Eve’s Albee Hill Still & Dry

September 6, 2019August 31, 2019 cidersays Eve's Cidery, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, dry cider, Eve's, Eve's Cider, Eve's Cidery, hard cider, New York cider, still cider, tasting notes

Review of Eve’s Cidery’s Albee Hill, their Still & Dry cider. It is my first time trying this, but I have had their Beckhorn Hollow, Autumn’s Gold, Kingston Black, Rustica, and Scatterseed.

Cider: Albee Hill (2015 harvest, 2016 release)
Cidery: Eve’s Cidery
Cidery Location: Van Etten, NY
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml corked bottles
Style: American craft orchard-based heritage cider from heirloom, cider, & dessert apple varieties, Still (no carbonation), Dry (not sweet)

Availability: Mostly in New York, but also in some other states, such as Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Massachusetts, Delaware, and Washington; see this page for detailed info on distribution. However, the easiest spot is at the cidery and their online store (check for shipping availability for states besides New York).

Cider Description: Sweet on the nose, with honey, flowers and lychee but balanced with darker aromas like damp wood and coffee. Flavors of citrus peel and quinine hang off a taut tannic frame in the mid-palate. The finish has plenty of dusty brown tannin and bittersweet apple skin. This dry, tannic cider should be served at cellar temperature : ~55 degrees. Pair with nutty cheeses like cave aged cheddar, savory meats like Merguez sausage, and all manner of vegetables, especially grilled.

See their page for this cider for even more info; I love that they publish specific apple varietal percentages, residual sugar & acid content, fermentation type, batch size, etc.

Cidery Description: Eve’s Cidery is a small family run orchard and cidery located in Van Etten, in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. We grow apples and other tree fruits and ferment artisanal ciders. We believe in nature, art, good food and hard work. These beliefs influence the way we farm, make cider and sell our product. We hope you can taste some of it in the bottle.

Their official tasting room is at the Finger Lakes Cider House in Interlaken New York.

Price: $16
Where Bought: the cidery’s online store
Where Drank: home
How Found: A free shipping deal in December (2017?). This may have sat in my cider fridge awhile.)

First Impression: Lovely medium caramel amber hue. No carbonation. Smells amazingly rich, dry but with sweet flavors like caramel, and tannins.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of Dry. Light bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity and tannins. Hints of bitterness. No sourness or funk. Notes of caramel and leather, with hints of brown sugar, orange, and earth. Moderate length tannic finish. High complexity. Moderate to high flavor intensity. Moderate sessionability and apple flavor.

My Opinion: I enjoyed this; the flavor profile was awesome. However, I would have preferred a bit of sweetness and carbonation. I’d recommend this cider, especially to folks who like dry and tannic grape wine.

Most Similar to: Eve’s Kingston Black SV, which I also found to be still and with a similar profile of “sweet” flavors, yet in a dry cider

Closing Notes: There aren’t too many truly Still ciders out there. I think they let the qualities of the cider apples shine even more, although many (like me) aren’t really accustomed to them.

Have you tried Eve’s cider? What did you think?

Eve’s Scatterseed

May 2, 2018May 2, 2018 cidersays Eve's Cidery, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eve's, Eve's Cidery, hard cider, New York, Scatterseed, tasting notes

Review of Eve’s Cidery’s Scatterseed. It is my first time trying this, but I have had their Beckhorn Hollow, Autumn’s Gold, Kingston Black, and Rustica.

Cider: Scatterseed (2014 vintage)
Cidery: Eve’s Cidery
Cidery Location: Van Etten NY
ABV: 8.5%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged champagne bottle
Style: American artisan methode champenoise cider from cider apples

Availability: sold out per their website

Cider Description: Aromas of damp earth, ripe waxy apple, tamari and beeswax focus (coalesce) into flavors of ripe fruit and game which are deep and layered. Textures of sandstone and chewy bittersweet apple. Finish is completely dry and savory with full, lingering tannin.

See here for more info on this cider; I like how they are very detailed in all their cider descriptions.

Their official tasting room is at the Finger Lakes Cider House in Interlaken New York.

Price: $18
Where Bought: the cidery’s online store
Where Drank: home
How Found: browsing

First Impression: Medium gold hue. Moderate carbonation. Smells dry, tannic, and rich.

Tasting Notes: Completely dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Moderate to high tannins. Hints of bitterness and funk. No sourness. Earthy notes of caramel, leather, butterscotch, lemon, butter, and floral. Long tannic finish. Low apple flavor and sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. High complexity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it. The tannins and flavor were great. However, I would have preferred more sweetness and less acidity. I’d love to see more tannic traditional ciders like this that are semi-dry instead of dry, as I think it brings out more flavor, and makes them more approachable.

