight sourness that only showed up on the finish. Sourness wouldn’t surprise me, as this was a wild yeast fermented cider, which typically has significant sourness. The apple-forward flavor and the bit of residual sweetness may have just covered up the sourness until the finish.

Most Similar to: Nothing I can think of. The flavor profile was unique. This is a bit sweeter and less tart than most of Liberty’s lineup. I’d recommend this for folks who want a little something different.

Side Note: In the cider world, the term “scrumpy” has a range of definitions, but it currently seems most often used to describe a rustic Farmhouse-style cider made using traditional methods, often slightly cloudy (less filtered). They are most commonly found in England, but a number of U.S. cidermakers also use this term. Here is an article from CiderCraft pointing out five examples.

Closing Notes: Too bad they couldn’t repeat this recipe, as it was a mix of random apples (probably mostly dessert apples, with some heirloom and crab apples). Next up I have their English Style and Hewes Crab ciders.

Have you tried Liberty’s Spokane Scrumpy? What did you think?

Manoir de Grandouet Cidre Fermier Brut

October 23, 2017November 3, 2017 cidersays Manoir de Grandouet, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Cidre Fermier Brut, French, french cider, French cidre, hard cider, Manoir de Grandouet, tasting notes

Review of Manoir de Grandouet Cidre Fermier Brut. It is my first time trying this one, but French cidre isn’t new to me; here are some of the ones I’ve tried.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Winesellers, Ltd. 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: Cidre Fermier Brut
Cidery: Manoir de Grandouet
Cidery Location: Pays d’Auge, Normandy, France
ABV: 5.0%
How Supplied: corked & caged champagne bottle
Style: Norman French cidre, Brut (which means “dry”, but for French cider is typically semi-dry ish, vs. the sweeter “doux”)

Do you ever notice how French cidery and cidre names all seem to sound the same, and often even the labels look the same? I have a tough time remembering which ones I’ve tried! Having a list has definitely come in handy.

Availability: Semi wide release in the U.S. through Winesellers, Ltd. Their cider portfolio also includes Le Brun, Domaine de la Minotiere, & Cidrerie Daufresne from France, Dunkertons from England, and Sidra Asturiana Mayador from Spain. Or, if you are lucky enough to live in France, the Grandouet cidery’s website has a cider locator.

Cider Description: After a long and slow fermentation of about 5 months, the cider is bottled and kept in our cellars for more than a year. It develops tannic, smoked and slightly leather aromas. Lovers of traditional cider will appreciate this cider of character, rustic and drier. Yellow-orange, it has a slight bitterness which makes it a thirst quenching cider. This cider can be enjoyed during a meal, accompanied by dishes (meats, fish, seafood) or Norman cheeses (Camembert of Normandy AOP, Pont-L’Evêque PDO and Livarot PDO). It can also be enjoyed in kir, with a cream of fruits (raspberry, blackberry, blackcurrant).

Cidery Description: Grandouet is located in the heart of Pays d’Auge at 2 km from the village of Cambremer on the “Route du Cidre”. The terroir and the climate make it a privileged site for cider products. In this typical farm of the Pays d’Auge, dedicated to apple and milk AOC, the production remains faithful to the traditions and know-how transmitted to the Grandval family for three generations.

It is amazing how old and generational many French cideries are! Their website has more info on their family cidermaking history (it is in French, but the Chrome browser at least has a translate option, at the right side of the web address area).

Price: n/a (retails for ~ $11)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the importer contacted me (I previously reviewed their Dunkertons cider)

First Impression: Moderate orange amber hue. Moderate carbonation and high foam. Smells of funky ripe yeasty French apple juice.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Light bodied, with a very frothy fluffy texture. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low tannins, bitterness, and funk. No sourness. Notes of ripe cooked bittersweet apples and pomace, residual yeast, orange, butterscotch, and earth/smoke. Moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor and sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity and complexity.

My Opinion: Great! I loved how the ripe apple yeasty funky characteristics of Norman cider were expressed without any perceived sourness, which can be common (such as in Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouche). I liked that this was more rich than fruity. It would make a great introduction to Normandy cider for someone who had only tried the easier to drink Breton ciders from Brittany France (which are typically completely clean, ie. free of funk and sourness, plus often sweeter). The funk in this cider was primarily in the scent, and subsided a bit over time, so if you find funk off-putting (like my husband), I’d recommend pouring the cider and letting it sit a bit before drinking. The level of sweetness was spot-on for me. It was quite frothy though, which slowed me down a bit while drinking it, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Most Similar to: L’Hermitiére Cidre Brut (very much so), Manoir De Montreuil Cambremer, and Christian Drouin Pays d’Auge, or for a rare U.S. made French-style cider, 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche

Closing Notes: I’m glad I got to try this cider, as I’m not sure if it is available locally. I have several other French ciders from the importer/distributor to try next, including another from this same cidery.

Have you tried French cidre? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 30 Tasting Notes

October 20, 2017October 20, 2017 cidersays Alpenfire, Greenwood, review, Schilling, ^ 5 Cider cider, cider bar, cider flight, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes, wa cider week, Washington Cider Week

Tasting notes from my 30th 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 Monday during Washington Cider Week. They had a Finnriver event with cider trivia that evening, but I left before it got underway. I got a flight, as usual. Four were new to me, and the two Alpenfire ciders were repeats that I’m always happy to retry.

Greenwood (Seattle WA) Blush (7.3% ABV): Hazy orange hue. This is also newly available in bottles (as well as their Dry, Hopped, and Huckleberry ciders). Smells of citrus, specifically, tangerine. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Low sourness, tartness, and acidity. Low to moderate flavor intensity. The flavor was odd for me, sour tangerine with a hint of berry, but my palate doesn’t like sour / it tends to overwhelm the other flavors for me.

^ Five (Portland OR) Hop Hearder (6.5% ABV): Hi Five is newly distributed to the Seattle area, and this cider is also available in cans (including at the Schilling Cider House). Dry. Moderate to strong hops flavor, plus citrus. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low to moderate bitterness. Moderate flavor intensity. I’ve been getting more into hopped ciders, but I think this was a bit much for me, between it being fully dry and quite hoppy.

Greenwood (Seattle WA) Peach (7.8% ABV): Another likely tap only release, left over from the Greenwood tap night. Semi-dry. Low tartness, acidity, and sourness. More citrus and general stone fruit than specific peach flavor. Low flavor intensity. It was a popular option for folks who like sour ciders, but I don’t.

Schilling (Auburn WA) Boysenberry Pommeau (21.5% ABV): This is a tap-only special release, probably from the Schilling Cider House’s 3rd birthday party the previous week. Pommeau is a mix of apple brandy (distilled) and apple cider (either fermented or non-fermented). Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness, acidity, bitterness, and tannins. Intense berry and rich red wine flavor (I wouldn’t be surprised if it was apple brandy + apple juice + boysenberry juice, then red wine barrel aged). Long warming finish. High flavor intensity. This was really unique and tasty, and the first flavored Pommeau I can remember trying or even hearing about.

I’ve had the two Alpenfire ciders a number of times, but I always order their ciders if I see them on draft, as they don’t do many kegs (mostly Apocalypso and their Traditional Heirloom Cider series, plus some Glow every so often).

Alpenfire (Port Townsend WA) Apocalypso (6.9% ABV): This is a tap-only version of their Calypso rum barrel aged blackberry cider which has extra blackberries. Semi-sweet. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of tannins. Compared to other batches I’ve tried (like this one), it seems like it had less rum & oak influence, but more berry flavor. I liked it, but I wish it had been the other way around.

Alpenfire (Port Townsend WA) Glow (6.8% ABV): This cider is made from red-fleshed Hidden Rose apples. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Less flavorful than I remember, likely as this batch is drier than I remember as well. Small cideries often have some variation in their ciders batch to batch. However, it still had the characteristic strawberry and watermelon notes from the special apples, and maybe even a hint of kiwi type flavor and extra tartness this time around. See my previous review here.

My favorites were the Pommeau and the two Alpenfire ciders. I didn’t really care for the other three, as two were sour and the other was a bit too hoppy.

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

Rock Creek Dry Cider

October 18, 2017October 8, 2017 cidersays review, Rock Creek Big Rock, Canadian cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Rock Creek

Review of Big Rock Brewery’s Rock Creek Dry Cider. It is my first time trying this Canadian cider, and I had some on draft while in Victoria B.C.

