Sea Cider Bittersweet

December 11, 2015December 11, 2015 cidersays review, Sea Cider bittersweet, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Sea Cider

Review of Sea Cider’s Bittersweet cider variety, which is apparently relatively new. A friend brought this to my cider tasting for us to try. They bought it in Canada, and as far as I know its not available in the U.S. yet (Sea Cider has more varieties available in Canada than the U.S.).

Cider: Bittersweet
Cidery: Sea Cider
Cidery Location: Saanichton, British Columbia, Canada
ABV: 7.2%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle

Availability: Sea Cider is sold at least in Canada (B.C., Alberta, & Manitoba) and the U.S. (WA, IL, & OR), but this variety is likely only found in Canada.

Cider Description: Bittersweet apples are the backbone of traditional English cider and are some of the rarest apples in Canada. We grow several of these prized varietals, which can be heart breaking to grow, yet produce some of the world’s finest cider. Our Bittersweet cider is an off-dry sparkler expressing the classic phenolic character of this coveted fruit. Raise a glass of Sea Cider to a bittersweet tradition!

Sea Cider’s Bittersweet is a cider truly rooted in tradition. Dabinetts, Yarlington Mills and other English bittersweets have been patiently cultivated on Sea Cider’s farm to bring you this rare libation. While most people would consider bittersweet apples inedible in a culinary sense, their bitter flavour imparts a cider full of character. These apples are high in tannin, low in acid and provide the classic flavour of the finest English ciders. Enthusiasm for these varietals and their importance in cider making apples goes back to the 13th century!

In a market increasingly dominated with ciders made from dessert apples, Bittersweet brings the classic phenolic character that can only come from the true cider-making apples of yesteryear.

Cidery Description: Sea Cider is a farm-based cidery located on the Saanich Peninsula just minutes from Victoria, on Vancouver Island. Our ten acre farm is home to over 1,300 apple trees, made up of over 50 varieties of heritage apples. Sea Cider opened its farm gate for business in 2007 when owner Kristen Jordan purchased the property with a vision of creating an organic farm and orchard and producing traditional fermented artisan ciders. Since then, we’ve grown to an annual cider production of over 7,000 cases and growing. We continue to pride ourselves on crafting traditionally fermented ciders from organically grown apples.

Price: n/a (but likely around $20 USD, same as most of their ciders)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Copper-amber hue. Still (no carbonation), although apparently it is supposed to have some and was likely because it had been open awhile. Rich bittersweet apple scent.

Opinion: On the drier side of semi-sweet. Low acidity, tartness, and bitterness. Low to moderate tannins. No sourness or funk. Medium bodied. Moderate finish length. This is a rich full-flavored cider, exactly how I like them. Lovely burnt caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla notes. The flavors remained on the milder side (but I was told it had been open nearly a week–that would never happen in my house!).

Most Similar to: Many English and English-style ciders.

Closing Notes: Yum! I really love cider from bittersweet apples, and this didn’t disappoint. I’m kinda bummed I can’t find this locally, but thankfully there are some great locally-available bittersweet apple ciders, such as the one I just tried from Locust in Woodinville WA.

Have you tried Sea Cider Bittersweet? What did you think?

Strongbow British Dry (Original Recipe)

December 10, 2015December 9, 2015 cidersays review, Strongbow British Dry, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Strongbow

Review of Strongbow British Dry, apparently the original recipe. A cider buddy brought this back from Canada and shared a can with me. Since early 2014 however Strongbow has only had a new sweeter version (Gold Apple) available here in the U.S.

Cider: British Dry
Cidery: Strongbow (Bulmer’s, Heineken UK)
Cidery Location: Edinburgh UK
ABV: 5.3%
How Supplied: 500ml can

Availability: Year round in Canada, UK, etc

Cider Description: A perfectly balanced English apple cider that is light in body, crisp and bittersweet.

Cidery Description: From the orchard to the glass, we are inspired by the power of nature to deliver the golden, crisp refreshment in every drop of Strongbow Hard Apple Cider. And like our namesake, Richard “Strongbow” de Clare, who was legendary for his skill with the bow and arrow, we’re setting our sights and making our mark. Our cider’s crisp, refreshing taste sets the tone for the rest of the night. We’re the go-getters. The makers and doers. To us, every hour is golden.

After the ripest apples are harvested, they arrive at the mill where they’re washed and crushed. This pulp is pressed to extract pure juice, which is then concentrated and stored (with the apples’ natural sugars acting as a preservative). The concentrated apple juice is then fermented and left to mature, allowing smoother flavors to develop.

Our apples are grown to produce crisp and refreshing cider, and nothing else. We have over 125 years of expertise in extracting their natural flavors.

Price: n/a
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: a cider buddy brought it back from Canada

First Impression: Light amber. Low carbonation. Mild dry crisp acidic apple scent.

Opinion: Semi-dry. Moderate tartness. Moderate to high acidity. No detectable bitterness, sourness, or funk. No to low tannins. Light bodied. Quick finish. I found it to be a pretty standard cider without too many other flavor notes, except maybe a bit of green apple…definitely crisp, refreshing, and fairly easy drinking. I was hoping for a bit more bittersweet cider apple flavor, but it wasn’t quite there. It is however fairly flavorful. There are some hints of artificialness, but not nearly as much as sweeter ciders made in a similar method.

Most Similar to: Other drier flagship commercial ciders.

Closing Notes: I’d call this an above average commercial cider. If it was available in the U.S., I’d much rather drink it when out at a bar than Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, Strongbow Gold Apple, or a number of other more commonly available ciders. However, besides that it is on the drier side, I can’t say there is too much that sets it apart.

Have you tried Strongbow British Dry? What did you think?

Finnriver Black Currant Wine

December 9, 2015October 23, 2016 cidersays Finnriver, not cider, review apple, Black Currant, brandy wine, Chimacum, Finnriver, port townsend, washington

Review of Finnnriver’s Black Currant wine with apple brandy. I was lucky enough to host a cider tasting at my house where some friends brought this rarity for us to try.

Cider: Black Currant Wine
Cidery: Finnriver
Cidery Location: Chimacum WA
ABV: 18.5%
How Supplied: 375ml

Availability: Likely difficult to find outside of their Port Townsend area cidery & farm and their booth at the Ballard Farmer’s Market. 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.).

Black Currant Wine Description: We believe there is an alchemy to making a fine fermented drink. First, sun, rain and soil work earthly magic to produce fruits full of possibilities. Then we handcraft our fruit wines by pressing, fermenting, and blending with apple brandy to bring forth the vital flavors of the fruit. We call these wines “fruit for grown-ups.” Enjoy sipped, as a sweet complement to dessert or as dessert itself!

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. They have a tasting room open seven days a week, noon to 5pm, and are on the Olympic Pennsylvania cider route along with Eaglemount and Alpenfire cideries.

Price: n/a (but I believe it runs $20)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home (my cider tasting event)
How Found: n/a

I tried it at room temperature, but I wouldn’t have minded it cold, or even, shocker, over ice (or maybe ice cream?). It tasted a lower ABV than it was, which could be dangerous.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Intense black currant with blackberry and cranberry notes. Low acidity and tartness. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Full bodied. Medium finish length.

Closing Notes: Yum! What a special treat.

Have you tried any Finnriver apple brandy products? What did you think?

Downeast Cider House Cranberry Blend

December 8, 2015December 8, 2015 cidersays Downeast, review Boston, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Cranberry, Cranberry Blend, Downeast, hard cider

Review of Cranberry Blend from the Downeast Cider House, their winter seasonal. They sent me a great sample case of their Cranberry, Winter, and Original Blend ciders, which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available here in the Seattle area (or anywhere outside of the Northeast). Lucky me!

>>This is a review of a sample can provided to Cider Says by the Downeast Cider House. 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: Cranberry Blend
Cidery: Downeast Cider House
Cidery Location: Boston MA
ABV: 5.0%
How Supplied: four pack of 12oz cans (and draft)

Availability: Year round, in the Northeast portion of the U.S. See their locator map.

