Number 12 Black Currant Dry

September 23, 2016December 30, 2016 cidersays Number 12, review Black Currant, cider, cider review, cider tasting, dry, hard cider, Minnesota, Number 12, tasting notes

Review of Number 12 Ciderhouse’s Black Currant Dry. I tried their Chestnut Semi-Dry and Sparkling Dry earlier this week.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Number 12. 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: Black Currant Dry
Cidery: Number 12 Ciderhouse
Cidery Location: Buffalo, Minnesota
ABV: 7.4%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles
Style: American craft cider from Minnesota apples, with black currant

Availability: Number 12 ciders are sold in these locations in Minnesota.

Cider Description: Number 12 Black Currant Dry begins with aromatic notes of jam and rich black currant followed by a crisp, dry cider finish. Once considered the “forbidden fruit” due to a 100 year ban, the black currant is now experiencing a resurgence in America’s conscience. It pairs beautifully with locally grown apples by providing a tannic structure needed for depth and complexity. This is the cider that will change your perspective.

I didn’t know that black currant was actually banned–wow! I read up a bit more, and learned they were thought to help spread a fungus that threatened the timber industry, so black and red currants were federally banned in 1911. By 1966, disease-resistant varieties were developed, and the government left it up to the states as to whether to keep them banned. Although most states eventually lifted the ban (some quite recently), black and red currant is still banned in some states.

Cidery Description: Balance is everything . . . In life, and in great ciders. Number 12 is no different. We are continuously experimenting to achieve a perfect balance. Number 12 gets its namesake from the 12th recipe developed in 2011. It became our first award winner and the beginning of our recognition from the cider community. Since then, it has become more of a concept, our ideal if you will. Number 12 represents the idea that greatness in cider is out there somewhere . . . To strive for, to create, to perfect!

They have a tap room in Buffalo Minnesota.

Price: n/a (retails for $11)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Deep purple-red hue. Moderate carbonation. Smells of sour black currant and cherry.

Tasting Notes: Dry. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Low to moderate astringency. Low bitterness and funk. Low to moderate sourness. Notes of black currant, cherry, red wine, blackberry, lemon, mineral, and sharp crabapples. Moderate length finish. No apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity, complexity, and sessionability.

My Opinion: I liked the jam-like black currant flavor, but it was a bit too sour, dry, and acidic for my personal tastes. However, it is well-made and unique. It had a lot of black currant flavor for how dry it is.

Most Similar to: Virtue Cider Cherry Mitten. I found Black Currant Dry to have almost as much cherry flavor as black currant. Black currant is a popular flavor addition for cider (especially here in the PNW), and I’ve tried a number of them, although none that were of this style (they have all been sweeter and tart but not sour): 2 Towns Dark Currant, Finnriver Black Currant & Lavender Black Currant & Oak Aged Crew Selection Black Currant & Black Currant Brandywine, Carlton Black Currant Scrumpy, Moonlight Meadery Crimes of Passion, and Reverend Nat’s Whiskey Barrel Aged Golden Russet with Black Currant.

Closing Notes: To be honest, I didn’t really care for any of the three ciders I tried from Number 12, although the Chestnut Semi-Dry was probably my favorite (and the most approachable). However, fans of dry farmhouse-style ciders with a bit of sourness & funk likely will enjoy them. Everyone doesn’t like every cider, and there are styles which appeal to each person. They are a great value too, at $11-$13 for a 750ml bottle. Side note – Number 12 uses malolactic fermentation in their secondary fermentation stage (see here), which converts lactic acid to carbon dioxide, reducing acid and smoothing out the flavor, but this process also adds a bit of sourness. Many people really enjoy that flavor in their cider (or beer or wine), but some like me haven’t yet acquired the taste for it.

Have you tried Number 12 Ciders? What did you think?

2 Towns Dark Currant

January 19, 2016January 17, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, barrel aged, Black Currant, cider, Corvallis, Dark Currant, hard cider, oak, oregon

Review of 2 Towns’ newest limited release (late Dec 2015), Dark Currant, a cider with black currant juice added and was aged in new oak barrels.

Cider: Dark Currant
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis OR
ABV: 6.0%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle (and kegs)
Style: American black currant cider, oak barrel aged

Availability: Limited release which is available in OR, WA, AK, HI, CA, ID, NV, MN, and Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Harvested from NW farms, local black currants are fermented during the cold winter, on Oregon-grown white oak. A strong oak profile backs the complex berry aromas. You can’t fight the currant.

The black currants were harvested from Queener Farm in Scio, Oregon and Kalapooia Haven Farm in Brownsville, Oregon in late summer, then this cider was lightly aged in new oak barrels until its release in December.

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

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

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

Price: $7.50
Where Bought: Full Throttle Bottles
Where Drank: home
How Found: I read online about the release and had been on the lookout (2 Towns is one of the brands I try just about everything from). I was at Full Throttle Bottles to pick up some 2 Towns Pommeau, and figured I might as well get it.

