Eden Sparkling Semi-Dry

January 18, 2016January 16, 2016 cidersays Eden, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Eden, hard cider, methode champenoise, Semi-Dry, sparkling, sparkling cider, Vermont

Review of Eden Ice Cider’s Sparkling Semi-Dry cider. This is made using the traditional labor-intensive methode champenoise, which makes naturally sparkling cider. I previously tried Eden’s Sparkling Dry cider, and this is described as the same cider (although made with different apple varieties) with a bit of their ice cider to add some additional sweetness (which also adds an additional 1% ABV).

I sampled this cider on New Year’s Eve, and it unfortunately turned out to be a poorly sealed bottle whose taste wasn’t as intended, and Eleanor at Eden was awesome enough to send me a sample bottle to replace it (and two ice ciders to review!). Cider from the original bottle was nearly flat, and was on the dry, funky, and sour side….the cap must have been sealed enough so it wouldn’t leak, but allowed for air transfer.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Eden Ice Cider. 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: Sparkling Semi-Dry
Cidery: Eden Ice Cider
Cidery Location: Newport VT
ABV: 9.5%
How Supplied: 375ml or 750ml capped champagne bottle
Style: American methode champenoise sparkling cider

Availability: At least in AK, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, SC, VT, WA, British Columbia. Eden also offers online sales when allowed by state.

Cider Description: Eden Sparkling Ciders are made with locally grown apples. We use the same blend of traditional and heirloom apples that we use for our ice ciders, and then add classic Bittersweet cider varieties. True cider variety apples are sweeter and have much more tannin than eating apples. They are pretty awful to eat so you won’t ever find them in a grocery store. The Sparkling Dry is made with Kingston Black. The Sparkling Semi-Dry is made with Dabinett and Yarlington Mill.

The cider is fermented and aged in French oak puncheons for a year, the bottles with a secondary fermentation that is created with additional juice rather than sugar. After another 6 months each bottle is hand-disgorged in a careful process and removes the yeast but retains the vibrant natural effervescence of the in-bottle fermentation. For our Semi-Dry, we add in a little bit of our ice cider for sweetness.

Eden Sparkling ciders are full-flavored, tannic, and clean with a champagne-like mouth feel and balanced acidity. They are unfiltered and unpasteurized, with higher ABV and much less sweetness than mass marketed industrial hard ciders.

Cidery Description: Eden Orchards and Eden Ice Cider began on a trip to Montreal in 2006 when we first tasted ice cider and wondered why nobody was making it on our side of the border. We had dreamed for years of working together on a farm in the Northeast Kingdom; it was a dream that had vague outlines including an apple orchard, cider, and fermentation of some sort. That night we looked at each other and knew ice cider was it. In April 2007, we bought an abandoned dairy farm in West Charleston, Vermont and got to work. Since then we have planted over 1,000 apple trees, created 5 vintages of Eden Vermont Ice Ciders, and have introduced a new line of Orleans Apertif Ciders. Out goals are to create healthy soils and trees in our own orchard, to support out Vermont apple orchard partners who do the same, to minimize our carbon footprint, to contribute to the economic and environmental health of our employees and our Northeast Kingdom community, and most of all to make world-class unique ciders that truly reflect our Vermont terroir.

They have a tasting bar on the main floor of the Northeast Kingdom Tasting Center in downtown Newport VT. Their current product line includes at least eight ice ciders, two Aperitif ciders, and dry & semi-dry sparkling ciders. They also have a cider club where members get access to special release ciders not available to the public.

Price: n/a, but retail price of $15-$20 (750ml)
Where Bought: n/a (but originally the Schilling Cider House)
Where Drank: home
How Found: I heard about Eden on Facebook, met cidermaker Eleanor Leger at an event surrounding Cider Summit Seattle 2015 where I tried their Sparkling Dry cider, tried their Heirloom Blend cider at Cider Summit (and my husband bought me a bottle for our anniversary, reviewed here), and decided Semi-Dry would be a great New Year’s Eve cider selection.