Cider Description: Fresh-pressed cranberries make for a tart, crisp finish. After every batch of Cranberry Blend is finished and ready for the conditioning tank, our head cider-maker, Noah, finds Tyler and hands him a small cup. Tyler takes a sip, contemplating the flavor, the body, the finish, the metaphysical implications of spinning around a dying star on this piece of rock we call planet earth – before making the declaration as old as time itself: “more cranberry.” And so it goes, a ceremonial dash of freshly pressed cranberry juice tops off the batch and it’s whisked off to its cold, bubbly destiny.

Overview: Unfiltered, lightly carbonated, gluten free

Ingredients: Freshly pressed apple cider, cranberry juice, and ale yeast

Cidery Description: Downeast Cider House was founded by Ross Brockman and Tyler Mosher during their senior year of college. After a considerable amount of time spent on the family orchard, an affinity for farm-fresh apple products was born. Meanwhile, at school, the guys could always be found studying. Whether it was deep into a weekend night, Wed/Thurs specials at the local library, or perhaps a casual “Sunday fun-day study-day,” the fellas were relentlessly toiling away, focused primarily on the classic works of Professor Busch and his famous theories on the smooth-cold continuum, copper-top revision.

Although neither was a math major, through some additional “studying” they put two and two together and the result was hard cider. Sometime later, Ross’ older brother Matt approached the two and the following conversation took place:

Matt: I want to join you guys.
Ross/Tyler: Why would we do that?
Matt: I’m going to succeed with or without you, it’d be your loss.
Ross/Tyler: You’re in.

And so it was set. Where others have used juice from concentrate, “natural flavorings,” “essences,” artificial sweeteners, and an endless list of excuses, Downeast Cider House has a firmly established policy of NO SHORTCUTS. No matter the cost to us, we are fully committed to using only fresh-pressed juices and pure, natural ingredients in our cider. When it comes to flavor, there’s no substitute for the best, and that’s what we stand by: simple, honest, authentic.

They were founded in 2012 and have a tasting room in the Boston area. Here is a nice interview, although old.

Price: n/a (but runs about $9 a four pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: online (they have a huge following on Facebook for example)

First Impression: Hazy bright straw yellow with a hint of pink. Smells of unfiltered cider, yeast, citrus, and a hint of tart cranberry.

Opinion: On the drier side of semi-sweet. Full-flavored and apple-forward. Lovely flavor influence from the lack of filtering, although it remained medium bodied. I pick up some mild citrus, honey, and tart cranberry. Mild acidity. Mild to moderate tartness. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Unfiltered. No to low carbonation. Medium length finish. Best enjoyed very cold. The cranberry flavor remained very mild, and was expressed more as some additional tartness. I was surprised that the cranberry juice didn’t significantly tint the cider, which shows how little they likely added. This is a year-round variety, and I think most folks would be able to enjoy it year round as it didn’t seem overly holidayish like many cranberry ciders are.

Most Similar to: J.K.’s Scrumpy, except not nearly as sweet. Besides that, this cider is pretty original.

Closing Notes: Very tasty! I found this cider very difficult to describe. My review comes across a bit simple, yet for a relatively simple cider I found this quite complex. Especially for the retail price, I was quite impressed. I usually find canned cider to be a letdown for whatever reason. I opened all three Downeast varieties at a cider tasting and they all got two thumbs up from everyone. Its definitely an easily likable cider. The Original however was everyone’s favorite of the three varieties, although only by the slightest bit. Hopefully Downeast makes it out to the Seattle area someday, where I’ll save it a place in my fridge.

Have you tried any ciders from Downeast? What did you think?

Jester & Judge American Apple

December 7, 2015December 5, 2015 cidersays Jester & Judge, review American Apple, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, session cider, Stevenson, washington

Review of Jester & Judge’s American Apple. They just launched in September, and also offer Sharp Cherry and Columbia Belle (peach) varieties. Here is an article on their launch and here is an article about their founder (who recently sold the Fox Barrel and Crispin cider companies to MillerCoors). I tried their Sharp Cherry awhile back (tasting notes here).

Cider: American Apple
Cidery: Jester & Judge
Cidery Location: Stevenson WA
ABV: 5.8%
How Supplied: four pack of 12oz bottles

Availability: likely only WA & OR

Cider Description: We embrace the challenge of making an apple cider that is both sessionable and subtly complex. Our American Apple cider is strong, clean, and sublimely balanced. Equally at home, at the beach, or at the bistro. 100% Natural, 100% Pacific Northwest.

Cidery Description: We’ll bring the Jester and you be the Judge. At Jester & Judge we believe that balance is important in life and in cider. It’s the foundation of our seriously whimsical attitude. Serious about the quality of the ciders we make. No concentrates, sorbates, artificial flavorings, colorings, or other shortcuts. Whimsical because we have fun making the best ciders we can featuring local ingredients from the Pacific Northwest, which sometimes means snubbing our nose a little at traditional cider.

Price: ~$2.50 for a single bottle (runs $8-9 for a four pack)
Where Bought: Special Brews in Lynnwood WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing

First Impression: Light amber with a touch of orange. No carbonation or foam upon pouring. Smells like apple juice.

Opinion: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Tastes like apple juice which has been slightly watered down with a touch of honey. The alcohol is well-hidden. No noticeable carbonation. Medium bodied. Low acidity. Only the very slightest tartness. No sourness, bitterness, or funk. Quick finish. This is a very simple and apple-forward cider, definitely sessionable (easy to drink multiple bottles in a sitting). I was surprised this was 5.8% ABV, as I would have guessed much lower. I suspect they fermented this cider dry to quite a high ABV and significantly back-sweetened it with juice (plus honey).

Most Similar to: Many plain flagship ciders which are on the milder and drier side. Ace Apple comes to mind.

Closing Notes: I found this cider rather average and on the boring side. I think some carbonation would have gone a long way. It is rare to find a cider like this which doesn’t use sorbates, which can be difficult for cideries to pull off, so for some folks who aim to avoid them, this cider may specifically interest them. I like that this cider is so low in calories (135 in 12oz). So far, from trying their American Apple and Sharp Cherry varieties, Jester & Judge appears to make rather mildly flavored ciders, which likely appeals to session drinkers. Personally, I crave flavor and richness from a cider more than sessionability. However, there is a reason they make so many ciders…something for everyone.

Have you tried Jester & Judge ciders? What did you think?

WildCraft Flagship Dry Hard Cider

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 cidersays review, Wildcraft cider, cider review, cider tasting, dry, Eugene, flagship, hard cider, Wildcraft

Review of WildCraft Cider Works’ flagship dry Hard Cider. WildCraft opened in Eugene Oregon in November 2014. They were nice enough to send me a box full of their cider (which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available in WA), so I have a number of varieties from them to review in the coming weeks.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by WildCraft Cider Works. 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: Hard Cider
Cidery: WildCraft Cider Works
Cidery Location: Eugene OR
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle

Availability: Year round, but currently only in Eugene, Portland, and Medford Oregon.

Cider Description: Our flagship Dry Cider, made entirely from Oregon apples is locally sourced and pressed. This is a classic dry session cider with enough complexity to enjoy year round, all the time. Unpasteurized & bottle conditioned.

Made from Honeycrisp, Gala, Granny Smith, Pippen, Winesap, and/or Empire apples.

Cidery Description: At WildCraft Cider Works, we pride ourselves on developing innovative, artisanal dry ciders inspired by traditional and wild methodology. Insisting on whole fruit and botanicals grown in Oregon to create pure ciders without artificial flavorings, sulfites or added sweeteners. WildCraft cider is uniquely dry cider unpasteurized & bottle conditioned. We consider ourselves stewards of the outdoors; always acting consciously to ensure that our ingredients are regional.

