Preview of Washington Cider Week 2019

August 2, 2019August 2, 2019 cidersays 2 Towns, Bad Granny, Bauman's, Dragon's Head, Finnriver, Herb's, Liberty, Nashi Orchards, Pear UP, review, Snowdrift, Tieton cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Northwest Cider, NW Cider, tasting notes, wa cider week, Washington Cider Week

I was recently invited to a preview of Washington Cider Week for media and industry folks. The 9th annual Washington Cider Week is September 5th-15th 2019, and will include numerous cider events, with Cider Summit Seattle being a highlight (see my posts here). The preview event was hosted by the NW Cider Association, and held in the orchard at Dragon’s Head Cider on Vashon Island in WA.

It was a sweet invite-only event, and I enjoyed the excuse to take a half day off work and taste cider with my husband from about a dozen cideries, and chat with cidery reps. New for this year they had a panel discussion, hosted by Erin James (of CiderCraft and Sip NW magazines), featuring Emily Ritchie (the Director of NW Cider) and folks from PCC, Zeek’s pizza, and Teku Tavern, who shared about the role of cider in their businesses.

Erin James shared some interesting facts, like that cider grew 10 fold in 10 years (faster than craft beer did), 6-8% of beer sales in WA are cider (vs. 1-3% in most other states), and 1/3 of NW cideries are orchard-based (like Dragon’s Head).

NW Cider also showed off their new interactive map of NW cideries, categorized the list of tasting options by United States Association of Cidermakers cider styles, and shared about the Certified Cider Professional program.

They had some nice swag too – a bottle tote bag, brochures, keychain bottle opener, and a bottle stopper (as the NW Cider association is pushing the idea of bars & restaurants offering cider from bottle pours, not just kegs, especially as many of the smaller heritage cideries don’t keg their ciders).

Now, on to the cider!

2 Towns (Corvallis OR) Suns Out Saison (5.6%): Their 2nd fruit seasonal release of the year, from dessert apples and peaches, fermented with Saison beer yeast, a re-release of the 2016 version (see my review here). Semi-dry with notes of peach, citrus, yeast, and earth. I learned their 3rd fruit seasonal will be Cosmic Currant, made with black currant and cranberry. I was also told to be on the lookout for Marissimo later this year, a limited release marionberry barrel aged Pommeau. A tasty summery cider with flavor but not to much sweetness.

Snowdrift (Wenatchee WA) Forefathers (7.5%): A new draft-only release, from a combination of apples including both cider and dessert apple varieties. On the sweeter side of semi-dry, with notes of citrus, floral, and honey, and a hint of tannins. Approachable.

Pear UP (Wenatchee WA) Grapefruit: A new canned release, a grapefruit perry (from 100% pears, no apples). The grapefruit was stronger on the nose than the flavor. Very refreshing, almost like a grapefruit soda, but only mid-level sweetness, and nearly still. I wouldn’t have guessed it was perry.

Tieton (Yakima WA) Single Varietal Harrison: A new release, bottled & kegged, a single varietal from Harrison bittersharp cider apples. On the sweeter side of semi-dry, with notes of citrus & honey. I really enjoyed it, as its more approachable than a lot of other heritage ciders, being sweeter. I was surprised with the lack of sharpness and/or bitterness. Awesome.

Finnriver (Port Townsend WA) Fire Barrel: A whiskey barrel aged cider from cider apples. I’ve tried this before (see here), but I think this is a newer vintage. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Super rich, with notes of smoke, oak, and orange. I really enjoyed it, but prefer the original vintages (see here).

Finnriver (Port Townsend WA) Golden Russet: Made from ‘russeted’ cider apples, primarily Golden Russet. Dry to semi-dry, acidic, with notes of citrus and earth. A bit nuanced for my tastes.

Bad Granny (Wenatchee WA) Reserve: A new release using cider apples, and for the first time for them, methode champenoise, a traditional labor intensive method to make a naturally sparkling cider. Dry to semi-dry. Light fluffy texture with lots of bubbles. Notes of sharp apple and citrus with hints of bitterness and tannins. Also a bit nuanced for my tastes.

Bad Granny (Wenatchee WA) Honey Crisp: A flagship offering, but per my notes I actually haven’t tried it. On the sweeter side of semi-dry, apple-forward, with a bit of honey flavor. Nice.

Herb’s (Bellingham WA) Blue Note: Made from heirloom apples and blueberries, co-fermented (vs. being added in a secondary fermentation). Fully dry. Very light blueberry flavor.

Herb’s (Bellingham WA) Traditional Bittersharp: Made from bittersharp & bittersweet cider apples. Dry. Sharp and rich.

Herb’s (Bellingham WA) Crescendo: Made from Cox Orange Pippin apples. Dry. Lots of orange with a hint of floral notes.

I was impressed with all 3 selections from Herb’s as they had some awesome flavor profiles, but I wish they had a bit more sweetness.

Nashi (Vashon WA) Idyllacres Bittersweet Cider: Made from English & French bittersweet cider apples. On the sweeter side of dry. Tannic and complex. Notes of apple pomace, orange, caramel, and leather. Quite lovely.

Nashi (Vashon WA) Chojuro Asian Pear Perry: Unique scent, of spice / black pepper. However, the flavor profile was lemon and floral, with only a hint of pear. Semi dry. Perplexing.

You can tell what order I tasted these in, as I forgot to get photos of the last few…

Bauman’s (Portland OR) Dry: Made from a variety of apples, including dessert and cider. Dry, with notes of citrus & floral, and hints of bitterness & tannins. A bit nuanced for my tastes.

Bauman’s (Portland OR) Orange Blossom: Made with oranges and a hint of pineapple. On the sweeter side of semi-dry, tannic, with notes of orange. Great.

Bauman’s (Portland OR) Loganberry: Made with loganberries. On the drier side of semi-sweet. Berry forward with mild tartness and hints of tannins. I enjoyed the unexpected complexity.

Liberty (Spokane WA) Lafayette: Made using French bittersweet cider apples and keeved, which creates a naturally sweet apple-forward flavorful cider. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Rich and tannic, with notes of bittersweet cider apple pomace and orange. Awesome.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon WA) Heritage Rosé: Made from Redfield and Mountain Rose red-fleshed apples. Amazing fruity scent. Semi-dry, with notes of strawberry and rhubarb. Tasty, with more complexity than flavored rosé ciders.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon WA) Heritage: Made from English and French cider apple varieties (previously named ‘Traditional’). Dry to semi-dry. Earthy, with sharp citrus heirloom apple flavor. A bit nuanced for my tastes; I seem to remember the Traditional being sweeter.

Stay tuned for more posts on Washington Cider Week 2019 (especially Cider Summit Seattle) at Cider Says.

For those in WA, check out the WA cider week event calendar for Sept 5-15.

Also, for cider industry folks in the NW, save the date for the first-annual NW Cider Symposium, which has been announced for March 10th 2020 in Tacoma WA.

Pick Cider Ideas for Thanksgiving 2018

November 19, 2018November 19, 2018 cidersays 2 Towns, AEppelTreow, Alpenfire, Bertolinos, Dan Armor, Domaine de la Minotiere, Eden, Eric Bordelet, Eve's Cidery, Kystin, La Chouette, L’Hermitiére, Liberty, Manoir de Grandouet, Pierre Huet, review, Slyboro, Snowdrift, Tilted Shed, Wandering Aengus, Whitewood cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, pick cider, pickcider, thanksgiving, thanksgiving cider

I actually remembered to do a Thanksgiving cider article this year, so here it goes! A list of some suggestions (at least for folks who can get these in their area) for Thanksgiving-dinner friendly ciders. Besides pairing with a variety of foods, I think the ideal holiday cider will appeal to a wide audience (presuming you will share it with the table). However, these selections will of course sway towards my personal tastes.

French ciders – French ciders are inherently food-friendly, and have a wide appeal, typically being mid-level sweetness and apple-forward, but often having surprising complexity. Its fun to share something unique (imported) with guests too. Plus, they have a lower ABV, which can be ideal for meals earlier in the day. Some of my favorites are from Domaine de la Minotiere, Eric Bordelet, Kystin, La Chouette, L’Hermitiére, Manoir de Grandouet, and Pierre Huet. I recently picked up a 5L mini keg of Bordelet, but I’m saving that for Christmas. The easiest French cider to find for some may be Dan Armor, sold at Trader Joe’s, and at only $5 / 750ml, its an excellent value, and something I wouldn’t hesitate to serve at my house. My top American-made French-style cider pick is 2 Towns Cidre Bouche.

AeppelTreow Appely Doux – This Wisconsin methode champenoise (naturally sparkling) selection is mid-level sweetness with a flavor profile of citrus, green apple, honey, and floral. It would make a nice champagne alternative anytime.

Alpenfire Spark! – This Washington cider is a great introduction to heritage ciders, with some rich notes of apple pomace, honey, orange, and leather, but remaining mid-level sweetness and clean.

Bertolinos Hard Cider – This Italian cider is mid-level sweetness, has some good fizz, and notes of honey, pineapple, and grapefruit. Especially wide crowd appeal from my experience.

Eden Specialty Ciders – This Vermont cidery may have started with ice ciders (which I cover later), but they make some amazing regular ciders with wide appeal, such as their super complex Sparkling Semi-Dry, rich Guinevere’s Pearls, or new canned Heritage cider, which has to be the highest quality cider I’ve ever seen in a can.

Eve’s Rustica – This New York mid-sweetness cider has some unique notes of honey, cream/vanilla, and fruit, all expertly crafted just from the apples and yeast.

Liberty Kingston Black – This Washington single varietal is made only from the iconic Kingston Black apples, yet I think it would have a wide appeal, as it retains some sweetness (semi-dry), is flavorful, and doesn’t cross over into funky/sour/bitter territory.

Slyboro Old Sin – This New York semi-dry cider has some rich tannic flavor reminiscent of English cider, with notes of butterscotch, caramel, and tropical fruit, and is another selection which would make a great introductory heritage cider. Lovely color to it too!

Snowdrift – This Washington cidery has several Thanksgiving-worthy crowd-pleasing cider selections, such as their Cidermaker’s Reserve (semi-dry, sparkling, fruity, and complex), Seckel Perry (mid-level sweetness, made only from Seckel pears), and Cliffbreaks Blend (semi-sweet, tart, and fruity).

Tilted Shed Smoked – This dry cider hails from California, and is unique, nuanced, oaky, and slightly smokey. Probably a bit less likely to be widely appealing, but I think it would be appreciated by certain audiences, and to me seems uniquely suited to Thanksgiving dinner.

Wandering Aengus Bloom – This Washington cider is mid-level sweetness and made from heirloom apples, but has widely appealing familiar notes of honey, green apple, and tropical fruit.

Whitewood Jonathan – This Washington cider is a single-varietal of Jonathan apples, and dry to semi-dry, but super approachable, being apple-forward with notes of citrus and honey.

ice cider – For a special treat with dessert, try ice cider. It is made from naturally concentrating apple juice using cold to increase the sugar content before fermenting, resulting in a higher ABV sweet dessert cider bursting with flavor. One of my favorites is Eden Brandy Barrel Aged Heirloom.

Pommeau – Also, Pommeau (cider + apple brandy) is another great dessert cider option. It is made by fortifying cider (either fermented or unfermented juice) with distilled apple juice (brandy). Like ice cider, it is a nice sipping option, although it is available in a wide range of sweetness. Some of my favorites are from 2 Towns, Etienne Dupont, EZ Orchards, Herout, and Wandering Aengus.

Visit the Pick Cider campaign website for lots more great info, and try your local fine bottle shop or online, such as through Cider in Love or VinoShipper. No matter which cider/s you choose, I’d encourage you to pick up some extra bottles, as a good cider can easily turn even those who have sworn off cider into cider lovers, holidays are holidays, and plus with the lower ABV, a bottle doesn’t go as far as wine.