First Impression: Honey-pumpkin light amber hue. Moderate carbonation with tiny bubbles (even before opening the bottle, with a gentle shake, I could tell it had more carbonation than the first). Smells luscious, of honey, tropical fruit, coconut, apricot, floral, and high-tannin cider apples (Dabinett and Yarlington Mill).

Tasting Notes: On the drier side of semi-dry. Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. Moderate tannins. Slight hints of bitterness, funk, and sourness. Flavor notes of tropical fruit, apricot, peach, honey, and green apple. Slight richness. Moderate carbonation with a fizzy mouthfeel. Medium bodied. Moderate apple influence. Mild oak barrel influence. Low sessionability.

My Opinion: Yum! It had a lovely flavor complexity–you could really taste the hint of ice cider in comparison to the Sparkling Dry. The ice cider added both sweetness and additional flavor (especially tropical fruit). My husband also really enjoyed it. All in all I think this cider is awesome. Its also a wonderful value, as the apple varieties are expensive, and the production method is labor-intensive.

Most Similar to: I’ve had other methode champenoise ciders such as Finnriver’s Artisan Sparkling Brut Cider, but this one was less champagne-like (more fruitiness). The tropical fruit notes also reminded me of ciders such as Eaglemount Quince and Slyboro Old Sin, except with added carbonation.

Closing Notes: Eden Ice Cider really makes some amazing ciders. I look forward to trying the Honeycrisp and Northern Spy (barrel aged) ice ciders Eleanor sent!

Have you tried Eden’s Sparkling Dry or Semi-Dry ciders? What did you think?

Hard Cider News Edition 7

January 17, 2016January 16, 2016 cidersays news cider, cider articles, cider links, cider news, hard cider, hard cider news, news

These are some recent hard cider news/articles/links/posts/events I found interesting and have shared on Facebook lately. To get the latest scoop, like Cider Says on Facebook!

News

Madison couple looks to launch into cider business with a niche product, Restoration Cider in Madison WI (Wisconsin State Journal)

Reid’s explains how to pair food and hard cider (Flip Side PA)

IRC Amendments Affecting Excise Tax Due Dates and Bond Requirements for Eligible Taxpayers and Revision of Hard Cider Definition (TTB)

Citizen Sweet: A Cider With Sparkle, No Alcohol (Seven Days VT)

Craft Beer Trends to Look Out For in 2016 (Fortune)

Shepton Mallet cider mill to close (The Guardian)

What the CIDER Act means for the Oregon cideries that helped pass it (Bizz Journals)

Milwaukee’s first hard-cider bar planned for Walker’s Point, Lost Valley Cider Co. (JS Online)

Changes To Federal Cider Rules Benefit Oregon Cider Makers (Eugene Weekly)

Craft Beer is the Lens, profile on Reverend Nat’s (CiderCraft magazine)

Local Cider Company Gets Back to the Roots, Roots Cider Co (Nashville Scene)

New Legislation Lowers Tax Burden for Hard Cider Producers (Time Warner Cable News Buffalo)

Bar Review: Cider Bite, in Portland OR (Willamette Week)

The Northman Will Have More than 100 Kinds of Hard Cider (Chicago Mag)

In Search Of The Best Apples To Make Hard Cider (Food Republic)

Cider 101: The Ultimate Guide to Apple Juice with a Kick (The Daily Meal)

Schumer: NY Could Soon Be At The Core Of Hard Cider Production (WAMC Northeast Public Radi0)

Understanding Maturation – Part 1: Know Your Casks (Drinking Cup)

Cider Sales See Big Decline in Growth in 2015 (Cider Journal)

Eric West’s Cider Guide from Dec 25, Jan 1, Jan 8, and Jan 15, where #9 or #10 of each includes some of my reviews