Most Similar to: very few ciders, as very few cideries are using such a high percentage of bittersweet & bittersharp cider apples in a cider (although it is getting more common, but usually they are blended with heirloom apples such that the bittersweet & bittersharp apple characteristics are muted)

Closing Notes: my favorite Eve’s cider remains Rustica, but I’d love to see a slightly sweeter version of this or their Kingston Black

Have you tried Eve’s Scatterseed? What did you think?

Eve’s Cidery Rustica

April 19, 2017April 9, 2017 cidersays Eve's Cidery, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eve's, Eve's Cidery, hard cider, Rustica, tasting notes

Review of Eve’s Cidery Rustica, described as a traditional method semi-sweet sparkling cider. It is my first time trying this one, but I’ve previously had their Beckhorn Hollow, Autumn’s Gold, and Kingston Black.

Cider: Rustica
Cidery: Eve’s Cidery
Cidery Location: Van Etten NY
ABV: 7.0%
Residual Sugar: 4.5%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged champagne bottles
Style: American artisan cider from heirloom apples, naturally sparkling

Availability: Mostly in New York, but also in some other states, such as Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Massachusetts, and Delaware (and now, Washington). They also have an online store (check for shipping availability for states besides New York). 358 cases of this vintage of Rustica were produced in 2015.

Cider Description: On the nose, watermelon and coconut creamsicle moving into frozen strawberries on the palate. The finish, which is at first fresh and sweet. ends on a darker more savory note with drying tannin carrying the sweet fruit.

Made from cryo-concentrated juice, with secondary fermentation in the bottle. More info on the cider is available here.

Apple Varieties: 75% Macoun, Empire, Liberty blend, estate grown. 18% MacIntosh, Steve Cummins, Ithaca, NY. 7% Wild harvested seedling.

Their official tasting room is at the Finger Lakes Cider House in Interlaken New York.

Price: $18
Where Bought: Eve’s Cidery’s online store
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing Eve’s Cidery’s website, as they were having a free shipping offer in December.

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Moderate carbonation. Smells sweet, and mildly of honey and fruit.

Tasting Notes: On the drier side of semi-sweet. Medium bodied, slightly syrupy, with a creamy texture. Low tartness. Low to moderate acidity. Hints of tannins. No sourness, funk, or bitterness. Notes of honey, cream, vanilla, melon, strawberry, watermelon, pineapple, and peach. Quick finish. Moderate apple flavor, sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity.

My Opinion: Amazing! I loved the creamy fruitiness. Well balanced, easy to drink, and refreshing, yet it still had some complexity and heirloom apple flavor. Its amazing so many flavors can be tasted without adding anything to the cider.

Most Similar to: Alpenfire Spark (which had the heirloom apple flavor, sweetness, and carbonation, but no fruitiness) and Locust Vanilla Bean (which had the same creaminess, but it has added vanilla, is much sweeter, and didn’t have fruitiness)

Closing Notes: Awesome complexity and an amazing value! Its my favorite from them so far. This would be great for new and experienced cider drinkers alike. Too bad it isn’t available locally yet (I’ve only seen their Beckhorn Hollow).

Have you tried Eve’s Cidery Rustica? What did you think?

Eve’s Cidery 2015 Kingston Black, Dry Still Cider

March 6, 2017February 25, 2017 cidersays Eve's Cidery cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eve's, hard cider, Kingston Black, single varietal, tasting notes

Review of Eve’s Cidery 2015 Kingston Black, Dry Still Cider. It is my first time trying this one, but I’ve previously had their Beckhorn Hollow and Autumn’s Gold.

Cider: 2015 Kingston Black, Dry Still Cider
Cidery: Eve’s Cidery
Cidery Location: Van Etten NY
ABV: 8.6%
How Supplied: 750ml corked bottles
Style: American artisan cider, a single varietal from Kingston Black cider apples

Availability: sold out (21 cases made)

Cider Description: 100% Estate grown Kingston Black. Primary fermentation in stainless steel. 21 cases bottled. Residual sugar 0.0%. Titratable Acidity 7.1 g/L. pH 3.8. On the nose, dried apples, macadamia nuts and dusty roses. On the palate, calendula flowers, cloves, wood and tobacco with tense, springy tannin. The finish is kerosene and sour apple.

More info on the cider is available here.

Their official tasting room is at the Finger Lakes Cider House in Interlaken New York.

Price: $16
Where Bought: Eve’s Cidery’s online store
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing Eve’s Cidery’s website, as they were having a free shipping offer in December.