My Favorite Ciders of 2017

December 29, 2017February 3, 2019 cidersays 2 Towns, Alpenfire, Angry Orchard, Cidrerie du Vulcain, Cockrell, Dan Armor, Domaine de la Minotiere, Eden, Eve's Cidery, favorite ciders, Finnegan, Finnriver, Henney's, L’Hermitiére, Newton Court, Pierre Huet, Ramborn, review, Schilling, Snowdrift, Spire Mountain, Woodbox 2017, cider, cider list, cider review, cider tasting, favorite cider list, favorite ciders, hard cider, tasting notes

Happy New Year! Now that it is 2018, it is time for a list of some of my favorite ciders of 2017. This is becoming a tradition; see here for my list from 2016 and here for my list from 2015. To make it a bit different and easier, I put them into categories instead of trying to do a top ten list or similar.

Note that I wouldn’t try to make a list of the best ciders, just those I enjoy, as it would be an impossible task to try every cider out there and be impartial. The cider world is very regional, so likely only readers in the NW would have a similar selection. My only criteria for this list is that I drank the cider in 2017. Some of the categories overlap. Truth be told, for the most part, I made the list first, then determined categories to put them in!

Budget-Friendly French Cidre: Dan Armor Cuvée Spéciale Cidre Brut (Brittany) or L’Hermitiére Cidre Brut (Normandy) – These selections retail for $4.99 and $7.99 respectively. The Dan Armor is only sold at Trader Joe’s. Both are on the sweeter side of semi-dry and are true to their respective styles (although the Normandy one is more beginner friendly than many others, as it lacks sourness and only has minimal funk). The Dan Armor is one of my top picks to introduce folks to good cider with, as it is different from sweet commercial selections, but not so out there as to turn folks off to it. Its also a nice gauge on sweetness, as it is in the middle of the range.

Fancy French Cidre: Domaine de la Minotiere Cidre Fermier Bio Doux or Pierre Huet AOC Pays D’Auge Cidre – I tried so many amazing French cidres this year that I had to include more than one! These selections cost a tad more than the previous two, $12 and $19.99 respectively, but also have more complexity. Both of these are low ABV selections, and the Doux was significantly sweeter, as expected for the classification.

English Cidre: Newton Court Gasping Goose (330ml bottles) or Henney’s Vintage (500ml bottles) – Both of these English imports are very budget friendly and tasty. A bit sweeter than some English ciders (on the sweeter side of semi-dry), rich, and tannic, but not bitter. Newton Court is available in Seattle, but I’ve only seen the Henney’s in Portland (and only tried the one bottle).

Swiss cider: Cidrerie du Vulcain Premiers Emois – This cider from Switzerland reminds me of French cidre, but has a style all its own. It was made from Organic native heirloom apples, and wild yeast fermented using traditional methods. The result was a semi-sweet cider with an awesome fluffy texture and complex fruitiness (but with less apple and yeast forward flavor as most French cidres).

European-Style U.S. cider: 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche – This cider is by far the closest to a French cidre than any other U.S. cider I’ve tried. It was a noticeable improvement from last year’s vintage as well. Lots of rich ripe bittersweet apple flavor. Unfortunately it costs more than most French cidres, as even with the import cost, their production costs are lower, as cider apple varieties aren’t rare like they are here.

Perry: Ramborn Perry – I tried two selections from Ramborn Cider in Luxembourg. This perry was complex and amazing, with notes of canned pear, dried pear, mango, pineapple, and guava. Like most perries, as pears have unfermentable sugars, it was a bit sweeter, semi-sweet to semi-dry.

New England style: Cockrell Colonial Winter – This cider is of true New England style, a high ABV cider with the addition to raisins and brown sugar. Rich, complex, and perfect for winter. It is my favorite version of this style so far.

Food-Friendly Cider: Eden Semi-Dry or Eden Guineveres Pearls – Of these, the Semi-Dry is drier, much easier to find, and less expensive. Both however are excellent selections, quite flavorful, but without anything that would overwhelm or clash with most meals. They are also some of the most tannic on this list, same as the English selections.

Rosé: Alpenfire Glow – This sweet cider is made from rare red fleshed apples, and similar to Eve’s Rustica (listed below), is amazingly fruity, with a high flavor intensity. Here the flavor notes were watermelon, strawberry, and rhubarb. It was a perfect Valentine’s Day cider (a gift from my husband – he knows me well)!

Barrel Aged: Finnriver Fire Barrel – Note that this pertains to the previous releases of this cider. I haven’t been nearly as big of a fan of Fire Barrel once they moved to 750ml bottles, as it was not nearly as flavorful (plus the price increased significantly). In the older version, I love the complexity, intense barrel aged flavor (which is rarely found in cider), and high tannins.

Fruity: 2 Towns Prickle Me Pink ^2 – This cider was made using prickly pear cactus fruit, plus, new for this year, watermelon. The result is a fluorescent pink fruity cider which is surprisingly complex and flavorful, yet fairly dry.

Rich: Angry Orchard Maple Wooden Sleeper – This cider was made from bittersweet apples, with Crown maple syrup, then bourbon barrel aged for 12 months. It resulted in a 12% ABV cider, super rich and complex, with a flavor profile including caramel, brown sugar, maple, oak, vanilla, bourbon, and molasses. This was a truly artisan small batch cider, worlds away from their typical commercial releases.

Spicy: 2 Towns Man Gogh – I’ve never been a fan of spicy ciders, but I finally found one I could enjoy! Here the hint of spice (from habaneros) was balanced by the fruitiness, sweetness, and acidity of the cider with mango. This was an imperial cider, but way too easy to drink.

Commercial: Spire Mountain Dark & Dry – I typically drink craft ciders, but I still drink commercial ciders from time to time. This one is far from dry (more like semi-sweet), but is dark, and has some great molasses flavor. It pairs really well with greasy food, like a burger or fish & chips.

Unique: Eve’s Rustica – This is Eve’s sweetest cider (besides their ice cider), and my favorite. I loved all the flavor they were able to showcase without any additions (just apples & yeast), with notes of honey, cream, vanilla, melon, strawberry, watermelon, pineapple, and peach.

Unexpected: Snowdrift Cidermaker’s Reserve – This cider was made from heirloom & cider apples, but in contrast had a very unique unexpected flavor profile, with pomegranate, white grape, stone fruit, leather, butterscotch, and citrus notes. It is unique, complex, and bubbly. My husband is also an especially big fan of this cider.

Value: Schilling King’s Shilling – I’ve picked up a 22oz bottle of this for as low as $4 (at Total Wine, actually cheaper than at the Cider House), which is a steal for a tasty barrel aged brandy infused cider. This is more sessionable than you’d expect too. Semi-dry and semi-sweet, with notes of honey and citrus, plus hints of maple syrup, oak, and spice.

Unexpected & Value: Finnegan Cider Harvest Blend – This was another unexpectedly awesome cider which was also a great value. I picked this up in Portland, for just over $7 for 500ml of cider from cider apples. Semi-dry, with richness, high carbonation, and notes of rich ripe apples, caramel, leather, orange, stone fruit, honey, oak, and apple brandy.

Favorite from a New-to-Me cidery: Woodbox Double Barrel Whiskey Barrel Ice Cider – This was the first (and only) cider I have tried from Woodbox, at Cider Rite of Spring in Portland. I bought a bottle, but haven’t wanted to open it yet. Lots of whiskey flavor in addition to caramel, vanilla, oak, and more. It was rather budget-friendly for an ice cider too, at $17 / 375ml.

Pommeau: 2 Towns Pommeau – This remains my favorite Pommeau. Super flavorful, rich, and complex, with notes of ripe apples, oak, dried fruit, leather, brown sugar, caramel, burnt sugar, vanilla, tropical fruit, and peaches.

Ice Cider: Eden Cellar Series The Falstaff – This year I was spoiled with an amazing treat, a bottle of Eden’s 7! year barrel aged ice cider. This ties with Alpenfire Smoke for the most complex cider I’ve ever drank. The flavor was all over the place, from molasses, caramel, and brown sugar, to tart green apple and lemon, to raisin, to pie spices.

Overall: Alpenfire Smoke – This 16% ABV sipping cider has an amazing complexity, with rich oaky smokey flavor. If I had to name just one favorite cider, this would be it. However, it is not an everyday sort of cider. They recently released a new batch of it, but I haven’t tried it yet (I’m still working on my stockpile of the old version).

Other: Also, while I’m at it, my favorite cider event in 2017 was Cider Summit Seattle, my favorite (and only) class was by Rev Nat, and my favorite bottle shop & bar was Schilling Cider House.

Well, there you have it, a list of 26 of my favorite ciders from 2017. They have a lot in common–most are rich and full-flavored. What are some of your favorite ciders?

Snowdrift Cidermaker’s Reserve

August 28, 2017August 28, 2017 cidersays Snowdrift cider, cider review, cider tasting, Cidermaker's Reserve, hard cider, Snowdrift, tasting notes, washington, Wenatchee

Review of Snowdrift’s Cidermaker’s Reserve. I have sampled it twice before (see here and here), but I’m doing a full review this time. I’ve also tried most of Snowdrift’s line-up: Cornice, Red, Perry, Cliffbreaks Blend, Dry, Semi-Dry, Seckel Perry, and Orchard Select.

Cider: Cidermaker’s Reserve
Cidery: Snowdrift
Cidery Location: East Wenatchee WA
ABV: 9.0%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged champagne bottles
Style: American artisan cider from heirloom & bittersweet apples (2014 harvest), Methode Champenoise, aged 3 years

Availability: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey (see here), although this is a more limited release. They also have an online store

Cider Description: Taking the best of the best of our ciders, Cidermaker’s Reserve is a celebration of all the rich complexity cider apples have to offer. After a year of maturation, this cider then begins the full Méthode Champenoise process of in-bottle fermentation, which develops further layers of nuance. The labor of love pays off; its months of conditioning, riddling, and finishing yield a dry cider with continuously unfolding layers of spicy bittersweet apple character, citrusy brightness, and subtleties of toffee, aromatic wood and earth.

Cidery Description: We craft our ciders from great cider apples that we grow on our orchard in sunny East Wenatchee, WA. Our incredible region gives our trees the ideal conditions to grow apples packed with the flavors necessary to produce fine ciders. Hot sunny summers and cold snowy winters result in apples that mature with incredible aromatics and delicious flavors. When ripened to perfection, we pick these apples and craft them with the utmost care into fine cider blends, resulting in rich ciders full of delicious complexity.

Price: $19
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had tried it before, but my husband really wanted a bottle (this is probably his all time favorite cider).

First Impression: Light gold amber hue. High carbonation. Smells acidic and fruity/grapey.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Light to medium bodied with a fluffy fizzy texture. Moderate tartness. Moderate to high acidity. Low bitterness. Low to moderate tannins. No sourness. Hints of funk. Notes of pomegranate, white grape, stone fruit, leather, butterscotch, lemon, and orange. Moderate to long warming finish, the only time when the 9% ABV is noticeable. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability and flavor intensity. Moderate to high complexity.

My Opinion: Great! I enjoy this cider. Unique, complex, and bubbly, whats not to like? However, to me it almost tastes more like champagne than sparkling cider, except for the tannins.

Most Similar to: Nothing all that close, but in the same ballpark is AEppeltreow Appley Doux (slightly sweeter, and more green apple & floral), Alpenfire Cinders (much drier), and 2 Towns Traditions Riverwood Brut (more subtle)

Closing Notes: My favorites from Snowdrift are the Red, Cornice, Cliffbreaks Blend, and Cidermaker’s Reserve.

Have you tried Snowdrift Cidermaker’s Reserve? What did you think?

Tasting Notes from NW Cider’s Preview of WA Cider Week 2017

August 16, 2017October 21, 2017 cidersays Alpenfire, Bad Granny, Capitol Cider, Dragon's Head, event, Finnriver, Liberty, Locust, Pear UP, review, Schilling, Seattle Cider, Snowdrift, Tieton, Washington Cider Week Capitol Cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Cider Week, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes, wa cider week, Washington Cider Week

I was recently invited to a Washington Cider Week preview for media and buyers. The 7th annual Washington Cider Week is September 7th-17th 2017, and will include numerous cider events, with Cider Summit Seattle being a main highlight. This preview event was hosted by the NW Cider Association, and held midday on a Tuesday at Capitol Cider in Seattle.

It was a pretty sweet invite-only event, and I enjoyed the excuse to take a half day off work! My husband even joined me; it was nice to have a driver, as there were eleven PNW cidery representatives pouring samples. Even though there weren’t many new-to-me ciders, it was a great opportunity to get some face time with the pourers, which often isn’t possible at the larger events.

Alpenfire Cider (Port Townsend WA): I’ve tried most of their lineup, which includes many favorites, but my husband requested a sample of Glow. It is one of their sweeter options, made from rare red-fleshed apples. It was a good choice as they rarely pour it at events. Awesome as always, semi-sweet, and crazy fruity flavorful without any additives.

Bad Granny (Chelan WA): This was my first time seeing them at an event (the cidery is less than a year old). I learned that they are associated with Karma Vineyards, one of the few producers of Methode Champenoise wine in the state. The cidery is a combination of their MC wine experience and their apple orchard family roots. I had tried their flagship Green Apple cider on draft previously (it is also sold in cans), which is a great simple semi-sweet cider option. They also brought their currently draft-only black currant cider, which I found to have only a very mild flavor, but overall was easy to drink, semi-dry to semi-sweet, with a fuller body than expected. I learned of their plans to release some specialty ciders in large format bottles, such as one from red-fleshed apples and one from Dabinett traditional cider apples.

Dragon’s Head (Vashon Island WA): They just released this year’s vintage of Kingston Black single varietal cider (which I tried last year). However, I decided to go for the Traditional cider, which is my favorite from them – a semi-dry cider with complex rich bittersweet cider apple flavor. I also sampled the Perry, as I wanted to compare it to the Methode Champenoise version I tried recently; I enjoyed this regular version better as it was sweeter (almost semi-sweet), and more flavorful / fruitier. Sometimes I find that a very high carbonation can impede a cider tasting for me as it makes a cider seem every drier and more acidic than it really is.

Finnriver (Chimacum WA): I tried their newish Cider Summit collaboration cider (poured at all four Cider Summit events in 2017 – Chicago, San Francisco, Portland, and next, Seattle), called “Summit Saison”. It is made with organic apples, Saison yeast, dried fruit such as apricots, and spices (which oddly enough included peppercorns). I found it hazy, semi-dry to semi-sweet, with citrus & stone fruit notes with a hint of peppercorn on the finish. I’m not a fan of pepper, even in food, so I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. My husband however was a fan.

Liberty Ciderworks (Spokane WA): This was a great opportunity to have a side-by-side tasting of their English-Style and Stonewall (barrel aged) ciders, which I’ve previously found very similar but hadn’t tried together. I preferred the Stonewall, as it was a bit smoother, with less acidic bite, and the added whiskey & oak notes. I also tried Turncoat, their hopped cider, which had nice herbal flavor without bitterness, which was my husband’s favorite.

Locust Cider (Woodinville WA): At this stop, as I said I had tried all of the regular line up (which was being poured from their new cans), I was treated to a sample of their limited release Bourbon Barrel Aged cider. It was semi-dry, and very mild at first (especially for 14% ABV), then all of a sudden Bam!, an intense bourbon finish. I thought I hadn’t tried it previously, but I actually had, over a year ago at their tap room (good thing for my Cider List!). I liked it better this time because it was served cold, but despite enjoying the flavor, its not something I would drink too often.

Pear UP – formerly Neigel Vintners / NV Cider (East Wenatchee WA): I had a chance to have a longish chat with the always energetic co-founder Kevin. He shared about the recent NW Cider trip where 10 PNW cidermakers traveled to France & England to learn about keeving (see this article). I also learned about the cidery’s packaging changes, such as new 12oz instead of 16.9oz green Aluminum bottles (with a digital wrap instead of labels), and four packs of 12oz clear glass bottles (which enables that SKU to be at a lower price point). I also learned about some new products they have released, including an interesting new partnership with a distillery, a brewery, and a label artist, resulting in Centre Ring, with an initial release of a cider and a perry, at a nice price point of $11.99 / 750ml bottle. Interestingly enough, Centre Ring doesn’t only focus on cider/perry, but craft beverages and food in general.

I started with the new Centre Ring Reserve Pear, which reminded me of a slightly drier and slightly more complex version of their flagship Pear Essentials, as it was semi-dry, medium bodied, and pear-forward with some citrus notes. Next I tried another new-to-me release (draft and bottles), Pearjito Colada; I didn’t pick up any mint, but the coconut was a fun bold flavor in the tasty semi-sweet perry. Lastly, my husband wanted to try the Pearfect Pie, which I had never tried either; it was a bit odd to drink in summer, but is a semi-sweet perry with a hint of pie spice.

Schilling Cider (Auburn WA): I tried the Grapefruit & Chill, which I learned was a different recipe than a grapefruit cider I had previously tried which was flavored with SodaJerk grapefruit soda syrup and I wasn’t a fan of; this time it was a surprisingly pleasant citrus-forward and higher carbonation semi-dry cider. I also re-tried the Pineapple Passion, which is one of my favorite Schilling varieties, with some strong tropical flavor, but it is definitely on the sweeter end (semi-sweet to sweet). My favorite from them is the King’s Schilling.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA): I tried two new draft-only releases. First – Lavender Lemon, a semi-dry cider with the as-advertised flavor notes. Second – Cucumber Hibiscus, which was semi-dry to dry, and started with cucumber on the nose, primarily hibiscus (fruity/floral) in the flavor, and a cucumber finish. They were both more flavorful than most of the ciders I’ve previously had from them. I found both pretty average – plenty drinkable, but not something I would seek out.

Snowdrift Cider (East Wenatchee WA): No new ciders to try, but I tried the cider I had tried the least of and is the most rare – the Cidermaker’s Reserve. I learned it was made under Methode Champenoise with apples from their 2014 harvest, including bittersweet varieties, and aged 3! years. It is a highly carbonated cider with an awesome texture, on the sweeter side of semi-dry, with a very unique flavor profile – fruity with pomegranate notes, and almost grape champagne-like. I was surprised to hear it had bittersweet cider apples, as it definitely didn’t have the typical profile I’d expect. A fun and unique cider and an excellent value too, at $19 / 750ml (this was my husband’s favorite cider of the event, and he insisted we pick some up afterwards).

Tieton Cider Works (Yakima WA): No new to me ciders here either, so I re-tried the Sparkling Perry. I re-learned that this is made by keeving and is wild yeast fermented (neither of which I would have guessed nor remembered from my taste nearly two years ago). I’d describe it as a semi-sweet to semi-dry pear-forward perry with fruity citrus notes.

They had some nice swag too – tote bags, brochures, postcards, and stickers.

I did some serious cider shopping that day, about 12 bottles between Capitol Cider, the Schilling Cider House, and QFC. My coolest finds were at Capitol Cider, as I don’t get there often: EZ Orchards “Pomme” (Pommeau, a mix of apple brandy & cider), last year’s release of Finnriver Fire Barrel (which I liked better than this year’s batch), and two different single varietals from Liberty (that I only thought were available in their tasting room and online). The Schilling Cider House also had a couple new to me releases, a peach wine from Mission Trail and Gasping Goose from Newton’s Court in England. I also picked up a re-supply of Dunkertons Black Fox, my current go-to English cider, and a couple others favorites from Aspall and EZ Orchards.

Stay tuned for more posts on Washington Cider Week 2017, especially Cider Summit Seattle.

Schilling Cider House Visit 28 Tasting Notes

July 7, 2017July 7, 2017 cidersays Aspall, Finnriver, Incline, NV Cider, Portland Cider, review, Snowdrift cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes, washington

Tasting notes from my 28th 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 afternoon. There were only 2 ciders on the board out of 32 that I hadn’t tried, so that meant I got to order some of my favorites.

Incline (Auburn WA) Compass Rosé (6.5% ABV): This was the only new-to-me cider in my flight. It appears to be a year round release, and is also available in cans. Like all their ciders, it is hopped, plus hibiscus, elderflower, ginger, and rose petals were added (no grape, which is typical for a rosé). Pale pink hue. Very mild fruity scent. Notes of grape, watermelon, and strawberry to start. As it warmed up, I got a hint of hops and some floral & herbal flavor. I didn’t pick up any ginger (which is good, as I don’t like it). On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Mild flavor intensity. Interesting that I found it more fruity than floral, but maybe I was tasting what I expected (I only found out later what was added). I enjoyed it.

Finnriver (Chimacum WA) Lavender Black Currant (6.9% ABV): This is a special release, also available in bottles, which I’ve tried previously (see here), similar to their regular Black Currant (see here). This batch seemed a bit less sweet, with more lavender. Too bad it wasn’t on one of their 2 Nitro taps, as that is a special treat. I enjoyed it.

Portland Cider (Portland OR) Sangria (5.5% ABV): This is a relatively new year round release, also available in bottles, which I’ve tried previously (see here). This batch was a bit less flavorful and a bit fuller bodied, but still plenty fruity. I enjoyed it.

Pear Up / NV Cider (East Wenatchee WA) Watermelon Pear (5.3% ABV): This is a year round release, also available in bottles, which I’ve tried previously (see here). This batch had much more pear than watermelon flavor, and had a hint of vinegar flavor & sourness. I didn’t really care for it this time around with the slightly off flavor. Their raspberry perry is my favorite so far (see here).

Aspall (Suffolk England) Dry (6.8% ABV): This is an English import, available year round, also in bottles, which I’ve tried previously (see here). Their Dry is actually my least favorite of their line-up, but still plenty good. Their Imperial is my favorite so far (see here); too bad they stopped selling the black label version of it though, as that was a truly amazing cider.

Snowdrift (Wenatchee WA) Cornice (7.5% ABV): This is a year round release, also available in bottles, which I’ve tried previously see here). This batch of this barrel agsed cider was a bit more fruity / less rich. I enjoyed it.

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

Schilling Cider House Visit 26 Tasting Notes

May 3, 2017April 30, 2017 cidersays Eric Bordelet, Hogan's, Locust, review, Schilling, Snowdrift cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 26th 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 Thursday night when they had Schilling Cider’s 4th anniversary party. I started with half a flight, waiting for them to put more on tap once the event started.

Snowdrift (Wenatchee WA) Orchard Select (7.3% ABV): The scent has hints of funk. Fully dry. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Low to moderate bitterness, especially on the finish. Low funk. Hints of sourness. Low to moderate tannins. Sharp flavor with citrus, herbal, and possibly crab apple notes. I found this a bit harsh for my liking between the dryness, sharpness, and acidity. I think their Cliffbreaks Blend is more likable, although that is significantly sweeter. Fans of dry cider from cider apples will likely really enjoy it; I think it reminds me of a lot of ciders I’ve had from the Northeast.

Locust Cider (Woodinville WA) Hibiscus (5.0% ABV): This appears to be a draft-only special release. Pink hue. Smells floral and fruity. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. More fruity than floral, with notes of rhubarb, strawberry, and watermelon. I really enjoyed it. I’m curious what they added to this.

Eric Bordelet (Normandy France) Nouvelle Vague Sidre (5.0% ABV): This is the first time I’ve seen this variety in the U.S. (although we get a handful of their ciders in bottles). Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low carbonation. Low tartness and acidity. Low to moderate tannins. Low bitterness. No sourness or funk. Simple but tasty flavor profile, apple and yeast forward. This reminded me a bit of English cider in addition to French cider, with a higher level of tannins, clean flavor (no funk), and lower carbonation (although likely to it being on draft vs. bottled). I enjoyed it, especially as it warmed up.

Next Sarah shared some of a Hogan’s 3 liter bag-in-box variety (retails for $33, which works out to $8.25 / 750ml).

Hogan’s Cider (Alcester United Kingdom) Hazy Daisy (3.9% ABV): I’ve only seen this in the 3L bag-in-box in the U.S. Semi-dry. Still. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness, acidity, and tannins. Hints of bitterness, funk, and sourness. The flavor is very mild, apple and citrus forward. This would be a perfect summer session cider, and possibly my favorite from Hogan’s so far oddly enough (I’ve also tried Medium Cider and Picker’s Passion), as it had a bit less sourness (especially compared to the Medium). I enjoyed it.

The full event lineup was finally on tap a bit after the event started at 6pm. It ended up being a lot of the usual suspects, sours, and high ABV barrel aged spirit-style ciders. I ended up only ordering one more thing, as it was getting late for me and very very busy.

Schilling Cider (Auburn WA) French Bittersweet (unknown ABV): A draft-only special release from French bittersweet apple juice. Very dark hazy brown hue, like unfiltered non-alcoholic cider. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Moderate tannins and bitterness. No sourness or funk. The flavor was very cider apple juice forward–it really didn’t taste alcoholic. I think this may have been the same cider I tried at Cider Rite of Spring which tasted just like juice to me (maybe it was there?).

My favorites were the Locust, Eric Bordelet, and Hogan’s.

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

Schilling Cider House Visit 23 Tasting Notes

March 8, 2017March 8, 2017 cidersays Alpenfire, Bad Granny, Liberty, Portland Cider, review, Sandford Orchards, Schilling, Snowdrift, Tieton cider, cider bar, cider flight, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 23rd 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 Thursday for a Portland Cider tap takeover / luau / potluck. I started with a flight.

Alpenfire Cider (Port Townsend WA) Glow (6.8% ABV): This is a drier version of their Glow (made from red fleshed apples) than is found in bottles (which I’ve reviewed here), apparently as it had to be significantly more filtered when kegged. Semi-dry, compared to the bottled version which is semi-sweet to sweet. Compared to the bottled version, its not nearly as flavorful (strawberry and watermelon notes) or complex, and is more tart and lighter bodied. Very nice, but I prefer the intensely flavorful and sweet bottled version (which I have a bottle of in the fridge that my husband got me for Valentine’s Day).

Sandford Orchards (Crediton UK) The General (8.4% ABV): This is the first time I’ve seen any cider from this English cidery. This variety is made from Devon cider apples, then spirit-aged and casked. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness, acidity, and bitterness. Low tannins. Apple-forward flavor with some sharpness. Moderate to long finish. Low to moderate complexity. Moderate apple flavor, sessionability, and flavor intensity. This tasted like a typical English cider, although more bitter and less complex than I prefer. Its good to see an international cider on tap, and made from cider apples too.

Liberty Ciderworks (Spokane WA) Cellar Series (8.0% ABV): This is an unknown variety of their Cellar Series (they are usually named with a letter and two numbers), draft only. Most of their cellar series ciders are wild yeast fermented and barrel aged. Orange amber hue. Dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness. Moderate to high acidity. Hints of sourness and funk. Low bitterness. Sharp flavor with crabapple notes and hints of oak. Moderate to long finish length. Moderate apple flavor. Low to moderate sessionability. Low flavor intensity. Moderate complexity. I didn’t really like this one, as I found it a bit harsh.

Bad Granny (Lake Chelan WA) Green Apple (6.9% ABV): This cider is made from dessert apples and sold both in tallboy cans and on draft. Nearly clear hue. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Definite green apple flavor, plus some white grape. Moderate apple flavor. Low complexity. Moderate flavor intensity. High sessionability. I liked it.

Portland Cider (Portland OR) Mojito (6.7% ABV): This draft-only limited release cider had mint, lemon, and lime added. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Notes of mint, citrus, and a hint of soap? Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity. The flavor of this seemed weird, but maybe it is just me.

Tieton Ciderworks (Yakima WA) Russian Red (6.9% ABV): This draft-only special release cider is made from red fleshed apples (like Snowdrift Red and Alpenfire Glow). Bright red hue. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness and acidity. Notes of cranberry and cherry. Low apple flavor. Moderate to high flavor intensity and sessionability. Moderate complexity. I liked it.

They also had Portland’s Sangria and Pineapple ciders on tap. The Sangria is especially awesome by the way.

Sarah also shared a new Snowdrift release with me:

Snowdrift Cider (East Wenatchee WA) Cidermakers Reserve (8.3% ABV): They have had this Méthode Champenoise cider listed on their website for awhile, but I haven’t ever seen it, so I think they took a few years off from production (or else it was very limited release). This batch is only available in bottles. Odd scent which none of us could accurately describe, but it didn’t transfer to the flavor. Semi-dry. High carbonation. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Hints of tannins and bitterness. Fruity, with notes of sharp pomegranate and some crabapple. I really liked the flavor and the bubbles, but the scent was bizarre.

My favorites were the Alpenfire Glow, Tieton Russian Red, and Snowdrift CIdermakers Reserve. The Bad Granny was good too, especially for its simplicity. I really wanted to like Sandford Orchards The General as I’m an English cider fan, but it was quite bitter.

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

Schilling Cider House Visit 22 Tasting Notes

November 18, 2016November 18, 2016 cidersays Cockrell, Pomarina, Schilling, Seattle Cider, Snowdrift cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my 22nd 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 Thursday. I started with a flight.

Cockrell Brewing (Puyallup WA) Jonastar (6.9% ABV): This is a single varietal from Jonastar apples, and is likely draft-only. Slightly hazy medium straw yellow hue. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Hints of bitterness and sourness. No funk or tannins. Notes of lemon, grapefruit, floral, and green apple. Low apple flavor. Low complexity. Low flavor intensity. High sessionability. I thought it was pretty average.

Schilling Cider (Auburn WA) Blueberry Cobbler (6.6% ABV): This is a spiced blueberry cider, barrel aged 12 months, primarily available in bottles at Bartell Drugs (a collaboration; see here). Cherry hue. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of blueberry, pie spices, and a hint of vanilla. No apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity. I didn’t pick up any barrel influence, but I imagine the other flavors could have overwhelmed them. This cider was a bit weird for my tastes.

Seattle Cider (Seattle WA) Washington Heirloom (7.0% ABV): This is a special release made from heirloom and cider apple varieties, also available in bottles. Higher carbonation. Medium straw yellow hue. Semi-dry to dry. Moderate tartness. High acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Notes of lemon, lime, floral, and herbal. Low flavor intensity. Low to moderate complexity. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. I thought it was pretty average. There was more heirloom than cider apple flavor.

Snowdrift Cider (East Wenatchee, WA) Seckel Perry (8.6% ABV): This is a single-varietal perry (no apples, only pears) made from Seckel pears, also available in bottles. Slightly hazy light straw yellow. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness, tannins, and sourness. No funk. Notes of pear, citrus, green apple, and floral. Moderate sessionability. Moderate pear flavor. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate complexity. I enjoyed it (more than their regular Perry, which I found had a lot of bitterness).

Sarah also shared a bottle pour with me of a Spanish Sidra which is new to the U.S.

Pomarina (Asturias Spain, 7.0% ABV): This Spanish Sidra was made in the style of methode champenoise (to naturally carbonate it). Semi-dry. Light bodied, frothy texture (although it had been open awhile so it didn’t have much carbonation left). Moderate tartness. High acidity. Low sourness. Hints of bitterness. No tannins or funk. Notes of citrus and green apple. Moderate length finish. Moderate sessionability. Low apple flavor. Low flavor intensity. Low complexity. I found this more approachable than most Sidra, as it was less sour. I’m not a fan of sourness though, so I didn’t care for it.

The Snowdrift Seckel Perry was my favorite.

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

Summer Cider Day 2016 in Port Townsend WA – Tasting Notes

August 9, 2016September 10, 2017 cidersays Bull Run, event, Nashi Orchards, New West, Rambling Route, review, Snowdrift, Spire Mountain, summer cider day, Wandering Aengus, Whitewood cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, port townsend, summer cider day, tasting notes, washington

This is Part 2/2 on Summer Cider Day 2016 in Port Townsend Washington, which includes tasting notes on the ciders I tried. See HERE for Part 1/2, covering the event itself.

Bull Run Pear Ice Wine, 12% – This is a 9% residual sugar ice perry, made from Hood River Oregon Bosc and Anjou pears, similar to how ice cider or ice (grape) wine is made (using the natural cold to concentrate the sweetness & flavor of the fruit). Semi-sweet to sweet (less sweet than a typical ice cider oddly enough, despite perries usually being sweeter than ciders as pears have non-fermentable sugars). Moderate to full bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. I found this unique, like a complex pear syrup, with a well-hidden ABV. In addition to all the pear flavor, there were some honey, citrus, and melon notes. Moderate length finish. Moderate pear flavor. Low sessionability. Moderate complexity. Moderate flavor intensity.

Nashi Orchards Barrel Fermented Cider, 6.9% – This is a cider made from primarily Winesap apples with some French & English bittersweets (from the WSU Mt. Vernon Cider Research Center), aged in neutral French oak barrels. Dry. Light bodied. Low tartness. Low to moderate acidity. Low bitterness and tannins. Definite Winesap apple flavor with hints of richness from the bittersweet apples. Notes of oak (low) and honey. Moderate to long slightly boozy finish. Low to moderate apple flavor. Low sessionability. Moderate complexity. Low flavor intensity. Overall this is quite subtle, similar to their other products I’ve tried. I would love to see them do something made from only bittersweet apples and barrel aged, as those are my favorites, but alas, good cider apples are hard to come by / expensive, so its not done much here in the U.S. (which is why I am also a big fan of English & French imports).

Nashi Orchards Island Harvest Perry, 6.7% – This perry is from 90% Asian pears (Shinsseiki and perry pears) and 10% seedling pears foraged on Vashon island. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low tartness. Moderate to high acidity. Hints of bitterness. Notes of pear, lemon, lime, and mineral. Moderate sessionability. Low pear flavor. Low flavor intensity. Moderate complexity. I found it to be very light; I think this would be great to pair with food. It was also very subtle.

New West Cidery – I thought I’d add a little about this cidery, as I hadn’t even heard of them before this event (their cider isn’t distributed to Seattle). They are part of Sasquatch Brewing in Portland Oregon, which was founded in 2011. They started making cider a few years ago under the New West name. They are opening a separate cidery in Northwest Portland in a couple months which will have 90 barrel fermenters (which is very large capacity considering a standard keg holds half a barrel). At the brewery’s tap room in Portland they currently offer 12 cider taps (including guest taps).

New West Black & Blue, 6.8% – Lovely deep berry hue. Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low carbonation. Low tartness and acidity. Very mild pure berry flavor, 50-50 blackberry and blueberry. Quick finish. No apple flavor. High sessionability. Low complexity. Low flavor intensity. I like a more flavorful cider, so I didn’t really care for this.

New West Señor Cider, 6.8% – Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Notes of several different hot peppers and a hint of citrus & honey. Moderate heat, mostly at the end of the sip, which lingers with a long finish. Low apple flavor, sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity. I don’t like spicy ciders, so I didn’t like this at all. I think a spicy cider works better when the spice level is low, it has higher residual sugar, and there is some flavor balance (like significant honey notes). Enough people must like these though, as cideries keep making them (for example – the Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA actually has a tap line dedicated to a rotating selection of spicy Schilling ciders).

Rambling Route Pear, 6.9% – This is the second cider in Tieton’s Rambling Route line, their Apple variety with Bartlett pear juice added. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Nearly still. Medium bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Moderate apple flavor. Very light pear flavor. High sessionability. Low flavor intensity and complexity. I think I prefer their Apple variety, although I’m not really a fan of either. I think Tieton’s regular line of ciders is superior (although that is likely to be expected from the price point), especially the recent draft-only Bourbon Peach (my tasting notes here).

Snowdrift Cornice, 7.3% – I’ve tried this before (see here), but it was awhile back, and I was curious how this year’s version turned out. This is their barrel aged cider made from cider apple varieties. Smells mildly oaky. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness. Low tannins. Notes of oak, smoke, and honey. Moderate apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Moderate complexity. Low flavor intensity. I found this vintage to be more approachable than their previous one, but I really enjoyed both.

Spire Mountain Dark & Dry, Jack Daniels Barrel Aged, 5.0% – This is a special version of their typical Dark & Dry cider which was aged in Jack Daniel whiskey barrels for 8 months. Smells strongly of whiskey, plus some oak and brown sugar. Semi-dry to dry. Medium bodied. Moderate to high bitterness. Low tartness and acidity. Notes of brown sugar, molasses, whiskey, vanilla, and coffee. Long bitter finish. High spirit influence. Low barrel influence. Low apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity. Low sessionability. Moderate complexity. Its crazy how the barrel aging changed this cider from a fairly simple sweet cider to a bitter complex dry cider! I think they are on to something with barrel aging this cider, but it was aged too long for my liking (something I thought I’d never say…I always say I wish a cider was aged longer!), as it was too intensely bitter.

Spire Mountain Dry Hop Apple, 5.0% – This is their Red Apple cider with Citra hops, their new Summer Seasonal. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied, slightly syrupy. Low tartness, acidity, and bitterness. Subtle hops flavor, more herbaceous than citrusy, which is unusual for a Citra hopped cider. Moderate to high apple flavor. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity. I thought this was pretty decent for a commercial cider; I liked how the hops flavor wasn’t overwhelming, although I think I like a more citrus-forward hopped cider.

Wandering Aengus Wanderlust, 6.9% – This was their first cider variety they made 12 years ago. Its an off-dry (0.5% residual sugar) English-style cider made from primarily heirloom sharp plus some bittersweet apples. Semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness. Low tannins. Notes of bittersweet apples, oak, and mineral. Sharp flavor with hints of richness. Moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. Moderate sessionability, complexity, and flavor intensity. This time around I enjoyed it better than when I tried it awhile back; either this batch had less bitterness than previously and/or I’m not as sensitive to it anymore.

Whitewood Gibb’s Farm, 6.7% – They nicknamed this limited release cider a “Farmer’s Reserve”. It was made from a large number of varieties of apples only from Grant Gibbs’ farm outside of Leavenworth WA. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Low carbonation. Medium bodied with a nice texture, slightly syrupy. Moderate tartness and acidity. Low bitterness and tannins. Notes of sharp apples, honey, and lemon. Moderate to long slightly boozy finish. Moderate to strong apple flavor. Moderate sessionability and flavor intensity. Low to moderate complexity. I enjoyed it.

Whitewood Newtown Pippin, 6.9% – This is a Newtown Pippin apple single varietal, part of their Old Fangled Series, made from 2016 harvest apples from Hood River Oregon. Semi-dry. Medium bodied, with a nice frothy texture. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Hints of bitterness and tannins. Quick finish. Moderate apple flavor. Low flavor intensity. Low complexity. Moderate sessionability. I found this to be very mild, which is characteristic of Newtown Pippins, but not something I prefer.

I didn’t taste ciders from every cidery there (as I had tried the remainder of the lineup), but here are photos of the other booths.

Schilling Cider House Visit 15 Tasting Notes

June 8, 2016June 4, 2016 cidersays Farnum Hill, Jester & Judge, Longdrop, Red Tank, review, Schilling, Snowdrift, Whitewood cider, cider bar, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes

Tasting notes from my fifteenth visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts with tasting notes here. I was there on a Tuesday evening for a tasting event with Longdrop Cider (from the Boise Idaho area).

I started with a flight before the event, then sampled four Longdrop ciders (2 on tap, 1 bottled, and 1 canned) and a bit of a Canadian ice cider which Sarah opened. There were supposed to be 4 kegs from Longdrop, but 2 didn’t make it in time. I hadn’t previously tried any of their ciders. Longdrop is relatively new to Washington (their ciders are sold throughout Idaho and in Seattle WA and Portland OR). I got to meet their “head apple wrangler” (Chris Blanchard) and they had some giveaways (I got a sweet t-shirt).

Schilling Peach Grapefruit Habanero, 5.0% ABV, Auburn WA: This is a one-off keg of their Grapefruit cider infused with peach and habanero. I’ve tried many of their ciders. Very hazy. Smells like grapefruit with some definite spiciness. Semi-sweet. Moderate tartness. Mild acidity. I didn’t really taste any peach, only grapefruit, and the spiciness was overwhelming for me. Long spicy finish. I learned that the Cider House will maintain one “spicy” tap line, and this currently replaces their Sriracha Lime. I couldn’t do more than two tiny sips of this one; my favorites from them remain King’s Shilling and Pineapple Paradise.

Red Tank Roughneck, 6.5% ABV, Bend OR: This is one of their flagship ciders. I’ve tried a few of their ciders. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low tartness and acidity. A hint of bitterness and sourness. Kinda bland / low flavor intensity, but it had a bit of unfiltered apple juice flavor, yeast, and earthiness. For unfiltered ciders, I prefer 2 Towns OutCider.

Whitewood Winesap, 6.8% ABV, Olympia WA: A special release tap-only cider. I’ve tried a few of their ciders. Semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. A hint of tannins. Slightly sharp, apple-forward, and citrus-forward. It mellowed out a bit as it warmed up. Medium bodied. I found this similar to the other single varietal winesap apple ciders I’ve tried from Blue Mountain and Locust, and slightly wine-like. My favorite from them is the Whiskey Barrel Aged Kingston Black, which is one of my all time favorite ciders (and I was only able to sample a bit twice; hopefully it is released in bottles sometime).

Farnum Hill Dooryard, 7.5% ABV, Lebanon NH: This is one of their best selling / flagship ciders; Farnum Hill typically labels the different batches of this cider with a code, and you can look up what is in them online (they vary apple varieties and such quite a bit under the same Dooryard label), but I don’t know what batch this was. Also available in bottles, and sold from their Poverty Lane Orchard in growlers. I’ve previously only tried their Extra Dry cider. Dry. Mild tartness and acidity. Mild to moderate bitterness. Mild funk. A hint of sourness as it warmed up. Mild tannins. Citrus, vanilla, mineral, and clove notes. Wine-like and nuanced. This isn’t really my cup of tea.

Jester & Judge Pineapple Express, 5.5% ABV, Stevenson WA: This is a new tap-only release. I’ve tried a few of their ciders. Hazy. Semi-sweet. Strong fresh pineapple flavor! Nice fizziness/frothiness. Moderate tartness and acidity. Light bodied. Quick finish. I really enjoyed this one, despite its simplicity. I found it similar to Schilling’s Pineapple Passion / Trouble in Paradise, but with slight lime instead of slight passion fruit notes.

Snowdrift Semi-Dry, 7.1% ABV, Wenatchee WA: This is one of their flagship ciders, and although I’ve tried most of them, I had only seen their Dry variety previously. Available in bottles and kegs. Dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild bitterness. Mild tannins. Medium bodied. Sharp flavor with some crabapple, apple pomace, and brown sugar notes, and slight richness. Moderate length finish. My favorites from them remain Red, Cornice, and Cliffbreaks Blend.

Longdrop Tanager Pear Cider, 6.0% ABV, Eagle ID: This is their spring seasonal release, a pear cider (apple + pear, not perry), available in 22oz bottles. Smells like juicy pear. Semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Light bodied, with a fizzy/frothy mouthfeel. Quick finish. Simple apple & pear flavor, but it was nice & light and easy to drink.

Longdrop Vanilla Honey, 6.0% ABV, Eagle ID: This is one of their two most commonly found ciders. Available in 12oz cans and draft. Made from Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith apples, with Madagascar Vanilla beans and Idaho honey. Smells strongly of honey. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Honeycomb flavor with a hint of vanilla. Quick finish. I really loved the honeycomb flavor; you can tell it was high quality honey.

Longdrop Derby Canyon, 6.9%, Eagle ID: This is a special release for the 2016 Apple Blossom Festival, named after a landmark in Washington nearby where the apples for this cider are from. This cider was made with 100% Wenatchee Valley apples…”it’s got a big apple taste with some complexity – probably because it’s got one of every kind of apple out there in it”. Available in 220z bottles and kegs. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Light bodied. Apple-forward with some unfiltered apple juice flavor.

Longdrop Semi-Sweet, 5.5% ABV, Eagle ID: This is one of their two most commonly found ciders. Available in 12oz cans and draft. Made from Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith apples. Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Light bodied. Apple-forward with some vanilla notes and a hint of vinegar/salt?

Pomme De Coeur ice cider, 6.9% ABV, Rougemont Canada: This is the first Canadian ice cider I’ve tried, and the lowest ABV I’ve seen. Its pretty widely available in boxed tall 375ml bottles. Ice cider originated in Quebec, and is made with either apples or apple juice which has been exposed to cold cycles, which concentrates the sugar (and thus flavor), and produces a higher ABV beverage as well. Smells like caramelized sugar. Sweet but not as sweet as other ice ciders such as from Eden. Medium bodied. Very juice-like, with less complexity than other ice ciders. It also doesn’t have the body and higher ABV of most ice ciders. I liked the first couple sips, but after that its inferior quality was apparent. I like the super concentrated intense flavor of other ice ciders; Eden Northern Spy (barrel aged) is my favorite so far. Although its about $15 (vs. $30+) for 375ml, I’d rather get the good stuff. I imagine there are much better Canadian ice ciders available than this (often the more commercial beverages are the ones which have the means to export their products), so I hope to try another in the future.

My favorite Longdrop cider was the Vanilla Honey, and my favorite cider from my flight was Jester & Judge’s Pineapple cider.

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

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?

Cider Tasting with Bill Bradshaw and 9 Washington Cideries at Capitol Cider in Seattle

September 28, 2015August 10, 2017 cidersays Alpenfire, Capitol Cider, Cider Summit, Dragon's Head, event, Finnriver, Liberty, local, Nashi Orchards, Snowdrift, Tieton, Washington Cider Week, Westcott Bay Bill Bradshaw, Capitol Cider, cider, cider summit, cider tasting, hard cider, seattle, washington, Washington Cider Week

The Washington Cider Week posts continue! The previous week brought me to Seattle Cider and the Burgundian (Eden & Alpenfire event ) on Thursday night to kick off Washington Cider Week, and Cider Summit Seattle 2015 on Friday & Saturday (see post 1 for tasting notes and post 2 about the event & photos). This week brought me to Capitol Cider for a tasting event with Bill Bradshaw and nine Washington cideries (Tues Sept 15 2015, covered here), and to the Schilling Cider House for the 2 Towns tap night (Thurs Sept 17 2015, covered soon).

[Additions after initial post release are in brackets, and incorrect information is ~~struck through~~. Thanks Dave from Whitewood for the corrections and extra info!]

I had been to Capitol Cider once before, but it was probably over a year ago. I really didn’t like that first visit much at all, as nothing really went well, from the food (it was early lunchtime on a weekend but they mostly had brunch items, not lunch), to the service (grumpy bartender), to the cider (didn’t like anything I tried, and the bartender wasn’t too forthcoming with samples; I would have preferred a flight, which they now offer).

Much has changed there since then! Their service was good this time (I give them some slack as they had to give everyone a few handouts and 9 different ciders! in addition to taking any other orders). Their bottle list has much improved / expanded. However, unfortunately it is mostly just a list (they only have the smaller bottles in some fridges literally at floor level near the entry). As it is a printed list, it easily gets out of date (both times I bought bottles they only had half of what I wanted, although I was requesting more rare & special release selections). However, Capitol Cider isn’t really my sort of scene. Getting there & parking is a nightmare for one. The Schilling Cider House is honestly more my style, plus they have more taps (32) and a larger bottle selection (which you can see and look at the labels).

Bill Bradshaw is a cider expert who hails from the UK and has written several books about cider, among other things. This special event was a guided tasting through ciders from nine Washington cideries. Dave White from Whitewood Cider apparently helped Bill Bradshaw choose the cideries, although I’m not sure how the ciders got chosen (it didn’t appear Bill, Dave, or the cideries themselves chose the cider selections, so it may have been availability / mostly what they already had on tap). [The cidermakers chose the ciders poured, although there was some confusion from one of the cideries as far as their selection.] They are for the most part some of the more traditional cideries in WA. For $30, I got a flight of nine ciders (probably a 3 or 4 oz pour each), plus a full glass of the cider of my choice. I unfortunately had to drive, so I made due with my flight (finishing my favorite ciders and leaving the rest) and a couple tastes afterward, but no full glass of cider. Most of the cideries had one or more cidermakers on hand who came up on the stage and explained about their chosen cider.

They were also selling Bill’s books, he was signing autographs, and many of the cideries brought some bottles which they opened after the event and poured tastes. During the event there was a slideshow of Bill’s photos. They also played the teaser for a documentary titled ‘Cider Hunters’ that he and Pete Brown (co-author of World’s Best Ciders) are fundraising for, about the history of cider in the U.S. Cider is “the drink that built America”. He described how it disappeared, breweries moved in, the craft beer movement started in the ’80s, and now we are in the age of craft cider, built from the beer explosion. Throughout the event there was some discussion on whether cider is more similar to wine or beer. It depends on who you ask. Bill seemed to lean towards beer, but I’d probably lean more towards wine as scientifically speaking cider is a type of fruit wine, although the ABV of most ciders is more similar to beer than wine.

