Cider Brothers William Tell Apple Mango Muscat Cider

April 11, 2016April 15, 2016 cidersays Cider Brothers, review california, cider, Cider Brothers, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Lodi, mango, muscat, William Tell

Review of William Tell Apple Mango Muscat Cider from Cider Brothers, out of Lodi California. Here is a nice writeup Cider Brothers did on the cider industry, and here is an article on them from Cidercraft Magazine. This is one of the ciders in Cider Brothers’ new line of flavored canned William Tell ciders. They started with only William Tell Dry Hard Apple with Pinot Grigio and Pacific Coast Cider Hard Apple Cider. Now the William Tell line also includes this one, Strawberry, and Cherry.

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by Cider Brothers. 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: William Tell Apple Mango Muscat Cider
Cidery: Cider Brothers
Cidery Location: Lodi CA
ABV: 6.0%
How Supplied: four pack of 16oz cans
Style: American commercial cider made from dessert apples, with mango concentrate and muscat wine (moscato)

Availability: National distribution (although the bottled William Tell Dry Hard Apple with Pinot Grigio and Pacific Coast Cider Hard Apple Cider are probably more commonly seen). We get both of those in the Seattle area, but I haven’t seen these canned William Tell ciders yet.

Apple Varieties: Primarily granny smith, with some golden russet, gala, fuji, and red delicious (sourced from Washington).

Cider Description: Cider never tasted like this crisp, new creation: our unique blend of hand crafted hard apple cider, delicately floral Muscat wine and lush, tropical mango. Crack open a can today for instant sunshine and a perfect pouring partner! Pairings: Spicy treats, well seasoned meats and almost any tasty sweets!

Cidery Description: From early morning through late afternoon, we bring a winemaker’s approach to producing small batches of handcrafted hard apple ciders. It starts with cold fermenting small lots of fresh apple juice to capture the delicate flavors and complex balance that makes this Mother Nature’s most refreshing adult beverage. The result is our refreshing, lightly carbonated artisan cider, produced at our Lodi winery.

The cider brothers are Michael and Paul Scotto. The Scotto family has been in the wine industry for five generations, and Scotto Cellars is among the 30 largest wineries in California. They used their wine background when starting to make cider, and by mistake developed a method they call “frost fermentation”. They put the fresh apple juice into the refrigerated fermenter, as they would do for Chardonnay. They next morning there was a layer of ice on the inside edges and top of the tank. They remove the ice (water) and the result was a sweeter cider with more concentrated and rich flavor. This is more labor and time intensive, but they feel the result is worth it. (it reminds me of the process for ice cider)

Price: n/a (runs ~$3 / can)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Light straw yellow. Low carbonation upon pouring. Smells sweet and fruity, with lots of mango and some apple, tropical fruit, and honey.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to sweet. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Medium bodied. The flavor is quite mango-forward, with some muscat grape, honey, tropical fruit, stone fruit, honey, and green apple notes. Moderate length finish. Moderate apple influence. High sessionability.

My Opinion: I really liked the mango. This was nice, but I think I would have liked less sweetness (it has 17 grams of sugar per 12oz) and higher carbonation. I imagine this will sell great though, as sweet and flavorful ciders do well.

Most Similar to: I haven’t had any ciders with mango oddly enough (I think its a great cider flavor). 2 Towns made one with muscat grapes though, Cidre Moscato.

Closing Notes: Enjoyable. Definitely easy to drink and nice for spring & summer. I look forward to trying the other four sample cans of William Tell varieties they sent! As a side note, I think the Cider Brothers vs. William Tell vs. Pacific Coast Cider thing can be a bit confusing for consumers…I didn’t really get it at first that William Tell and Pacific Coast Cider are both ciders from Cider Brothers, and now the William Tell line has multiple ciders (and I’ve seen the same confusion online).

Have you tried Cider Brothers William Tell? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 13 Tasting Notes

April 8, 2016October 21, 2017 cidersays AEppelTreow, Elemental, Liberty, Portland Cider, review, Schilling, Zeffer cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my thirteenth 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 random Friday, as I was in the mood for some cider shopping and had some extra time as my hubby was out of town (I may have also gone to three other bottle shops that week…).

I brought some dinner with me from the PCC down the street, and ordered a flight of six ciders–Elemental Margarita Randall, Schilling Vanilla Clove, Liberty Cellar Series #G15, AEppelTreow Sparrow Spiced, Portland Cider Crooked Cock Scrumpy, and Zeffer Crisp Apple (left to right in photo below).

Elemental Margarita (Jalapeno Lime Cilantro) Randall with Strawberries, Mango, and Lime, 6.5% ABV, Woodinville WA: Schilling took Elemental’s Margarita (Jalapeno Lime Cilantro) cider and put it through a Randall (flavor infuser) with fresh strawberries, mango, and lime. The Cider House does a Randall most weekends. I’ve had this cider before, and its nice and flavorful without a real discernible spiciness when drinking small quantities. The additional lime and fruitiness was tasty, and would be awesome in summer. The additional ingredients however took away the cilantro and jalapeno flavor notes of the base cider. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Moderate tartness from the added lime. Light to medium bodied. Moderate to strong acidity. This one really hit the spot as we’ve been having summer-like heat in Seattle.

Schilling Vanilla Clove, 6.3% ABV, Auburn WA: I’ve had a lot of ciders from Schilling. This appears to be a tap-only release (weird time of year for a spiced cider though?). Smells rather strongly of vanilla with a hint of clove spice. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Mild acidity and tartness. Very vanilla with hints of spice. It tastes dessert-like without being overly sweet. Moderate length finish.

Liberty Cellar Series #G15, 8.6% ABV, Spokane WA: I’ve tried a number of their ciders. This is a special tap-only release. Its made from Golden Russet, Chisel Jersey, and Empire apples, wild-yeast fermented, then barrel-aged. Semi-dry to dry. Light bodied. Mild acidity, tartness, bitterness, and tannins. A hint of sourness, but not as much as I’ve found with other wild yeast ciders. Notes of oak, spice, honey, stone fruit, and hops?. Moderate length finish.

AEppelTreow Sparrow Spiced, 5.8% ABV, Burlington WI: I’ve had a few ciders from them. This one is made from Red Delicious, Cortland, McIntosh, and Greenings apples, with mace, cinnamon, star anise, and cardamon. Its also available in bottles. It smells of cinnamon. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Mild to moderate tartness. Low acidity. A hint of bitterness. More cinnamon flavor than anything else, but the base cider had a bit of richness to it. There were also notes of oak (although not barrel aged), vanilla, and other spices. Moderate length finish.

Portland Cider Crooked Cock Scrumpy, 13.5% ABV, Portland OR: Wow! Quite boozy, without much else going for it. I think with some sweetness or flavor (richness or tannins) this would have been better. I wonder where the pinkish hue came from? Semi-dry to dry. Light bodied. Low acidity and tartness. Moderate bitterness. Long warming boozy finish.

Zeffer Crisp Apple, 5.0% ABV, Matakana New Zealand: This is my first time trying anything from this brand. I found it rather bland and apple juice-like. Semi-dry. Low tartness and acidity. Light to medium bodied. I didn’t really pick up any flavor notes besides apple juice, apple pomace, and yeast. I’d guess this is made with dessert apples and back sweetened. Quick finish.

My favorites of the evening were the Elemental Margarita Randall, plus Liberty #G15 and AEppelTreow Sparrow Spiced. I really didn’t like the Portland Scrumpy one though, and especially once it warmed up, didn’t feel like finishing it.

On my way out I picked up bottles of Aspall Imperial (blue instead of black label this time…I’m curious whether they are different) and E.Z. Orchards Poire (French-style perry).

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

Alpenfire Smoke Barrel Aged Cider

April 7, 2016April 9, 2016 cidersays Alpenfire, review Alpenfire, barrel aged, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, port townsend, smoke, washington

Review of Alpenfire Cider’s Smoke Barrel Aged Cider. See my past reviews of their ciders here. I tried this cider before and loved it, but hadn’t been able to find it for awhile (it hasn’t been released for awhile and the next batch is still barrel aging…see my post here), so I was excited to stumble across some again.

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Cider: Smoke
Cidery: Alpenfire Cider
Cidery Location: Port Townsend WA
ABV: 16.0%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle
Style: American craft port-style triple barrel fermented cider made from cider apples

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Availability: Limited (and hasn’t been released in awhile), and only in Western Washington

Cider Description: Smoke, our smoky-oaky after dinner tipple style cider has been triple fermented in whiskey and mead barrels. It starts with Kingston Black, Dabinett and Vilberie apples for a very tannic base. Aging in charred oak concentrates all the best features of each apple variety.