First Impression: Cranberry pink hue. Low carbonation with tiny bubbles at the edges of the glass. Smells like raspberries, black currant, citrus, and oak.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Moderate acidity. Moderate tartness. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. A hint of tannins. Raspberry, blackberry, and black currant notes with hints of lemon and oak. Light to medium bodied. Low apple influence. Low barrel influence. Moderate to long finish. Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: I’m not usually a huge fruity cider fan, but I really enjoyed this…probably as the black currant didn’t completely overpower the apple, and it wasn’t overly sweet, tart, or juice-like. I enjoyed the oak influence, but it left me wanting more oak flavor (but I say that about most barrel aged ciders).

Most Similar to: Other black currant ciders. I’ve had Finnriver Black Currant. As far as craft black currant ciders, I’ve read Doc’s Draft and Slyboro make them. In comparison to Finnriver Black Currant, 2 Towns Dark Currant is less fruity, rich, and tart. However, the flavor added from the oak barrel aging was nice. I slightly prefer Dark Currant. This fruity barrel aged cider also reminded me of Alpenfire Apocalypso, which is a rum barrel aged blackberry cider (similar to their Calypso, which is a regular release, although this was a keg-only release).

Closing Notes: This was quite tasty, and a great mix of summer (berry) and winter (oak) type flavors. I think 2 Towns ciders are unique and at a great price point.

Have you tried 2 Towns Dark Currant? What did you think?

Finnriver Black Currant

December 17, 2015December 10, 2015 cidersays Finnriver, review Black Currant, Chimacum, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Finnriver, hard cider, port townsend

Review of Finnriver’s Black Currant cider. I’ve had this a few times, but this is the first time I’ve had it since starting Cider Says. I picked up a growler of this cider at a Finnriver cider tasting at Around the Table in Lynnwood WA. They were pouring their Pear, Cranberry Rosehip, and Black Currant ciders, and offering a free glass growler with fill.

(stock photo as I got a half growler)

Cider: Black Currant
Cidery: Finnriver
Cidery Location: Chimacum WA (near Port Townsend)
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles and on tap

Availability: Year round in WA, OR, CA, AZ, NV, TX, IL, CO, and Alberta & BC Canada (detailed info here). They also have an online store (which can ship to WA, OR, CA, AK, CO, MN, FL, & WA D.C.)

Cider Description: A light, lovely cider, with a purple blush, that blends heirloom and organic dessert apples with the tart mysteries of organic black currant. Immensely drinkable.

Made from Gala, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady apples, which is the base that Finnriver uses for the majority of their ciders.

Cidery Description: At Finnriver we gather and ferment the flavors of the land to offer you farmcrafted hard ciders and spirited fruit wines. We are inspired by the allure of the fruit, the ancient history of the craft of fermentation and the lively traditions we now seek to revive. Our mission is to inspire a deeper connection to the land that sustains us….Some of these ciders are small-batch, seasonal and labor-intensive. Others are produced with contemporary methods and more readily available year-round…Finnriver grows over twenty varieties of traditional and heirloom apples in our organic orchard, to feature in our traditional and specialty ciders. They have a tasting room open seven days a week, noon to 5pm, and are on the Olympic Pennsylvania cider route along with Eaglemount and Alpenfire cideries.

Price: $9 / 32oz (usually runs $9 / 500ml, or 16.9oz bottle, so this was a great deal even before the free glass growler)
Where Bought: Around the Table in Lynnwood WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Finnriver tasting, although I’ve had it a few times

First Impression: Deep purple grape juice-like hue. Nearly still (no carbonation) with a few large bubbles. Smells amazing, of grape, black currant, and cranberry. This was the type of cider where I sat and smelled it for quite awhile before diving in.

Opinion: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Moderate acidity and tartness. No bitterness, sourness, or funk. Very fruity and full-flavored, with the same grape, black currant, and cranberry flavors. The apple however remained pretty well-hidden. The flavor was overall nice, not overpowering or overly juice-like, which often happens with fruity ciders. Light to medium bodied. Medium length finish.

Most Similar to: Other fruity ciders. This is the only black currant cider I’ve had, but I know Doc’s Draft and Slyboro also make one.

Closing Notes: Quite tasty, but a bit tart for my liking, especially having most of this growler myself over the course of the afternoon & evening. It went really well with Thanksgiving dinner, kinda akin to a cranberry sauce. However, I liked this better bottled as it seemed to have a higher carbonation level (I’m a big fan of carbonation). Even better is Finnriver’s Lavender Black Currant variety (part of their Botanicals line), which was especially amazing on Nitro at the Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA.

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

Finnriver Black Currant Wine

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

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

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

Availability: Likely difficult to find outside of their Port Townsend area cidery & farm and their booth at the Ballard Farmer’s Market. In general, Finnriver ciders are sold in WA, OR, CA, AZ, NV, TX, IL, CO, and Alberta & BC Canada (detailed info here). They also have an online store (which can ship to WA, OR, CA, AK, CO, MN, FL, & WA D.C.).

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

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

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

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

Closing Notes: Yum! What a special treat.

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

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