Review of Stone Circle Cider’s Farmhouse Semi-Dry. It is my first time trying anything from this cidery. I was introduced through Press Then Press, a new online cider store focusing on small batch ciders. I got a sneak peak, but they are planning to launch late Aug / early Sept 2019 having a soft launch Aug 19 and an official launch Sept 9 2019; sign up for e-mails to be first in the know.
>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Press Then Press. 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: Farmhouse Semi-Dry
Cidery: Stone Circle Cider
Cidery Location: Estacada, OR
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottles
Style: American craft farmhouse style semi-dry cider from heirloom & bittersweet cider apples
Availability: probably only though Press Then Press (which ships to 43/50 states), unless you live near Portland Oregon
Distributor Description: Don’t taste the same, taste the difference! Press Then Press – Farm to you small batch cider. We focus on small batch and hard to find cider. Please visit our curated online store! We are a mom and pop who wanted more fine cider available to everyone (over 21), so we started this up. Press Then Press will email you when a fine cider is available for purchase. If you want it, visit our site and purchase it! Pick up your cider in Seattle, or we ship to you. Sign up with your email to be included on future available ciders. You will hear about it first! 1) Press the fruit then 2) Press the order button
Cider Description: With all of the rich apple character of our Farmhouse Dry, this cider features just a splash of sweetness to enhance the fruit flavor. Made with real cider apples pressed in the fall, this cider is slow fermented all winter, yielding a smooth mostly dry cider that is as drinkable as they come.
Cidery Description: We own a 36 acre farm, just outside of Estacada, Oregon. It’s a beautiful property that offers lovely views of the Willamette Valley and Coastal Range Mountains. The farm had been exclusively Christmas trees, but we began the transition to heirloom variety cider apples in the winter of 2015. We’ve continued to transition more and more space into cider apples every year since.
Price: ~ $9.00
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: through Press Then Press
First Impression: Hazy orange hue. Very little carbonation. Smells funky, of rich rustic apple with some orange.
Tasting Notes: On the drier side of semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate to high tartness. Moderate acidity. Low sourness, tannins, and funk. Hints of bitterness. Notes of cider apple juice & pomace, orange, must, leather, and a hint of floral. Long lightly sour finish, at the back of the palette. Moderate flavor intensity, complexity, sessionability, and apple flavor.
My Opinion: I loved the profile of this cider, with the big cider apple flavor, but unfortunately I’m super sensitive to sourness, so due to its presence, I wasn’t personally a fan. Everyone has different tastes – good thing there are more cider options than ever. I’d suggest this selection to fans of farmhouse-style / rustic ciders, who like a bit of sourness & funk. However, overall the levels of both were low, so some may not even notice. Sourness & funk often occur together, and typically result from wild yeast fermentation, which uses natural yeast in the juice which was on the skin of the apples from the environment, which is typical for a farmhouse-style cider, same with haziness.
I liked that the bottle was clearly labeled ‘farmhouse’, and their website discusses their methods, as I’ve had some surprise bottles I’ve bought that have had even more sourness, but neither the bottle or their website had noted the style. To be honest I wouldn’t have bought this cider myself due to the style, but I’m glad I got to try it, and I think my personal opinions in a review are more of an afterthought than a focus.
Side Note: This is an excellent price point for the type of cider, and I liked seeing it available in smaller bottles, as it reduces the price point further, making it an easier buying decision than a $15+ bottle. This appears to be a current trend, with more heritage cideries using 500 ml instead of 750 ml bottles like they used to do. I think this helps them be more competitive with smaller modern cideries, making their ciders closer in price to them (and in this case, actually about equivalent).
Most Similar to: This reminded me a lot of some Normandy France ciders I’ve tried, with rich bittersweet cider apple flavor and some sourness & funk, as well as U.S. ciders of a similar rustic style, like Runcible Old Hoot.
Closing Notes: I look forward to trying the other ciders in Press Then Press‘ introductory lineup. Their website is well laid out and informative, making the order process easy, and providing access to unique ciders which otherwise wouldn’t be available to most folks. Note that they offer 2 other varieties from Stone Circle, their Dry and Sour Cherry, which I will be reviewing soon.
Have you tried Stone Circle cider? What did you think?
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