Cider: Rock Creek Dry Cider
Cidery: Big Rock Brewery
Cidery Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six packs of 12oz cans, and draft
Style: Canadian commercial cider from cider apples

Availability: only in Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan)

Cider Description: One day back in 1993, Chris Turton drove 590 kilometers from Kelowna to Calgary, to show Ed McNally some apples. As soon as he surveyed the apples, Ed saw the possibilities. Chris grows apples you don’t see in the supermarket. The fragrant, sweet and succulent European varieties grown in Chris Turton’s orchards are fine examples of classic English-style cider apples. At the end of that meeting Ed and Chris shook hands. A year later, Big Rock’s first cider was in the keg.

Cidery Description: Big Rock Brewery is a Canadian public company with offices and a brewery located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Big Rock distributes its products in Alberta and several other Canadian provinces. The brewery was founded in 1985 by Ed McNally.

Price: ~ $7 CAN
Where Bought & Drank: Yates Street Taphouse in Victoria B.C.
How Found: They had this and Strongbow (British Dry), and I gave this one a try as I hadn’t had it previously (or even heard of it).

First Impression: Light amber hue. Low carbonation. Smells mild, clean, and apple-forward.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Hints of tannins and bitterness. No sourness or funk. Notes of apple juice with a bit of citrus and apple pomace on the finish. Quick to moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity.

My Opinion: This was plenty drinkable and something I wouldn’t hesitate to order if it was the best option, but nothing special. I didn’t really pick up the cider apple flavor, but I imagine it was because it wasn’t bittersweet cider apple flavor, which has a very unique and prominent flavor (and darker hue).

Most Similar to: Strongbow British Dry (the original recipe, no longer offered in the U.S., but still available in Canada, and very commonly found in Victoria B.C. at least)

Random Note: Victoria bartenders seem to like garnishing cider with a slice of lime, as that happened with both ciders I ordered that day. The second cider order (at a different place) was even worse, as they served me a can of cider (Tod Creek’s Tod Cider) with a glass of ice with a lime, so I asked for a glass without ice (that has never made sense to me, unless it was a very sweet cider I wanted to water down). I’ve never been offered lime or ice in the U.S.

I picked up a number of bottles of cider that day as well, many of which were a great value as the exchange rate was $1.00 CAN to $0.80 US.

Closing Notes: They also offer Pear, Peach, and Strawberry-Rhubarb flavored ciders, but I only saw six packs, which was a bit too much of a commitment for me.

Have you tried Rock Creek cider? What did you think?

Vermont Cider Co. Ingrained

October 16, 2017October 16, 2017 cidersays review, Vermont Cider Co. barred aged, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Ingrained, tasting notes, Vermont Cider Co., Vermont Cider Company

Review of Vermont Cider Co,’s Ingrained, a limited release rye whiskey barrel aged cider. It is my first time trying this one, but I have had their Addison (flagship), Wassail, and Cerise.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by the Vermont Cider Co. 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: Ingrained
Cidery: Vermont Cider Co.
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: four packs of 12oz bottles (thick champagne glass, but capped), and 5.2 gallon kegs
Style: American commercial cider from fresh-pressed local dessert apples from Cornwall VT, aged 9 months in WhistlePig rye whiskey oak barrels

Availability: limited release (October 2017), part of their rotating line of barrel aged ciders, only sold in the Northeast United States

Cider Description: Ingrained uses 100% local apples from Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, VT. After fermentation, this cider was aged for nine months in WhistlePig Rye Whiskey barrels from Shoreham, VT for an incomparable taste experience. Ingrained has balanced botes of American oak & rye whiskey over a crisp New England apple backdrop.

Cidery Description: Vermont Cider Co. introduced the U.S. to the craft cider category 25 years ago. Dedicated exclusively to cider making, they are the proud producers of the original American hard cider, Woodchuck®, the circus of ciders, Gumption®, the west coast native, Wyder’s® Cider, and importers of Magners® Irish Cider and Blackthorn®. With an unparalleled focus on quality and innovation, Vermont Cider Co. leads the category in releasing the most premium liquid and pioneering new ciders made from the finest ingredients. Under the watchful eyes of two award winning cider makers, Vermont Cider Co. produces and distributes from Middlebury, VT, blending together the passion of their consumers, their creativity, and their heritage within the green mountains.

Price: n/a (retails for ~ $10.99 / four pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: it showed up

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells very mild, with a hint of honey.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Low to moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of honey, vanilla, green apple, and lemon. Long warming finish, which is the only time that I pick up the spirit and barrel influence. Moderate to high apple flavor. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity. Low spirit and barrel influence.

My Opinion: I really liked it, but I had been hoping for (but not expecting) a more intense whiskey and oak flavor. However, as the intensity of the barrel aging is mild (likely as it was only partially barrel aged or aged in large barrels, as 9 months is a decent amount of time), and it is a sweeter cider, this would be a great introductory barrel aged cider. ie. a cider to have someone try that is newer to cider and interested in barrel aged ciders, but doesn’t have much experience with them.

Most Similar to: Thistly Cross Whisky Cask (actually, this is very similar). I’m shocked I don’t have a review of this Thistly Cross cider at Cider Says, but here is the cidery’s info page on it. However, I can say that Thistly Cross Whisky Cask was what got me interested in barrel aged ciders, and a few years ago it was one of my favorite ciders. Tastes evolve though.

Closing Notes: This was another nice selection from the Vermont Cider Co., and is a big step up from Woodchuck without too much of a price increase. However, their production & distribution is still rather small, so unfortunately not many folks will get to try it. Its pretty cool they used barrels from WhistlePig, which my husband tells me is a high end rye whiskey (plus its a Vermont distillery, keeping the entire cider very local as they also used local apples).

Have you tried any whiskey barrel aged ciders? What did you think?

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?

Farnum Hill Semi Dry

October 11, 2017October 23, 2017 cidersays Farnum Hill, review cider, cider tasting, Farnum Hill, hard cider, New Hampshire, Semi-Dry, tasting notes

Review of Farnum Hill’s Semi Dry. I got this as part of the September Cidrbox. I previously tried samples of their Extra Dry and Dooryard, plus I reviewed Extra Dry and Kingston Black from this Cidrbox.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Cidrbox. 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: Semi Dry
Cidery: Farnum Hill
Cidery Location: Lebanon NH
ABV: 7.4%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: American artisan cider from cider apples, semi dry

Availability: In general their ciders are distributed in CT, NH, MA, ME, NJ, NY, and RI (see here). I haven’t seen their cider in the Seattle area for awhile.

Cider Description: Golden, gently bubbly, with a delicious array of tropic fruits, citrus, and mysterious aromatic notes in the nose and on the palate. Our Semi-Dry cider is much less sweet than semi-dry champagnes. On Farnum Hill, that much-abused word “dry” is taken literally, so our semi-dry balances the gentlest sweetness against sharpness, astringency, and fruit (which is different from sweet). Alcohol content 7.4% by volume. 750 ml bottle, mushroom cork finish with wire hood. The cork comes out by hand, with a genial pop.

Till recently, this of all our ciders was the most popular among people first encountering true cider flavors. It is richer, more complex, and less overtly tannic than Farmhouse. (Also much harder to make, mostly for horticultural factors in any given crop year – if we’re short of certain apple varieties that make the best possible Semi-Dry, we tend not to make Semi-Dry.) Lately the American taste for extremely dry ciders has seemingly grown, so that our Extra Dry gets as much approval from first-time tasters as the Semi. But if you’re a host wondering which to foist on your innocent guests, we’d still lean slightly toward this one.

We aim in all our blends to complement good food, not compete with it. With Semi-Dry, try: seafood, cheeses, ham, poultry, sausage, rabbit, pork, omelettes or quiches, herbed saucy dishes such as non-red pastas, etc. But don’t be surprised if it does good things for baked potatoes or other ordinary pleasures. And look for your own pairings.

Semi-Dry offers a long, clean, aromatic finish that refreshes the flavors of many savory foods. It enjoyably re-interprets many roles played by white or red wines, though not where a buttery, malolactic feel or a huge, “operatic” wine “experience” are wanted. Some chefs, and fans of Norman dishes (e.g. the world of crepes), contend that our ciders, even the Extra Drys, are charming with certain fruit tarts, custards, etc. People who make fruit ices might like to throw some Farnum Hill in, and pour some more alongside. Please post your discoveries — we’d love to try new ideas!