WildCraft sets themselves apart from most other cideries by using mostly fruit from old homesteads that would otherwise go unused, plus unwanted fruit from community drives. All their fruit is Oregon-grown and pressed at the cidery. In addition to ciders, they also have a line of perries (made from pears). They avoid the use of sulfites in their ciders, which is quite rare and can be difficult to pull off.

WildCraft has a tap house at their Eugene OR cidery with 10 of their ciders & perries on tap at a time, plus they have a full bar (including cider cocktails), and a full farm to table restaurant! This article from Feb 2015 has a nice writeup on them.

Price: n/a (but retails for $5.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Facebook and word of mouth

First Impression: Slightly hazy straw yellow with a few large bubbles at the edge of the glass. Slightly funky, dry, sour, and tart apple scent.

Opinion: Completely dry. Moderate sourness, tartness, astringency, and funk. High acidity. No bitterness. Light bodied. Moderate carbonation. Relative quick finish, and fairly sessionable. I detected some mild citrus and honey notes.

Most Similar to: Nothing I have tried. This flagship cider is definitely unique, having some of those Sidra-like notes but still having a lot of characteristic flavor of what I have come to think of as American flagship cider. However, WildCraft uses a couple heirloom apple varieties in addition to common eating / dessert apples, which give it a touch of tannins, astringency, and depth. This is more approachable than some ciders of a similar style (Millstone comes to mind), but may still be a big step for someone used to approachable sweet commercial cider.

Closing Notes: This was quite an interesting cider, but it wasn’t really to my liking. Without the sourness and with a bit more residual sugar, I think I would have found it more enjoyable. I think they are doing some great things at WildCraft though, and are very reasonably priced. I think folks looking for a unique cider on the dry end of the spectrum which aren’t opposed to some sourness and funk should give this a try. I look forward to trying the rest of the ciders that came in my sample box!

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

WildCraft Cider Works Pioneer Perry

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 cidersays review, Wildcraft cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eugene, perry, perry review, perry tasting, Wildcraft

Review of WildCraft Cider Works’ Pioneer Perry. Perries are made entirely using pears. In contrast, pear ciders are often an apple base with pear juice added, and cider is of course entirely made from apples. WildCraft opened in Eugene Oregon in November 2014. They were nice enough to send me a box full of their cider (which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available in WA), so I have a number of varieties from them to review in the coming weeks.

Cider: Pioneer Perry
Cidery: WildCraft Cider Works
Cidery Location: Eugene OR
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle

Availability: Year round, but currently only in Eugene, Portland, and Medford Oregon.

Cider Description: Our 2014 Pioneer Perry is layered with the complex flavors of hazelnut, fresh shortbread & orange blossom honey. The exquisite qualities of pre-prohibition planted American Pear varietals were allowed to reach their fullest potential. Harvested and handpicked from the founding farmlands of Lane County, this is an experience that provides unprecedented, homegrown quality. Unpasteurized & bottle conditioned.

Made from Red Bartlet pears.

Price: n/a (but retails for $16.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Facebook and word of mouth

First Impression: Light straw yellow with a few large bubbles at the edge of the glass. Slightly funky, dry, sour, tart, yeasty, vanilla apple scent.

Opinion: Completely dry. Moderate to high acidity. Mild to moderate sourness. Mild bitterness, funk, astringency, and tartness. Light bodied. Still (no carbonation). Moderate length finish. I picked up mild pear, citrus, vanilla, oak, and honey notes. This was a nice light perry which would be great during summer. It was my favorite of the six WildCraft selections I’ve had, likely as it was a bit less sour & funky.

Most Similar to: Nothing I have tried. Although I’ve drank a number of perries, none was this dry and complex. This is more approachable than some ciders of a similar style (Millstone comes to mind), but may still be a big step for someone used to approachable sweet commercial cider.

Closing Notes: This was quite an interesting perry and more likeable than the others I tried, but it wasn’t really to my taste. Without the sourness & funk and with a bit more residual sugar, I think I would have found it more enjoyable. I also tend to like more of a full-flavored beverage. I think they are doing some great things at WildCraft though, and are very reasonably priced. I think folks looking for a unique perry on the dry end of the spectrum which aren’t opposed to some sourness and funk should give this a try. I look forward to trying the rest of the ciders that came in my sample box!

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

WildCraft Cider Works Elderberry Perry

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 cidersays review, Wildcraft cider, cider review, cider tasting, elderberry, Eugene, perry, perry review, perry tasting, Wildcraft

Review of WildCraft Cider Works’ Elderberry Perry. Perries are made entirely using pears. In contrast, pear ciders are often an apple base with pear juice added, and cider is of course entirely made from apples. WildCraft opened in Eugene Oregon in November 2014. They were nice enough to send me a box full of their cider (which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available in WA), so I have a number of varieties from them to review in the coming weeks.

(I somehow forgot to take a full photo of this lovely
wax-topped bottle, so a stock photo will have to do)

Cider: Elderberry Perry
Cidery: WildCraft Cider Works
Cidery Location: Eugene OR
ABV: 5.0%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle

Availability: Year round, but currently only in Eugene, Portland, and Medford Oregon.

Cider Description: These elderberries were wildcrafted in the mountains of Cottage Grove, hand destemmed and fermented whole in a red Bartlett perry. Floral, vinous, fruit-forward berries hail from the rugged Oregon wilderness into a rich & full bodied pear complexity. Unpasteurized & bottle conditioned.

Made from Red Bartlet and Comice pears.

Price: n/a (but retails for $16.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Facebook and word of mouth

First Impression: Light elderberry-grape type hue with a few large bubbles at the edge of the glass. Slightly funky, dry, sour, and tart apple-berry scent. This one had the most funky scent of the six I’ve tried from WildCraft.

Opinion: Completely dry. Moderate acidity, sourness, tartness, astringency, and funk. No bitterness. Light bodied. Moderate carbonation. Relative quick finish. The elderberry influence remained quite mild, but added a nice fruitiness and a bit of tannins. This was a crowd favorite at my cider tasting, but my least favorite, as it was a bit more funky than the others.

Most Similar to: Nothing I have tried. Although I’ve had a number of berry ciders and a handful of perries, none was this dry, and I haven’t had a berry perry. This is more approachable than some ciders of a similar style (Millstone comes to mind), but may still be a big step for someone used to approachable sweet commercial cider.

Closing Notes: This was quite an interesting perry, but it wasn’t really to my liking. Without the sourness & funk and with a bit more residual sugar, I think I would have found it more enjoyable. I also tend to like more of a full-flavored beverage. I think they are doing some great things at WildCraft though, and are very reasonably priced. I think folks looking for a unique perry on the dry end of the spectrum which aren’t opposed to some sourness and funk should give this a try. I look forward to trying the rest of the ciders that came in my sample box!

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

WildCraft Cider Works Blue River Blueberry

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 cidersays review, Wildcraft blueberry, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eugene, hard cider, Wildcraft

Review of WildCraft Cider Works’ blueberry cider. WildCraft opened in Eugene Oregon in November 2014. They were nice enough to send me a box full of their cider (which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available in WA), so I have a number of varieties from them to review in the coming weeks.

Cider: Blue River Blueberry
Cidery: WildCraft Cider Works
Cidery Location: Eugene OR
ABV: 6.3%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle

Availability: Year round, but currently only in Eugene, Portland, and Medford Oregon.

Cider Description: Bright whole blueberries from Organic Redneck Farm in Leaburg are fermented on skin, in a blend of Willamette Valley apples & wild yeast strains. Grown by our community, for our community. All Oregon grown, all the time.

Made from Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples.

Price: n/a (but retails for $7.25)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Facebook and word of mouth

First Impression: Light blueberry-grape type hue with a few large bubbles at the edge of the glass. Slightly funky, dry, sour, and tart apple-blueberry scent.

Opinion: Completely dry. Moderate acidity, sourness, tartness, astringency, and funk. No bitterness. Light bodied. Moderate carbonation. Relative quick finish, and fairly sessionable. The blueberry influence remained quite mild, but added a nice fruitiness and a bit of tannins (blueberry skin type flavor). You can definitely tell they add real blueberries, not just blueberry juice (or worse, flavoring).

