cider

Methow Valley Honey Bear

cidersays Methow Valley, review , , , , , , , , , ,

And for my first review (drumroll please!), a lovely little cider I tried last night:

honey bear

Cider:  Honey Bear
Cidery:  Methow Valley Ciderhouse
Cidery Location:  Winthrop WA
ABV:  6.8%
How Supplied:  750 ml (25.4 oz) clear glass bottle with a resealable top

Description on Bottle:  Honey Bear Hard Cider is a sweet, carbonated, refreshing cider with no hint of bitterness.  Honey Bear is wonderful after an active day of hiking or biking – a perfect compliment to a summer day.  Store in a cool dark place and serve chilled.

Price:  about $15 (although apparently you can return the empty bottle to the cidery for a $0.75 refund lol)
Where Bought:  Special Brews in Lynnwood WA (awesome bottle shop & bar by the way)
How Found:  lucky enough to stumble across it (had wanted to try some since reading about it at the Bad Rider cider & beer blog)
Where Drank:  home

Opinion:  Tasted like honey, and in a good way!  This was a yummy cider, especially suited to summer.  It was very smooth and easy to drink, and I unfortunately finished off the bottle by myself over the course of the night.  It was quite sweet (more of a dessert cider probably), but not in a gross syrupy sweet way.  The flavor profile was pretty complex.  Maybe it is just the sweetness, but it reminds me of ice cider (a sweeter variety of hard cider where they use frozen juice, although it typically has a higher alcohol content than this did).  Overall, if you like sweet ciders, I’d recommend trying it.  I feel lucky to even have found it, as apparently it doesn’t have a wide distribution net (definitely not outside of WA).  Other offerings from the Methow Valley Ciderhouse include Pinnacle Goat (ginger infused), Howling Wolf (hopped), and Eagle Screechin’ Scrumpy (English-style Scrumpy).

Hard Cider, a Recently-Realized Hobby

cidersays introduction, misc , , , , , , ,

I’ve come to realize that sampling hard cider has become quite a hobby for me, and my husband has been suggesting I start a blog.  So, even if only to make a record of what ciders I’ve tried, I’m going for it.  Here is a bit about me, this blog, etc.

Name:  Kate
Location:  near Seattle, WA
Age:  30ish
Occupation:  engineer
Status:  married (very happily)
Pets:  one tortoise

First cider I tried:  Woodchuck Amber, around Dec 2013

Favorite types of ciders:  on the sweeter side of the spectrum, barrel aged, unique, local

Some of my favorite ciders:  Woodchuck Winter Chill, Spire Mountain Dark & Dry, Thistly Cross Whisky Cask, Reverend Nat’s Revival, Alpenfire Spark

Some of my least favorite ciders:  Strongbow, Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, Sonoma Cider The Washboard (the only literally undrinkable cider to date, although strangely enough my hubby loved it), Square Mile Cider Original Apple (maybe I got a bad batch, but it tasted like it had literally gone bad)

What I like about hard cider:  Its yummy, plain and simple!  I’ve never liked beer & wine, so cider is a great alternative.  There is so much variety & complexity as well.  Its fun to try new ciders, or old favorites.  I like that it is becoming more popular.  There are some really great products even in my own backyard (well, maybe not that close, but in my state at least).  Its pretty affordable, especially considering how much more they charge for many wines, when it isn’t all that different (fermented apple juice vs. grape juice).  I really enjoy trying new ciders, even if I’m not sure it’ll be quite up my alley and they are on the pricey side, just for the point of trying them.

One of my favorite cider experiences:  Winning a contest put on by Woodchuck to go to the grand opening of their new cidery (Ciderbration 2014).  It was an awesome VIP weekend in Middlebury VT.

Review style:  Simple.  I’m not into the fru fru reviews which discuss the hue, aroma, level of carbonation, food pairings, etc.  You either like a cider or you don’t.  Who cares about all that fancy stuff?

Blog name inspiration:  If the cider could speak, what would it say?