List of 2016 Good Food Awards Cider Winners: AEppelTreow Barn Swallow, Argus Malus Cuvée, Art + Science Wild Perry, Big B’s Pear Supply & Orchard Original, Eden Brandy Barrel Heirloom Blend & Sparkling Semi-Dry, Ela Stone Silo, Eve’s Albee Hill 2014, Finnriver Firebarrel, Shacksbury Lost and Found, and Snowdrift Cornice

Events

Capitol Cider in Seattle WA – Cider & Sirens 6 course paired dinner with Alpenfire Cider – Monday January 25 6pm (Seattleite)

Finger Lakes Cider House in Interlaken NY – Meet, Greet, Sip and Eat with Farnum Hill Cider – Saturday January 30 2-5pm (Facebook)

CiderCon – Portland OR – February 2-6 (CiderCraft magazine)

Cider Summit – Chicago IL – February 27 (The Full Pint)

Washington Gold Cider Cherry Hard Cider

January 15, 2016January 14, 2016 cidersays review, Washington Gold Cherry, cherry cider, cherry hard cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, washington, Washington Gold

Review of Washington Gold Cider’s Cherry Hard Cider.

Cider: Cherry Hard Cider
Cidery: Washington Gold Cider
Cidery Location: Chelan WA
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: 750ml clear glass flip-top bottle
Style: American hard apple cider with cherry juice

Availability: Year round in Washington and Southern California until it sells out (as they only make it once a year). However, their Original variety is more commonly found. See here for further information.

Cider Description: None given, but I was told they use fresh pressed apple juice with Washington cherries.

Cidery Description: Crisp, refreshing, and steeped in our family’s rich apple-growing tradition, Washington Gold Cider is crafted from the best apples in the world. Farm fresh. Family-owned. Proudly made in Washington State. Washington Gold Cider…The world’s best cider, made from the best apples on Earth. Try our Heritage, Original, and Cherry Hard Cider today.

Price: $12.99
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: They were tasting their entire line-up of three ciders (Heritage, Original, and Cherry) at Total Wine in August. This was by far the winner for me, and I decided to buy a bottle.

First Impression: Deep cherry hue. Low carbonation with small bubbles. Rich cherry scent, sweet with a hint of tartness.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet (although at 26.5 grams of sugar in 12.7 ounces, it would probably be rated sweet). Moderate tartness and acidity. No sourness, bitterness, or funk. Cherry is the only flavor I pick up in this (the apple is well-hidden), so its a rather simple cider. Full-flavored. Light bodied. Quick finish. Highly sessionable.

My Opinion: Yum! I love how strong the cherry flavor is, and that it tastes like real cherries.

Most Similar to: Other cherry ciders, although this has a stronger and truer cherry flavor than everything I’ve tried so far (which includes cherry ciders from Woodchuck, Locust, Tieton, Apple Outlaw, Elemental, Jester & Judge, Julian, and Original Sin).

Closing Notes: This is definitely my favorite cherry cider so far. Reminds me of summer! (which is why I saved it for this time of year, when it always seems to be dark, damp, and cold in WA)

Do you have a favorite cherry cider?

Finnriver Artisan Sparkling Brut Cider

January 14, 2016January 7, 2016 cidersays Finnriver, review Artisan Sparkling, Brut, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Finnriver, hard cider, methode champenoise, sparkling cider, washington

Review of Finnriver’s Artisan Sparkling Brut cider, made using the traditional labor intensive méthode champenoise. I’ve tried a good portion of Finnriver’s lineup, but I think this is the first time I’ve tried a special release cider.

Cider: Artisan Sparkling Brut
Cidery: Finnriver
Cidery Location: Chimacum WA
ABV: 8.0%
How Supplied: 375ml corked & caged champagne bottle (also more widely available in a 750ml size)
Style: American méthode champenoise sparkling cider

Availability: 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.). However, this is a special release, and likely has more limited availability.