Cidery Description: Alpenfire Organic Cider is made from our estate and locally grown organic apples. We planted our WSDA certified organic orchard in 2004 with over 800 trees and 10 varieties of English, French & Early American cider specific apples. These apples have been used for hundreds of years for the unique qualities they bring to cider production. Namely the tannins and bitters not found in dessert style apples. While the juice, much less the fruit, of many of these apples would be hard to enjoy by the glass they become amazing with a little fermentation. One of our favorites, the “Muscadet de Dieppe”, has a viscous, winey, yes, even musky juice. It takes months of slow, cool fermentation for that to develop the subtle aroma and flavor you will find in our bone-dry cider. We augment our juice and mellow the flavors with organic apples from other local orchards.

Price: $17
Where Bought: Special Brews
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing, although I’ve tried it before. I was surprised to see they had a couple cases of this on the shelf, consider how long its been since its release, and that no other shops have any left (including at the Alpenfire Cidery).

2016-04-01 19.09.12

First Impression: Copper light orange amber hue. No carbonation. Smells rich & strong, of oak, peat, spice, orange, bourbon, scotch, honey, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, and baked apples.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Still. Medium to full bodied. Low acidity, tartness, and tannins. A hint of bitterness. No sourness or funk. Notes of oak, peat, spice, orange, bourbon, scotch, honey, caramel, brown sugar, molasses, and baked apples, with a focus on orange and spice (not as much spoke & peat as I remembered). Long warming finish. Moderate apple influence. Moderate barrel influence. High spirit influence. Very low sessionability.

My Opinion: Amazing! This one is definitely one of my all time favorite ciders, and my favorite Alpenfire cider. Its a great after dinner sipping cider, and one bottle lasted me awhile as a few ounces is plenty (and it keeps rather well as it isn’t carbonated). This cider is highly complex, rich, very smooth, and tastes a lower ABV than it is. I enjoyed this at a range of temperatures, from just out of the fridge to room temperature, although I think I tended towards colder. I saw another post that ice could be used, and I think for a higher ABV flavorful beverage that isn’t out of the question (I’ve done so for Pommeau).

Most Similar to: Not much else. Maybe Sea Cider Prohibition / Rumrunner? That is another high ABV complex (rum) barrel aged sipping cider, but even though its higher ABV, I’d say the flavor is a bit more harsh and in your face (its also drier though). Another is Liberty Ciderworks Manchurian Crabapple. It wasn’t barrel aged, but is a high ABV port-style single varietal with a lot of complexity. This is also kinda similar to Pommeau with its complexity and high ABV.

Closing Notes: I’m glad I bought two bottles of this one, as I still have another to tide me over until its next release. This is definitely my kind of cider, having all the aspects I enjoy most–local, craft, higher ABV, sweeter, complex, flavorful, rich, made from bittersweet cider apples, and barrel aged.

Have you tried Alpenfire Smoke? What did you think?

Book Review #7, Cider Made Simple by Jeff Alworth

April 6, 2016April 5, 2016 cidersays book, cider education, review book, book review, cider, cider book review, Cider Made Simple, hard cider, Jeff Alworth, portland

For the seventh book review here at Cider Says (see here for the first six): “Cider Made Simple – All About Your New Favorite Drink”, by Jeff Alworth with illustrations by Lydia Nichols, published September 2015, with a suggested price of $19.95 ($13.28 on Amazon). Jeff Alworth is best known for his writings on beer (online and in print), and lives in Portland Oregon. For this book he traveled to France, England, Spain, Canada, and around the United States for interviews.

I suggested that my local library add this book to their collection, and they bought it for me to borrow! I think libraries are great to check out a book to see if you may want to purchase it. And, this is one I think I do want my own copy of (same with World’s Best Ciders, which is an awesome coffee table book on cider). In fact, Cider Made Simple is my favorite general cider book so far. Unlike most books on cider, it doesn’t have a cider-making focus, so its great for a cider drinking enthusiast who doesn’t necessarily have an interest in making cider. While a quick read, I also found it quite detailed, and learned a lot new information.

Chapters:

Cider Basics: Don’t Call It Hard (info on cider apples, tasting, properties, regions, and types)

A is for Apple (history, growing, and orchards)

Sweating, Grinding, and Fermenting (cider apple types, back-sweetening, flavor enhancers, and how its made)

Proper English Cider (traditions, industrialization, small farms, producers)

Cider Under Cork (French cider, terroir, producers, and Calvados & Pommeau)

Breaking the Cider (Spanish cider, characteristics, producers, throwing the cider, sourness, and regions)

The American Cider Renaissance (Farnum Hill, EZ Orchards, Reverend Nat’s, and traditionalists vs. modernists vs. experimentalists)

Winter Harvest in Quebec (ice cider)

The writing style was spot-on, the book was well-organized, and the language was easy to understand. I think anyone from a cider newbie to someone with a bit more experience would get something from this book. It filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge. I liked that it didn’t go as much into the history of cider, but into other details that aren’t covered in many other books (or at least not in this way). There wasn’t really a single portion of the book I didn’t enjoy or think wasn’t helpful.

I especially enjoyed the portions on cider tasting, and all his stories from his travels to visit different cideries and cider regions around the world (I’m jealous!). I was a bit apprehensive learning the author mostly had beer experience, but it wasn’t apparent. My only complaint is the cover shows a glass of beer, not cider…note all the foam and the hue (oops). Highly recommended!

Atlas Session Cider

April 5, 2016April 5, 2016 cidersays Avid (prev. Atlas), review atlas, Bend, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, oregon, session cider, sessionable

Review of Atlas Cider Company’s Session Cider. I’ve tried most of their lineup (see here). This is their newest release, their first canned cider, and their first available in a multipack.

Cider: Session Cider
Cidery: Atlas Cider Company
Cidery Location: Bend Oregon
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz cans
Style: American craft sessionable cider made from dessert apples

Availability: Year round in ID, OR, NV, and WA.

Cider Description: During WW1 British legislation limited drinking to 2 sessions, lunch from 11am-3pm and evening from 7pm -11pm. During these 4 hour sessions workers wanted a highly drinkable beer with a lower abv, around 4-5%, so they could return to work without being drunk and disorderly. Some workers are said to have up to 8 pints per session. A true session drink also does not necessarily mean it will have less flavor like a light beer. We are aware that our session cider does contain 5.5% abv; this is above the threshold of a session beer, but being a cider it is still significantly lighter, just as flavorful, and more drinkable than other craft ciders with higher ABV’s. Thus we thought our apple in 6 pack-cans was the perfect “session cider” Enjoy.

Cidery Description: ATLAS Cider Co. produces authentic hard cider fermented from 100% fresh pressed fruit from our region. Partnering with Northwest farmers to source our fruit has been a priority of ours from the beginning. Our ciders start with a base of NW fruit that are pressed to achieve a balance of sweetness, tartness, and dryness. We forge our ciders in the heart of the NW in Bend, OR.

Price: <$2 / single can (retails for $10.99 / six pack)
Where Bought: Special Brews in Lynnwood WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had read about its release through Atlas Cider Co.’s Facebook page, but this was the first time I saw single cans available, so I picked one up.

First Impression: Pale straw yellow. Low carbonation upon pouring. Smells like crisp apples, citrus, honey, and apricots.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Nearly still. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Notes of honey, citrus, tropical fruit, green apple, and muscat grapes. Quick finish. Moderate apple influence. Very high sessionability. Best enjoyed very cold.

My Opinion: One of my favorite sessionable/canned ciders so far. It is more flavorful than many are, probably as it is a bit on the sweeter side, and was back sweetened (but avoids the overly apple juice flavor which I’ve often found). For being medium bodied, it still tasted very light (probably due to its crispness and light flavors). It also had some nice complexity and flavor notes, which surprised me. I also found it lacked the watered down type flavor which I often taste with similar ciders.

Most Similar to: Other slightly sweeter flagship/sessionable ciders, such as Atlas Hard Apple Cider (in 22oz bottles, and slightly different than this one…sweeter, less complex, and higher carbonation, Crispin Original, Flatbed Cider Crisp Apple, and Henry Hotspur’s Hard Pressed for Cider.

Closing Notes: I wouldn’t mind keeping this cider in the fridge. Session Cider is a probably a close second to their Apricot as far as my favorite Atlas cider. The only thing I would change is to increase the carbonation.

Have you tried Atlas Session Cider? What did you think?

2 Towns Ciderhouse Sun’s Out Saison

April 4, 2016April 3, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Corvallis, hard cider, oregon, peach, saison, Sun's Out Saison

Review of Sun’s Out Saison from 2 Towns, their newest limited release cider with peaches and fermented with Saison beer yeast. I’ve tried a number of ciders from 2 Towns; see here.