Cidery Description: On Farnum Hill, we use the word “cider” to mean an alcoholic beverage fermented from particular apples, just as “wine” is fermented from particular grapes. Cider is a word that covers an enormous variety of adult beverages made from apples. Our style is all about flaunting the delights of the fruit that grows best on this place.

Farnum Hill Ciders, at 6.5-7.5% alcohol, tend toward the dry, sharp, fruity and bountifully aromatic. We make them to gladden the moment and light up the flavors of food. During Prohibition, apple-growers urgently needed a new teetotal image. That PR problem helped cut the normal old word “cider” from its normal old meaning, and paste it to the sweet brown ephemeral juice of autumn, normally called “apple juice” or “sweet cider.” So even now, a lot of our fellow Americans find Farnum Hill ciders a bit startling.

We are proud of Farnum Hill Ciders, and delighted to see more and more small-scale cider-makers coming onto the U.S. cider scene. Meanwhile, we’re also encouraged to see skilled commercial apple-growers planting for cider. As in the wine world, cider-apple growers may want to make their own, or to sell their fruit to cidermakers. Already, the price of cider apples is many times the processing price that eating apples bring. That makes cider orchards valuable. Here’s hoping the future of distinctive American orchard-based ciders will outshine the past!

Here is a nice podcast with transcript from an interview by Cider Guide’s Eric West with Nicole Leibon, a cidermaker at Farnum Hill. Farnum Hill also worked with April White on a book, Apples to Cider – How to Make Cider at Home.

Price: n/a (retails for $17.99+)
Where Bought: n/a (through Cidrbox)
Where Drank: home
How Found: I’ve heard of Farnum Hill ever since I got into the cider world, as they were one of the first cideries in the new cider movement (around 1995).

First Impression: Light golden yellow. Very low carbonation. Flavorful scent, of rich cider apples and caramelized sugar.

Tasting Notes: On the drier side of semi-dry. Light bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acid. Hints of bitterness. Low to moderate tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of caramelized sugar, apple skin, brown sugar, and lemon. Moderate length finish. Moderate apple flavor, sessionability, and complexity. Low flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed this one. It was the most flavorful and richest of the three ciders, especially when drank at room instead of fridge temperature. I think a bit of residual sugar really goes a long way in a cider such as this to bring out the flavor.

Most Similar to: A mild English cider, or Dragon’s Head Traditional, Westcott Bay Semi-Dry, Eve’s Kingston Black, and E.Z. Orchards Williamette Valley.

Closing Notes: This concluded my Farnum Hill Cidrbox tasting. Semi Dry ended up being my favorite, as well as the group’s favorite at my cider tasting, as it was the most flavorful (as it was sweeter).

Have you tried Farnum Hill cider? What did you think?

Farnum Hill Kingston Black

October 9, 2017October 23, 2017 cidersays Farnum Hill, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Farnum Hill, hard cider, Kingston Black, New Hampshire, single varietal, tasting notes

Review of Farnum Hill’s Kingston Black. I got this as part of the September Cidrbox. I previously tried samples of their Extra Dry and Dooryard, plus I reviewed Extra Dry from this Cidrbox.

Cider: Kingston Black Reserve
Cidery: Farnum Hill
Cidery Location: Lebanon NH
ABV: 8.5%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: American artisan cider, single varietal from Kingston Black

Availability: This is a special release so it will probably be more difficult to find, but in general their ciders are distributed in CT, NH, MA, ME, NJ, NY, and RI (see here). I haven’t seen their cider in the Seattle area for awhile.

Cider Description: Kingston Black technically is a “bittersharp” apple variety, which in the English-speaking cider world means that its high tannin and acid levels make it a suitable cider apple: however, its sugar level, at least growing here, regularly yields 8.5% alcohol. We release a hundred or so cases of ‘Special Reserve,’ made only from this apple, in years when our KB is showing all its charms.

This is a still cider, in a 750ml bottle with straight cork. Its aromatic and flavor hooks range from floral through fruity (muskmelon) through hormonal suggestions on to further sensory tricks, viz. whiffs of candle-flame and turning off the phone. Like many distinctive flavor signatures, that Kingston Black je ne sais quoi is loved by some but not all.

With food it performs a version of the FHC effect, lending savor and vividness to many different foods. However, unlike our other ciders, Kingston Black in our view belongs with subtle dishes, rather than with spicy or otherwise rowdy flavors. Note that not only Kingston Black’s alcohol but also its price is quite high for a cider. But it’s worth it when you have time to pay attention to the treats before you.

P.S. In old apple variety names, the word “black” means “extremely dark red.”

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Still. Smells of rich cider apple.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of dry. Light bodied. Low tartness, acidity, and tannins. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Notes of cider apple, caramel, brown sugar, lemon, and green apple. Moderate length finish. Low flavor intensity. Moderate complexity, sessionability, and apple flavor.

My Opinion: I liked this one. It was less rich/intense and thinner than I was expecting though, more similar to a NE American heirloom apple cider than an English cider. However, like the Extra Dry, it became more rich and flavorful at room temperature. I’d recommend this to folks of dry still cider.

Most Similar to: I’ve also had Kingston Black single varietals from Whitewood, Dragon’s Head, and Eve’s. My favorite of those was the Whitewood, as it was intensely flavorful, likely at least partially due to the whiskey barrel aging.

Closing Notes: Next up is Farnum Hill’s Semi Dry.

Have you tried Farnum Hill cider? What did you think?

Farnum Hill Extra Dry

September 28, 2017October 9, 2017 cidersays Farnum Hill, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Extra Dry, Farnum Hill, hard cider, New Hampshire, tasting notes

Review of Farnum Hill’s Extra Dry. I got this as part of the September Cidrbox. I previously tried samples of their Extra Dry and Dooryard, but haven’t done a full review.

Cider: Extra Dry
Cidery: Farnum Hill
Cidery Location: Lebanon NH
ABV: 7.5%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: American artisan cider from cider apples, fully dry, lightly carbonated

Availability: This is their flagship cider so it is probably the easiest to find, but they appear to primarily be distributed in CT, NH, MA, ME, NJ, NY, and RI (see here). I haven’t seen their cider in the Seattle area for awhile.

Cider Description: Pale gold, bubbly, radically dry. Richly aromatic, suggesting myriad fruits of the earth, and the earth itself, with a complex, palate-cleansing balance of fruit, astringency, and acid. Sugar content zero, fruit notes rampant! Made, like Semi-Dry, from a range of specific apple varieties bred and/or selected for excellent cider.

Price: n/a (retails for $16.99+)
Where Bought: n/a (through Cidrbox)
Where Drank: home
How Found: I’ve heard of Farnum Hill ever since I got into the cider world, as they were one of the first cideries in the new cider movement (around 1995).

First Impression: Light gold yellow hue. Low carbonation. Mild scent, clean, with a hint of honey.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Very light bodied. Creamy texture. Low tartness. Moderate to high acidity. Low tannins. Hints of bitterness. No sourness or funk. Notes of honey, floral, lemongrass, orange, and green apple. Moderate length warming finish. Low flavor intensity and apple flavor. Moderate complexity and sessionability.

My Opinion: I didn’t dislike it, but this cider was a bit underwhelming for me and the others which tasted it with me. It gained more flavor intensity and acidity as it warmed up from fridge to room temperature, which was helpful, so I’d recommend drinking it at nearly room temperature (and so does the cidery). It was also really different from the version of Extra Dry I tried a couple years ago (see here), which my notes say was more acidic, tannic, and carbonated. Craft ciders can really vary batch to batch. However, it was very well made and food friendly. I think it would appeal best to true dry cider lovers. If you typically drink semi-dry to semi-sweet like I do, the flavor just won’t be there for you, as this is a very nuanced cider. This is definitely a cider to take some time with to ponder.

Most Similar to: Alpenfire Pirate’s Plank (although that one is a bit more intensely flavored, possible as it is less filtered) and Brooklyn Cider House Still Bone Dry

Closing Notes: Next up are Farnum Hill’s Kingston Black and Semi Dry.

Have you tried Farnum Hill cider? What did you think?

Ramborn Cascade Hopped Cider

September 27, 2017September 27, 2017 cidersays Ramborn, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, hopped cider, Luxembourg, Ramborn, Ramborn Cider, tasting notes

Review of Ramborn’s Cascade Hopped Cider. This is my first time trying any cider from this Luxembourg cidery. See my first post on their Perry for more info (I tried them at the same time).