Cider Description: Crafted using the traditional, labor-intensive méthode champenoise, this bright, naturally carbonated brut champagne-style cider offers an effervescent apple bouquet, tart elements of the orchard, and a crisp, clean finish. To make this cider, we learned old world methods of secondary fermentation in the bottle that require daily hand turning of each bottle on woodenriddling racks (constructed by our boat-building neighbor Pete), and then disgorging residual yeast sediment one bottle at a time. This is ‘slow cider’ that results in golden clarity and enduring bubbles in every glass. A unqiue alternative to champagne that features Washington organic dessert apples at their most sparkling!

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. I look forward to visiting in February for my birthday!

Price: $10
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I’ve been wanting to try this cider for awhile, but previously only saw 750ml bottles for about $22, which was more commitment then I was interested in. When I saw half bottles, I knew it would be perfect to try for New Year’s Eve. Oddly enough the half bottles were less expensive per ounce too.

First Impression: Light straw yellow hue. Very high carbonation. Smells dry, crisp, and of yeast, with only a hint of apple.

Tasting Notes: Completely dry. Moderate acidity and tartness. No sourness, bitterness, or funk. Very champagne-like. Yeast, floral, citrus, and green apple notes. Light bodied. Quick finish. Moderate sessionability. Low apple influence. I enjoyed this cider better as it warmed up from fridge cold.

My Opinion: This was enjoyable, but not really a style I enjoy (I like a sweeter and richer cider). It was definitely a sparkling cider, moreso than any other cider I’ve tried I think (but luckily the bottle didn’t overflow when I opened it…the bottle even includes a warning).

Most Similar to: Dry champagne and other méthode champenoise ciders.

Closing Notes: This cider is a great champagne alternative and was very appropriate for New Year’s Eve.

Have you tried Finnriver Artisan Sparkling Brut cider? What did you think?

Le Pere Jules Brut

January 13, 2016January 11, 2016 cidersays Le Pere Jules, review Brut, cider, cider review, cider tasting, France, French, hard cider, Le Pere Jules, Normandie, Normandy

Review of Le Pere Jules’ Brut 2012 cider, from Normandie France.

Cider: Brut
Cidery: Le Pere Jules
Cidery Location: Normandie France
ABV: 5.0%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottle
Style: French cidre

Availability: Semi-wide release (apparently one of the easier to find French ciders in the U.S.)

Cider Description: Our cider is produced from no less than 20 different varieties of apples. This gives it a very nice balance between the sweet, bitter and acidic varieties. After a fermentation process that is modified in its length to produce the “brut”, “demi-sec” and “doux” varieties, and a light filtration, it is bottled in order to naturally develop its own natural gas. This gives it the fine bubbles that we are known for.

Cidery Description: It was upon his return from the First World War in 1919 that Jules Desfrièches – who had already earned the nickname of “Père” Jules or “Father” Jules – with a love for his region and its apples, decided to turn his passion into his trade. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by his grandparents, who were themselves in love with Normandy and its treasures. With their help, Jules learned to make cider with the apples from the family farm. He then started to sell his products locally. Due to the appreciation for its quality, the “Jules Desfrièches” cider was more and more in demand in restaurants in Normandy. Then in 1923, Jules distilled Calvados for the first time, without knowing that it was the beginning of an institution.

In 1949 his son, Léon Desfrièches, joined the family business. On his arrival, he created the brand “Le Père Jules,” in honor of his father. The production continued to expand and the market for cider and calvados developed to the point of being sold in some of the best restaurants in France. Thierry Desfrièches, the grandson of “Père”Jules joined his father in the business in 1976. With a careful eye on the business and its evolution, the first export sales were started in 1980 in Europe and then later throughout the world. The son of Thierry, Guillaume Desfrièches, joined the family business after he finished his studies in oenology in 2002 to become the fourth generation in the affair. Since 1919, quality and rigor are the driving forces of four generations of producers that have continued to be faithful to the traditional methods with a love for their work. Their only wish is to be able to propose the best products.

Price: ~$12
Where Bought: World Market
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I hadn’t spotted it at World Market before, only commercial cider (although apparently other World Market locations carry craft cider), and was intrigued as I’ve been getting into French ciders. I’ve since also spotted it at the Schilling Cider House in Seattle.

First Impression: Honey-orange amber hue. Still. Smells of bittersweet apples, orange, honey, cork, funk, and sourness.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Moderate bitterness, sourness, and acidity. Low tartness and funk. Light to medium bodied. Long finish. I found the flavor to be completely off, bad, bizarre, etc…I have no better way to describe it.

My Opinion: I couldn’t tolerate more than one sip, and was totally not a fan. And my husband literally spit out his sip. Down the drain it went. A friend of mine described a similar flavor to this cider, saying no one at the dinner party would drink it, yet I’ve seen reviews quite to the contrary online. I think it having no carbonation is a sign of something being wrong, as this cider is supposed to be a sparkling. So, I conclude this was likely a “bad bottle”. Its unfortunate this happens to even the best cidermakers a certain percentage of the time, and if its someone’s first exposure to a cider from that brand, they may not give them another chance.

Closing Notes: Although I have significant doubts as to this being a good sample from Le Pere Jules, this continues the trend of me only liking French ciders from Brittany (such as Le Brun, Celt, and Dan Armor), not Normandy (such as Le Pere Jules, Dupont, and Manoir du Parc)….I like the richer sweeter and more carbonated French ciders than those with any funk or sourness. Note that I considered not posting this review, but I review every cider I drink, not just those I enjoy, and hopefully this isn’t overly negative.

Have you tried Le Pere Jules? What did you think?

Stella Artois Cidre

January 12, 2016January 7, 2016 cidersays review, Stella cider, cider review, cider tasting, cidre, hard cider, Stella, Stella Artois

Review of Stella Artois Cidre. I tried this quite awhile ago, and thought I’d give it another go as I’ve seen a lot of talk lately. It was first released in the U.S. in May 2013. Note that although this is touted as a Belgian brand, per the bottle, the version sold in the U.S. is made in New York.

Cider: Cidre
Cidery: Stella Artois (Anheuser-Busch)
Cidery Location: Baldwinsville NY
ABV: 4.5%
How Supplied: four pack of 12oz bottles
Style: commercial American hard cider, Belgian-style

Availability: wide release

Description from their website: Let me first tell you a little something about Stella Artois Cidre. Of course, I don’t want to blow my own trumpette, but this is an elixir so superb, so splendid, it is quite simply magnifique. Cidre is quite well known for its balanced, dry blend; the result of hand-picking our apples – of which only the finest will do. It’s the perfect accoutrement to any afternoon of sophisticated leisure. Simply open, pour and enjoy.

Price: ~$2.50 for a single bottle (runs $8-10 a four pack)
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. This cider can be found most everywhere.

First Impression: Light amber hue. Low carbonation. Smells like sweet apple juice and sugar, without much complexity.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Low tartness and acidity. No sourness, bitterness, or funk. Apple-forward. Like the scent, I really didn’t pick up any other flavor notes to it. Light to medium bodied. Quick finish. Very high sessionability.

My Opinion: From the ingredient list its definitely apparent this is commercial cider (apple juice concentrate, sucrose, flavor, color, etc), but I found it more drinkable than many commercial ciders, which can tend towards sweet & syrupy. It also tastes a bit drier than its 17 grams of sugar per 12oz bottle and its scent would suggest. However, when the best thing they can find to say about their cider is that they hand pick the apples, its pretty sad. Apparently almost all apples are hand picked in the U.S. as machinery can’t detect the ripeness of an apple, although in the UK and such they will use tree shakers for cider apples.

Most Similar to: Other commercial ciders which aren’t overly sweet

Closing Notes: Overall Stella Cidre is not something I’d seek out, but if its all that is available, I’ll drink it.

Have you tried Stella Cidre? What did you think?

Reverend Nat’s Winter Abbey Spice

January 11, 2016January 7, 2016 cidersays Rev Nat's, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Providence, rev nat's, reverend nat's, spiced cider, Winter Abbey Spice

Review of Reverend Nat’s Winter Abbey Spice, “apple wine with raisins and spices”. Its a seasonal New England Style spiced cider (marketed as apple wine as it is over 7% ABV). This appears similar to Reverend Nat’s Providence, which is also a New England Style spiced cider, but has a lower ABV. At first I thought they were the same, as the store actually stuck a barcode label on this one saying “Providence”, but it appears not.

By the way, New England Style cider is typically considered a barrel aged strong cider (8-12% ABV) which underwent a secondary fermentation with additional sugars and raisins. So, Winter Abbey Spice meets that definition except its a tad low on the ABV.

Cider: Winter Abbey Spice
Cidery: Reverend Nat’s
Cidery Location: Portland OR
ABV: 7.4%
How Supplied: 750ml flip top bottle
Style: New England style American spiced cider

Availability: Winter time, where Reverend Nat’s cider is sold. It appears this occurs in OR, WA, Southern CA, parts of ID, AK, British Columbia, Japan, & Singapore, and online at InsideTheCellar.com and ShipCider.com (although I didn’t see this variety on either website).

Cider Description: Our good friends in the North counteract the bitter chill of winter with this traditional drink, but in flavor, bold in character, made with raisins, unrefined cane sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg and fermented to dryness with oak. This tipple is sure to warm your bones.

The apples for this cider were from Kiyokawa Family Orchards. It was aged in oak for 6 months.

Cidery Description: Reverend Nat is a single-minded cider evangelist who searches the world for superior ingredients to handcraft the most unusual ciders that no one else will make.

Nat West (who is actually an online ordained minister) has been making cider since 2004, started Reverend Nat’s in 2011, and opened a tap room with 12 taps in Portland in 2013 (which also includes bottles and selections from other cideries).

Price: $12.99
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: This was recommended to me, so I was on the look out for it. At first I thought it was the same as Providence as that is what the label from the store said and I remembered Providence being a New England Style spiced cider, but it appears the recipe and ABV is slightly different. I had passed on Providence as the whole raisins and spices thing sounded weird. However, I’m now more open to spiced ciders, and apparently raisins aren’t all that uncommon to add to ciders (New England Style is a thing and raisins were traditionally used as their wild yeast would ferment the cider, and they add some sweetness, alcohol content, flavor, color, and tannins).

First Impression: Rich caramel orange amber. Low carbonation. Smells rich, of caramel, butterscotch, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Low acidity, tartness, and sourness. A touch of bitterness and funk. Mild to moderate spice (mostly cinnamon). Lovely rich flavor with lots of burnt caramel and brown sugar notes. The oak is barely noticeable. I only picked up raisins in the scent, not the flavor. Medium bodied. Long finish. Full flavored. Low sessionability.

My Opinion: This was pretty tasty, but the slightly sour thing was off putting to me. The sourness wasn’t overt, and took me awhile to figure out what I was picking up. However, reading online reviews, I can’t find anyone else noting it was sour, and I’m the first to admit I’m sensitive to it, so I imagine most folks wouldn’t notice at all. My husband said this was in his top 5 favorite ciders at least (he samples everything I open).

Most Similar to: Other high ABV spiced ciders (such as 2 Towns Nice & Naughty, although that is 10.5% ABV) and New England Style ciders. I don’t think I’ve tried a New England Style cider before, but at least a few exist in the current craft cider market (such as from Blackbird and Headwater). Apparently its fairly popular for home cidermakers too.

Closing Notes: I can see why this cider is popular. It wasn’t really my thing, but was nice to try. I’m not opposed to trying another New England Style cider though.

Do you have a favorite spiced cider?

Slyboro Ciderhouse Old Sin

January 8, 2016January 7, 2016 cidersays review, Slyboro cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, New York, Old Sin, Slyboro

Review of Slyboro Ciderhouse’s Old Sin, from Granville NY. This is the first cider I’ve tried from Slyboro. We don’t get too many East Coast ciders here, so I’ve only tried a handful.

Cider: Old Sin
Cidery: Slyboro Ciderhouse
Cidery Location: Granville NY
ABV: 8.0%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle
Style: American dry sparkling cider made with McIntosh and Russet apples

Availability: Year round in limited markets

Cider Description: Deliciously dry! A pure apple temptation from the intertwined flavors of delicately floral McIntosh, spicy aromatic Russets with a splash of warm, richly fruited Ice Harvest Cider…1.5% residual sugar.

This is described as a sparkling cider; however, as the bottle didn’t have the thick glass indicative of a true sparkling beverage, I knew not to expect too much carbonation (which is forced not natural in this case). Slyboro made this cider using apples from their own Hicks Orchard. Also of note is that 1.5% residual sugar would typically be defined as semi-dry, not dry.

Cidery Description: Named for the centuries-old hamlet that is home to Hicks Orchard, Slyboro Ciderhouse re-introduces the lost craft of traditional American ciders. Just as grapes are transformed into wine, our ciders are fermented from our own orchard-grown apples; unlocking the full potential of the apple by creatively blending a a distinctive range of delicious, award-winning ciders.

We at Slyboro Ciderhouse are dedicated to reclaiming cider – “true cider” – as America’s favorite drink. We invite you to explore and discover the flavors and delights of Slyboro Ciders. In any season, for special occasions, or to enrich the moment, “consider cider.”

Slyboro has a tasting room open seasonally, July through Christmas.

Price: $19.99 (which appears to be significantly marked up from what it would cost in NY)
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I’ve been wanting to try more East Coast ciders, and this sounded like a great one to try. I had read Meredith’s reviews of Slyboro ciders at Along Came a Cider.

First Impression: Very light gold amber. Light carbonation. Smells of rich sweet apples, caramel, butterscotch, and spice.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Mild tartness. Moderate tannins and acidity. A hint of bitterness. No sourness or funk. Butterscotch, caramel, and tropical fruit notes. Medium bodied. Long finish with lingering warmth. Rich and full-flavored. Moderate apple flavor. Low sessionability. High flavor complexity.

My Opinion: Yum! This is reminiscent of English cider, but has some additional fruitiness. This cider’s smell was especially amazing.

Most Similar to: Semi-dry full-flavored fruity ciders with moderate tannins. Two semi-dry ciders that come to mind are Eaglemount Quince (very fruity, although I didn’t detect significant tannins) and Alpenfire Ember (which had less fruitiness and a very strong level of tannins). One that I found to have a lot of fruitiness but more sweetness (semi-sweet) is Snowdrift Cliffbreaks Blend.

Closing Notes: This cider was very enjoyable, and I look forward to trying more of Slyboro’s line-up. I’ve also seen Hidden Star, Night Pasture, and Ice Harvest from their line-up.

Have you tried Slyboro Ciderhouse Old Sin? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 9 Tasting Notes

January 7, 2016January 7, 2016 cidersays Blue Mountain, E.Z. Orchards, Finnriver, Grizzly Ciderworks, J.K.'s Scrumpy, Locust, review, Schilling, Sea Cider, Seattle Cider cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, hard cider review, hard cider tasting, Schilling Cider House, seattle, washington

Tasting notes from my ninth visit to the Schilling Cider House in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle WA. Check out my past posts here. I hadn’t thought I’d have time for another visit in December, but managed to fit it into my schedule.

I was there for a Finnriver Bingo event, although I didn’t have much interest in the actual game & prizes, just used it as an excuse to go. The event was a packed house! There were six Finnriver ciders on tap: Habanero, Black Currant, Barrel in the Forest, Cranberry Rosehip, Fresh Hopped, and Pear (all of which I’ve had except Fresh Hopped).

I started with a flight of six ciders.

Blue Mountain Estate Winesap, 6.75% ABV, Milton-Freewater OR: This is a single varietal made with Winesap apples which Blue Mountain sells year round. Nearly clear. Tart, dry, and slightly funky smell. Dry to semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild bitterness. Very mild tannins. Hint of funk. Slight floral and oak notes. Light bodied. Moderate to long finish. I thought this was a basic dry & tart cider, and pretty low on flavor.

Seattle Cider Oaked Maple, 6.9% ABV, Seattle WA: This is one of Seattle Cider’s winter seasonals (they also did a Cranberry cider this year). I couldn’t remember if I had tried this before, but I’m leaning towards yes. Dark straw yellow hue. Smells of sweet maple and oak. Semi-dry. Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. Light bodied. Very light oak and light maple flavor. Quick finish. I thought this was pretty good, but I would have liked more flavor.

Finnriver Barrel in the Forest, 6.5% ABV, Chimacum WA: This is a limited release of a barrel aged version of Finnriver’s Forest Ginger cider (which I haven’t tried). I usually don’t like ginger, but this sounded interesting. Smells of sweet ginger. Semi-sweet. Light oak notes. Very mild ginger notes, much less than most ginger ciders (which usually seem to hit me at the back of the throat and linger). Low acidity, tartness, and bitterness. Light bodied. Moderate length finish. The ginger flavor however increased as it warmed up. This paired well with the Thai food I had for dinner. Overall I didn’t mind this one, despite the ginger, but probably wouldn’t get it again.

Locust Ciderworks Pumpkin, 5.0% ABV, Woodinville WA: This is a seasonal release from Locust, apparently draft-only. Hazy pumpkin orange-yellow hue. Smells of sweet pumpkin spice. Very sweet. Mild pumpkin and spice flavors, but overall very full flavored. Low acidity and tartness. Full bodied. Moderate length finish. I really liked this (even though I usually don’t go for pumpkin or spice), except it was too sweet for my liking, so not something I could have a pint of.

E.Z. Orchards Semi-Dry, 6.9% ABV, Salem OR: This is a regular release cider from E.Z. Orchards which uses French bittersweet apples. After ordering this I remembered I had tried it before, at Cider Summit Seattle 2015. Light amber. Smells slightly rich. Semi-dry. Herbal notes. Very light boded. Low tannins and tartness. Low to moderate acidity. Quick finish. Overall mildly flavored. It tasted a bit off, and I wondered if the tap line could have used more flushing. I also liked it much better at Cider Summit. Different batches can turn out much differently.

Grizzly Ciderworks Pomnivore on Nitro, 6.7% ABV, Woodinville WA: This is a tap-only release from Grizzly. Light ruby red. On the drier side of semi-sweet. Low acidity and tartness. Moderately flavored. Quick finish. I liked the pomegranate flavor without too much tartness like many pomegranate ciders have.

I met Nathan from Cider Chronicles (we just happened to sit next to each other at the bar!), who was awesome enough to share bottle pours of a couple ciders with me. He said Sea Cider Wassail, J.K.’s Scrumpy Winterruption, and Elemental Seasonal Spiced Apple were his three favorite seasonal ciders, although Reverend Nat’s Winter Abbey Spiced may be replacing J.K.’s Scrumpy Winterruption in his cue. I haven’t seen Rev Nat’s Winter Abbey, but picked up a bottle of Elemental Spiced, and tried the other two.

Sea Cider Wassail, 14% ABV, Saanichton BC Canada: This is Sea Cider’s winter seasonal. Rich amber-orange hue. Smells like orange and holiday spices. Semi-dry. