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.

Eden Specialty Ciders & Tilted Shed Collaboration, Two Ellies

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

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

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Eden Specialty Ciders (the cidermaker Eleanor brought it to me in her suitcase!). Although I will take care to treat it the same as any other review, there is always the potential for bias as I received it for free. The only consideration I knowingly made was pushing this up in my cider review cue. I love free stuff, especially cider! Want your cider or cider-related product reviewed here? Contact me.<<

Cider: Two Ellies: An East Meets West American Cider Story
Cidery: Eden Specialty Ciders & Tilted Shed Ciderworks
Cidery Location: Newport VT & Windsor CA (bottle says made at Eden in Vermont)
ABV: 7.5%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles
Style: American artisan cider from Gravenstein apples from Tilted Shed in California and Esopus Spitzenburg apples from Eden in Vermont (both heirloom varieties), naturally sparkling, dry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tilted Shed Smoked

January 11, 2017January 7, 2017 cidersays review, Tilted Shed california, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, smoked, smoked cider, Tilted Shed

Review of Tilted Shed’s Smoked cider. It is my first time trying it, although I’ve had their Lost Orchard and Barred Rock. This cider is made with some smoked apples.

Cider: Smoked
Cidery: Tilted Shed
Cidery Location: Sebastopol CA
ABV: 8.0%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles
Style: American artisan cider from heirloom & cider apple varieties, some of which were smoked

Availability: Released March 2015. Tilted Shed ciders are sold primarily in California, but also in New York, New Jersey, and Portland Oregon (see here).

Cider Description: An unorthodox cider blend that marries the natural complements of apples and wood smoking. Blend of six varieties of fresh-pressed Sonoma County organic heirloom and tannic cider apples from the 2014 harvest. Fermented to dryness in small batches, then blended with a batch of cider infused with wood-smoked apples. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, minimal sulfites. Straw gold, dry, aromatic, tannic, tart, and bright, with a light effervescence and mellow smoky finish. Like drinking a brut champagne near a bonfire. Pair with aged and funky washed-rind cheeses, pork, charcuterie, grilled meats, and seafood. Use care in serving with any smoked foods, as that can diminsh the smokiness of the cider. Serve in a white wine glass at 55°F to heighten the aromatics.

Cidery Description: We started Tilted Shed Ciderworks in 2011 out of an obsessive love for apples and cider. All of our apples are organically grown within 35 miles of our cidery, primarily in west Sonoma County. At our Sebastopol farm, we have planted 100 varieties of traditional cider apples and perry pears—a pomological research station on the edge of the Pacific. As cider evangelists, we are devoted to making ciders of individuality, integrity, artistry, and elegance. It’s thrilling to explore our unique terroir and the transformative powers of fermentation, and experience how our ciders shapeshift over time. We hope you’ll find our ciders to be a beautiful revelation of what the apple can do.

Price: $15
Where Bought: ordered online
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had read great things about their ciders and wanted to try them, but they aren’t available locally yet.

First Impression: Low carbonation. Dark straw yellow hue. Smells acidic & tannic, with hints of smoke & oak.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Light to medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. High acidity. Low bitterness. Low tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of smoke, oak, honey, lemon, grapefruit, mineral, and green apple.. Moderate apple flavor, flavor intensity, and complexity. Low sessionability. Low smoke. Moderate oak.

My Opinion: I liked this, although I had been expecting something more in your face (like Alpenfire’s Smoke, which drinks more like a port than a cider with its 16% ABV and intense flavor). I think I would have enjoyed it even more if it had more tannins & less acidity (such as using more cider than heirloom varieties), and even more smoke & oak. Oddly enough I perceived more oak than smoke. This is a well made and balanced cider, but more nuanced than I prefer. I agree to drink this one above fridge temperature, as the flavors become more intense.

Most Similar to: Many dry barrel aged ciders. I found it very similar to Tilted Shed’s Barred Rock, although with smoke instead of whiskey notes with the oak.

Closing Notes: This concludes the reviews of the three bottles I ordered from Tilted Shed (I also tried Lost Orchard and Barred Rock). I think I liked their Lost Orchard best of the three (which is odd as I’m a bigger fan of barrel aged oaky & smokey ciders than funky ciders, although they are growing on me). However, honestly I don’t think Tilted Shed’s cider style matches my taste preferences…they are more wine like and high acid. They are however selling some awesome ciders at awesome prices, and I’m more than willing to try the rest of their lineup.

Have you tried Tilted Shed Smoked? What did you think?

Tilted Shed Barred Rock

December 19, 2016December 18, 2016 cidersays review, Tilted Shed Barred Rock, barrel aged, california, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Sebastopol, tasting notes, Tilted Shed

Review of Tilted Shed’s Barred Rock. Its my first time trying this one, but I previously had their Lost Orchard. See here for a writeup from Cidercraft on Tilted Shed. I ordered three bottles to be shipped, as their ciders aren’t yet available in Washington.

Cider: Barred Rock
Cidery: Tilted Shed
Cidery Location: Sebastopol CA
ABV: 9.0%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles
Style: American artisan cider from heirloom apple varieties, whiskey barrel aged

Availability: 24 barrels released in November 2015. Tilted Shed ciders are sold primarily in California, but also in New York, New Jersey, and Portland Oregon (see here).

