Review of Snow Capped Cider’s 6130′ Dry.  My husband brought this back with him when he visited Colorado.  Its my first time trying their ciders, and only the second cidery in Colorado I’ve tried ciders from (previously I tried two from Big B’s; see here).

Cider:  6130′ Dry
Cidery:  Snow Capped Cider
Cidery Location:  Cedaredge CO
ABV:  6.9%
How Supplied:  four pack of 12oz bottles
Style:  American craft cider from heirloom apples infused with vanilla, molasses, and oak

Availability:  Year round, currently only in Colorado (especially Aspen, Telluride, Grand Junction, and Boulder).  They were self distributed up to 6 months ago, and are now with Tivoli Distributing with plans to move into other states next year (2017).

Cider Description:  Snow Capped Ciders is part of the Williams Cellars family of wines and ciders. We are located in Cedaredge, Colorado – the heart of Colorado’s fruit growing country. We have 5 generations of fruit growing experience in our own orchards. We pride ourselves in being a family run business creating hand-crafted wines and ciders for your enjoyment.

Our ciders are made from hand-pressed apples picked from our own orchards. Our altitude of 6180 ft. creates warm days and cool nights – perfect for conditions for growing superior apples.

Our cider production facility is located in the AppleShed in Cedaredge, CO. The AppleShed was once an actual fruit packing shed which we have remodeled into one of the premier shopping spots on the Western Slope of Colorado. In addition to our cider and wine production areas the AppleShed contains art galleries, a restaurant, specialty shops and so much more.

We create ciders as the seasons change, as our mood changes. We embrace the wonderful local farm products that Colorado has to offer. Resulting in a true all Colorado, ‘Branch to bottle’ product.

Only a few fortunate people have had the experience of being in a Colorado orchard on a crisp October morning. Frost on the ground. The smell of ripe apples like perfume in the air. Picking an apple straight from the branch, the crisp snap when you bite into it. Perfectly balanced with sweetness and acidity. These are the only apples that go into a small handcrafted batch of Snow Capped Cider.

Cidery Description:  A three apple blend that uses mostly heirloom apples to which we infuse hints of vanilla, molasses, and oak for a robust flavor experience.

I was told they use oak spirals and tannins for this cider.  They actually grow everything themselves for their ciders (the apples and any fruits added), and source local ingredients for the rest (such as herbs).  They currently offer 17 ciders, mostly on the drier end, including a Cider Makers Reserve made with 100% cider apple varieties.  (Thanks to Kari Williams at Snow Capped for the extra info!).

Price:  $10.98 / four pack
Where Bought:  Hazel’s Beverage World in Boulder CO
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  My husband picked this up when he was in Colorado.  I had given him a list of ciders to look out for (of which he found three), and he also found this one which I hadn’t found info online about.  He knows I love barrel aged ciders, and the sales person said it was barrel aged.  However, its actually only oak infused (which can actually impart more oak flavor quicker and less expensively, although in a different way than barrel aging).

First Impression:  Golden dark straw yellow hue.  Low carbonation upon pouring.  Smells of baked apple, honey, brown sugar, and oak.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-dry.  Strong tartness.  Moderate acidity.  A hint of tannins.  No sourness, bitterness, or funk.  Medium bodied.  Low to moderate carbonation.  Notes of baked apple, honey, brown sugar, oak, green apple, and citrus.  The flavor starts quite tart and a bit sweet than mellows out and ends rather dry with some richness.  Moderate length finish.  Moderate apple influence.  Low oak influence (other folks may say higher, but I have quite a high threshold for oakiness).  Moderate to high sessionability.  Moderate flavor intensity.

My Opinion:  Tasty.  I didn’t however pick up any molasses or vanilla, although I imagine they contributed to the other flavors I did pick up.  It was however too tart for my liking (I imagine with more sweetness it would have been easier to tolerate).  I liked the lack of bitterness, which I think would have been easy to have with this type of cider.  I also enjoyed the overall flavor and slight richness.  I’ll fathom a guess that a crabapple or similar heirloom variety was used, based on the flavor, tartness, richness, and hints of tannins.  Crabapples are often a work around to a lack of cider apple varieties to impart some of the same qualities.

Most Similar to:  This is probably one of the most tart ciders I’ve had (even compared to those flavored with cranberry, black currant, etc).  However, it had some of those sweet & rich but not overly fruity type flavor notes, so I have trouble thinking of anything specifically similar.  Its definitely unique, especially for a flagship type multipack cider, which tend to be unflavored and on the boring side.

Closing Notes:   I liked this cider, and I think for Colorado folks its a great multipack option.  When craft ciders are sold in multipacks they typically cost much less per ounce than when sold in a larger bottle.

Have you tried Snow Capped Cider?  What did you think?