The event was also unfortunately at 6pm on a weeknight, which is late for me as I go to work at 6am. So, I didn’t get to stay too long after they were done with the guided tasting a bit after 8pm. I was surprised there were still some empty seats, as I had expected this to easily sell out (I purchased my ticket a few days in advance over the phone to ensure I wouldn’t get turned away). Considering that almost all of the 9 cideries were represented and that many brought more than one person, plus the Capitol Cider folks and such, there were almost as many folks that were working the event as attending the event! They were setting up live music and it looked like the party kept going after I left. The event was held in Capitol Cider’s basement bar area, which has a small stage, tables, bar height tables, a bar, pool tables & such, and restrooms.

I had an awesome time! Many of the cidermakers I had been chatting with the previous week were there. I also hadn’t previously tried 6 out of the 9 ciders they were pouring, which is quite good odds as they are all local. I tried to take some photos, but the lighting was pretty horrible. Click to biggify.

Upon sitting down I spotted a clipboard full of menus. They had menus for their cider tap list, beer & regular cocktails, cider cocktails, cider flights, food, and a cider bottle list! I focused on photographing the cider stuff. Weird angles to avoid glare; sorry. Their food menu (gluten free restaurant by the way) is on their website. I ate some pho before the event as I wasn’t sure if it would work well to try to eat dinner during it, and their menu is a bit fru-fru for my liking. That was a good call as its difficult enough to taste cider and take notes! I did however order some creme brulee, which was pretty disappointing, as it was almost half fruit, small, and expensive.

Now, on to the nine ciders of the night! They were tasted in an order to try to minimize the effect the last would have on the next, not in the numerical (alphabetical) order. I believe that all the ciders which were on their tap list were tap pours, and the remaining two (Nashi and Westcott Bay) were bottle pours. I really enjoyed hearing about the ciders as I was tasting them. They also took audience questions / comments.

(6) Tieton Ciderworks Sparkling Perry, 5.5% ABV. I hadn’t tried this one before, but have tried a number of varieties from Tieton. Its part of their “top shelf ciders” along with the Cidermaker’s Reserve (which I’ve reviewed), available in pretty 500ml bottles. Craig Campbell, a grower at Tieton’s orchard (and the one who started Tieton with his wife), was the presenter. It is made from 11 varieties of perry pears grown in their orchard (which is the largest cider apple & perry pear orchards in Washington, but still small by orchard standards). Craig noted that pears are much more difficult to grow and press into juice than apples. This perry was made using a French keeving technique, where it is slow fermented with wild yeast for 5 months. He said this method can calm some of the tannins of the perry pears. Craig also noted that this perry was just bottled/kegged in May, and may taste even better after bottle aging for 1-2 years. On the drier side of semi-sweet. Mild tartness, bitterness, and tannins. Medium bodied. Unique strawberry notes. I would have liked more carbonation, but I imagine my sample may have sat for a bit / not been able to be poured correctly due to the size. Pretty tasty!

(5) Nashi Orchards Issho Ni “Together” Cider, 6.9% ABV. This was my first time trying anything from Nashi Orchards, although I have one of their perries at home. Jim Gerlach, owner and cidermaker, was there to present. This is one of the few (two?) ciders that Nashi Orchards makes; they specialize in perry. Their orchard is full of asian pear varieties and they pride themselves in using traditional cidermaking methods. This cider was made using apples from the Vashon Island community, which included a lot of crabapples and heirloom apple varieties. It was dry fermented and not backsweetened. Smells like English cider, of rich bittersweet apples. On the drier side of semi-dry. Moderate to high tannins and bitterness. Mild tartness. I liked the bark better than the bite on this one (smelled better than it tasted). It was a bit too high in tannins & bitterness for my liking, likely from the high crabapple content. I imagine like most ciders, if I was having a full glass, I would have liked it better (vs. having a tasting glass).

(7) Snowdrift Dry, 7.6% ABV. I’ve tried a number of Snowdrift cider varieties; my favorites so far are Red (made from red fleshed apples) and Cornice (barrel aged). This one was presented by someone from Capitol Cider, but Snowdrift sent along some notes. It was commented that they have a small orchard and cidery which is ideally located in East Wenatchee, with its hot summers and cold winters, ideal for cider apples which thrive with temperature variations. Their orchard is mostly Yarlington Mill cider apples, but they have over 40 apple varieties. They noted this cider won an international contest, which is rare for a PNW cider (vs. a UK cider). Semi-dry. Clean plain apple scent. Low in tannins, bitterness, acidity, and tartness. Some citrus notes, but I otherwise didn’t pick up much. Smooth. The alcohol is well hidden. I found it kinda boring, but a very solid selection.

(2) Dragon’s Head Traditional, 6.9% ABV. This is the variety I tried at Cider Summit. I also have a bottle of their Wild Fermented at home. Wes Cherry (co-owner with his wife) presented. They are from Vashon Island, where they grow over 70 varieties of cider apples, mostly English and some French. They moved their cidery from the Seattle area 5 years ago to start the orchard. This year was their first significant harvest from their own orchard. This cider underwent malolactic fermentation (which is when malic acid is converted to lactic acid, and can often be considered a fault but some cidermakers desire it) which was arrested to retain some residual sweetness and give some butterscotch notes. Semi-dry. Higher acidity. Citrus and fruity notes. Low to moderate tannins and bitterness. Mild tartness. I really enjoyed this cider. Probably as it had a little more complexity to it and didn’t go too overboard on tannins and bitterness.

(8) Westcott Bay Semi-Dry, 6.8% ABV. This was my first time trying any ciders from Westcott Bay. Presented by Capitol Cider. Westcott Bay has their own cider orchard in the San Juan Islands which dates back to the 1870s. They re-planted in the mid 1990s and released their first cider in 1999. They make more traditional apples using cider apple varieties such as Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill, Dabinett and Sweet Coppin. Semi-sweet. Similar to English cider. Bitter finish, but still only mild to moderate. Moderate tannins. Bolder flavor. I really enjoyed this cider. I like ciders like this which have a bold flavor profile without being too bitter or too high in tannins.

(1) Alpenfire Simple Cider, 6.9% ABV. I’ve had a number of ciders from Alpenfire, but hadn’t even heard of this one (it looks like it may be tap only at this time?). I particularly like their Apocalypso and Spark! ciders. Presented by Nancy Bishop. They described themselves as a more traditional cidery whose ciders tend to be higher in tannins. They planted their cider apple orchard in 2003, then needed to learn how to use it, and get people to buy their ciders! This variety is their least traditional cider, made from basic heirloom and dessert apples. It is sweeter and described as having some honeysuckle aromas, and was lightly oak aged. On the sweeter side of semi-sweet. Slightly hazy. I picked up some honey, pear, and mild herbal notes. No significant tannins, bitterness, acidity, tartness, etc. I thought it was rather complex for a simple cider! I really enjoyed it.

(4) Liberty Ciderworks Abbess, 7.6% ABV. I’ve had a number of ciders from Liberty. Presented by Rick Hastings. This is a newer cidery from Spokane, open about a year and a half, and they currently produce 7,500 liters a year. Unlike many of the cideries featured, they don’t have their own orchard. However, they have found ways (probably at great expense) to obtain cider apples, primarily from three different orchards, including from Garfield WA. They also use a lot of crabapples. They aim to keep the apple centric, and don’t plan to do flavored ciders; their Turncoat Dry Hop cider and this one is as flavored as they get. I particularly like their Manchurian Crabapple and English Style ciders. Rick commented the Spokane cider market is growing slower than Seattle, but is still growing. Liberty was tasting their new Abbess variety, with gin botanicals. Made from Empire, Macintosh, and Manchurian Crabapples. Its been out for about a month in their tap room and has been popular. English cider scent with a hint of botanicals. On the drier side of semi-dry. Bold flavored. A hint of botanical flavor. Significant tartness, bitterness, and tannins. I’m not a huge fan of this one, but it didn’t have any faults and is a solid selection.

(9) Whitewood Cider Kingston Black, 9.7 ABV. I had tried this cider at Cider Summit, but didn’t mind having it again in the least, as it was one of my favorites! I’ve only tried Whitewood’s Summer Switchel and this one, but look forward to trying some others. Presented by Dave White. Whitewood released their first ciders in 2013, so this is their third season. Dave aims to make more traditional ciders, with heirloom & cider apple varieties. He noted their Southsounder cider is made from apples within 20 miles of Olympia. This Kingston Black cider was made with champagne yeast, but Dave hopes to eventually make a wild fermented batch. It is 80% Kingston Black and 20% ~~Cornish~~ [Porter’s] Perfection, much to Dave’s disappointment. He aimed to make a single varietal, but apparently the Kingston Black apples were sliding around too much during pressing or something, as they were sweated to bring out more flavor. Doing an almost single varietal Kingston Black cider must have been very expensive, as they are rare. ~~He noted some Woodinville Whiskey was added to the barrel before aging~~. [The barrel was from Wishkah River Distillery in Aberdeen, WA.] I don’t like aged spirits, but love the flavor in a cider. This cider was taken out of fermentation in early 2014 and barrel aged until just recently. Dry. Whiskey and vanilla notes. Rich bold flavor. Very smooth, with hidden ABV. Low to moderate bitterness. Yum!

(3) Finnriver Fire Barrel, 6.5% ABV. I’ve tried a large number of Finnriver ciders, and even tried this variety quite awhile ago. I remembered really looking forward to it but being disappointed. I bought another bottle recently as so many folks enjoy this cider, and I wanted to give it another chance, as my palate has changed. So, here will eventually be a full review of it here. Presented by Eric Jorgensen, a co-founder. They were described as a small organic farm which started selling cider in 2010. Eric thinks they were the least traditional of the nine cideries present. However, he described this as their most traditional cider, as it is made from cider apples. They started a second orchard three years ago and aim to remain sustainable and organic. This cider recipe was original produced by Drew Zimmerman, who sold the rights when he retired. It is made from Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill, and Dabinett cider apple varieties. This cider is no longer aged in Kentucky whiskey barrels though, as they aim to keep it more local, instead using UT or WA barrels. This cider has inspired Finnriver to take on other barrel aging projects. They mentioned they are barrel aging a small batch of their Black Currant cider, which sounds awesome, as that is one of my favorites of theirs, along with Honey Meadow. Very smooth. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Mild barrel notes. Bold flavor. Moderate tannins, bitterness, and acidity. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this cider, in contrast to my memory from awhile back. I look forward to drinking the bottle I have at home!

I was interested in buying four bottles to take home from Capitol Cider, but they only had two of the ones I wanted, Virtue The Mitten and AeppelTreow Appely Doux. I had heard of both but didn’t know they even sold them in WA! I had been wanting to try The Mitten ever since I got into cider; it often makes top cider lists. Note that the prices shown on their bottle list below are to drink there, but you get a 25% discount to take home. That brings their prices just a bit over local bottle shops for most ciders. The cost to drink a bottle is much less of a markup than most wine lists. However, with all those ciders on tap, why would you want to? They initially forgot to apply the 25% discount (they were very busy and I was asked them to go to the back and find specific bottles), so I was very glad I checked my receipt.

Unfortunately the cider list was stapled at the top, so even taking it off the clipboard I couldn’t get good photos. The angles are again to avoid glare from overhead lighting. Impressive bottle list! However, the win still goes to the Schilling Cider House in Fremont, as you can look at the actual bottles.

I got my new copy of World’s Best Ciders (which I reviewed here recently) autographed by Bill Bradshaw, and even got to chat with him for a few minutes.

Stay tuned for the last but not least Washington Cider Week event post, from the 2 Towns night at the Schilling Cider House! Like Cider Says on Facebook for the latest info.