First Impression: Moderate amber hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells amazingly rich and sweet.

Tasting Notes: Completely dry (the nose on this cider is definitely deceiving). Light to medium bodied. Low tartness and bitterness. Low to moderate acidity and tannins. No sourness or funk. Notes of concentrated apple juice, brown sugar, caramel, wood, and lemon. Moderate to long finish length, with a slight alcohol burn. High apple flavor. Low sessionability. High complexity. Moderate flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I really enjoyed it, although I think I would have liked it even more with a touch of residual sugar (I prefer semi-dry to dry). This unique wine-like cider is definitely on the serious side.

Most Similar to: It reminds me of ice cider, except with all the sugar sucked out somehow. I’ve had two previous Kingston Black ciders – from Dragon’s Head (single varietal) and Whitewood (with a bit of Porter’s Perfection). All three were quite different from each other. The Whitewood one had some added complexity due to the whiskey barrel aging (and also had the highest ABV). Eve’s seemed the most characteristically Kingston Black if I had to guess.

Closing Notes: Awesome complexity and an amazing value! Its my favorite from them so far. I still have one bottle from Eve’s left, Rustica.

Have you tried any Kingston Black single varietals? What did you think?

Eve’s Cidery Autumn’s Gold

February 8, 2017February 8, 2017 cidersays review Autumn's Gold, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eve's, Eve's Cidery, Finger Lakes, hard cider, tasting notes

Review of Eve’s Cidery Autumn’s Gold. It is my first time trying this cider, although I have previously had their Beckhorn Hollow. I ordered a total of three bottles when they had their free shipping sale before the holidays. They ended up having to ship it twice, as UPS broke the first shipment (after it made it all the way across the country to the Seattle facility).

Cider: Eve’s Cidery
Cidery: Autumn’s Gold 2015
Cidery Location: Van Etten NY
ABV: 7.5%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottles
Style: American Artisan cider from cider apples, a mix of wild & added yeast, naturally sparkling

Availability: Mostly only in the Northeast, especially New York (see here), plus through their online store

Cider Description: Apples on the orchard floor layered over aromas of toffee, dust, beeswax and hay lead to a muscular and embracing mid-palate with flavors of ripe red apple, wild mint and something animalistic. The finish is an interplay between sweet and bitter, the leathery tannin full and present amidst still ripe fruit and brown sugar.

This dry, tannic cider should be served at cellar temperature: ~ 55 degrees. Pair with nutty cheeses like cave aged cheddar, savory meats like Merguez sausage, and all manner of vegetables, especially grilled.

See here for some great detailed information on the cider, including the percentage breakdown of apple varieties.

Cidery Description: The sun comes up, the sun sets, the rains come and go and the cold and the heat rotate around the years. And that is as it has been for thousands of years here in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Somewhere, on the side of one of those hill sits our little cider orchard.

Sometimes, we marvel at our hard work: “I grafted those thousand trees, I grew those apples, I built that barn, I put up that trellis.” There is honed skill and hard labor involved in growing a crop, and making good cider. But in end, what makes what we do worth doing is a sense of the magic: in leaves absorbing sunlight, roots seeking minerals, raptors hunting mice and apples in the fall.

Here is a vintage of cider, which will never be repeated, reflecting the lives of trees in this one spot for this one year. Here are ciders that are elegant, feral, and mischievous. Here are ciders that surprise and transcend. We hope you enjoy them.

Their official tasting room is at the Finger Lakes Cider House in Interlaken New York.

Price: $18
Where Bought: their online store though Vino Shipper
Where Drank: home
How Found: their online store

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. High carbonation. Smells mild but apple-forward, of acidity, tannins, and a hint of funk.

Tasting Notes: Dry to semi-dry (1.4% residual sugar). Light bodied, with a frothy carbonated texture. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Hints of bitterness and funk. Low tannins. No sourness. Notes of lemon, peach, green apple, brown sugar, and mineral. Moderate apple flavor. Low sessionability. Low flavor intensity. Moderate complexity.

My Opinion: This was nice, but a bit too dry, acidic, and subtle for my personal tastes. I liked the fruitiness and carbonation. I agree this is better closer to room than fridge temperature, as it cuts the acidity a bit.

Most Similar to: Eve’s Beckhorn Hollow (although that was slightly sharper) and Eden Sparkling Dry

Closing Notes: This is a well made cider-lover’s cider, and a great value!

Side Note: UPS is not very alcohol-friendly, as you can’t have a package containing alcohol held at a UPS Store (like you can for any other signature required package). So, if you like many folks work during typical delivery hours, you have to drive all the way out to the main facility (which is 45 minutes each way for me).