Most Similar to: Nothing I have tried. Although I’ve had a number of berry ciders, none was this dry. This is more approachable than some ciders of a similar style (Millstone comes to mind), but may still be a big step for someone used to approachable sweet commercial cider.

Closing Notes: This was quite an interesting cider, but it wasn’t really to my liking. Without the sourness and with a bit more residual sugar, I think I would have found it more enjoyable. I also tend to like more of a full-flavored cider. I think they are doing some great things at WildCraft though, and are very reasonably priced. I think folks looking for a unique cider on the dry end of the spectrum which aren’t opposed to some sourness and funk should give this a try. I look forward to trying the rest of the ciders that came in my sample box!

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

Downeast Cider House Winter Blend

December 4, 2015December 4, 2015 cidersays Downeast, review Boston, cider, cider review, cider tasting, cinnamon, Downeast, hard cider, oak, Winter Blend

Review of Winter Blend from the Downeast Cider House, their winter seasonal. They sent me a great sample case of their Winter, Original, and Cranberry Blend ciders, which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available here in the Seattle area (or anywhere outside of the Northeast). Lucky me! Winter is covered in this review, Original is covered here, and Cranberry will be covered soon.

Cider: Winter Blend
Cidery: Downeast Cider House
Cidery Location: Boston MA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: four pack of 12oz cans (and draft)

Availability: Winter time, in the Northeast portion of the U.S. See their locator map.

Cider Description: Winter Blend pairs well with deep sofas, warm blankets, and a crackling fire. Our winter offering starts with fresh apple cider. It is fermented with our ale yeast and aged on toasted oak chips, cinnamon bark, and nutmeg. Not overwhelming on the spice, Winter Blend finishes clean – with enough kick for a cold winter night.

Overview: Unfiltered, lightly carbonated, gluten free

Ingredients: Freshly pressed apple cider, cinnamon bark & nutmeg, and ale yeast

Matt: I want to join you guys.
Ross/Tyler: Why would we do that?
Matt: I’m going to succeed with or without you, it’d be your loss.
Ross/Tyler: You’re in.

They were founded in 2012 and have a tasting room in the Boston area. Here is a nice interview, although old.

Price: n/a (but runs about $9 a four pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: online (they have a huge following on Facebook for example)

First Impression: Hazy bright straw yellow. Smells of unfiltered cider, yeast, citrus, and a hint of spice.

Opinion: On the drier side of semi-sweet. Full-flavored and apple-forward. Lovely flavor influence from the lack of filtering, although it remained medium bodied. I pick up some mild citrus, honey, oak, and spice notes. Mild acidity. Mild tartness. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Unfiltered. No to low carbonation. Medium length finish. I tried this one cold, room temperature, and warmed, and liked cold best. When warmed the flavor mellowed out too much. I liked how the spice remained on the mild side, as often spiced ciders go too far. This one has a touch more alcohol (6.5% vs. 5.1% ABV) than the Original, but I didn’t really notice. I find it interesting that this cider was aged (I assume in a tank) on oak chips, not oak barrel aged. Its a less expensive method however which can accomplish a very similar effect. The oak influence remained mild, but nice.

Most Similar to: J.K.’s Scrumpy, except not nearly as sweet. Besides that, this cider is pretty original.

Have you tried any ciders from Downeast? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 7 Tasting Notes

December 3, 2015November 26, 2015 cidersays 2 Towns, Attila, Avid (prev. Atlas), Greenwood, Julian, local, Locust, Portland Cider, review, Schilling, William's cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling, Schilling Cider House, Seatttle

Yes, I made yet another trip to the Schilling Cider House! Check out my past posts here. This time it was for a monthly potluck, with a “Thanksgiving Recipe Trial Run” theme. I actually opted out of the potluck as I’m not a big Thanksgiving type food fan (and it ended up having a low turnout anyways), but there were plenty of folks at the cider house.

I started with a flight of six ciders.

2 Towns Ciderhouse Nice & Naughty, 10.5% ABV: I started off not really liking this one much at all, but it became one of my favorites of the night once it warmed up to closer to room temperature. This one had less spice scent than the other two spiced ciders I had in this flight. Semi-dry. The spice hit more at the back of the palate, and wasn’t so much cinnamon as it was clove and nutmeg. I bet this would be amazing served warm. The alcohol remained pretty well-hidden, and it reminded me of Imperial-style cider.

Atlas Hard Cider Company Cinnamon Pear, 8.5% ABV: Very mild cinnamon scent, and I don’t detect any pear scent. This one is an apple-based cider with some pear juice (not perry). Semi-sweet. A bit boozy (alcohol-forward). Only a hint of pear flavor. The cinnamon came across more in the finish. This one remained rather mild flavored.

Portland Cider Company London Dry Gin, 6.8% ABV: Dry. Smells like tannins, spice, herb, and dry cider. Quick finish. Acidic with some bitterness. Higher tannins but light bodied, which is an interesting and rare combination. Quite herbal. This one grew on me a bit and I ended up liking it. It reminds me of Liberty Ciderworks Abbess, which used gin botanicals.

Julian Hard Cider Apple Pie, 6.9% ABV: Very strong cinnamon scent, but less so in the flavor. Semi-sweet. I was surprised with the moderate tartness. I’m not a huge spiced cider fan to begin with, but this was my least favorite of the three spiced ciders I tried in this flight. Its fairly popular though.

Attila Hard Apple Cider Rapture (Concord Grape), 6.5% ABV: Deep berry color with foam from the Nitro process. Semi-sweet to sweet. I pick up grape, with hints of pomegranate, cranberry, and huckleberry. Juice-like and the apple is well-hidden, but it was tasty and full flavored.

Schilling Cider Company Grumpy Bear Cold Brew Coffee Nitro, 5.0% ABV: Another very unique cider. Deep hazy amber with froth from the Nitro process. Semi-sweet. Smells mildly of coffee grounds, and I don’t pick up any apple. Moderate to full bodied. Some spice and herbal qualities. The coffee comes across more in the scent than the flavor, but still, the apple remains hidden. Its a bit like an iced coffee drink with some alcohol. This one became a bit more bitter as it warmed up. Its not really my thing, but not as bad as I was expecting.

I got handed a sample of Greenwood Sweet Orange Cinnamon. This batch ended up having the carbonation really mellow out the flavor (per the cidermaker), so it mostly had a hint of spice in the scent and that was it. They put together a Randall while I was there to add additional orange and cinnamon flavor, using ingredients from the cidery.

Next I got tastes from some sample bottles.

I had a few sips of Locust Washington Dessert Apple Aged Hard Cider. I had this one a few months ago (review here), but this batch definitely was a bit wonky, as it continued to aggressively bottle condition. Like my bottle, it was very fizzy, even after being open for awhile. However, the additional time in the bottle had made it significantly drier than mine.

William’s Excalibur: This one tastes like a typical sweet commercial cider (and has an ingredient list to confirm this). It had the slightest bittersweet flavor, but was otherwise quite disappointing. I can’t believe they import this type of cider!

William’s Sir Perry: A bit more drinkable than Excalibur, but its still a sweet commercial cider. I don’t pick up much pear flavor at all. Slightly less sweet than Excalibur.

Locust Bittersweet Reserve: This is a special release cider for them which benefits Hydrocephalus (which the owner’s daughter and 1/1,000 babies has). Only 1,000 bottles and some kegs were released Nov/20/2015. Made from French and English bittersweet apple varieties. Bittersweet apple scent with hints of orange and spice. Semi-sweet to sweet. Rich, smooth, and luscious! Caramel notes, full flavored, and medium bodied. Lovely mild to moderate tannins. This reminds me of English-style cider, but its a bit more approachable than some, and the hints of orange and spice are nice (even though I usually don’t like those sorts of flavors). No bitterness, which can be difficult to pull off. This was definitely my favorite cider of the evening! I’m happy I was able to pick up a bottle (so look for a future full review of it here). $18 for 750ml, likely only found in the Seattle WA area. Oddly enough I was told it must stay refrigerated (although it didn’t say that on the bottle)?