>>This is a review of a bottle gifted to Cider Says by Ramborn. 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: Cascade Hopped Cider
Cidery: Ramborn Cider
Cidery Location: Born, Luxembourg
ABV: 7.4%
How Supplied: four packs of 330ml bottles
Style: cider from Luxembourg cider apples, with Cascade hops from Oregon (U.S.A.) – which hits quite close to home for this imported cider!

Availability: Mostly in Europe, although they are just starting to come to the U.S., as they launched in Milwaukee Wisconsin in August 2017.

Cider Description: We have taken some of our Luxembourgish cider and infused it with American-grown whole-cone Cascade hops. Cascade hails from Oregon in the USA’s Pacific Northwest. First released in 1971, it is loved by craft brewers the world over for its signature citrus/floral aroma. We specially selected a base cider to bring out the full characteristics of Cascade, which in turn compliments the crisp acidity of our traditional cider apples.

Cidery Description: Ramborn is the first Luxembourgish cider producer. We only ferment the freshly pressed juice of apples and pears grown exclusively in traditional orchards of large, standard trees. No concentrate. No industrial plantations.

Price: n/a (and unknown really)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the cidery contacted me

First Impression: Light amber gold hue. Low carbonation. Smells of cider apple juice and hops.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness. Low to moderate tannins, especially on the finish. No sourness or funk. Notes of rich cider apples, hops, floral, and citrus. Moderate length slightly bitter hoppy finish. Low apple flavor. Moderate complexity, sessionability, hops intensity, and overall flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I liked it but didn’t love it. The rich traditional English-like cider was an interesting combination with the hops that I hadn’t had before. I think if I had this on its own it would have stood out more, but I drank it right after their amazing perry. I can say however that it was balanced, and the main thing I didn’t care for was the bitterness on the finish (although the tannins helped make up for it).

Most Similar to: Nothing I’ve had! I’ve only had hopped ciders which used dessert apples as the base (not cider applies), although I’ve heard of a few cideries in England picking up on this American trend, such as Oliver’s. As a whole, the flavoring of cider is an American thing, as we don’t have as many heirloom & cider apples, so dessert apples are often used. Some of my favorite hopped ciders have been 2 Towns Hop & Stalk (with rhubarb), Portland Cider Hop’Rageous, and Tod Creek Mala Hop, which in general had more citrus/floral/herbal flavor than bitter hop flavor.

Closing Notes: Its pretty cool than a European cidery did a hopped cider. I hope to see their ciders in the Seattle area soon, especially if they are at a four pack (instead of single bottle) price. The perry was amazing, so I’d like to try more straight ciders from cider apples or pears.

Have you tried Ramborn Cider? What did you think?

Cidrbox Cider Subscription Review

September 26, 2017January 19, 2018 cidersays Cidrbox, Farnum Hill, review cider, cider box, cider review, cider subscription, cider tasting, Cidrbox, Double Cider, hard cider

This time around I have a review of something fun, a one-time Cidrbox order. Cidrbox is a subscription service that features a different artisan cidery each month. Customers have the option of a one-time order, or to subscribe to 3, 6, or 12 bottles each month from that month’s featured cidery. I am reviewing their September 2017 box, which contained selections from Farnum Hill (Poverty Lane Orchards) in New Hampshire – Kingston Black, Extra Dry, and Semi-Dry.

>>This is a review of a sample box provided to Cider Says by Cidrbox. 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.<<

Order Process – Very easy, through their website. It asked for all the usual info such as name, address, and a credit card number. There are options for a one-time order (such as a gift), monthly subscription (3, 6, or 12 bottles), bi-monthly subscription (3 bottles), or gift card. A subscription can be paused, cancelled, increased, or decreased at any time. E-mail updates are provided throughout the process, such as at the time of order and at the time of shipment (with UPS tracking number). There is also the option to pre-pay for three months, and get free shipping each of those months. The website also clearly states the order deadline to get the next month’s shipment and when it will ship, which is great, as often when signing up for a subscription it can be unclear when it actually starts / what the first box will be.

Accessibility – Cidrbox can currently ship to 32/50 states. Orders ship from the cidery, so delivery time can vary slightly each month, but you’ll know when to expect it.

Pricing – $75, $135, or $265 for 3, 6, or 12 bottles per month, plus a flat $10 shipping (unless paying for 3 months in advance). The shipping cost is actually a good deal as from my experience, I expect it costs them more than $10 / box, especially for the larger quantity ones, as this is still a relatively small operation.

Selection – The best of the best. Most if not all cideries are orchard-based. These are the types of cideries that make small batch artisan ciders from heirloom and cider apples (no flavored ciders from dessert apples). Past selections have included Eden, South Hill, Alpenfire, Castle Hill, Kite & String, Windfall Orchards, Foggy Ridge, and Prima.

Rarity – These cideries don’t have a large distribution, and most don’t typically ship. I love trying new ciders, especially those which are very different from what I can get locally, so this is very cool.

Delivery – For me this was a bit of a negative, but only because they used UPS, which isn’t as alcohol-friendly. Someone over 21 must be home to sign for it, or it can be held at the main UPS facility (which is 40+ minutes away for me). In contrast, FedEx allows all packages to be held at any FedEx facility, and there is a FedEx Office place on my way home, so that would be so much easier for me.

Cidrbox’s website clearly states that someone 21 or over must be home to sign for it, so two thumbs up for full disclosure there. Some other options include leaving a note on your door to leave it with a neighbor (if they would be home to sign for it), have it delivered to work, or pay $8 through UPS My Choice to get a two hour delivery window (but they only offered something like 9am-11am or 11am-1pm to me, which I’d still have to take a half day off work for). There are typically three delivery attempts, but they tend to be at the same time of day. It is something to keep in mind when ordering though.

Packaging – The cider arrived in a typical box, with an insert made specifically to hold three bottles, plus inside an envelope there was an info sheet on the ciders, an info sheet on Farnum Hill, a booklet from Farnum Hill called “Inside Cider”, a 33 Mugs of Cider tasting notes book (see here for more info), an American Farmland Trust sticker, and a receipt/packing list. Everything arrived safely, and I liked that the inserts were protected in an interior envelope.

The Competition – I am only aware of one other monthly cider subscription currently available in the U.S., Double Cider, which I reviewed here. (For UK people, there is at least Crafty Nectar and Orchard Box.)

For comparison:

Cidrbox has the option of 3, 6, or 12 bottles a month (although with the 6 & 12 bottle boxes there will be some duplicates), where Double Cider only offers one option of 2 bottles per month.
Cidrbox features one cidery each month, while so far Double Cider has selected one cider from each of two cideries each month.
Both services have the option of a one-time order or a subscription (for Double Cider however to get a one-time order, you’d have to select that it is a gift, or cancel).
Double Cider also has an online store of some past selections.
Cidrbox starts at $75 + $10 shipping for 3 bottles per month (typically very high end 750ml), while Double Cider is $34.95 + $10 shipping for 2 bottles per month (typically moderate to high end 500-750ml).
Cidrbox currently ships to 32/50 states and Double Cider currently ships to 45/50 states.

Having tried both, I see pros & cons to each option. My favorite thing about both companies is that you know what you will be receiving in advance, so you can choose to purchase or skip the selection. Also, each offers additional backstory on the cideries and ciders.

The biggest negative I see to both is cost, as you are paying a premium on top of the retail price of the ciders, as a third party is curating the selection and they don’t work for free. Cidrbox at least actually goes and visits the cideries, which can’t be cheap. Plus you are typically paying for shipping. However, most of these selections wouldn’t have otherwise been available, which is a pretty big positive. I can also see several cases where folks would want to pay a bit of a premium to have top ciders selected for them, such as if they are new to cider or just plain busy.

Cidrbox appears to have a slightly higher end selection than Double Cider, focusing on orchard-based cideries, although Double Cider’s selections are still definitely craft (they have included some flavored ciders though). Although both services offer good information about the cideries and ciders, Cidrbox goes above and beyond with a monthly Meet the Maker page, videos, and even a monthly Cider Sessions tasting notes podcast. Also, kuddos to Cidrbox’s web designer, as it is a really classy looking webpage!