Have you tried Eve’s Cidery Autumn’s Gold? What did you think?

Eve’s Cidery Beckhorn Hollow

July 19, 2016July 16, 2016 cidersays Eve's Cidery, review Beckhorn Hollow, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eve's, Eve's Cidery, hard cider, New York

Review of Eve’s Cidery Beckhorn Hollow. Its the first time I’ve tried their cider. I was surprised to see it in the store as I didn’t even know they distributed out here (I’ve heard of them online). We don’t get too many East Coast ciders here in the Pacific Northwest (at least compared to WA & OR ciders).

Cider: Beckhorn Hollow
Cidery: Eve’s Cidery
Cidery Location: Van Etten, New York
ABV: 8.5%
How Supplied: 750 ml corked & caged champagne bottle
Style: Craft cider made from heirloom apple varieties, methode champenoise style (naturally sparkling)

Availability: Mostly in New York, but also in some other states such as Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Massachusetts, and Delaware (and now, Washington). They also have an online store (check for shipping availability for states besides New York). 310 cases of this vintage of this cider were produced in 2014.

Cider Description: This extra dry cider is a blend of American cider apples and English heirloom varieties, with a focus on Golden Russet. The aroma starts off with sour dried apricots and a warm field and moves into something darker like green oak leaves and forest duff. The mouth feel is light and airy, dominated by bubbles and is followed by a burst of juicy acidity which brings out bright fruit in spite of the bone dryness. The finish is long and mouthwatering, reminiscent of limes.

On the nose, sweet aromas of bartlett pear, cream and raw honey. The mid palate is bright and bubbly with succulent fruit flavors of peaches and sour orange. A tart and juicy finish ends in dry lemon pith. Residual Sugar 0.0%, Alc/Vol 8.9%, Titratable Acidity 9.7g/l, pH 3.5

Apple Varieties: A blend of aromatic, sharp and heirloom apples: Golden Russet, Wealthy, Wixson, Cox Orange Pippin, Northern Spy, Manchurian Crab, Spigold, Idared.

All of our sparkling ciders are made using the Champagne Method. We harvest and press our apples as they mature from early September through November. We blend at the press based on harvest dates and pH for a healthy fermentation. After the primary fermentation in the fall, the ciders are racked and left to mature in stainless steel over the winter. In the early spring, we blend to find dynamism and synergy. The cider is then bottled with a liqueur de tirage, yeast and sugar, to initiate a secondary fermentation. In the cool cider barn, the secondary fermentation proceeds slowly, taking nearly 4 months to complete. The slow secondary fermentation is what creates tiny, persistent bubbles of unrivaled elegance which lift aromas out of the glass and impart a lively, creamy mouthfeel. After a period of rest we disgorge, eject the yeast, every bottle by hand and top it up with a dosage of cider.

Price: $19
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I’ve been wanting to try cider from Eve’s and even considered ordering them online, but this is the first time I’ve seen them in the Seattle area, so it was an easy choice to pick it up. This is the only Eve’s variety they had in the store.

First Impression: Medium straw yellow hue. Moderate carbonation. Smells mild, acidic, creamy, of citrus, earth, and green apples.

Tasting Notes: Completely dry. Medium bodied with a creamy and frothy texture. Moderate tartness. High acidity. Low to moderate tannins. Low bitterness. No sourness or funk. Notes of sharp crabapple bite, citrus (orange), peach, potato starch, honey, mineral, white grape, and yeast. Moderate length finish. Low apple flavor. Low sessionability. Moderate to high complexity. Low flavor intensity.

My Opinion: This is a very well made cider. However, its not really my favorite type of cider (dry and sharp). I knew that going into it, and mostly just wanted to give it a try. I imagine this would be a great wine lovers cider. My husband really liked it.

Most Similar to: Snowdrift Semi Dry, Liberty Ciderworks New World Style, and Wandering Aengus Wickson, which are all dry and sharp.

Closing Notes: I’m glad I got a chance to try this cider. I’m curious if I’ll be able to find any other varieties from them locally; maybe something slightly sweeter and with bittersweet instead of bittersharp apple varieties (their Darling Creek sounds to my liking).

Have you tried anything from Eve’s Cidery? What did you think?

Cider Says

A cider enthusiast blog focusing on cider reviews, based in Seattle WA.

Eve’s

Eve’s Albee Hill Still & Dry

Eve’s Scatterseed

Eve’s Cidery Rustica

Eve’s Cidery 2015 Kingston Black, Dry Still Cider

Eve’s Cidery Autumn’s Gold

Eve’s Cidery Beckhorn Hollow

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