Cider Description: Blend of fresh-pressed, late-season Sonoma County organic heirloom apples from the 2014 harvest. Fermented to dryness in the New England style, with organic raisins, molasses, and brown sugar, then aged in Heaven Hill Kentucky rye whiskey barrels for four months. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, minimal sulfites. A rich, spiritous, bold, dry cider with excellent aging potential as it shapeshifts over time. Clear, light golden hue; moderate effervescence. Aroma of vanilla bean and light smoke. Bright acidic backbone. Mouth-filling notes of creme brûlée and caramel apple. This cider should mellow as it ages over the next two years, developing a creamier mouthfeel with lingering vanilla finish. Serve at 60°F in a white wine glass. The warmer, the richer. Pair with rich creamy cheeses and fruit-based desserts, such as apple crisp or baked pears.

Price: $16
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had read so many good things about their ciders online, and was glad to hear they can ship to Washington.

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. Still. Smells of whiskey, oak, and rich bittersweet apples.

Tasting Notes: Dry to semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness. Low tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of whiskey, oak, smoke, honey, citrus, and leather. Long warming spirituous finish. Low apple flavor. Low sessionability. Low oak flavor. High whiskey flavor. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate complexity.

My Opinion: I really enjoyed this. It won’t be for everyone though, as it has an intense whiskey flavor and 9% ABV. I actually think I liked it better the day after I opened it, as the flavor smoothed out / acidity decreased some. I had a bit left on a third day though, but I have to say it peaked on day 2. If I had any criticism, I’d say I’d want a bit more oak flavor (for example, I love the oak in Sheppy’s Oak Matured), a bit less whiskey flavor, and more cider apple than heirloom apple flavor.

Most Similar to: Liberty Ciderworks Stonewall, and to a lesser extent, Stem Whiskey Barrel Aged Apricot & Carlton Cyderworks Slake & Finnriver Oak&Apple. However, this is by far the most intense whiskey flavor I’ve tasted in a cider. Most cidermakers err on the side of caution and keep the barrel and/or spirit flavor on the mild side.

Closing Notes: This cider is an amazing value! I have one bottle left – Smoked.

Have you tried Tilted Shed cider? What did you think?

Tilted Shed Lost Orchard

November 30, 2016November 30, 2016 cidersays review, Tilted Shed california, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Lost Orchard, Sebastopol, tasting notes, Tilted Shed

Review of Tilted Shed’s Lost Orchard. It is my first time trying this cider, and my first time trying any of Tilted Shed’s cider. See here for a writeup on their cidery. I ordered three bottles to be shipped, as their ciders aren’t yet available in Washington.

Cider: Lost Orchard, 2014 vintage
Cidery: Tilted Shed
Cidery Location: Sebastopol CA
ABV: 8.0%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles
Style: American artisan cider from Organic cider apple varieties

Availability: 40 cases released November 2016. Tilted Shed ciders are sold primarily in California, but also in New York, New Jersey, and Portland Oregon (see here).

Cider Description: Blend of very rare, feral English, French, and Old American traditional cider apples gleaned from lost cider orchards in Sonoma County. Varieties include Nehou, Muscat de Bernay, Porter’s Perfection, Yarlington Mill, Foxwhelp, Tremlett’s Bitter, and Roxbury Russet. Organically grown, from the 2013 harvest. Fermented to dryness in small batches by variety, then blended, aged, and bottle conditioned using organic cane sugar as dosage. Unfiltered, unpasteurized, minimal sulfites. A bone-dry, earthy, dense, savory, contemplative cider more reminiscent of orchard floor than of apples. Hazy, golden hue. Leesy, earthy aroma. Pours with a fine, lingering mousse that heightens the astringency. Notes of leather, cedar, lemon thyme, damp earth, cooked apple. Elegant tannic structure. Chill well prior to opening. Contains sediment. Pour carefully off the lees. Serve at 55° to 60°F in a white wine glass. Pair with well-aged cheese, pork, Dungeness crab, lamb, roasts, hearty seasonal fare.

Price: $20
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: I had read so many good things about their ciders online, and was glad to hear they can ship to Washington.

First Impression: Light pumpkin amber hue. Nearly still (very low carbonation). Smells of rich earthy cider apples, funk, and honey.

Tasting Notes: Dry to semi-dry. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness. Moderate funk. Hints of sourness. Low to moderate tannins. Notes of baked apples, earth, honey, grapefruit, orange, hay, yeast, and leather. Long funky slightly sour finish. Moderate apple flavor. High complexity. Low to moderate sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I really enjoyed it. However, this funky earthy complex cider won’t be for everyone. My husband for example wasn’t a fan as he doesn’t like funk (but he likes sourness and I don’t).

Most Similar to: Lost Orchard tends towards a farmhouse style or a wild fermented cider, although it is more funky than sour. Very few ciders are made entirely from cider apple varieties, but the most similar I’ve tried is probably something from Farnum Hill, or Dragon’s Head Wild Fermented or Alpenfire Pirate’s Plank.

Closing Notes: This is an incredible value for a cider made entirely from cider apple varieties which has been bottle conditioned for so long. Stay tuned for reviews of their Barred Rock and Smoked ciders.

Have you tried Tilted Shed Lost Orchard? What did you think?

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