Another Option – If you want to expand your cider selection beyond what is available locally, but don’t want a subscription, are on a tighter budget, already know exactly what you want, and/or are picky and want to select exactly what to purchase, another option is to order cider straight from a cidery. A growing number of cideries have direct to consumer sales, typically online. That way you would also get to choose the exact selections from a cidery. Vino Shipper is a popular option; it has a directory of mostly wineries, but also a good number of cideries and meaderies, which you purchase directly from. This month’s Cidrbox at least was shipped through Vino Shipper (although Farnum Hill typically doesn’t ship).

One negative however is that because the cidery directly ships your order (ie. it doesn’t come from a warehouse), you can’t combine shipping between multiple cideries when using Vino Shipper. I have had cider shipped from cideries such as Eden (they have their own online ordering system and use FedEx), Eve’s (they use Vino Shipper and it comes UPS), and Tilted Shed (they don’t have an online ordering system, but take orders by e-mail or phone, and then e-mail you an invoice to pay online). There is still the shipping cost, which can often be quite high, but sometimes they have discounts. Eve’s for example has had a coupon code for free shipping at least twice in the last year, and that was the deciding factor for me placing an order both times.

Bottom Line – I was pleased with Cidrbox. I think they are an especially good option for people who are very open to trying all types of cider (ie. aren’t picky about style, sweetness, etc, such as folks just getting into higher end craft cider who may not yet know their preferences) and people who want to expand their cider selection. They have had an excellent line-up so far of top cideries. However, I am personally unlikely to subscribe to anything on a monthly basis as I am admittedly picky and cheap. I’ve been keeping an eye on the selections to see if anything sounds too good to pass up that month though. I likely would have been tempted by this selection if I hadn’t got a sample, as Farnum Hill only has limited distribution in my area, and I haven’t spotted anything from them for awhile.

Update – Unfortunately as of October 2017, Cidrbox had to suspend their operations, as they had difficulties with U.S. direct ship alcohol sale regulations as a third party. I hope they are able to resume sometime in the future!

Check out my reviews of each of the three Farnum Hill varieties – Kingston Black, Extra Dry, and Semi-Dry.

Ramborn Cider Perry

September 25, 2017September 25, 2017 cidersays Ramborn, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Luxembourg, Ramborn, Ramborn Cider, tasting notes

Review of Ramborn Cider’s Perry. This is my first time trying anything from this Luxembourg cidery. By the way, for folks like me who don’t know anything about Luxembourg except that it is somewhere in Europe – it is a small country bordered by Germany, Belgium, and France. They have a climate similar to Germany, and are between the latitudes of Normandy France and Somerset England (thanks Real Cider Reviews for that info!).

A cidery rep (Adie Kaye, head of marketing) was kind enough to bring me some samples all that way. We had actually got in touch by e-mail over a year ago (a few months after they launched), and he messaged me again as he was attending Cider Summit Seattle to scope it out in preparation for getting a booth at the Chicago version next year.

Cider: Perry
Cidery: Ramborn Cider
Cidery Location: Born, Luxembourg
ABV: 5.8%
How Supplied: four packs of 330ml bottles
Style: perry from true perry pears grown in Luxembourg

Availability: Mostly in Europe (especially Luxembourg & England), although they are just starting to come to the U.S., as they launched in Milwaukee Wisconsin in August 2017.

Cider Description: Ramborn Perry is made with pears from very old traditional orchards, including Bongert Altenhoven in Bettenbourg. It was created as part of Ramborn’s commitment to protecting and reviving the many unique varieties of fruit that grow in the region. These traditional pear varieties – including Mostbirne and Nelchesbirne – have been carefully selected and pressed to create a perry rich in tannins, and full of subtle fruit flavour.

This cidery started in 2016, are named after the local “Rambo” apple, and their farm accepts visitors (see here). I found a neat trip report from the Cider Sleuth (see here), as well as an article more about the cidery and tasting room / education center in general (see here), plus an article on the distribution of Ramborn (see here), which is through Ansay International at least to Wisconsin as of now.

Price: n/a (and unknown really)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the cidery contacted me

First Impression: Moderate straw yellow hue with a hint of peach. Moderate carbonation, large bubbles. Smells of canned pear with tropical fruit.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low to moderate tannins, mostly on the finish, and especially as I continued drinking it. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Notes of canned pear, dried pear, mango, pineapple, and guava. Moderate length finish. Moderate to strong pear flavor. Moderate complexity, sessionability, and flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I really enjoyed it! The level of sweetness was exactly to my preference, it was flavorful, and even slightly complex and tannic.

Most Similar to: I’ve tried over 30 perries, but this is one of my favorites, as it is both approachable and complex. It reminded me a bit of AEppeltreow Perry and Snowdrift Seckel Perry.

Closing Notes: I look forward to trying more from them! Hopefully they are available in the Seattle area soon.

Have you tried Ramborn Cider? 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!

Gitche Gumee Ciderworks Entropy

September 20, 2017September 20, 2017 cidersays Gitche Gumee, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Entropy, farmhouse style, Gitche Gumee, hard cider, Michigan, tasting notes, wild yeast

Review of Gitche Gumee Ciderworks’ debut release, Entropy. It is my first time trying any of their cider.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Gitche Gumee. 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: Entropy (2015 vintage)
Cidery: Gitche Gumee
Cidery Location: Hancock Michigan
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: American craft “feral” cider from local wild apples, spontaneously (wild yeast) fermented, barrel aged, bottle conditioned

Availability: limited to Northwest Michigan, released August 2017

Cider Description: We hand press wild, feral apples grown in the stunning Copper Country of Upper Michigan. Long winters, fresh air, and beautiful summer days conspire to grow large crops of wild apples. No shortcuts! These small tart apples are hand-picked by our community, providing opportunities for local groups to forage our forests. The juice is spontaneously fermented using the wild yeast naturally present on the apple. No added yeast, water, sugar, sulfites, preservatives, or flavorings. After a cold fermentation, it is cellar-aged 9 months in small French white oak barrels. The outcome is a delicious, dry, funky and naturally gluten free cider done in a time-honored tradition. We’re making cider the hard way!

Cidery Description: Hancock Michigan’s first Hard Cidery. We pride ourselves on producing quality products.

Price: n/a (retails for $15)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the cidermaker contacted me (Phillip Kelm)

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Very low carbonation. Smells of funk, sourness, citrus, and must.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Light bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness and tannins. Moderate funk. Low sourness. Notes of lemon, grapefruit, must, oak, honey, herbs, and vinegar. Moderate length sharp finish. Low to moderate apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity, complexity, and sourness. Low barrel influence.

My Opinion: Regular readers of my blog will know this isn’t my favorite type of cider. Everyone doesn’t like every cider. However, I can say that this is well-made, and an excellent value. I’d recommend this for fans of dry farmhouse-style ciders. It is less acidic & sour than some similar ciders I’ve tried, which is likely more friendly to folks not familiar with this style. There was some nice complexity and flavor.

Side Note: Something was off with the cork. I am used to the button top ones with champagne bottles, and this one seemed like a straight cork which was pushed in too far. Just one of those first release hiccups. It was all good though, as my husband got it open with a corkscrew and some muscle, and didn’t even get any chunks of cork in the cider!

Closing Notes: I’m glad I got a chance to try this cider (and was actually among the first, as it is a brand new release). It’ll be fun to see what they come up with next.

Have you tried Gitchee Gumee cider? What did you think?

Eden Specialty Ciders & Tilted Shed Collaboration, Two Ellies

September 18, 2017September 18, 2017 cidersays Eden, review, Tilted Shed cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eden Ice Cider, Eden Specialty Cider, hard cider, tasting notes, Tilted Shed, Two Ellies

Review of Two Ellies: An East Meets West American Cider Story, a collaboration between Eleanor Leger of Eden Specialty Ciders in Vermont and Ellen Cavalli of Tilted Shed Ciderworks in California. It is my first time trying this, although I’ve tried Tilted Shed’s Lost Orchard, Barred Rock, & Smoked, and Eden’s Sparkling Dry, Cinderella’s Slipper, Heirloom Ice Cider, Sparkling Semi-Dry, Northern Spy Ice Cider, Honeycrisp Ice Cider, Imperial 11 Rosé, Heirloom Brandy Barrel Aged Ice Cider, Guinevere’s Pearls, & Windfall Orchard Ice Cider.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Eden Specialty Ciders (the cidermaker Eleanor brought it to me in her suitcase!). 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: Two Ellies: An East Meets West American Cider Story
Cidery: Eden Specialty Ciders & Tilted Shed Ciderworks
Cidery Location: Newport VT & Windsor CA (bottle says made at Eden in Vermont)
ABV: 7.5%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles
Style: American artisan cider from Gravenstein apples from Tilted Shed in California and Esopus Spitzenburg apples from Eden in Vermont (both heirloom varieties), naturally sparkling, dry

Availability: Very limited (likely only in parts of CA & VT), released September 2017

Cider Description: This special cider is a cross-country collaboration between the two Ellies of American fine cider – Eleanor Leger of Vermont’s Eden Specialty Ciders and Ellen Cavalli of Sonoma Country’s Tilted Shed Ciderworks – who each contributed an hierloom apple variety particular to their terroir to showcase their mutual passion for traditional cidermaking.