Cider: Sun’s Out Saison
Cidery: 2 Towns Ciderhouse
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 5.8%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles and kegs
Style: American craft cider made from dessert apples with peaches added, fermented with Saison beer yeast

Availability: Limited release starting in late March 2016, in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL (Chicago), MN, NV, OR, and WA.

Cider Description: Sun’s Out Saison is made with tart, fresh-pressed Northwest apples fermented on peaches with an authentic French saison yeast. Roll up your sleeves, or better yet, rip ‘em off to get ready for this unfiltered, dry, slightly spicy and phenolic cider, with lots of big, clean, fresh-peach aromatics. Savor liquid sunshine from Oregon’s leading craft cider producer.

Made with over 46 pounds of peaches per barrel (a barrel is 238 bottles of 500ml if my math is right).

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: $7.59
Where Bought: Chuck’s Hop Shop in Seattle WA (my first time there)
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I had seen it mentioned online, but didn’t know it was in stores here yet (and didn’t see it at the other 3 bottle shops I went that week).

First Impression: Hazy light straw yellow lemonade hue. Low carbonation and foam upon pouring. Smells of citrus, peach, green apple, a hint of sour, and yeast.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low carbonation. Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. A hint of sourness. No tannins, bitterness, or funk. Notes of citrus, peach, green apple, tropical fruit, honey, and yeast. Moderate length finish. Low apple influence. Moderate to high sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity.

My Opinion: Yum! This is a perfect spring and summer cider, as it is light and refreshing. However, I didn’t really pick up “slightly spicy” in it, although there is definitely some bite and tartness. I think I picked up a slight amount of “phenolic” flavor, which I read is described as an herbal flavour primarily produced during the malo-lactic fermentation in ‘bittersweet’ ciders.

Most Similar to: 2 Towns Cidre Moscato and Attila Scourge of God based on being light & fruity, plus other peach ciders I’ve had from Blue Mountain (Peach), Blackfin (Pacific Peach), Finnriver (Country Peach), and Fox Tail (Fuzzy Haven).

Closing Notes: Another tasty cider from 2 Towns. This isn’t my favorite style of cider (I usually prefer something richer), but I quite enjoyed it. Sun’s Out Saison also suited the warm temperatures we’ve been having in Seattle to start out Spring.

Have you tried 2 Towns Sun’s Out Saison? What did you think?

Traditions Ciderworks Bourbon Barrel – 2012 Vintage

April 1, 2016March 28, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review, Traditions 2 Towns, barrel aged, Bourbon Barrel, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Traditions

Review of Bourbon Barrel (2012 Vintage) from Traditions Ciderworks (a 2 Towns brand, which they have now absorbed into their regular line). I bought a bottle of this after loving it at Cider Summit Seattle 2015 (tasting notes here). I’ve tried a number of ciders from Traditions Ciderworks (see here) and 2 Towns (see here).

Cider: Bourbon Barrel, 2012 Vintage
Cidery: Traditions Ciderworks (2 Towns)
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml champagne bottles, corked & caged
Style: American Bourbon barrel aged cider made from French & English cider apple varieties

Availability: Very limited, plus I think it was released a couple years ago. In general however, ciders from 2 Towns are available in OR, WA, AK, HI, CA, ID, NV, MN, and Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Aged for four months in wheat and rye whiskey bourbon barrels, our Bourbon Barrel Cider is a hedonistic blend of floral, fruit, and sweet-bourbon aromas. Traditional French and English cider apples lend firm tannins and a dry, tart backing to this cider. Sweet wood and caramel notes finish off a cider made for bourbon lovers. 132 cases produced.

It was made with Dabinett & Kingston Black cider apples and aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels. The only ingredients are “fresh local cider apples”, wine yeast, and sulfites. They also had a 2011 vintage of Bourbon Barrel, with 50 cases produced.

Cidery Description: Traditions Ciderworks produces handmade artisan ciders using only locally sourced Oregon farm grown apples. Inspired by the creativity and flair of Pacific Northwest craft brewers and winemakers, we use time-honored traditions & our own unique style to create exceptional, premium ciders. From the heart of Oregon, near the banks of the Willamette River, Traditions Ciderworks is dedicated to bringing artisan cider out of the past and into the present.

2 Towns has a tasting room in Corvallis Oregon. In late 2015 they absorbed their Traditions Ciderworks line, and have started producing those ciders under the 2 Towns label (starting with their Pommeau, then Riverwood Brut).

Price: $17
Where Bought: Full Throttle Bottles in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: This was my favorite cider I tried at Cider Summit Seattle 2015. They didn’t have any in the on-site bottle shop, so I asked around, and Erika at Full Throttle Bottles was able to find a bottle for me.

First Impression: Light straw yellow hue with a slight haziness. Very low carbonation upon pouring. Smells of bourbon, oak, crisp apples, honey, and yeast.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Nearly still. Light bodied. Moderate bitterness and acidity. Mild tartness and tannins. Notes of bourbon, oak, honey, yeast, citrus, floral, and smoke. Moderate length slightly warming finish. Mild apple influence. Low sessionability. Moderate barrel influence. Strong spirit influence.

My Opinion: For whatever reason I enjoyed this much more when I tried it at Cider Summit. This time the bitterness was much stronger and it wasn’t quite as tannic or rich. The lovely strong bourbon flavor was still there however. I can’t figure out why it seems more bitter…it was the same vintage (presumably the same batch), it was one of the first ciders I tried at Cider Summit so I shouldn’t have had palate fatigue, my palate has only learned to tolerate bitterness better since then, and this cider should age well.

Most Similar to: Other ciders with a strong bourbon barrel influence include Locust Bourbon Barrel (although much higher ABV), Whitewood Whiskey Barrel Aged Kingston Black (although richer), and Moonlight Meadery How Do You Like Them Apples (although much higher ABV). I also tried the last two ciders at Cider Summit Seattle 2015.

Closing Notes: After saving this bottle for months it was a bit disappointing for it to not taste as I remembered, but still plenty enjoyable. I look forward to see what they come up with next at 2 Towns.

Have you tried Traditions Ciderworks Bourbon Barrel? What did you think?

Seattle Cider Dry

March 30, 2016March 27, 2016 cidersays review, Seattle Cider cider, cider review, cider tasting, dry, hard cider, seattle, Seattle Cider, washington

Review of Seattle Cider Company’s Dry cider. I’ve also tried their PNW Berry, Semi-Sweet, Olympic Honey, Plum Gose, Oaked Maple, Harvest Series Gravenstein Rosé, and Gose varieties.

Cider: Dry
Cidery: Seattle Cider Company
Cidery Location: Seattle WA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: four pack of 16oz cans (and kegs)
Style: American craft sessionable canned cider made from dessert apple varieties

Availability: Year round, at least in AK, CA, CO, IL, MN, OR, TX, WA, and WI. Their website includes lists of stores by state & city.

Cider Description: One of the driest ciders on the market. The golden orange glow of this unique unfiltered cider lends way to notes of lilac, blood orange and green apple on the nose. Dry and pleasantly acidic, flavors of nectarine, under ripe peach and tart cherry hit the palate with no residual sweetness.

Made from Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious apples.

Cidery Description: Seattle Cider Company is Seattle’s first cidery since Prohibition, bringing true craft cider back to Seattle and across the country. Bridging the gap between wine and beer with flavorful, small-batch cider, Seattle Cider’s initial offerings – Dry and Semi-Sweet – break the mold of overly sweet cider, bringing the natural flavors of Washington apples to the forefront.

They have a tasting room (The Woods, shared with Two Beers Brewing) in Seattle WA, which I visited last year (see here).

Price: ~$3 for a single can (runs $11-$13 for a four pack)
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: I’ve always known about this cider, but wasn’t really into drier ciders, so put off trying it.

First Impression: Light straw yellow. Low carbonation upon pouring. Smells clean & crisp, very mild, of green apples, citrus, and yeast.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Moderate to high acidity. Light bodied. Low carbonation. Low tartness. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of green apples, citrus, yeast, mineral, and floral. Moderate length finish. Low apple influence. Moderate to high sessionability.

My Opinion: This was a pretty standard canned dry cider from dessert apples. I didn’t really pick up the fruity notes the description eluded to. I prefer a bit more sweetness and flavor, so as far as their flagship ciders, I like Semi-Sweet more than Dry. My favorite from them so far is Olympic Honey. However, overall, Seattle Cider Company’s cider style isn’t really to my liking.

Most Similar to: Ace Joker, and especially, Original Sin Extra Dry. I liked the Original Sin best of the three, as I found it to be the most complex.

Closing Notes: This isn’t really a style of cider I enjoy, but it was nice to try.

Have you tried Seattle Cider Dry? What did you think?