Cider Summit Seattle 2015 Tasting Notes

September 21, 2015September 10, 2017 cidersays 101 Ciderhouse, 2 Towns, Alpenfire, Anthem, Apple Outlaw, Cider Summit, Dragon's Head, E.Z. Orchards, Eaglemount, Eden, event, Farnum Hill, Finnriver, Liberty, local, Manoir du Parc, Millstone, Montana Ciderworks, Moonlight Meadery, NV Cider, One Tree, review, Sea Cider, Snowdrift, Sonoma Cider, Traditions, Wandering Aengus, Whitewood, Woodinville Ciderworks, Worley's cider, cider summit, cider summit seattle, cider tasting, hard cider, seattle

What an epic event! This long-awaited post will cover my tasting notes on the 32 ciders I tried at Cider Summit 2015 (Sept 11 & 12 2015 at South Lake Union). Another post (post 2/2 now up HERE) will cover information about the event and have lots of photos, including of the swag I picked up and the event program. I was lucky enough to attend both days, and after a couple tastes I learned to ask for a smaller pour!

When you are going for quantity (vs. many of the folks who were just there to drink some cider and didn’t care so much what type or trying as many as they could), the smaller the taste the better, as long as you can get a couple good gulps in. Sorry in advance I don’t have too many cider photos (its difficult at an event like this to juggle a glass, notepad, camera phone, etc), but post 2 will have more event & booth photos. Hopefully someone enjoys these notes, as it took me many hours.

101 Cider House Black Dog Black Cider (Westlake Village CA). 6.9% ABV. This is a unique “black cider”, which is from adding activated charcoal (apparently a new beverage trend, and is good for the digestion too). It also includes lemon and agave nectar. The color turned out a very weird green-blue-black tint (see below). Fairly dry. I’d say similar to Spanish Sidra (as it had a lot of sour citrus flavor) with a hint of weird from the charcoal. I thought of it as more of a novelty, but some of my tasting buddies said they would actually buy a bottle. This was more drinkable than their Cactus Red (which was crazy tart), but not my thing.

2 Towns Prickle Me Pink (Corvallis OR). 6.0% ABV. This cider was released just this week, and uses prickly pear cactus fruit juice from California (reminiscent of my time in Arizona). Semi-dry. Fluorescent pink color! Tart. Nice and flavorful. Some cactus fruit flavor (yes I’ve actually eaten one before and know what they taste like), but also some berry and watermelon notes.

Alpenfire Ember (Port Townsend WA). 7.2% ABV. This one is made from French & English bittersweet apples, organic, wild fermented, and bottle conditioned. Semi-dry. Higher carbonation. Very high tannins and moderate astringency (I’d almost describe the mouthfeel as “chunky” lol). I wasn’t really a fan, but folks who like a really high tannin ciders probably would. I really love their Spark! and Apocalypso though, which are their more approachable and sweeter varieties. Their Smoke was also pretty tasty.

Anthem Ap-Bee-Cot (Salem OR). 6.5% ABV. Apple-apricot cider fermented with natural yeast from bee pollen. Draft only. Semi-dry, unfiltered, and tart, with mild apricot & honey notes. I’ve not really been a fan of any of Wandering Aengus / Anthem’s ciders.

Apple Outlaw Oaked Sweet Dark Cherry (Applegate OR). unknown ABV. Tart with mild cherry notes and the slightest hint of oak barrel flavor. Not really impressed, but it wasn’t bad at all either. The first time I’ve tried their ciders. At this time they also offer Original, Rabid Dry, Ginger Bite, Cranberry Jewel, Hoppin’ Holdup, and Tangerine Twist in bottles.

Dragon’s Head Traditional (Vashon Island WA). 6.8% ABV. Semi-dry, rather still, smooth, acidic, mild tartness, and moderate tannins. My first time trying their cider (although I have a bottle of their Wild Fermented at home). A pretty solid selection.

Eaglemount Homestead Dry (Port Townsend WA). 8.0% ABV. Hazy. Dry, tart, and bitter. Made with heirloom apple varieties including Gravenstein, White Pippin, Stayman’s Winesap, and Tolman Sweet. Not really my thing. I love their Quince though! I mostly tried it as I wanted to try another one of their offerings, and nothing else sounded interesting (Rhubarb, Raspberry Ginger, and Boot Brawl, which is hopped). A solid choice for those who like this style of cider though.

Eden Heirloom Blend Ice Cider (Newport VT). 10% ABV. Very sweet. Syrupy but awesome bold full flavor. Well-hidden ABV. Vanilla and brown sugar notes. I look forward to trying more from Eden! It was awesome to meet Eleanor at the Burgundian event the night before and try two of their other ciders. I hadn’t tried any of their ciders before this weekend. My husband surprised me with a bottle of this for our anniversary! Happy wife.

E.Z. Orchards Semi-Dry (Salem OR). 6.4% ABV. On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Uses French bittersweet apples, which have lower acidity and bring in some tannins and tartness. This was my first time trying their ciders. Pretty tasty.

Farnum Hill Extra Dry (Lebanon NH). 7.5% ABV. I’d still call this one dry, not extra dry, as I picked up a hint of residual sugar. Very tannic and acidic with moderate bitterness. Significant carbonation. Not really my cup of tea, but I think this is a great wine-lovers cider. I had wanted to try their Dooryard, which had been on the tasting list, but they didn’t have it.

Finnriver Country Peach (Chimacum WA). 6.5% ABV. Hazy slightly pink lemonade color. Semi-dry. Sour and tart, but a more approachable sour than some (vs. their Barrel Berry Sour and traditional Sidra and such). More of a peach skin than peach taste. Acidic and slightly vinegary.

Finnriver Cyser Cider (Chimacum WA). 6.9% ABV. Honey cider made with mead yeast. Semi-dry. Similar to their Honey Meadow, but without the hint of herbal flavor (I like Honey Meadow better). Low acidity, tartness, and bitterness. Earthy.

Liberty Ciderworks English Style Cider (Spokane WA). 8.0% ABV. Made with cider apples (including Dabinett, Yarlington Mill and Ashton Bitter) and aged for over a year. Semi-dry. Lovely bittersweet flavors with a bit of a “bite”. Tannic and acidic. Bright amber. Very tasty, and definitely English-style. I’m a big fan of theirs, and looking forward to trying the bottle of their Stonewall Dry Fly Barrel-Aged cider I have at home.

Manoir du Parc Authentic Cidre (Normandy France). 5% ABV? A naturally carbonated (bottle conditioned) wild yeast fermented traditional French cider with “no shit added” per the French dude pouring it lol. Semi-dry. Funky, tart, high carbonation, and high tannin. A bit too traditional / funky for my tastes, maybe from the wild fermentation? So far I’ve been more impressed with Dan Armor and Domaine Pacory Poire Domfront from France.

Millstone Cellars Farmgate Dry (Monkton MD). 8.5% ABV. I really wanted to give Millstone another chance, as I didn’t care for their Cobbler at all. I chose this one mostly as the other varieties they were pouring weren’t appealing (hopped, ginger, and strawberry rhubarb). Barrel aged and made from 40% Stayman Winesap, 30% Northern Spy, 25% Jonathan, and 5% Cameo apples. Apparently they are known for tart, funky, and astringent ciders which are similar to Sidra, although of course no one told me! In contrast to Cobbler, I found this drinkable, but I still didn’t care for it. Definitely dry, tart, sour, funky, and astringent. To me all those qualities were overpowering such that that the cider couldn’t shine and I couldn’t detect any barrel influence, etc. A lot of folks really like sour ciders (and beers) though. Shoutout to Kyle who I e-mailed with, was there pouring cider, and really wanted me to find something from them I liked! I also saw him at the Burgundian the night before. They recently re-did their website, and I think it does a much better job of describing their cider style. The mis-advertisement on the bottle and their website was my main complaint about Cobbler (I get not everyone likes every cider so I never fault a cider because I didn’t like it)…that it wasn’t described as sour, tart, astringent, funky, etc.

Montana Ciderworks Darby Pub Cider (Sula MT). 5% ABV. Semi-sweet. Described as “semi-dry new world style”. Sold in MT, WA, and CO. English cider flavor with some woody & earthy notes, but its an easy drinking and approachable variety. Fuller bodied and effervescent. Mostly Spartan (Montanan) apples, but the earthy notes are from some bittersharp and crab apples. I wasn’t expecting it to be as sweet as it was (slightly back sweetened), but it was nice. This was my first time trying their cider, and I’m impressed!

Moonlight Meadery How do you like them Apples Bourbon Barrel Cider (Londonderry NH). 13.5% ABV. Draft-only cider with honey and brown sugar, aged at least 3 months in Jim Beam bourbon barrels they used for their Last Apple mead. Very similar to their How do you like them Little Apples I tried at the Schilling Cider House, which was also bourbon barrel aged (this one was slightly sweeter and had more barrel flavor). Very tasty! Definitely sweet and syrupy, but it has a lovely rich barrel flavor too.

Moonlight Meadery Kurt’s Apple Pie Mead (Londonderry NH). 16.8% ABV. Mead bottle pour. Made from local apple cider, Madagascar-bourbon vanilla, and Vietnamese cinnamon spice. My husband got a small pour and I tried a sip. Not really my thing because of the spice, but very smooth. This is one of their most popular products.

Neigel Vintners (NV) Cider Cherry Perry (Wenatchee WA). 5.1% ABV. They announced this new variety when I interviewed brothers and co-founders Kevin & Mark Van Reenen, and this weekend was its release. They left this fairly unfiltered, so there was a nice thicker mouthfeel with both pear and cherry flavors. Very balanced between the two flavors. Sweet but not overly. Yum! I was surprised to see a couple other local cideries also make a “Cherry Perry”, Wildcraft and Carlton. They don’t currently plan to bottle it, but if they do, they noted it would have to be slightly more filtered so it would be more stable.

One Tree Caramel Cinnamon (Spokane Valley WA). 6.8% ABV. Sweet. Cinnamon with a hint of caramel. Syrupy. Spiced cider isn’t really my thing, but I was intrigued. Their booth was very popular at the event.

One Tree Lemon Basil (Spokane Valley WA). 6.5% ABV. Semi-sweet. Nice lemonade-type tartness with a hint of herbal basil flavor. Very unique. This was my first time trying ciders from One Tree. They are fairly new, but seem to quickly be building a following. At this time they also offer Cranberry, Huckleberry, and Ginger in bottles, and Crisp Apple in cans.

Sea Cider Bramble Bubbly (Saanichton B.C.). 9.9% ABV. Semi-sweet. My sample didn’t have much if any carbonation, so I missed out on the “bubbly” part, but it was the end of the bottle. Lovely berry/rosé color but the blackberry flavor was a bit underwhelming and sorta standard. Some tartness. Overall it was disappointing…I had really been looking forward to trying this one (its difficult to find this side of the border and I’d always rather taste something than commit to a bottle, especially when its in that $20 price range for a 750ml). I will say that it hid the alcohol very well though, and was well-crafted. I really love their Prohibition, but that is a completely different flavor profile!

Snowdrift Cliffbreaks Blend (Wenatchee WA). 7.6% ABV. Semi-sweet. I picked up a lot of pear notes with this one for some reason? Its supposed to be more of an English / bittersweet apple cider with some melon & dried fruit notes. A bit tart with a hint of citrus too. I tried it at a different time than the Perry (below) too. Bold flavor, but I didn’t really get that richness I was expecting. Very tasty nonetheless. This is probably the most popular of their regular line. Their Red & Cornice are probably their most popular overall. I was happy to hear they are increasing production & distribution of both of those, as they are my favorites…the Red slightly more so, which is odd as barrel aged is usually my favorite. I was very happy to pick up two bottles of Red for $12 each at Whole Food’s 20% off cider day (Friday of Cider Summit). Its a good thing I picked them up near home, as they were out at the one near the Summit.

Snowdrift Perry (Wenatchee WA). 10.1% ABV. Semi-dry. I was expecting different with this one…I tasted a lot of bitterness & tartness, and only a very mild pear flavor. I haven’t had too many true perries though, so I probably didn’t know what to really expect. Its made in the labor-intensive way of Méthode Champenoise (secondary fermentation). I wasn’t really a fan. Red is definitely still my favorite from Snowdrift….and it was getting a lot of love at the Summit!