A bit on terroir: The term is most commonly used in the wine world, and describes the impact of the region (soil, topography, climate, etc) on a product. Even ciders made from the same type of apples & yeast using the methods can vary widely region-to-region as the apples are different due to the environmental variance. For example, the same variety of apple from the NE will commonly be significantly higher in acid than those from the NW.

Price: n/a (and unknown)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. High carbonation (natural, from secondary fermentation in the bottle). Smells of funk, acidity, must, and citrus.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Low bitterness. Low to moderate tannins. Hints of sourness. Low funk. Notes of lemon, yeast, funk, wood, honey, and must. Long acidic fizzy tannic finish. Low apple flavor and sessionability. Moderate complexity and flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I liked but didn’t love this, but that was anticipated, as my personal preference isn’t typically for dry acidic ciders. However, it was expertly crafted. I enjoyed this cider more at close to room temperature, as that cut the sharp acidity and let the fizz settle down. My husband was a huge fan, as expected, as dry sparkling cider is his favorite. It had a surprising amount of tannins for being made with heirloom (not cider) apple varieties, which I enjoyed. I’d recommend Two Ellies for lovers of dry, acidic, highly carbonated ciders.

Most Similar to: This reminded me of Tilted Shed Lost Orchard & Understood in Motion 02 (but both of those were nearly still), and Eve’s Beckhorn Hollow (except that had some different flavor notes).

Closing Notes: Even though this isn’t a personal favorite, I’m glad I got the opportunity to try it and share about it.

Side Note: Eden has previously collaborated with Angry Orchard (see my review of Understood in Motion 01), and also recently released a budget-friendly cider made with Québec dessert apple varieties, called Border Buster (see this article). Tilted Shed has also been staying busy, with multiple new releases, as announced on their Facebook page.

Have you tried any ciders from Eden or Tilted Shed? What did you think?

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?

Cider Summit Seattle 2017 Post 2/2 – Tasting Notes

September 13, 2017September 12, 2017 cidersays Alpenfire, Alter Ego, Anthem, Bad Granny, Cider Riot, Cider Summit, D's Wicked, Eden, event, French Cider Inc., La Chouette, Lefevre, Liberty, Louis Raison, Mission Trail, Montana Ciderworks, Old Swede, One Tree, Pear UP, Pierre Huet, review, Seattle Cider, Swift, Washington Cider Week, Washington Gold cider, cider event, cider festival, cider review, cider summit, cider tasting, cider tasting event, hard cider, seattle, tasting notes

This is post 2/2 on Cider Summit Seattle 2017, with tasting notes on 21 ciders. Post 1/2 covered the event (see here).

The Tasting Notes

Alpenfire (Port Townsend WA) – Although I had previously tried the three ciders they were pouring (see my previous reviews here), I’m including Alpenfire here as they were debuting their new branding and future new cider releases. They have a new logo, bottle labels, and website. The future new cider releases include a rosé Pommeau, “Tempest” New England style, 3 Pommes (apple/pear/quince), a new release of Smoke (my all time favorite cider, which hasn’t been out for a couple years), a Foxwhelp apple single varietal, and even a Pommeau with an apple grown in the bottle (which will only be for the initial members of their new cider club). Sounds like they have been busy!

Alpenfire did however have a cask-aged version of their Pirate’s Plank which I had a sip of. It seemed a tad sweeter (dry not bone dry) and a bit more oaky than I remembered previously.

Alter Ego (Portland OR) The Brute (6.5% ABV) – This was their first time at Cider Summit, although they were founded in 2014. The Brute is one of their two flagship ciders; the other is The Guardian Angel, a blueberry-pomegranate cider (see my tasting notes here). Semi-dry, slightly apple-forward, tart, crisp, and easy to drink, but overall a bit boring as the flavor intensity was low, as is common with a drier cider from dessert apple varieties (which is why most ciders from dessert apples are sweeter and/or flavored).

Anthem (Salem OR) Rye Barrel Aged Cider (8.5% ABV) – Anthem is part of Wandering Aengus. This is a draft-only release, aged in Rye whiskey barrels. Semi-dry to dry and sharp, with moderate whiskey flavor and a hint of oak.

Bad Granny (Chelan WA) Rainier Cherry – They launched a little over a year ago and are new to Cider Summit. Rainier Cherry is a draft-only release using local Rainier cherries, although they sell their Original green apple cider in cans. On the sweeter side of semi-dry (I was told 9 grams sugar / 12oz), fuller bodied, moderate intensity real cherry flavor.

Cider Riot (Portland OR) Everyday Semi-Dry (6.0% ABV) – I believe this was their first time at Cider Summit Seattle. This cider is also available in cans. Semi-dry to dry, with a hint of sourness, but very low flavor intensity and fairly blah.

d’s Wicked (Kennewick WA) Bare Naked (6.7% ABV) – This is a new release, and currently draft-only. It is a less sweet and non-spiced version of their flagship Baked Apple cider. Semi-dry and flavorful, with unfiltered apple juice notes and a hint of honey flavor.

Eden Specialty Ciders (Newport VT) Heirloom Blend Ice Cider (10.0% ABV) – I have tried this special treat previously, but my husband ended up getting a couple pours, burning the rest of his tickets, as it is amazing and a great value to get pours of at an event. Ice cider is made using juice which has been frozen, concentrating the natural sugars and flavors, resulting in a sweet full-bodied intensely flavorful dessert cider. See my previous review here, and my review of the brandy barrel-aged version of this cider here (which is my all time favorite ice cider).

French Cider Inc. – I tried three French ciders imported by French Cider Inc. / Beauchamp Imports Inc. They are Seattle based and fairly new to the market (I hadn’t even heard of them before I was looking over the Cider Summit list!), and thus this was their first time at Cider Summit. French Cider’s focus is on importing French cidre (apple cider), poire (French perry, which is made from pears, not apples), and Calvados (French apple brandy). The owner Joan Harkins (who I chatted with) speaks French and lives French culture. She has hand-selected each variety in their collection after meeting with the cidermakers. I hadn’t previously been aware of any of their selection being available in the U.S. I found all three selections to likely be friendly to an unfamiliar palette, as they were all clean or fairly clean (no to low funk) and no sourness, lining up more with the style of the Brittany France ciders I’ve had more than the Normany France ciders I’ve had (although it appears all three were made in or near Normandy). French Cider’s primary focus is on supplying shops and restaurants, but they also offer local pickup (appointment only) in Seattle, and soon, will ship. Their website is amazingly informative, and they had a helpful handout for each of the three ciders (see below). They are posting a photo blog featuring the French apple harvest season, which is currently underway (see their Facebook page). Also, here is a recent article on the company from Seattle Dining.

La Chouette (Mont-Saint-Michel Bay France) Cidre Demi-Sec (4.5% ABV) – This cider was produced in an area in between the Normandy and Brittany regions in France, from cider apples. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Lower carbonation and tannins than the other two I tried. Clean (no funk). Retails for $5-6 / 330ml bottle.

Lefevre (Berville Normandy France) Cidre Brut (5.9% ABV) – This cider was produced just outside of Paris, by a 5th generation cidermaker, with cider apples. The scent was the most complex of the three I tried. Semi-dry. Citrus in addition to apple notes, and more. A hint of funk. Low to moderate tannins. French Cider’s website has an interview with the cidermaker, Eric Lefevre. Retails for $5-6 / 330ml bottle.

Pierre Huet (Cambremer Normandy France) Cidre Bouche Brut (4.5% ABV) – This cider underwent secondary fermentation in the bottle and was made with 7 or 8 varieties of cider apples by a 5th generation cidermaker. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Clean (no funk). Low tannins. Flavorful, apple forward, and easy to drink. French Cider’s website has an article on their visit to Pierre Huet as well as an interview with the cidermaker, François-Xavier Huet. Retails for $13-18 / 750ml bottle.