Eaglemount Homestead Semi-Sweet

March 28, 2016March 19, 2016 cidersays Eaglemount, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, eaglemount, hard cider, Homestead, port townsend, washington

Review of Eaglemount’s Homestead Semi-Sweet cider, from Port Townsend Washington. I’ve tried a number of their ciders (see here) and visited their tasting room (see here). Eaglemount is unique in that they also make wine and mead in addition to cider. Note that they also make a Dry version of this cider.

Cider: Homestead Semi-Sweet
Cidery: Eaglemount Wine & Cider (& Mead)
Cidery Location: Port Townsend WA
ABV: 8.0%
How Supplied: 750ml flip top brown bottle
Style: American homestead-style craft cider made from Washingon-grown heirloom apple varieties

Availability: Limited release. Eaglemount ciders are distributed in Western Washington, Portland Oregon, Farmer’s Markets in Port Townsend, Port Angeles, Ballard, and Tacoma WA, Eaglemount’s tasting room in Port Townsend WA, and their online store.

Cider Description: Homestead Semisweet cider is made from heirloom variety apples from our homestead orchard and other old orchards on the Olympic Peninsula. This cider is crisp, clean, with a touch of sweetness and apple goodness.

Cidery Description: Our winery is located on an original 1883 homestead on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The heirloom apple varieties were the inspiration to continue the tradition of the original homesteaders by making hard cider. Some of the heirloom varieties include Gravenstein, Winesap, White Pippin, Roxbury Russet, and twenty ounce. We also source heirloom varieties from other old homestead orchards on the Peninsula.

Our Eaglemount Hard Ciders and Meads are made with certified organic or sustainably grown fruit. The fruit comes from our homestead orchard, other homestead orchards in the area, our English and French cider orchard, and from certified organic growers in Washington State.

Price: $14
Where Bought: Eaglemount tasting room in Port Townsend WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: I tried this at their tasting room and really enjoyed it.

First Impression: Dark straw yellow. Very low carbonation. Smells mild, of fresh apples, yeast, and honey.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Mild to moderate tartness. Mild acidity and tannins. Hints of bitterness and funk. No sourness. Notes of yeast, honey, citrus, spice, and must. Slightly rich. Medium bodied. Long warming finish. Moderate apple flavor. Mild to moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: I enjoyed this, but I liked it better when I tried it at their tasting room. Letting it breathe for a bit helped dissipate some of the harshness, but when I tried it previously I didn’t pick up the hints of bitterness, funk, and must. Ciders can change batch to batch though.

Most Similar to: Finnriver Farmstead Semi-Sweet. Both are farmstead/homestead-style ciders on the sweeter side with significant tannins and honey & yeast notes.

Closing Notes: I think my favorite from Eaglemount remains their Quince cider, although I also like this one and their Cyser.

Have you tried Eaglemount Homestead Semi-Sweet? What did you think?

Locust Cider Alder Smoked Apple

March 25, 2016March 19, 2016 cidersays Locust, review Alder Smoked Apple, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Locust, Locust Cider, washington, Woodinville

This will be a short post, as I only tasted one new-to-me cider during my latest visit to Locust Cider in Woodinville WA. Check out my prior tasting notes and reviews of Locust ciders here. It was an impromptu visit. My husband and I met two friends for lunch at the Tipsy Cow in Redmond (which is an amazing burger place, and I don’t even like hamburgers…I get a veggie burger), and we decided to go to a few tasting rooms in Woodinville before heading home. The boys had some wine at a couple of the winery tasting rooms in the same stripmall as the Locust Cider tasting room, and us girls tried some cider.

Their tap list hadn’t changed much from my visit a few weeks ago…they swapped Chipotle for the Alder Smoked Apple. That worked great for me though, as it was the only one on the menu I hadn’t tried! Their “up next” list also looks really interesting, especially the red wine barrel aged and prickly pear ciders.

Alder Smoked Apple: 6.0% ABV. They get the smoke flavor from alder smoked apple rings added during fermentation, showed in this photo from their Instagram. This is a tap-only release, but has made it to a few other locations in the Seattle area.

Semi-sweet to sweet. Mild acidity. Mild tartness. No sourness, funk, or tannins. Full bodied. Notes of maple, honey, and hints of citrus and alder. I only picked up mild smoke flavor in the moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. High sessionability.

They said this was less smokey than previous batches. I enjoyed it, but I think with more smoke and less sweetness, it would have been awesome.

I also tried their Winesap cider again. I liked it better last time; this time it was missing that frothy texture I enjoyed, and was a bit more sour.

I also spotted their new bottle design. They are going from 750ml to 500ml bottles on their special release ciders, which I think is a good move. 500ml is my favorite bottle size.

I look forward to trying more from Locust Cider.

Finnriver Farmstead Cider Traditional Semi-Sweet

March 24, 2016March 19, 2016 cidersays Finnriver, review Chimacum, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Farmstead, Finnriver, hard cider, washington

Review of Finnriver’s Farmstead Cider Traditional Semi-Sweet, from Chimacum Washington (in the Port Townsend / Olympic Peninsula area). I’ve tried many ciders from their lineup (see my reviews here).

Cider: Farmstead Cider Traditional Semi-Sweet
Cidery: Finnriver
Cidery Location: Chimacum WA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle (I just love this style bottle by the way!)
Style: farmstead-style craft cider made from Washington-grown homestead, cider, and dessert apple varieties

Availability: In general, Finnriver ciders are sold in WA, OR, CA, AZ, NV, TX, IL, CO, and Alberta & BC Canada (detailed info here). They also have an online store (which can ship to WA, OR, CA, AK, CO, MN, FL, & WA D.C.). However, this cider might have slightly less availability than some of their more common ones.

Cider Description: Each Autumn, on World Apple Day, Finnriver invites friends and neighbors from across the North Olympic Peninsula to bring over their buckets, bins, and boxes of backyard apples. These apples, often wild and antique varieties, are full of tannins that bring out complex and bittersweet flavors. We ferment this blend of homestead harvested fruit to create an earthy taste of frontier cider tradition. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this cider will benefit local Food Banks. Enjoy with hearty food and a sense of adventure.

Cidery Description: At Finnriver we gather and ferment the flavors of the land to offer you farmcrafted hard ciders and spirited fruit wines. We are inspired by the allure of the fruit, the ancient history of the craft of fermentation and the lively traditions we now seek to revive. Our mission is to inspire a deeper connection to the land that sustains us….Some of these ciders are small-batch, seasonal and labor-intensive. Others are produced with contemporary methods and more readily available year-round…Finnriver grows over twenty varieties of traditional and heirloom apples in our organic orchard, to feature in our traditional and specialty ciders.

Price: $9
Where Bought: Finnriver tasting room
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had heard of this one before but hadn’t got around to trying it. When I saw it at their tasting room and was picking up some other bottles and merchandise, I thought I might as well since I was there.

First Impression: Medium honey straw yellow (the photo turned out a bit dark). Very low carbonation upon pouring. Smells of bittersweet apples with some tannins, yeast, honey, and citrus.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Nearly still (very low carbonation). Low to moderate tannins. Moderate acidity. Low tartness. A hint of bitterness. No sourness or funk. Medium bodied. The flavor starts with acidity and finishes with tannins. Notes of oak, honey, yeast, citrus, spice, and vanilla. Moderate length finish. Moderate apple influence. Low to moderate sessionability. Moderate to full flavor intensity.

My Opinion: Tasty! I liked how flavorful it was without resorting to any additions to the cider (fruit, hops, spice, etc). It has some tannins but remains quite approachable, especially as it has some residual sweetness.

Most Similar to: Eaglemount Homestead Semi-Sweet (see my tasting notes here). Both are farmstead/homestead-style ciders on the sweeter side with significant tannins and honey & yeast notes. Oddly enough I’m drinking the Eaglemount cider as I’m writing this review!

Closing Notes: I enjoyed this cider, but their Fire Barrel remains my favorite (see my review here). Fire Barrel tastes similar to Farmstead, but has a bolder flavor and the added complexity of barrel aging. Plus, Fire Barrel only costs a couple dollars more if I remember correctly, so that seems like a good value. Finnriver makes many cider varieties and they are easy to find in my area, so I’ll continue to try whatever they make.

Have you tried Finnriver Farmstead? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 12 Tasting Notes

March 23, 2016March 19, 2016 cidersays Anthem, Carlton, Cider Riot, Grizzly, Moonlight Meadery, Red Tank, review, Schilling cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my twelfth visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts here. I was there on St. Patrick’s Day, and they were having a potluck. I also met David from Cider Expert (apparently I’m a superuser there and he wanted my feedback) and we had a spirited cider discussion for almost a couple hours. Cider Expert is a cider rating & review website currently in Beta testing. I think once it goes live it will be great, as the other beverage review websites like Untappd and RateBeer don’t really work well for cider (plus this one has ratings for taste properties specific to cider, and algorithms to actually suggest ciders).