Sonoma Cider Dry Zider (Healdsburg CA). 6.9% ABV. Cider aged in Red Zinfandel oak barrels for 7 months. Rosé wine-like cider. Very dry (0.3 BRIX). Light berry/salmon color. A bit tart. Nice fizz. Not bad, but not really my sort of cider. This one is a special release that is available now (has slowly been rolling out for a few months).

Sonoma Cider The Pulley (Healdsburg CA). unknown ABV. This is a brand new variety for them, and launched at the event (not even bottled yet)! They referred to it as absinthe-style, and said the only addition was fennel. Dry. Slight herbal flavor. Very unique. Not bad, but not my sort of cider. I got to meet David (one of the cidermakers, with his son Robert).

Traditions Ciderworks (by 2 Towns) Amity Rose 2012 (Corvallis OR). 6.5% ABV. Made from traditional French and English cider apples grown in Amity OR. Semi-sweet (but maybe it just came across that way? I’m guessing it would test drier). Rather plain, but wine-like with some honey notes.

Traditions Ciderworks (by 2 Towns) Bourbon Barrel 2012 (Corvallis OR). 6.9% ABV. On the sweeter side of dry. Strong unique bourbon barrel flavor, but not overwhelming. Very smooth. Light bodied. Higher in tannins. Aged in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels for 4 months (apparently they got their barrels very wet, so it adds more of the flavor of the spirit). Made with Dabinett & Kingston Black cider apples and wine yeast. Awesome! This was my first time trying their Traditions line, which uses cider apples and is sold in 750 ml bottles (vs. the regular 2 Towns line which uses dessert apples and is sold in 500ml bottles, plus a couple selections in cans). Definitely try this one if you can find some! I was very happy to get my hands on a bottle (at Full Throttle Bottles, as they ran out at Cider Summit, or couldn’t find it or whatever).

Traditions Ciderworks (by 2 Towns) Riverwood 2013 (Corvallis OR). 6.9% ABV. Semi-sweet. Made with Jonagold apples (a cross between Golden Delicious and Jonathan) and inspired by sparkling brut champagnes. I found it very similar to their Amity Rose but slightly sweeter, with some floral notes. I imagine if I sat down with both of them I’d have better tasting notes, but I had just a few sips of each one after the other.

Wandering Aengus Oaked Dry (Salem OR). 6.8% ABV. Made from English and French bittersweet apples. Dry. Mild barrel earthy flavor. Fairly easy drinking for a barrel aged cider. Like all of their ciders though, I picked up more bitterness than I prefer, so I’m not a big fan.

Whitewood Whisky Barrel Aged Kingston Black (Olympia WA). 9.7% ABV. I was really looking forward to this one (mostly as Kingston Black is a famous epitome of a cider apple and I’ve never had a single varietal of it), and it didn’t disappoint! Apparently this isn’t a true single varietal (ended up 80% Kingston Black and 20% Porter’s Perfection due to some pressing difficulty due to the type of apples), but very close. Aged almost 2 years in Wishkaw River whiskey barrels! Dry. Significant rich barrel flavor. Higher acidity and tannins with some tartness. Longer finish. Very similar to Traditions Bourbon Barrel, but more cider apple than (good) boozy flavor (although this one is higher ABV as Kingston Black has a high sugar content). Quite different from their Summer Switchel I tried previously. Definitely try this one if you can find some (very small run)!

Woodinville Ciderworks Tropical (Woodinville WA). 6.3% ABV. Tap pour. Cider from dessert apple juice (granny smith, gala, fuji, etc, from Fruit Smart) with mango & passionfruit essence (fresh made concentrate) to backsweeten. Semi-sweet. Definitely some nice bold tropical flavor going on. Mild tartness. Good fizz. Definitely a tasty easy drinking cider that I think with the right price and advertising would sell well. I found it very interesting that the cidermaker/owner Leroy said he ~~made this~~ (added: put the finishing touches on this) Tuesday for the weekend event, comparing to his experience in the wine industry where it takes much longer to get out a product. (added: the cider was tank aged for 4 months and back sweetened just before the event) Most craft cidermakers I’ve talked to will at least tank age then bottle age a bit, if not bottle condition, their ciders, so although the product is done quickly, they don’t consider it ready for many months. This event was their release! They said bottles should be in stores in about a month. Overall I think its a solid introductory craft cider, kinda similar to Atlas. The flavor of their Tropical reminded me a bit of Rev Nat’s Revival, although Rev Nat didn’t add any tropical flavor to the cider (it was all from the yeast, which must have been difficult). I’m very intrigued to see what they will price their bottles at.

Worley’s Special Reserve (Shepton Mallet England). 5.4% ABV. A keeved bottle conditioned cider made from cider apple varieties. Semi-sweet. Slightly hazy, moderate tartness, and high tannins. This was my first time trying their cider, although I have a bottle of their “Premium Vintage” at home. It was a solid selection, but nothing too remarkable. Maybe as it wasn’t all that cold and had lost some fizz, which is a drawback of bottle pours from events like this.

So, what were my favorite ciders you may ask? Traditions Bourbon Barrel followed by Whitewood Kingston Black. Both were fairly similar bold barrel aged ciders, which is my typical favorite cider type. I was disappointed I couldn’t get a bottle of either at the event (they were out or couldn’t find them or whatever). However, I was able to try the Whitewood Kingston Black again at the Bill Bradshaw tasting event with 9 local cideries at Capitol Cider the Tuesday after Cider Summit, and found a bottle of the Traditions Bourbon Barrel at Full Throttle Bottles.

Other favorites included Liberty’s English Style, Eden Heirloom Blend, Moonlight Meadery How do you like them apples bourbon barrel, and Montana Ciderworks Darby Pub Cider. Definitely impressed. I didn’t really have a single bad cider (there aren’t too many out there), although there were some I didn’t care for. Stay tuned for Cider Summit 2015 post 2/2, and posts on the remaining two Washington Cider Week events I went to!

Let me know what you think! Comments please.

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Snowdrift Summer Red

August 24, 2015August 23, 2015 cidersays review, Snowdrift cider, cider review, hard cider, Nebula Red, Red, red fleshed apple, Snowdrift, Summer Red, Wenatchee, Winter Red

Review of Snowdrift Summer Red. This is the second cider I’ve tried from Snowdrift (the first was Cornice), and the first time I’ve had cider from red-fleshed apples. Although there are a few other ciders to be found from red-fleshed apples, they are pretty rare.

Variety Note: Per Snowdrift, “Summer Red” is being re-named simply to “Red”, and they are phasing out their similar Winter Red variety except for selected draft customers. Their Winter Red variety is a more intense higher alcohol version of Summer Red (9.0% ABV), and even more limited in availability. Their Red cider is one of their most popular varieties, and difficult to find. It has previously also been called “Nebula Red”.

Special Thanks: Tim Larsen, owner & cidermaker at Snowdrift, was gracious enough to answer my questions and provide extra information on this cider.

I really love their logo and bottle labels!

Cider: Summer Red
Cidery: Snowdrift
Cidery Location: East Wenatchee WA
ABV: 7.6%
Residual Sugar: 4.3%
How Supplied: 750ml brown glass bottle, champagne corked & caged (also available in kegs); I drank bottle 256 of batch 214

Availability: WA, OR, CA, NY, NJ, & MA. Soon they will offer sales directly to consumers in 22 states from their website! Here is an interesting article on direct to consumer cider sales.

Cider Description: Made entirely from red fleshed apples, from trees imported from Switzerland, only a couple generations removed from their native ancestors in the hills of Kazakhstan. All flavor components and color are natural to the apples. Red fleshed apples are an uncommon strain of apples that naturally developed the color pigments in the flesh of the apples, not just the skin. These apples are very tart & sour, giving great berry notes, particularly strawberry & cranberry. Depending on the apple variety, hints of watermelon and rhubarb can also be found. Their brilliant red flesh yields a crimson red cider with bright acidity. This cider is packed with flavors of cranberries, watermelon, rhubarb, & strawberries, finishing with soft toffee tones. Summer Red received a silver medal this year from Craft Competition.

Snowdrift’s red-fleshed apples, cross-section:

Cidery Description: Snowdrift is a farm-based cidery in sunny central Washington which grows over 35 varieties of cider apples which are blended into their ciders, available since 2009. They aim to showcase the best flavors from the special apple varieties, aging them to allow the tannins to mature into rich flavors before bottling. Tours and tastings are available.

Price: $20
Where Bought: Whole Foods
Where Drank: home
How Found: I’ve read about it online and had been on the hunt to find a bottle.

First Impression: Brilliant coral berry pinkish red. Highly carbonated with a foam head / ring. Lovely berry-apple scent. I was enjoying the scent so much I almost didn’t want to start drinking the cider! But, I was very glad I did.

Opinion: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. I pick up berry, watermelon, and cranberry notes. Moderate tartness and acidity. I was afraid it would be too tart for my liking, but the tartness worked really well with the flavor profile and was balanced with some sweetness. Refreshing, smooth, and crisp. Great summertime beverage! Easy to drink too, and since I had help drinking this one, the bottle was quickly empty. Unique and well-crafted. Although Snowdrift’s ciders are a bit spendy, you can really taste the difference and how much work goes into making a bottle of good craft cider (here is a recent Cider Journal article on that topic). My three of my companions all really enjoyed this cider too. What a treat!

Closing Notes: Awesome! I’ll have to pick up more if I can find some. Highly recommended. This is a nice profile piece on Snowdrift from Serious Eats, although a bit old (from 2011). Here is a more recent one from 2014 from TDHURST. I look forward to trying more cider varieties from Snowdrift. This one from Pepper & Rye has some lovely photos of the Snowdrift cidery & orchards from 2014, and explains the Méthode Champenoise process they use.

Have you tried any red cider varieties from Snowdrift or other cideries? What did you think?

Snowdrift Cornice

June 26, 2015July 12, 2015 cidersays review, Snowdrift apple, apple cider, barrel aged, cider, cider review, Cornice, hard apple cider, hard cider, hard cider review, review, Snowdrift

This is an interesting barrel aged special release from Snowdrft, and my first time trying anything from them.

Cider: Cornice
Cidery: Snowdrift
Cidery Location: East Wenatchee WA
ABV: 7.3%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle
Availability: This appears to be a special release. Although they could have done another run, the last run of this I see info about online was in 2013! So, this may be an old bottle.

Description on Bottle: In our region, winter tends to whip layers of snow into majestic formations called cornices. They hang in a gravity-defying balance – ready to cascade at any moment into a rushing avalanche. We wanted to craft a cider to carry these traits…So we aged cider in oak barrels, knitting tannins and aromas into an avalanche of flavors. Notes of bourbon vanilla, fall fruit, and toffee coalesce into this off-dry cider. 60% culinary cider, 40% bittersharp cider, aged 12 months in oak barrels. Bottle 107. Batch 113.

Price: $16.99 (yeah, ouch, but it is a large bottle of specialty local cider)
Where Bought: The Wine Shop in Arlington WA (interesting place by the way, which out of about 10 ciders they had, I hadn’t seen 4 or 5 of them anywhere else!)
How Found: Browsing. I had wanted to try something by Snowdrift, but was still deciding.
Where Drank: home

Opinion: This is a unique cider, quite different than what I usually try, although barrel aged varieties are my favorite. It is more dry than I usually like, but I’d still only call it semi-dry. The flavor is well-balanced, not too much oak taste, and some vanilla. It is a bit on the tart side for my taste, but I imagine some of that is the dryness. Very low carbonation, and a nice hue. The label on the bottle and even the cork itself is well-designed and has their pretty logo. I’m glad I tried this one, and I can definitely see how their ciders are very well received, but I don’t think its quite for me, mostly due to the dryness (or at least not worth the additional cost in my eyes). I’d recommend it for those who like drier barrel aged ciders and who like to try what awesome craft ciders Washington has to offer. It would be a good intro to barrel aged ciders as the barrel taste isn’t too strong.

Update: In case anyone is curious, day 2 of being open was the sweet spot for this cider for me. On the first day it had a bit more bite / tartness. On the second day it seemed to have lost some of that. By the third day however it was flat and pretty tasteless. I imagine the flip closed stopper I have helped though. Guess I need to drink quicker, or find someone to share it with!

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