I definitely tried a lot of cider and had a blast, as always. 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 Imperial Cider (Black Label)

December 2, 2015April 19, 2016 cidersays Aspall, review aspall, cider, cider review, England, hard cider, imperial, Suffolk

Review of Aspall’s English Imperial Cider. I’ve previously had their Dry and John Barrington varieties, which are impressive. Aspall has got to be one of the oldest cideries out there, founded in 1728! Aren’t their tall bottles awesomely distinctive? Note that it appears this cider has since been switched to a light blue label (similar description and same ABV), but I don’t have confirmation.

Cider: Imperial
Cidery: Aspall
Cidery Location: Suffolk England
ABV: 8.2%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle

Availability: Semi-wide release. If you can’t find it locally, you can actually get it for $7 from ShipCider.com, which ships to a number of states. Shipping can be spendy, but their cider prices are the lowest I’ve seen, so overall its not too bad, especially considering you can pick up ciders you normally don’t have access to.

Cider Description: We called this cyder Imperial in honour of our great grandfather JB Chevallier’s success at the Imperial Fruit Show in 1921. Every year we craft a special vintage. This is our 285th….Rich fudgy, tantalising flavour enhanced by bitter-sweet apples from a single year’s crop. Notes of raisins, dates and prunes. Sweet mellow finish.

Apple Composition:
Sweet (35%): Orange Cox Pippin, Royal Gala
Sharp (35%): Bramley Seedling, Howgate Wonder
Bittersweet (30%): Tremlett’s Bitter, Yarlington Mill, Medaille d’Or, Kingston

Cidery Description: Our family cyder-making business was established in 1728 by Clement Chevallier. He planted the orchards at Aspall Hall in Suffolk. The Chevallier family still live and work among Clement’s orchards and today Aspall is run by the eighth generation of the family….Aspall has been home to our family for nine generations. A tiny hamlet north of the small market town of Debenham in mid-Suffolk. It’s a rural and agricultural area characterised by the young river Deben flowing through our orchards.

Price: $8?
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing

First Impression: Rich amber. No carbonation except for a few bubbles on the border of the glass. Smells like rich ripe apples, tannins, oak, earth, and a hint of spice and honey.

Opinion: Between semi-dry and semi-sweet. Lovely rich full-flavored English cider. Warming from the slightly higher ABV, but doesn’t taste boozy. Moderate tannins. No to low bitterness and tartness, Low acidity. No sourness or funk. Medium bodied. Medium length finish. Still (no carbonation). Tastes oaky (but isn’t barrel aged as far as I know) and has some caramelized sugar notes. I particularly enjoyed the lack of bitterness and that the level of tannins was noticeable but not extreme. I can definitely taste the bittersweet apple character. From their website I also learned they use champagne yeast on all their ciders. I found this cider’s taste didn’t too significantly change as it warmed up, so I’d recommend anywhere between fridge and room temperature, based on your preference. My go-to cider pairing is pretzel bread, and it didn’t disappoint!

Most Similar to: Other English ciders, such as Aspall, Worley’s, and Sheppy’s, English-style ciders such as from Liberty Ciderworks (English Style and its barrel aged cousin, Stonewall) & Montana Ciderworks (Darby Pub), and higher tannin ciders such as Cider Riot 1763, Alpenfire Ember, Traditions Bourbon Barrel 2012, and Whitewood Kingston Black.

Closing Notes: Awesome! Probably easily in my top 10 favorite ciders, and my favorite Aspall variety so far (although their others are also awesome). This cider is the epitome of my favorite qualities in a cider. Its also a great value, at approximately the same cost as a lot of local craft ciders I see, many of which are made from dessert apples and have flavors added (fruit, hops, spices, etc), when this is imported and contains some cider apple juice. Aspall makes some amazing ciders, and I look forward to trying more. Their website it super informative on their history, cidermaking, and more, so check it out. I highly recommend their ciders! That said, its all a matter of taste…if you prefer a lighter flavor and easy drinking / low ABV / sessionable cider, this isn’t it.

Have you tried Aspall Imperial? What did you think?

WildCraft Snake River Rye Barrel Aged Hard Cider

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 cidersays review, Wildcraft barrel aged, cider, cider review, Eugene, hard cider, oregon, Snake River Rye, Wildcraft

Review of Snake River Rye, a barrel aged cider from WildCraft Cider Works. WildCraft opened in Eugene Oregon in November 2014. They were nice enough to send me a box full of their cider (which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available in WA), so I have a number of varieties from them to review in the coming weeks. Barrel aged is my favorite cider variety, so I figured it was a good place to start. Aren’t their labels beautiful? I especially like the uneven edges.

Cider: Snake River Rye
Cidery: WildCraft Cider Works
Cidery Location: Eugene OR
ABV: 7.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle

Availability: Year round, but currently only in Eugene, Portland, and Medford Oregon.

Cider Description: Dry settler style Cider aged 3 months in American Oak Stein Rye Whiskey barrels from eastern Oregon. Deep whiskey notes and a full oak finish compliment smooth vanilla flavor & apple aromatics. Unpasteurized & bottle conditioned.

Made from Jonagold apples.

Price: n/a (but retails for $7.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Facebook and word of mouth

First Impression: Slightly hazy straw yellow with a few large bubbles at the edge of the glass. Slightly funky, dry, sour, tart, oaky apple scent. Surprisingly I didn’t pick up much barrel or spirit influence in the scent.

Opinion: Completely dry. Moderate sourness, tartness, acidity, astringency, funk, spirit (whiskey), and barrel influence. No to low bitterness. Light to medium bodied. Moderate carbonation. Relative quick finish with the flavor of the cider, but there is lingering warmth and sourness. I found citrus, herbal, oak, and smoke notes with this unique alcohol-forward cider.

Most Similar to: A barrel aged Spanish Sidra? I found some of the aspects I’ve come to associate with Sidra and Sidra-like rustic ciders, such as sourness, astringency, dryness, and citrus notes. Yet it had definite barrel and spirit influence. It is more approachable than some ciders of a similar style (Millstone comes to mind), but may be a big leap for someone used to approachable sweet commercial cider.

Closing Notes: Snake River Rye was quite an interesting cider, but it wasn’t really to my liking. Without the sourness and with a bit more residual sugar, I think I would have found it more enjoyable…the aspects I enjoyed reminded me of a barrel aged Imperial-style cider (typically characterized by a high ABV). I think folks looking for a unique cider on the dry end of the spectrum which aren’t opposed to some sourness and funk should give this a try. I look forward to trying the rest of the ciders that came in my sample box!

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

Woodchuck Out on a Limb Hot Cha Cha Cha

November 30, 2015November 26, 2015 cidersays review, Woodchuck chili, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Hot Cha Cha Cha, Vermont, Woodchuck

Review of Woodchuck’s newest Out on a Limb release, Hot Cha Cha Cha. The ciders rotate every couple months in the same six pack. They were nice enough to send me a sample bottle.

hot cha cha cha

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Woodchuck. 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: Hot Cha Cha Cha (Out on a Limb)
Cidery: Woodchuck
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles

Availability: Wide release, but only for the next 60-90 days or so (as Out on a Limb rotates varieties).

Cider Description: Hard cider made with bittersweet apples and infused with Bird’s Eye Chile Peppers. The peppers compliment the bittersweet cider apples and bring out a sweet taste up front with a hot and spicy bite at the finish. Lookin’ for some extra heat? Grab a bottle, take a sip, and let’s do the HOT CHA CHA CHA!

Cidery Description: Here at the Woodchuck Cidery in Vermont, we handcraft every batch of Woodchuck Hard Cider. Our Cider Makers utilize the highest quality ingredients and meticulously oversee each small batch from start to finish. We reinvigorated American cider in 1991 and continue to lead the category through our commitment to craft innovative and refreshing hard ciders.