I got there after work, around 4pm, and had a flight of 6 ciders. I was there for a few hours so I was expecting to order something else too, but they were large pours and one was high ABV, so that was it for me. I had thought that 5/6 were new for me, but after I ordered I realized I had 2 of them before, so only 4/6 were new for me. There were a couple other ciders on the tap list I hadn’t tried, but weren’t of interest. I brought in some Thai food takeout; I guess I must be picky as I’m 0/3 as far as liking the local Thai food options in Fremont. The PCC (natural grocery store with a large ready-made food section) remains my favorite takeout option nearby.

Carlton Cyderworks First Fruits, 6.5% ABV, McMinnville OR: Described as an apple cider fermented with plums and mulberry juice, aged in wine barrels for 5 months, which appears to be tap only. Light pink grapefruit hue. Semi-dry. Moderate acidity and mild tartness. Light bodied. I really liked the texture most of all with this cider; kinda frothy (note the foam in the photo). I didn’t recognize it as being barrel aged though (only read that later). It was lightly fruity and really refreshing.

Moonlight Meadery How Do You Like Them Apples (cider), 13.5% ABV, Londonderry NH: I’ve absolutely loved everything I’ve tried from Moonlight Meadery. I had tried this one before, and knew I wanted to include it in my flight as its a rare, and like all their ciders, tap-only. Them Apples is described as being aged with brown sugar for 6+ months in barrels from their Last Apple cyser (which were barrels from Jim Beam whiskey). Note that they also have a “How Do You Like Them Little Apples”, which is similar, but only 6.5% ABV (see my review here). Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Low acidity, low tartness, a hint of bitterness, and a hint of sourness. Very smooth, with a well hidden ABV. Medium bodied. Notes of baked apple, whiskey, oak, citrus, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. This was different than I remembered previously…much less sweet, and with hints of bitterness and sourness. It was very good, but I think I prefer the Little Apples version (or at least the batch of this one I tried previously). On a side note as this was aged in Last Apple barrels, I also love that one, and have a bottle at home.

Red Tank Cider Yukon Cornelius, 6.0% ABV, Bend OR: Described as including vanilla, cranberry, and cinnamon. Schilling actually called it Vanilla-Cran-Cinnamon, probably as the keg was labeled that way, but with some research it looks like Yukon Cornelius is the actual name. Light punk hue. Strong cinnamon scent. Semi-dry. Mild vanilla, moderate cinnamon spice, and a hint of fruitiness but mostly tartness from the cranberry scent. Light bodied. Interesting combination, but it worked.

Grizzly Ciderworks Woodlander Wit, 6.9% ABV, Milton-Freewater OR: This is the one I thought I hadn’t tried before, but I had (see here). They modeled this cider after Belgian wit-style beer (they used that variety of beer yeast), and added orange peel and coriander. Semi-dry. Moderate acidity, low tartness, and low bitterness. Medium bodied. Mildly flavored, with notes of oak, spice, herbs, and citrus (I didn’t specifically identify orange or coriander). I like The Ridge from them better, which has more woody earthiness without the herbal & citrus flavors of this one, although is even drier.

Anthem Rose Pinot, 6.5% ABV, Salem OR: Described as being aged with pinot noir grapes (its unclear whether in a barrel or tank). Bright red hue. Semi-dry. Moderate tartness and mild acidity. Light bodied. Very mild flavor which to me had a lot of cranberry notes. I didn’t really like the flavor of this one. I imagine wine lovers would enjoy it.

Cider Riot! Burn Cider, 6.8% ABV, Portland OR: Described as being made with Oregon-grown English cider apples, tart wild apples, and dessert apples, and being inspired by English West Country pub draught ciders. Dry. Moderate bitterness, moderate acidity, low tannins, and low tartness. Light bodied. Hints of bittersweet cider apples, but overall it was on the mild end of the flavor spectrum, and kinda watered down tasting. Notes of vanilla and spice as well. I think if it had been more flavorful, slightly less bitter, and slightly more sweet, this would have been nice.

My favorite of the evening was the Moonlight Meadery cider, which I also loved the last time I had it (see my Cider Summit Seattle 2015 tasting notes here). I also enjoyed First Fruits, even though I usually don’t go for fruity ciders. Lately I’ve realized I enjoy ciders that best I can explain are very “textural” (Locust Winesap was another example; see my tasting notes here). Overall though I was a bit underwhelmed by my flight, but many I tried mostly just to try them. I wish Schilling would offer more unflavored ciders (not fruity, hopped, spiced, etc), English & French imports, etc, on tap, but I imagine the flavored stuff sells well.

On my way out I picked up another bottle of 2 Towns Pommeau, as its that awesome (see my review here), a great value, and the bottle says it ages well (up to 20 years?). I also bought a cider I hadn’t seen in this area before from ÆppelTreow, Kinglet Bitter, which sounds like something I’ll like (made from bittersweet apples); I’ve enjoyed a couple other ciders from them (Appely Doux and Barn Swallow).

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

Aspall English Demi Sec Draft Cider

March 22, 2016March 15, 2016 cidersays Aspall, review aspall, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Demi Sec, English Cider, hard cider, UK cider

Review of Aspall English Demi Sec Draft Cider. I’m a huge fan of English cider, and of Aspall, and have tried a few of their other ciders (reviews & tasting notes here).

Cider: Demi Sec
Cidery: Aspall
Cidery Location: Suffolk England
ABV: 6.8%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle
Style: English craft cider made from heirloom & cider apple varieties

Availability: Fairly wide release at specialty bottle shops in the U.S. (and Europe of course)

Cider Description: Golden color, with ripe apple and honey-ish aromas. Lightly sweet with a pleasant balancing acidity giving way to a nice off-dry finish.

Apple Varieties: 65% Sweet (Cox Orange Pippin, Egremont Russett, & Royal Gala), 25% Sharp (Bramley Seedling & Howgate Wonder), and 15% Bittersweet (Tremlett’s Bitter, Yarlington Mill, & Dabinett).

Cidery Description: The Chevalliers have been making cyder at Aspall for eight generations, since 1728 when Clement Chevallier fermented his first batch of Normandy style Suffolk cyder. They still produce cyder using only the fresh juice of whole Suffolk apples and the philosophy championed by their founding ancestor, Clement. Still owned and managed by the Chevallier family, Aspall is the oldest direct lineage cyder maker in the United Kingdom. There are no hidden partners or parent companies enabling Aspall to focus on making the best possible product without compromise. Truly family owned.

Price: ~$8
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I’ve been wanting to try more Aspall varieties, and hadn’t tried this one.

First Impression: Dark straw yellow with some orange. Low carbonation and moderate foam upon pouring. Smells of mild apple, floral, and citrus.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Low to moderate acidity. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Hints of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or bitterness. Notes of honey, citrus (including grapefruit), floral, and green apple. Moderate length finish. Moderately flavored. Moderate apple influence. Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: Tasty! Its light and refreshing, although with more sweetness and less richness than I expected. It doesn’t have many of the characteristics of traditional English cider.

Most Similar to: I found this more similar to “American” ciders than English ciders. The following have similar honey and floral notes: Moonlight Meadery How Do You Like Them Little Apples (except it is sweeter and barrel aged), Finnriver Honey Meadow (except it has chamomile and lemon balm), and EZ Orchards Hawk Haus (except it is much drier).

Closing Notes: This was definitely enjoyable, but not what I was expecting. My favorite from Aspall remains their Imperial (black label…not sure if it differs from the blue labeled bottles).

Have you tried Aspall Demi Sec? What did you think?

Elemental Hard Cider NW Atomic Root Beer

March 21, 2016March 13, 2016 cidersays Elemental, review cider, cider review, Elemental, hard cider, hard root beer, NW Atomic Root Beer, NW Atomic Rootbeer, root beer, washington, Woodinville

Review of NW Atomic Root Beer from Elemental Hard Cider in Woodinville Washington. It is a cider based hard root beer (cider with root beer spices). I’ve tried this twice before on draft (different batches…Elemental is unique in that they continue to tweak recipes after releasing a cider), and I have tried a number of ciders from them (see here).

Cider: NW Atomic Root Beer
Cidery: Elemental Hard Cider
Cidery Location: Woodinville WA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 22oz brown glass bottle
Style: American craft alcopop, cider based hard root beer

Availability: Likely only in WA

Cider Description: NW Atomic Root Beer starts with out crisp, clean and bright hard apple cider fermented bone dry to 6.5% ABV. We then infuse the base with an intense magical concoction of sassafras and liquorice. Subtle notes of vanilla, anise, fennel and plum are soft on the palette and round off the experience of our unique beverage.

Note that they use caramel color, but its certified non-GMO (apparently rare to find) and gluten free. They are even working on getting an organic version of it.