Liberty Cider (Spokane WA) Spokane Scrumpy (6.4% ABV) – This cider was released in the Spring, and made with community harvested apples (of mostly unknown types, from dessert apples to crab apples) and wild yeast fermented. $1 of each bottle sale goes to the Spokane Second Harvest food bank. See this article. On the sweeter side of semi-dry (probably their sweetest cider), buttery, and complex. I couldn’t really put my finger on the flavor profile with the sample size and time frame, so I’d be interested in giving a full bottle a try.

Louis Raison (Le Theil-sur-Huisne France) Organic Dry (4.5% ABV) – This cidery is brand new to the U.S., and first launched here in Seattle. They will have this cider on draft to start in Washington and Oregon, and eventually increase up to three bottled varieties in 2018 (adding Rouge Delice – made from red fleshed apples, and Original Crisp). See here for more info on their launch. Organic Dry is made in France from certified Organic bittersweet cider apples grown on co-op farms. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Apple and yeast forward and easy to drink. I look forward to this being available in bottles as it sounds like it’ll be fairly affordable to keep around as an everyday cider.

Mission Trail (Bradley CA) Plum Jerkum (6.5% ABV) – They have been around since 2014, but are new to the Seattle market and Cider Summit. Although Mission Trail makes ciders and perries, they are best known for their other fruit wines, and specifically, jerkum (which is fermented stone fruit juice; the term originated just for plums, but has more recently been used to encompass all stone fruits). They were actually only pouring jerkums at this cider event. In this case it was 100% plum juice from 14 red-fleshed varieties. The Plum Jerkum was semi-sweet to semi-dry, tart, with a moderately intense fruity berry flavor (I didn’t really pick up the prune/plum).

Mission Trail (Bradley CA) Goldmine Nectarine (6.0% ABV) – This is another jerkum, with 100% nectarine juice, barrel aged. Semi-dry, quite tart, with pure nectarine flavor. I didn’t pick up any barrel influence, but often it isn’t obvious. I also recently tried their Peach Coast (see here), a peach wine / jerkum, which was my favorite of the three.

Montana Ciderworks (Darby MT) Small Batch Dolgo (5.5% ABV) – This is a single varietal from the Dolgo crabapple, oak aged, part of their Small Batch series. Semi-sweet, tangy, fruity, and apple-forward.

Random note: I got some insight into labeling special releases. In this case, “Dolgo” was stamped on, making it look handwritten with less effort. Very cool. However, many small batch special releases do have actual handwritten labels, like this one. Getting a label approved by the TTB is a time consuming process, so often cideries have a general label they use for multiple small batches.

Ole Swede (Tonasket WA) Mulberry & Friends – It was the cidery’s first time at Cider Summit, and they were founded last year. This is a new cider release made with eight different types of berries and currants (mulberry, blackberry, raspberry, elderberry, blueberry, gooseberry, black currant, and golden currant). On the sweeter side of semi-dry, smooth, low tartness & acidity, with a light real berry flavor.

One Tree (Spokane WA) Pina Colada – This is a new draft-only release, part of the fruit cider challenge (and it turned out to be the winner – 2nd year in a row for One Tree – congrats!). Sweet, very full flavored, with a bit more coconut than pineapple. I loved the flavor of this (it reminded me a bit of Pear Up’s Pearjito Colada with the coconut, which hasn’t been used much in cider), but it would be a bit sweet to have much of.

Pear Up (Wenatchee WA) Pineapple Pear – This was their fruit cider challenge entry, a one-off draft only release. On the sweeter side of semi-dry, low flavor intensity, with the flavor balanced between pear & pineapple. They weren’t serving it through the pineapple, but it was a cool photo op nonetheless.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) New England Style (9.5% ABV) – This is a seasonal release which appears to have not been released for a few years, possibly draft-only. It was made in the New England style, typically characterized as a high ABV cider with brown sugar and raisins added. Semi-sweet to semi-dry, sharp & acidic, with caramel notes and a boozy finish.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) 2015 Washington Heirloom (7.0% ABV) – This is part of their Harvest series, made with heirloom apple varieties, and also available in bottles. Semi-dry, herbal scent, sharp, with citrus, floral, and herbal notes.

Swift (Portland OR) Pineapple Hop (6.7% ABV) – They have been around since 2014, but it was their first time at Cider Summit Seattle. Semi-dry, balanced flavor between the pineapple & hops with only hints of bitterness, but overall the flavor intensity was low.

Washington Gold (Chelan WA) Northwest Raspberry (5.5% ABV) – This is a brand new small batch canned release. Semi-sweet to sweet, with intense real raspberry flavor.

It was impossible to taste all the ciders at the event (or even one from each producer), so I’d also like to share previous tasting notes and reviews on some of the producers I didn’t get to highlight: 101 Cider House, 2 Towns, Aspall, Atlas, Bull Run, Chatter Creek, Double Mountain, Dragon’s Head, Dunkertons, Eaglemount, E.Z. Orchards, Finnriver, Greenwood, Hi-Wheel, Incline, Jester & Judge, J. Seeds, Le Brun, Locust, Maeloc, Manoir du Parc, Methow Valley, Moonlight Meadery, New West, North Idaho, Number 6 Cider, Reverend Nat’s, Portland, Rambling Route, Samuel Smiths, Schilling, Sea Cider, Snowdrift, Sonoma, Spire Mountain, Steelhead, Summit, Tieton, Ulee’s, Wandering Aengus, WildCraft, and Worley’s

In Summary

My Favorite Ciders – Of the ones I tasted at the event, my favorites were the 4 French ciders, some of the sweeter ciders that were very flavorful (such as One Tree’s Pina Colada and WA Gold Cider’s Raspberry), Montana Cider’s Dolgo, and Liberty’s Spokane Scrumpy.

Other Interesting Selections – There were also some interesting beverages I didn’t try, such as Schilling’s guava barrel-aged sour, a cocktail from Incline with gin and their Compass Rose cider, apple whiskey from J. Seeds, a Cider Summit themed cider from Finnriver which has been available at all four Cider Summit events this year (see here), 101 Ciderhouse’s Black Dog with activated charcoal (see here), and Reverend Nat’s Sacrilege Sour Cherry with ghost peppers (see here).

Cider Summit Seattle 2017 Post 1/2 – The Event

September 11, 2017September 12, 2017 cidersays Cider Summit, event, review, Washington Cider Week cider, cider event, cider summit, cider tasting, event, hard cider, wa cider week, Washington Cider Week

Epic! This was my third year attending (see here for previous posts), but was the eighth annual Cider Summit in Seattle Washington. It took place on Friday & Saturday September 8th & 9th. This is post 1/2, covering the event. Post 2/2 will cover tasting notes on the dozens of ciders I tried [update – post 2/2 is now up – see here].

Info

See my preview here. We had some interesting weather for the weekend. It was forecasted to be cool and cloudy with some showers, but it ended up being pretty hot when I was there on Friday. See here for the full event info and here for the full list of cideries (~55) and ciders (~187).

There were some substitutions and a few less ciders than expected, plus this was a decrease in the number of cideries from the year before (although there were some new ones). My favorite booths this year were for French cider (there were three booths pouring a total of six French ciders). They were even pouring some meads (made from honey & water), non-apple fruit wines, apple whiskey, and cocktails in addition to ciders. Although most ciders were from the PNW, there were a good number of national and international ones as well. Also, the selections were primarily on the craft (vs. commercial) end.

There were 18 entries for the Fruit Cider Challenge. I learned that the cideries were provided fruit puree from Oregon Fruit Products which they made cider with. Votes were taken by text (1 per phone).

Entry included a tasting glass, tickets (8 for regular and 12 for VIP, each one good for a 4oz pour of most ciders), and wristband. A cool feature of this event is that in addition to in & out privileges, one entry fee gets you in both days (and you can even skip the line on the second day). This event is very well organized, by far the best I have gone to. It is also very consistent year-to-year.

Everything from detailed pre-event information online (even a full cider list) to signage at the event to thinking of the little things like having rinse water available and standing tables in addition to seating. It is crazy to think about how much work goes into an event of this magnitude…renting a space, tables, canopies, and even fencing…finding volunteers, hiring staff for liquor enforcement and safety (at emergency exits), having extra ice and cider available, etc.