Price: n/a (but it runs $9-11 a six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Orange-amber hue (which appears to be natural as coloring isn’t listed). Very little carbonation. Smells sweet and of bittersweet apples with a hint of spiciness.

Opinion: Sweet (but it didn’t perceive as sweet as I was expecting with the listed 25g sugar content). It starts off with a rich & flavorful bittersweet apple cider flavor (similar to their Gumption), then finished with a kick of spice, mostly at the back of the throat (instead of the tongue). Low acidity and tartness. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. No to low carbonation. Medium bodied. Longer finish with the spice presentation I described.

Most Similar to: Other spicy ciders I’ve had, such as Schilling Sriracha Lime, Finnriver Habanero, and Sonoma Crowbar (Habanero Lime), except significantly sweeter and less spicy. I also notice that the base cider has a lot of similarities to Woodchuck Gumption, both made using bittersweet apples (a flavor profile I really love).

Closing Notes: Spicy ciders just aren’t my thing, and I think of them as more of a novelty. A few sips was plenty for me, and the others I shared this with. However, due to the additional residual sugar and less perceived spice of this one, this is probably a more manageable spicy cider for the average person. Also, with the amount of calories (270) & sugar (25g), I’m not sure I’d want an entire bottle let alone more than one in a sitting. I think it will be a tough sell to get folks to buy a six pack of this unless they really like spicy ciders, buy every Woodchuck variety, find it very intriguing, or are getting it as a gag gift or to bring to a party. Thankfully a number of stores such as Total Wine sell singles of six pack ciders such as this, so you may be able to find a single bottle for around $2. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you better hurry, as each Out on a Limb variety doesn’t stay on the shelves long.

Have you tried Woodchuck Hot Cha Cha Cha? What did you think?

Downeast Cider House Original Blend

November 27, 2015November 27, 2015 cidersays Downeast, review Boston, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Downeast, hard cider

Review of Original Blend from the Downeast Cider House. They sent me a great sample case of their Original, Winter, and Cranberry Blend ciders, which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available here in the Seattle area (or anywhere outside of the Northeast). Lucky me!

Cider: Original Blend
Cidery: Downeast Cider House
Cidery Location: Boston MA
ABV: 5.1%
How Supplied: four pack or nine pack of 12oz cans (and draft)

Availability: Year round, in the Northeast portion of the U.S. See their locator map.

Cider Description: Inspired by the classic farm-fresh cider New Englanders know and love. Original Blend is the Auerbach to our Celtics, the Satisfaction to our Stones, the Agent K to our Men In Black: our foundation. From its humble beginnings in the basement of a Bates College dormitory, Original Blend is the result of hundreds of test batches aimed at crafting the best damn hard cider you’ve ever tasted. Original Blend is made from freshly pressed local apples – Red Delicious, McIntosh, Cortland, Gala – NEVER with concentrate or artificial flavors/sweeteners. Original Blend is the way cider should be.

Overview: Unfiltered. Lightly carbonated. Gluten Free.

Ingredients: Freshly pressed cider. Ale yeast.

Matt: I want to join you guys.
Ross/Tyler: Why would we do that?
Matt: I’m going to succeed with or without you, it’d be your loss.
Ross/Tyler: You’re in.

They were founded in 2012 and have a tasting room in the Boston area. Here is a nice interview, although old.

Price: n/a (but runs about $9 a four pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: online (they have a huge following on Facebook for example)

First Impression: Hazy bright straw yellow. Smells of unfiltered cider, yeast, and citrus.

Opinion: Semi-sweet. Full-flavored and apple-forward. Lovely flavor influence from the lack of filtering, although it remained medium bodied. I pick up some mild citrus and honey notes. Mild acidity. Mild tartness. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Unfiltered. No to low carbonation. Medium length finish.

Most Similar to: J.K.’s Scrumpy, except not nearly as sweet. Besides that, this cider is pretty original.

Closing Notes: Awesome! I found this cider very difficult to describe. My review comes across a bit simple, yet for a relatively simple cider I found this quite complex. Especially for the retail price, I was quite impressed. This is hands down my favorite canned cider so far. I usually find canned cider to be a letdown for whatever reason. I opened all three Downeast varieties at a cider tasting and this got two thumbs up from everyone. Its definitely an easily likable cider. The Original was everyone’s favorite of the three varieties, although only by the slightest bit. Hopefully Downeast makes it out to the Seattle area someday, where I’ll save it a place in my fridge.

Have you tried any ciders from Downeast? What did you think?

WildCraft Cider Works Wild Rose

November 26, 2015November 26, 2015 cidersays review, Wildcraft botanical, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eugene, hard cider, oregon, rose, Wild Rose, Wildcraft

Review of Wild Rose from WildCraft Cider Works. WildCraft was nice enough to send me a box full of their cider (which is especially awesome as they aren’t yet available in WA), so I have a number of varieties from them to review in the coming weeks. This was the second bottle of seven I tried.

Cider: Wild Rose
Cidery: WildCraft Cider Works
Cidery Location: Eugene OR
ABV: 7.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle

Availability: Year round, but currently only in Eugene, Portland, and Medford Oregon.

Cider Description: A WildCraft exclusive! Whole wild roses undergo a lengthy cold conditioning and secondary fermentation on a unique blend of our wild fermented cider. Fresh, crisp and aromatic notes of rose petals lead to a complex cider mid-palate, finishing dry and very smooth.

They use wild foraged botanicals in this line of their ciders. This one is made from Honeycrisp apples and sweet Briar roses.

Price: n/a (but retails for $6.99)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Facebook and word of mouth

First Impression: Slightly hazy light straw yellow with the slightest pink tint. Light carbonation. Smells like a dry acidic cider, wild fermented, with some floral & herbal qualities.

Opinion: Completely dry. It has some sweet floral qualities, yet it is lacking in residual sugar. Moderate acidity and astringency. Mild bitterness, sourness, tartness, and funk. Light bodied. Moderate length finish. Same as Snake River Rye, I found it a bit alcohol-forward (although it is 7.5% ABV, which is higher than average), but slightly less so.

Most Similar to: Two of the floral ciders I’ve had before have been commercial and on the sweeter side, Angry Orchard Elderflower and Woodchuck Out on a Limb Oopsy Daisy (chamomile), plus one that was craft but still on the sweeter side, Finnriver Honey Meadow (lemon balm & chamomile). This one was on the other side of the sweetness spectrum, and the floral flavor was even lighter.

Closing Notes: Wild Rose was quite an interesting cider, but it wasn’t really to my liking. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I wasn’t a huge fan, but I imagine a bit less sour, funk, & wild fermentation flavor and/or a bit more residual sugar would have helped. I don’t mind dry, but it has to be a certain type of cider for it to work for me. I did however enjoy the light floral flavor. I opened this (and four other WildCraft ciders) at a cider tasting I had, and two folks really loved it. I think people looking for a unique floral cider on the dry end of the spectrum who aren’t opposed to some sourness and funk should give this a try. Just because I wasn’t a huge fan doesn’t mean you won’t be. I think WildCraft is really on to something with making a unique local product. I look forward to trying the rest of the ciders that came in my sample box!

Have you tried any WildCraft cider? What did you think?

Finnriver Fire Barrel

November 25, 2015November 23, 2015 cidersays Finnriver, review barrel aged, bittersweet, cider, cider review, Finnriver, Fire Barrel, hard cider, hard cider review, washington

Review of Finnriver Fire Barrel. I’ve tried probably 10 other Finnriver ciders. Here is a great illustrated Finnriver product guide.

Cider: Fire Barrel
Cidery: Finnriver
Cidery Location: Chimacum WA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle

Availability: Limited release. 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.)

Cider Description: Finnriver is honored to present master cidermaker Drew Zimemrman’s award-winning Fire Barrel cider. Pressed from traditional bittersweet apples and aged in fire charred Kentucky bourbon barrels, this full-flavored cider offers a hint of whiskey, oak aroma, notes of caramel and vanilla, a lingering soft tannin finish.
Drew’s passion for cider helped ignite the cider renaissance in the Pacific Northwest and now, here at Finnriver, we are grateful for his mentorship as we strive to carry on a rooted cider tradition. Made with a seasonal blend of heirloom and traditional cider apples.

The label has “814” handwritten after “Bottled:”…it looks like this may indicate a bottling date of August 2014, although I only bought this a few months ago.

Price: $11?
Where Bought: Special Brews in Lynnwood WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I tried this a couple years ago and didn’t like it oddly enough. Then I had it again at a Capitol Cider tasting with Bill Bradshaw and nine WA cideries (notes here) and really enjoyed it. I imagine my tastes had changed since the first time I tried it, as then although I enjoyed barrel aged, I wasn’t into higher tannin ciders. I had actually bought the bottle before the tasting, as I wanted to give it another try now that this type of cider is my favorite.

First Impression: Orange-amber hue. A few large bubbles at the edge of the glass but otherwise still. Smells like ripe apples, tannins, oak, vanilla, spice, and rum?.

Opinion: Semi-dry. Ripe apple, caramelized sugar, bourbon, oak, earth, smoke, and vanilla notes. Lovely bittersweet apple flavor. Although I picked up rum oddly enough in the scent (probably as I got a hint of spice), the flavor is more bourbon/whiskey, and I don’t pick up any spice. Moderate to heavy tannins. Low acidity. Low bitterness. Low tartness. Very light funk (more earthiness than anything else). Mild to moderate barrel influence. Mild to moderate spirit influence. Pretty much still (no carbonation). Medium bodied. Moderate to long finish. It start off with the tannins, then mellows out quite a bit.

Most Similar to: Other tannin-forward ciders. This reminds me of English style cider, but there is the added nice barrel & spirit flavor.

Closing Notes: Awesome! I really enjoyed this cider–one of my favorites, and definitely my kind of cider. Bold and unique. It definitely isn’t an introductory type cider (although still less harsh than for example Sea Cider Prohibition / Rumrunner and Alpenfire Smoke, which I also really enjoy), but is a great example of what can be made when you use cider apples and barrel age.

Have you tried Finnriver Fire Barrel? What did you think?

Strongbow Gold Apple, Red Berries, and Ginger

November 24, 2015November 22, 2015 cidersays review, Strongbow Bulmer's, cider, cider review, Ginger, Gold, hard cider, Red Berries, Strawberry, Strongbow

Three for one! Review of Strongbow’s Gold Apple, Red Berries, and Ginger varieties. These were freebies from a friend, along with a can of original recipe Strongbow, the kind they no longer sell in the U.S. (which will be a future review). These are relatively new cider varieties from Strongbow, supposedly made for the American palate. It looks like the can of Gold Apple is from Canada by the way (which is where my friend got the original recipe Strongbow), although I’ve had it here.

Cider: Gold Apple, Red Berries, Ginger
Cidery: Strongbow (Bulmer’s, Heineken)
Cidery Location: Edinburgh UK, Aubel Belgium, Aubel Belgium
ABV: 4.5%, 4.5%, 4.5%
How Supplied: 15oz can, 11.2oz bottle, 11.2oz bottle (Gold Apple also comes in 11.2oz bottles). The Gold Apple comes in 4 packs of 15oz cans, 6 packs of 11.2oz bottles, or as part of a multipack of 12 bottles. The Red Berries and Ginger varieties appear to only be sold as part of a multipack of 12 bottles.

Availability: wide release, year round

Gold Apple Description:  Sweet and golden with a crisp kick, a hint of green apple and a long, bittersweet finish.
Red Berries Description:  Hard cider with Strawberry and Elderberry flavors, a hint of lemon notes, and an apple finish.
Ginger Description:  Hard cider with just the right hint of Ginger, floral aroma, and light muscato notes, and an apple finish.

Our apples are grown to produce crisp and refreshing cider, and nothing else. We have over 125 years of expertise in extracting their natural flavors.

Price: n/a (but it runs $7 for a 4 or 6 pack and $14 for a 12 pack in my area)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

Gold Apple: The most drinkable of the three, but still definitely among my least favorite ciders. It starts with a sweet strong fake apple scent. The fakeness continues with the flavor, which is overly apply, syrupy, and sweet. I didn’t even pick up any noticeable acidity or tartness. Only the lightest carbonation level. It goes down easily though. I’ve had this one before at events that had free drinks and this was the only cider, but I won’t pay for it.

Red Berries: Tastes like what I would imagine a strawberry wine cooler tastes like, although admittedly I’ve never had one. Way artificial tasting. However, it wasn’t as sweet as I was expecting (although definitely sweet), and it wasn’t overly syrupy. No complexity though. One sip was plenty.

Ginger: The ginger remains mild, more like an aftertaste, but is still ginger. However, I’m just not a ginger fan, so one sip was plenty. This one like the Gold Apple was a bit syrupy, and like both, was fake tasting, but a bit less so.

I wouldn’t recommend any of these at all. They give cider a bad name. These are aimed at folks who like their alcohol well-hidden and sweet. Even as an introduction to cider / inexpensive option / easily available option, I think Angry Orchard, Woodchuck, Crispin, etc, are better. Apparently some folks like them, but there is a lot of talk online of folks being disappointed they can no longer get the original drier Strongbow here in the U.S. Its pretty bad they import cider this bad.

Have you tried any Strongbow cider varieties? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 6 Tasting Notes

November 23, 2015November 21, 2015 cidersays Ace, Apple Outlaw, Carlton, Cider Riot, Doc's, Finnriver, Liberty, Rev Nat's, review, Snowdrift, Tieton, Whitewood cider, cider flight, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling, Schilling Cider House, seattle

Yes, I made yet another trip to the Schilling Cider House! Check out my past posts here. This time it was for a Sidra event, but that is one type of cider I’m just not into, so I sampled some non-Sidra selections from of the tap list (and some bottles). The Cider Log crew was there, and brought an awesome spread of Spanish treats–thanks for sharing!

I started with a flight of six, as usual.

Tieton Cider Works Cranberry, 6.9% ABV: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Very tart! Lots of cranberry flavor. More tart than the Finnriver cranberry cider I tried at the same time (see below). A bit astringent. I’m a bit over cranberry (I used to like it more), so I prefer most of Tieton’s other ciders to this one. This is a new release for them, and its also available bottled.

Doc’s Draft Pumpkin, 5.0% ABV: Sweet. Lots of pumpkin pie spices with a bit of earthiness & pumpkin flavor. Full bodied. Unlike many pumpkin ciders & beers, this one uses actual pumpkin. I’m not a pumpkin or spice fan, so needless to say I didn’t really enjoy this cider (I tried it more out of curiosity). The folks who blind tasted it for this article were much bigger fans though, giving it the highest score of 23 pumpkin ciders & beers! This is a yearly seasonal release for Doc’s, and also available bottled. This was my second time trying Doc’s, but neither were flavors I’m a fan of…hopefully I get a chance to try something I have a better shot of actually enjoying soon (I’ve been eyeing their Sour Cherry, but alas it isn’t sold in the Seattle area, so I may need to make a trip down to Portland OR or order online).

Reverend Nat’s (and Cider Riot!) Ciderkin, 3.2% ABV: Dry. Ginger! Moderate tartness, astringency, and acidity. Slightly funky. Ciderkin is a lower alcohol content cider traditionally made from the pommace (apple skin and pulp leftover after pressing apples into juice). This one however is quite different than the version of ciderkin I had awhile back from Argus (tasting notes here). The ginger (although admittedly mild) was overwhelming for my palate as I’m just not a fan of it. My favorite cider from Rev Nat’s so far is their Revival. They’ve released this Ciderkin cider a few times, but it doesn’t appear to be available bottled.

Liberty Ciderworks Gravenstein, 8.0% ABV: Dry. Moderate sourness, tartness, astringency, tannins, and acidity. Almost no carbonation. Very mild on the nose. Although this was a Gravenstein single varietal, I picked up a lot of crabapple notes…it reminds me of their Crabenstein, which used Gravenstein and Crabapples, although not quite as harsh. So far I prefer their Manchurian Crabapple, English Style, and Stonewall to this one. This cider is also available bottled.

Finnriver Cranberry Rosehip, 6.5% ABV: Semi-sweet. Moderate tartness. Lots of cranberry flavor. I didn’t really pick up any herbal (rosehip) flavor, but I imagine it mellowed the cranberry a bit, especially drinking it side by side to the Tieton variety. I liked this one better than the Tieton Cranberry, probably as it isn’t as tart. However, my favorite “cranberry” cider so far is probably a tie for this and Schilling’s Mischief Maker (cranberry-pomegranate). Cranberry Rosehip is part of Finnriver’s Elijah Swan Seasonal Botanical line, which is also available bottled, and includes some of my favorites such as Honey Meadow and Lavender Black Currant.

Apple Outlaw Blackberry Bounty, 5.5% ABV: Semi-dry. Very mild berry flavor. Mild tartness. This seems to be another one of the drier and milder flavored berry ciders coming out. This one was pretty average in my book. It is also available bottled. This was my first time trying their regular line of ciders (although I tried their Oaked Sweet Dark Cherry at Cider Summit Seattle 2015, which appeared to be a special draft release).

I also had a sip of Whitewood Red Cap. It was a bit weird…dry and almost Sidra-ish with some sourness and quite mild flavored. They describe it as a Session cider, which usually indicates a low ABV and easy to drink cider, but its 6.2% ABV. Also available bottled. It reminded me some of their Summer Switchel, but without the salty & ginger notes. Both are quite different from their Kingston Black Whiskey Barrel Aged cider, which is amazing!

I mostly wanted to sample what Schilling had on tap that I hadn’t tried, despite not being too excited about the varieties. Therefore there were a few I didn’t really enjoy, so I ended up not finishing a lot of the flight. Thankfully that freed up some ability to try more ciders! Next up we sampled a couple bottles (which I don’t believe they sell at the Cider House).

Ace Space (blood orange) was another weird one. Odd hazy orange hue. Semi-dry. The nose and some of the flavor was almost medicinal/artificial (like Tang or a Vitamin C supplement), but there is definitely some blood orange flavor too. Mild tartness and sourness. I wasn’t really a fan…not sure what they were thinking with this one? This is Ace’s newest cider, a special release. I kinda had the same opinion on their last special release, Blackjack 21, which tasted like Chardonnay to me (although admittedly it was aged in Chardonnay barrels, so maybe they were going for that). Apparently I’m in the minority though as it sold well so they are releasing it again this year.

Carlton Cyderworks Sugar and Spice. Semi-sweet. I was surprised I liked this, as I usually don’t tend towards spiced cider. However, the spice was quite mild and balanced. It also wasn’t overly sweet. This is a seasonal bottled release for them, new for this year.

I also had a pint of Snowdrift Red–yum! One of my favorites. However, this batch seemed a bit more tart than previous, and with a bit less fruitiness. There can definitely be variability from batch to batch in a craft product. I like when cideries such as Snowdrift batch label their ciders, so you know whether what you buying may be slightly different. Anthem is another example of a cidery which does this, but they actually go so far as to use different apple varieties in different batches of their flagship cider (and you can look up what was used by the batch number on the bottle).

Oddly enough the Carlton Sugar and Spice was the winner of the afternoon as far as a new cider I enjoyed the most! I think it would taste really good warm (which is how I like mead, but I haven’t tried that for cider as I usually avoid spiced cider).

I definitely tried a lot of cider and had a blast, as always. Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

2 Towns The Bad Apple

November 20, 2015November 9, 2015 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, Bad Apple, barrel aged, cider, cider review, hard cider, hard cider review, honey, imperial, oregon

Review of The Bad Apple from 2 Towns. I’ve had this cider before, and many other 2 Towns varieties. Isn’t their bottle styling awesome? Really eye-catching.

Cider: The Bad Apple
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 10.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle (or kegs)

Availability: Year-round, at least in OR, WA, CA, AK, HI, NV (limited), ID, IL (Chicago), & MN (Minneapolis)

Cider Description: Big & bold, The Bad Apple is an imperial style cider, fermented with local meadowfoam honey and aged on Oregon White Oak. Complex notes of apples and wood make the Bad Apple a NW favorite. Sometimes…it’s good to be Bad!

Cidery Description: 2 Towns was founded in 2010 by partners Lee Larsen and Aaron Sarnoff. Dave Takush joined us shortly thereafter. All three of us grew up together in the Corvallis, OR area. We’ve had explosive growth since our inception at which point we had intended to produce and distribute cider to the Corvallis, OR and Eugene, OR areas only (incidentally, the 2 Towns of our namesake). It became readily apparent that our initial vision needed to grow as we hit our maximum capacity in our first production space (a converted 1,000 sq ft garage) in roughly 2 months. We’ve since built 2 new production facilities with a total of 25,000 sq ft of production space and our team has grown to over 30 people to help us to distribute to 9 states and counting.

Over this time, we’ve kept to our original goal of bringing craft hard cider back to the people. We feel that a craft cider is made with fresh-pressed fruit and contain no artificial flavorings. Our fruit is all sourced in Oregon & Washington and all of our ciders are also free from added sugars other than those present in the juice and in some cases local honey. We feel that cider doesn’t need to be sweet to express the natural flavors of the fruits we ferment.

2 Towns Ciderhouse planted an orchard in 2011 with all traditional cider apple varieties such as Kingston Black, Dabinett, Jersey Brown Snout, and many others. 2 Towns has also contracted with several growers in the Willamette Valley and beyond to grow additional traditional cider fruit.

Price: $7.50
Where Bought: Special Brews in Lynnwood WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Initially, browsing. I’ve had this cider at least once before and was in the mood to have another bottle.

First Impression: Yellow/orange tinted straw gold hue. Moderate carbonation upon pouring with a light foam ring and tiny bubbles. Smells like rich apples, honey, booze (whisky?), yeast, and oak.

Opinion: Semi-dry. Quite apple-forward, with rich apple, honey, vanilla, and oak notes. The perceived barrel influence remains mild. Moderate acidity and tartness. I almost pick up some citrus with the tartness. Mild bitterness and astringency. No sourness or funk. Medium bodied. Low to moderate carbonation. Longer finish with lingering tartness and acidity. Well-hidden ABV, which mostly presents as warmth. Complex but simple at the same time. I enjoyed this fridge cold, which surprised me as usually with this style of cider I like it closer to room temperature than fridge temperature…when it warmed up the tartness seemed more present.

Most Similar to: This kinda reminds me of Moonlight Meadery ‘How Do You Like Them Little Apples’ cider for some reason…probably as that one tasted like it was higher ABV (but wasn’t), and had honey and oak notes (but it was sweeter and more full bodied). By the way, I find this cider very different from the other 2 Towns Imperial-Style cider I’ve tried, Serious Scrump, which is an 11% ABV English-Style cider available seasonally, which I found to be quite dry and bitter and not to my liking.

Closing Notes: Awesome! This is actually my favorite cider from their regular line so far (and I’ve tried at least 10 ciders from 2 Towns). I think its a great value. I also think 2 Towns is a really cool cidery in general…really down to earth and fun-loving. Their tag line is “Damn Fine Cider” lol. I hope to visit them someday in Corvallis OR. I’ve actually met co-founder Aaron Sarnroff-Wood (at Cider Summit Seattle 2015 and a Schilling Cider House 2 Towns tasting event) and communicated with him by e-mail about their Cider Master Reserve Batch No 01, and he is super helpful. I highly recommend this cider if you enjoy higher-ABV ciders and want something unique.

Have you tried any ciders from 2 Towns? What did you think?

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