Cidery Description: Family owned and operated. Brian and Christina Callahan launched Elemental Hard Cider to bring quality, affordable, and delicious hard cider to the world. We strive to bring fun and exciting flavors to the experienced cider enthusiast, as well as novice cider drinkers.

Hand-crafted micro ciders designed for taste, smoothness, and quality. Each of our hand-crafted ciders are made from only the finest Northwest apples and cold-fermented to preserve the fruit. Our ciders are reminiscent of champagne, they are lightly filtered and mildly effervescent for clean taste. Experience our quality for yourself. Come in often to grab a glass. We are constantly trying out new flavors, so the line-up is always changing.

Price: ~$8
Where Bought: The Cave in Kirkland WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: I heard about this at Cider Summit Seattle last year but didn’t get around to trying it until I saw it at the Schilling Cider House on draft (notes here). For awhile it was draft-only, no bottles. Then, I tried it on draft again at Around the Table (notes here). I remembered liking the previous version better (I heard that over time they retained less apple flavor), but wanted to give a bottle a try as it is so unique. I thought that this bottle was closer to the first version I tried than to the second, as it retained more apple flavor, which I like. Apparently most of their customers however seem to prefer less apple flavor than I do.

First Impression: Caramel brown root beer hue. Low carbonation upon pouring. Smells like root beer spices with a hint of baked apple.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low carbonation. Low acidity and tartness. No sourness, bitterness, funk, or tannins. Notes of root beer spices (milder than a typical root beer), rich baked apple, caramel, and honey. The flavor starts as root beer and finishes with baked apple. Quick finish. Moderate apple influence. High sessionability.

My Opinion: Tasty! This is my idea of a sessionable cider…very easy to drink, but also very flavorful and unique. The only thing I’d change would be slightly more carbonation. Not as much as soda, but more than I detected would be nice.

Most Similar to: This is quite different from other hard root beers such as Not Your Father’s as it has a cider (not malt beverage) base, so it doesn’t have the bitterness of that product (and is less sweet and less carbonated). The only similar cider I know of is Sonoma Washboard, but that is sarsaparilla not root beer spices, and quite dry (I really disliked that one, but my husband was a huge fan).

Closing Notes: I’m usually not a huge fan of flavored ciders, but I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this was because it is so far from traditional cider. I hope I can purchase this version/recipe in the future, as I really liked it.

Have you tried NW Atomic Root Beer? What did you think?

2 Towns Pommeau – 2013 Harvest / 2015 Release

March 18, 2016March 18, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, brandy, Calvados, cider, cider review, Corvallis, hard cider, oregon, Pommeau

Review of the 2013 harvest / 2015 release of Pommeau from 2 Towns. This is their third release (the first two were under their Traditions Ciderworks brand), discussed in this article. I’ve also tried their 2011 harvest / 2013 release of Pommeau under their Traditions Ciderworks brand, and previously reviewed a number of ciders from 2 Towns.

Pommeau is a port-style apple wine related to cider. It is made from apple brandy (a spirit from distilling apple cider) with either unfermented apple juice or lightly fermented apple cider blended in (cider in this case), then barrel aged. It is called Calvados when made in Normandy France.

Cider: Pommeau (2013 harvest / 2015 release)
Cidery: 2 Towns Ciderhouse
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 19%
How Supplied: 375 ml tall frosted glass bottle, wax sealed
Style: American craft Pommeau made from apple brandy and lightly fermented cider, barrel aged in French oak for 1 year

Availability: Limited release (500 cases of 12 bottles made), distributed to CA, ID, IL, MN, NV, OR, and WA.

Cider Description: Our Pommeau is made from locally grown traditional bittersweet cider apples which are hand-harvested and ‘sweated’ at cool temperatures. After the apples have sweetened, the fresh-pressed juice is lightly fermented and then aged with Clear Creek apple eau de vie. Our Pommeau is then matured in French oak barrels for one year. The result is a tremendously complex apple Pommeau that blossoms with aromas of fresh-pressed cider, dried fruit, and wood. This bottle will improve with cellaring for up to 20 years.

Cidery Description: 2 Towns Ciderhouse was founded in Corvallis, Oregon, in 2010 with the mission of bringing cider back to the people. 2 Towns Ciderhouse is a proud pioneer in the resurgence of America’s first beverage of choice. We planted our own orchard in 2012 to help revitalize old-world heirloom apples. We are committed to supporting local apple growers by insisting on using the finest fresh-pressed 100 percent Northwest apples and never take shortcuts in the cider-making process. Our process includes careful fermentation and no added sugar or essence flavorings, allowing the naturally fermented ingredients to speak for themselves. Named for two towns in our locale, Corvallis and Eugene, 2 Towns Ciderhouse has become one of the most award-winning and recognized ciders in the West.

Price: $25
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had heard awhile back that 2 Towns made Pommeau, and read an article on their 2015 release in the Fall, so I started looking. At first I only found their 2013 release, but then the Schilling Cider House decided to carry the 2015 release.

First Impression: Rich amber orange hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells alcohol-forward, of rich ripe apples, oak, dried fruit, leather, brown sugar, caramel, burnt sugar, and vanilla.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Low acidity and tartness. A hint of tannins. No sourness, bitterness, or funk. Notes of rich ripe apples, oak, dried fruit, leather, brown sugar, caramel, burnt sugar, vanilla, tropical fruit, and peaches. Medium to full bodied. Very long warming finish. Moderate to strong apple influence. Low to moderate barrel influence. Very low sessionability.

My Opinion: Amazing! I love how flavorful this is.

Most Similar to: I’ve only had four Pommeaux (the plural of Pommeau), so I don’t have much to compare to. However, I really enjoy this 2 Towns Pommeau, as well as the Finnriver Pommeau. The Finnriver Pommeau (reviewed here) is also quite flavorful and fuller bodied.

Closing Notes: Pommeau is a unique cider related beverage to try, and I look forward to trying more. This is my favorite Pommeau so far! I plan to buy at least one more bottle to “cellar” for awhile.

Have you tried 2 Towns Pommeau? What did you think?

Traditions Ciderworks (2 Towns) Pommeau – 2011 Harvest / 2013 Release

March 17, 2016March 12, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review, Traditions 2 Towns, brandy, Calvados, cider, cider review, Corvallis, hard cider, oregon, Pommeau, Traditions

Review of the 2011 harvest / 2013 release of Pommeau from Traditions Ciderworks, made by 2 Towns. 2013 was their first release of Pommeau, although there have been two releases since then, in 2014 and 2015. Note that 2 Towns’ Traditions Ciderworks brand has since been absorbed into their regular 2 Towns line of ciders. I actually purchased this recently after initially not being able to find the 2015 release, and had assumed it was the 2014 release, but when asking 2 Towns some questions I discovered it was actually the 2013 release (the 2014 release was in a frosted Traditions Ciderworks bottle). I later found the 2015 release (which was labeled under 2 Towns), which I’ll review soon. I’ve previously reviewed a number of ciders from 2 Towns.

Cider: Pommeau (2011 harvest / 2013 release)
Cidery: Traditions Ciderworks (2 Towns Ciderhouse)
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 19%
How Supplied: 375 ml tall clear glass bottle, wax sealed
Style: American craft Pommeau made from apple brandy and lightly fermented cider, barrel aged in French oak for 1 year

Availability: Limited (100 cases of 12 bottles made, sold 2 years ago). This 2013 release is actually much more limited than their 2015 release, where 500 cases were made. In general though 2 Towns’ ciders are sold in AK, CA, HI, ID, IL, MN, NV, OR, and WA.

Wow–20 years…I wonder how they came up with that number? I believe it though.

Price: $32.25
Where Bought: Full Throttle Bottles (I’ve also seen 2 Towns Pommeau in the Seattle area at the Schilling Cider House and The Cave)
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had heard awhile back that 2 Towns made Pommeau, and read an article on their 2015 release in the Fall, so I started looking.

First Impression: Rich amber hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells alcohol-forward, of rich apples, oak, spice, oranges, caramel, and burnt sugar.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to dry. Low acidity and tartness. A hint of bitterness and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of rich apples, oak, spice, oranges, caramel, burnt sugar, vanilla, and leather. Medium bodied. Long warming finish. Moderate apple influence. Low to moderate barrel influence. Very low sessionability.

My Opinion: This is nice, but on the verge of being a bit much for me. I’m ashamed to admit I enjoyed it with a couple ice cubes; otherwise it seemed a bit too boozy, as it doesn’t have much sweetness (and it was room temperature to start as I didn’t want to rearrange my fridge shelves for the few weeks I kept it open). I much prefer 2 Towns’ newer 2013 harvest / 2015 release, which I’ll review soon. I actually e-mailed them about it as the two releases were so different. They confirmed there were some significant variations in sweetness and tannins due to growing seasons, apple blends, etc. This 2011 harvest release was drier and had a slightly higher percentage of bittersweet apples than the later releases. Going forward they plan to have their Pommeau more similar to the 2013 harvest release–sweeter, richer, and more full bodied.