Another thing about this event that I really like is that the folks pouring the cider are associated with the cidery (cidery employees, sometimes even the cidermakers, or the distributor), so you can ask about the cidery and cider. The crowd was really varied, from cider enthusiasts like myself to people who just wanted to drink. There were also lots of vendors trying ciders (as it was common for a cidery to bring 2-3 people and swap out). A number of people brought their dogs.

Layout

Besides the main attraction of cider booths, they had an event store (with t-shirts and such), an audio booth where they did interviews with some of the cidery reps, food for sale from Whole Foods, Capitol Cider, & SUSU rolled ice cream, cider cocktails from Capitol Cider, samples of unfermented juice from Ryan’s, a dog lounge, info from the Northwest Cider Association, and lots of misc booths (the most interesting was Alaska Bug Bites, who drove 40 some hours one way to sell their dried fruit). The amenities were also above average for an outdoor event, with multiple food options for sale, standing tables, tables & chairs (some covered), port-a-potties (and the main ones in the front actually had outdoor sinks), and cold filtered water (from Easy Tap).

My Tips

Friday is typically much less busy than Saturday, especially earlier in the afternoon. My game plan this year involved having a big lunch prior to the event and asking for smaller pours (often a booth would let you try a little bit of each cider they had for only 1 ticket), to maximize the number of ciders I could try.

I also always start with the new, expensive, and/or rare ciders, and visit the booths where I want to talk to the cidermakers first, before it gets too busy. This year my backpack was full as I brought both rain and sun gear; I’m glad I brought the hat and sunblock though, as I ended up needing it, despite the cloudy forecast.

I also recommend good walking shoes, as you are on your feet for most of these types of events, and there was uneven grass at this site. I also like bringing my own snacks, especially something starchy, like crackers. Other must-haves for me are a notebook & pencil, and some baggies to put the tasting glasses in afterwards when they are sticky. Its nice having a bag to put all that stuff in, as well as any free swag you want to collect (a couple booths were giving out good stuff like hats & t-shirts, but it was mostly the typical handouts, stickers, and coasters). ID is required to get in, and cash never hurts, although some places take cards.

There are also a number of restaurants (and Whole Foods) within walking distance, so another food option is leaving, then coming back after a bit. I have done that before, but this year we just powered through until dinnertime on Friday when we left. Then my husband and I met up with a friend and did a bunch more walking, deciding where to have dinner, then waiting for a table (we went to Rocco’s pizza, which was amazing).

A great way to get free admission is to volunteer; they had several shift options each day, and I heard that if you work closing on Saturday you may even get leftover bottled cider. For the best ticket price, buy them in advance, although there are taxes & fees for online sales. Although VIP tickets are online sales only, if you want the best price on a regular ticket, they usually have at least one location to pick up tickets, which avoids the fees (this year the only place was Capitol Cider). The event didn’t sell out as far as I know, but the ticket price was higher at the door. Designated driver tickets ($5) were only available at the door.

In addition to Seattle, there are Cider Summits in Chicago IL (February), San Francisco CA (April), and Portland OR (June).

At Cider Summit I also found about a new PNW cider event this year, the Olympic Penninsula Apple & Cider Festival, in Port Townsend WA (which is NW of Seattle), with multiple events the weekend of October 13-15. Other upcoming WA cider events are Cider Swig (Gig Harbor, Sept 30) and the 1st annual Whidbey Island Cider Festival (Whidbey Island, Sept 30).

EZ Orchards Roman Beauty

September 8, 2017September 3, 2017 cidersays E.Z. Orchards, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, E.Z. Orchards, EZ Orchards, hard cider, Roman Beauty, tasting notes

Review of EZ Orchards’ Roman Beauty cider. I tried this before (see here), but didn’t do a full review. I’ve also tried their Semi Dry, Hawk Haus, Poire, and Williamette Valley 2011 Cidre.

Cider: Roman Beauty
Cidery: EZ Orchards Cidre
Cidery Location: Rickreal Oregon
ABV: 4.2%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles (and draft)
Style: American artisan cider, predominantly made from Roman Beauty heirloom apples

Availability: Likely only in California, Oregon, and Washington

Cider Description: Roman Beauty Cider is named for the heirloom apple that provides the predominant juice pressed for this blend. We have been growing this apple variety at E.Z. Orchards since 1929. Fermented cold and slow to retain a ripe apple aroma, Roman Beauty is a semi-dry cider with mild acidity.

Cidery Description: We have been orchardists since the 1920s when we began to grow Roman Beauty apples on the farm. When we began specifically producing cidre apples in 2000, the entire orchard was transformed around that intent and slowly took shape. Surrounding the orchards, the larger farm produces a wide variety of fruits that diversify the land and aid in the pollination process, including peaches, pears, and hazelnuts. Today, we grow a wide variety of heirloom cidre apples including French and English bittersweets, and American semi-sharps. In the Willamette Valley of Oregon where we farm, the ground is an ancient seabed full of rich and nutritious soil. With so much nutrition available to the trees, we have to suppress their vigor through pruning and selection to ensure that each apple receives the most intense nurturing for flavor and aromatics. We grow our apples with specific cidre blends in mind. As you walk the grounds, it becomes clear that it’s organized around specific cultivation and harvesting techniques, enabling us to manage a precise maturation on the tree that we improve with every year’s lessons.

Price: $9.00
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: I first tried this when some friends bought a bottle at the cider house and shared some with me.

First Impression: Light gold yellow hue. Low to moderate carbonation. Smells mild and funky.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low tannins. Moderate funk. No bitterness or sourness. Notes of partially baked apples, honey, lemon, and a hint of spice. Moderate length finish. Low to moderate apple flavor. Moderate to high sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate complexity.

My Opinion: I really like this cider. However, this batch was quite different than what I tried a couple years ago; that time it was completely clean, and this time it was significantly funky. However, batch variability and funkiness are to be expected when using unpredictable spontaneous (wild yeast) fermentation.

Most Similar to: It reminds me some of Dragon’s Head Wild Fermented (but Roman Beauty is more flavorful, sweeter, and easier to drink) and Eden Guineveres Pearls (but Roman Beauty is drier, less acidic, and less flavorful).

Closing Notes: I hope to be able to try more ciders from EZ Orchards. However, they seem to be getting more difficult to find in the Seattle area.

Have you tried cider from EZ Orchards? What did you think?

North Idaho Cider Wild Cherry

September 6, 2017August 28, 2017 cidersays North Idaho Cider, review cherry cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, North Idaho, North Idaho Cider, North Idaho Cidery, tasting notes, Wild Cherry

Review of North Idaho Cider’s Wild Cherry. It is my first time trying this one, but I’ve had their Logger cider.

Cider: Wild Cherry Dry Hard Cider
Cidery: North Idaho Cider
Cidery Location: Coeur d’Alene ID
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 22oz bottles (and draft)
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples with cherries

Availability: At least in Idaho and Washington, plus they have an online store

Cider Description: The 1st fruit of summer. Deep in color, rich in flavor; this hard cider displays how satisfying a freshly picked cherry can be less the pit! A subtle fruity sweetness is balanced with a tart and refreshing finish–the perfect pairing for all that North Idaho has to offer this time of year.

Cidery Description: Inspired by the adventurous lifestyle and heritage that sets our region apart, North Idaho Cider crafts cider to be dry, crisp and refreshing. Using Northwest grown ingredients–no artificial sulfites or preservatives. It’s hard. It’s real. It’s natural–like North Idaho, there’s nothing else like it!

They started in 2014, and have a tasting room in Hayden Idaho.

Price: $7.99
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. It was my first time seeing their cider in a store.

First Impression: Slightly hazy pink-red hue. Nearly still (very low carbonation). Smells very mildly fruity.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low bitterness. No sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of cranberry, grapefruit, pomegranate, cherry, and lemon. Moderate to long slightly bitter finish. Low apple flavor. Moderate to high flavor intensity. Moderate complexity. Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: I liked this. However, the flavor was a bit weird; I tasted more cranberry & grapefruit than cherry flavor. The flavor intensity was higher than average for a semi-dry cider, and it had a bit more complexity, both of which were nice.

Most Similar to: Nothing I’ve tried. Most similar fruity ciders are sweeter too.

Closing Notes: I’m interested in trying some of their other ciders.

Have you tried North Idaho Cider? What did you think?

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