Most Similar to: I’ve only had four Pommeaux (the plural of Pommeau), so I don’t have much to compare to. However, this was drier, lighter bodied, and less complex than both the Finnriver Pommeau (review here) and the 2 Towns 2013 harvest / 2015 release Pommeau (review soon). I think it was more on par as far as sweetness and consistency with Tieton Wind, but I tried that quite awhile ago (before what I even knew what Pommeau was probably!).

Closing Notes: Pommeau is a unique cider related beverage to try, and I look forward to trying more. However, the newer 2 Towns Pommeau release is more to my liking than this one. In fact, I’m planning to buy at least one more bottle to “cellar” for awhile.

Have you tried Traditions Ciderworks (2 Towns) Pommeau? What did you think?

Whitewood Cider Northland

March 16, 2016March 22, 2016 cidersays review, Whitewood cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Northland, Olympia, washington, Whitewood

Review of Whitewood Cider’s Northland, described as a medium dry cider made from heirloom and traditional cider apples grown in the Pacific Northwest. Whitewood Cider was started in Olympia Washington in 2012 and released their first ciders in 2013 (check out this article). I’ve tried five other ciders from them (Summer Switchel, Red Cap, Whiskey Barrel Aged Kingston Black, Gravenstein Old Fangled 2012 Harvest, and Gravenstein Old Fangled Barrel Aged), but this is my first full review.

Cider: Northland
Cidery: Whitewood Cider
Cidery Location: Olympia Washington
ABV: 6.8%
How Supplied: 750ml clear glass bottle
Style: American craft cider made from heirloom and traditional cider apples

Availability: Per this list, only in Washington, including Olympia, Seattle, Federal Way, Tacoma, and Eastern Washington.

Cider Description: Our Northland Traditional Blend is traditional as it gets. European cider apple varieties blended at the press, fermented through the winter, racked, blended again and matured into early Summer. Lightly back-sweetened for balance and bring out fruitiness.

Floral spicy sweet nose, with strong characteristics of sweet apple, stone fruit, ripe orange and a tropical fruit acidity and wine-like tannic/bitter notes balanced with a crisp clean finish.

(~~Note that it looks like this description is from another release, Northland Traditional, which only used traditional cider apples.~~ Mine says both heirloom and traditional cider apples were used.)

ADDED: Dave White from Whitewood said this batch was actually all bittersweets & bittersharps. For awhile some Newtown Pippins had been added “to open it up a bit but the cider evolved and softened to no longer need it.”

Cidery Description: Whitewood Cider is the South Puget Sound’s first craft cidery. Officially we are a nano cider and can be hard to locate. Fear not as you’ll be able to find us at the finest bottles shops as well pubs and and restaurants that are the most dedicated to locally made craft cider.

Too often the word traditional is haphazardly thrown around when it comes to making cider. At Whitewood Cider Company we make hard cider seasonally, as traditional as it gets, just as cider has always been made.

We pick and press apples in the Autumn as they are ripe and properly sweated out to produce the thickest richest juices possible.
Our ciders ferment slow all throughout the Winter at the cold ambient temperatures of South Puget Sound
We rack and blend our ciders in the late Winter and early Spring.
Curing the late Spring after the ciders have had ample time torest and mature, we rack our cider once more and begin bottling and kegging.

When it comes to apple selection and cidermaking we have a “no compromise” approach. We believe cidermaking is an art and that the best fruit and the best practices yield the best cider possible.

Whitewood Cider is owned and operated by Dave White (of Old Time Cider) and Heather Ringwood. Visits to their Olympia Washington cidery are by appointment only.

Price: ~$16
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I had been wanting to try a bottle and do a full review, and this one sounded like something I’d enjoy.

First Impression: Dark straw yellow / light amber. Very little carbonation upon pouring, and a light foam ring. Smells fairly simple and clean, of mild apple juice and yeast.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry, although with all the fruity notes some may perceive it as sweeter. Medium bodied. Nearly still (very little carbonation). Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. Mild tannins. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Notes of apple, honey, yeast, mineral, floral, tropical fruit, and citrus. Slight richness. Moderate length finish with some unexpected warming. Moderate complexity. Strong apple influence. High sessionability.

My Opinion: Yum! I enjoyed all the apple flavor in this one, likely a product of them back sweetening the cider. This would make a great introductory craft cider..it retains some sweetness, the tannins remain mild, and it has a lot of apple flavor.

Most Similar to: Other semi-dry apple-forward ciders. It actually reminds me of Breton French ciders, except with much less carbonation, as it is so apple and yeast forward (although French ciders are typically keeved, not back sweetened).

Closing Notes: I enjoyed this cider and look forward to trying more from Whitewood. I still haven’t tried South Sounder, or the regular Old Fangled blend (instead of the single varietal Gravenstein one). My favorite cider from them remains the limited release Whiskey Barrel Kington Black, which I tried last year at Cider Summit Seattle and an event at Capitol Cider with Bill Bradshaw, and was one of my favorite ciders of 2015. Hopefully they make it again, as I didn’t get to purchase any bottles.

Have you tried Whitewood Cider Northland? What did you think?

Montana CiderWorks North Fork Traditional

March 15, 2016March 15, 2016 cidersays Montana Ciderworks, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Montana, Montana Ciderworks, North Fork, Northfork

Review of North Fork Traditional from Montana CiderWorks, from Darby Montana. I’ve previously tried their Darby Pub Cider (see my tasting notes here). Surprisingly enough, they are far from the only cidery in Montana (Cyder Market lists four, although Montana CiderWorks appears the oldest, being founded in 2000).

Cider: North Fork Traditional
Cidery: Montana CiderWorks
Cidery Location: Darby MT
ABV: 7.0%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle (also 750ml)
Style: American craft English-style semi-sweet cider made from Montana apples

Availability: Year round in CO, MT, and WA

Cider Description: Semi-Dry English Style Cider. Golden, gently bubbly, with true cider flavor. Expressive bittersweet apple character with wood, grass & smoke notes; this semi-dry cider balances faintest sweetness against sharpness, astringency, and tart fruit…Our North Fork traditional cider received a Gold Medal at the 2013 Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition. The blend includes hard-to-find traditional cider apples & crab apples alongside Bitterroot Valley apples. North Fork offers a clean, aromatic finish that enhances the flavor of savory foods. Pairs wonderfully with spicy (ethnic) foods, game bird dishes, and hor d’oeuvres with strong cheeses.

Cidery Description: Montana CiderWorks is a bonded winery located in Darby, Montana. We offer exceptional English-style ciders crafted from Bitterroot Valley apples and other local fruits. We support sustainable agriculture and the preservation of open spaces in our beautiful valley. We increase the value and usefulness of Montana’s orchards so that they may support and delight future generations.

Here is a nice article from CiderCraft on Montana Ciderworks. The owner and cidermaker is Lee McAlpine, who I met at Cider Summit Seattle last year.

Price: ~$8
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I tried their Darby Pub Cider at Cider Summit Seattle last year, and had been wanting to try something else from their lineup. The description of this cider sounded like something I’d enjoy.

First Impression: Light amber orange. Low carbonation with some foam upon pouring. Smells luscious, of rich ripe apples, apple skin, honey, brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Low carbonation. The texture is a bit mousse-like. Moderate acidity. Moderate tartness. Low to moderate tannins. A hint of bitterness. No sourness or funk. Moderate to full flavored. Medium bodied. Notes of rich bittersweet apples, apple skin, honey, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, charred oak, and earthiness. Moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: Yum! The flavor started with acidity & tartness, then finished with drying tannins. This definitely tastes like English cider, but the slight sweetness and mousse-like texture reminds me a bit of French cider too. This is a rather approachable English style cider too–it isn’t too dry and stays clean (no funk), although it has tannins.

Most Similar to: Other English and English-style ciders, such as Liberty Ciderworks English Style, Aspall Dry, Sheppy’s Somerset Draught, Hogan’s Medium Cider, Worley’s Premium Vintage, and Montana Ciderworks Darby Pub.

Closing Notes: I’m a big fan of English ciders, and this didn’t disappoint. However, I think I slightly prefer their Darby Pub cider. I look forward to trying their other ciders; I’ve also seen Small Batch McIntosh and Newtown Pippin ciders from them in my area.

Have you tried any ciders from Montana CiderWorks? What did you think?

Hogan’s Medium Cider

March 14, 2016March 14, 2016 cidersays Hogan's, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, England, English Cider, hard cider, Hogan's, Medium Cider, UK

Review of Hogan’s Medium Cider, from the UK. This is the first cider I’ve tried from them, although I’m a fan of English cider.

Cider: Medium Cider
Cidery: Hogan’s Cider
Cidery Location: Alcester, England
ABV: 5.4%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle
Style: English craft medium dry cider

Availability: UK, U.S. (including at ShipCider.com), Russia, Hong Kong, Finland, Australia, Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, and Germany.

Cider Description: Hogan’s Bottled Cider is fermented from only 100% fresh pressed English cider apples. Our cider tastes so good because we do not use apple concentrate and we do not add any sugars prior to fermentation. Containing more than 85% cider apple juice our premium bottled cider is made only from fresh pressed cider fruit and precious little else. Hogan’s bottled cider brings you the authentic taste of the English orchard.

Hogan’s Medium Bottled Cider is golden, well balanced, slightly sparkling cider with caramel, butterscotch and dried fruit aromas.

Cidery Description: Hogan’s ciders and perries are fermented from just fresh pressed English apples and pears, no sugars are added prior to fermentation and no apple or pear juice concentrate is used.

We think cider should be made only from fresh pressed apples. What we do is source fruit in the Autumn from lots of apple orchards in the counties of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

Price: $7.25
Where Bought: Full Throttle Bottles in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I’m a big English cider fan and hadn’t seen this one before. Their Dry Cider can also be found in my area.

First Impression: Light pumpkin orange amber. Ring of foam and large bubbles. Smells of rich ripe apples, yeast, and tannins.

Tasting Notes: Between semi-dry and semi-sweet. Mild tannins. Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. Hints of bitterness and sourness. Still. Medium bodied. Slight richness with notes of caramel, brown sugar, and yeast. Quick finish. Moderate apple flavor. Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: This was a bit disappointing; I’d call it average. That slightest bit of sourness threw me off (I’ve never tasted that in English cider and I’m not a fan of sour in a cider at all). I also found the depth of flavor just wasn’t there vs. other English craft ciders I’ve had. I find it odd that they use sugar to back sweeten (vs. juice or stopping fermentation early) and list water as an ingredient (usually water is only required if a cidery uses concentrate, and they said only fresh pressed apple juice was used…so was it used to water down the cider to a certain ABV?).

Most Similar to: Other English ciders, such as from Aspall and Sheppy’s, both of which so far I like better.

Closing Notes: English ciders are one of my favorite categories. Maybe I’ll have to give another variety from Hogan’s a try.

Have you tried Hogan’s Cider? What did you think?

Woodinville Cider Tasting – Locust, Elemental, & Woodinville Ciderworks

March 11, 2016March 4, 2016 cidersays Elemental, Locust, review, Woodinville Ciderworks cider, cider tasting, Elemental, hard cider, Locust, tasting notes, washington, Woodinville, Woodinville Ciderworks

Recently I spent a Saturday in Woodinville with my husband and a friend. I planned to just go to Locust as I wanted to try their new Bourbon Barrel Aged cider, but ended up visiting all three cideries / tasting rooms in the area, which was nice. Locust Cider, Elemental Hard Cider, and Woodinville Ciderworks are all within walking distance of each other, and each has both cidery and tasting room in the same location. It was my first time visiting any of them, although I’m very familiar with their ciders and have met or communicated with the owners. We started with lunch at Big Fish Grill, which was very tasty. They even had local cider on tap (Schilling Mischief Maker Pom-Cran, which I reviewed here).

Next we went to Locust Cider. My husband and friend tried a couple ciders, then left me to finish up mine (and visit the other cideries) while they went wine tasting.

I only tried two of Locust’s ciders, as I had tried all the others or wasn’t interested (and the first one was a large pour of a high ABV cider!). They were offering Original Dry, Winesap, Dark Cherry, Chipotle, Thai Ginger, and Aged WA Dessert Apple on tap, and bottle pours of Bittersweet Reserve and Bourbon Barrel Aged. See my tasting notes on Thai Ginger, Pumpkin, and Dark Cherry, and reviews of Aged WA Dessert Apple and Bittersweet Reserve (plus I’ve tried Original Dry and Green Tea Infused).

Bourbon Barrel Aged (14% ABV) – This is their newest bottle release, originally only for their club members, but sales were opened up to the public as they had a bit extra (tap room only). Aged 9 months in bourbon barrels. Smells like bourbon with only a hint of apple and oak. Golden orange amber hue. On the sweeter side of Dry. Still. Served room temperature. Light bodied. Moderate acidity, mild tartness, mild bitterness, and mild tannins. Moderate to full flavor profile. I could definitely tell it was 14% ABV, and I think I would have liked to try it cold (or even, shudder, with an ice cube or two), as I think it would have smoothed out a bit. As is, it was a bit much for me. In addition to bourbon, notes of oak and vanilla, and a slight bit of maple and must. Long warming boozy finish. Moderate to high spirit influence. Moderate barrel influence. Very low sessionability. Mild to moderate apple flavor.

Winesap (6.0% ABV) – This is a new cider for them (tap only), a single varietal from Winesap apples. They experimented with a Sidra-style fermentation, aiming to smooth out the tartness of the Winesap apples, and aged it a few months (I assume tank as Ryan didn’t specify barrel). Smells mildly sour and of citrus. Hazy light lemon straw yellow hue. Semi-dry. Only very mild sourness (and I’m admittedly sensitive), less so than in the scent. Mild tartness and acidity. Medium bodied. Frothy mouthfeel but low carbonation. Mildly flavored, with citrus, earthy, yeast, and mineral notes. Quick finish. High sessionability. Mild to moderate apple flavor. This was one of the most unique ciders I’ve ever tasted–very textural more than flavorful. This would be a great refreshing summer cider.

They had a neat handout for tasting notes (reminiscent of this source):

Next I walked down the street to Elemental Hard Cider. I hadn’t realized they had so many taps (12, in comparison to 6 at Locust, although 1 was out). The owners Brian and Christina Callahan were tending bar (I had met them previously at Around the Table in Lynnwood). They were offering Dry (Carbon), Acai (Nitrogen), Ginger, Pomegranate-Rose, Margarita (Jalapeno Lime Cilantro), Apple Pie, Pomegranate (Oxygen), Blood Orange (Calcium), NW Atomic Root Beer, Lavender-Rose Petal, and Grapefruit (Hydrogen).

I’ve previously tried Cherry, Dry (version a & version b), NW Atomic Root Beer (version a & version b), Blood Orange, Seasonal Spiced Apple, Pom-Cherry, and Pomegranate. They are unique in that they have made significant tweaks to their recipes after releasing them, and even bottling them in some cases, thus I have very different tasting notes on the same cider in two cases. I learned they plan to release some ciders in six packs (previously they have only done 16.9 or 22 oz bottles).

<Margarita, Lavender-Rose, and Grapefruit>

Margarita, Jalapeno Lime Cilantro (6.5% ABV) – Smells like lime with hints of cilantro and jalapeno. On the drier side of semi-sweet. Only very mild spiciness (although apparently it can sneak up if you drink a couple pints). The flavor was also mostly lime, although surprisingly only mildly tart. Moderate acidity. A hint of bitterness. Light bodied. Moderate finish length. This would pair really well with mexican food.

Lavender-Rose Petal (6.5% ABV) – Sweet. Full bodied, almost syrupy. Floral and herbal flavor, although I’m not sure I could have guessed it was infused with lavender and rose petals (apparently more rose than lavender with this batch). Low acidity and tartness. Too sweet for me (apparently this is their response to requests for sweeter ciders).

Grapefruit, Hydrogen (6.5% ABV) – Very mild grapefruit scent. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Mild refreshing grapefruit flavor. Low tartness and acidity. Medium bodied. I’m usually not a huge grapefruit fan, but this was surprisingly nice.

Brian at Elemental had mentioned that Leroy at Woodinville Ciderworks was now pouring Asian Pear cider out of his Flying Dreams Winery tasting room (which specializes in Spanish red wines). I was walking to try to meet up with my husband & friend and walked right by it, so I decided to drop in. They only have one other cider, Tropical, which I tasted at Cider Summit Seattle last summer, but they haven’t bottled yet.

Asian Pear (6.5% ABV) – Semi-dry. Mildly flavored with only a hint of pear (the apple also remains mild). Low tartness and acidity. Light bodied. Citrus, pear, and mineral notes. Moderate finish length. I can see why this is popular, especially with fans of white wine, but its not really my thing, as I like a very flavorful cider.

While I was there I learned they will be bottling Tropical in about 6 weeks, and also a new cider, Pomegranate Dark Cherry, this summer.

I actually ended up back at Elemental to meet my husband and friend as they thought I was still there. They tried a few ciders, and Ginger was their favorite of those.

Locust Bittersweet Reserve remains my favorite Woodinville cider so far. I opened my bottle the night before this group of cidery visits–yum!

Have you been to any cidery tasting room lately?

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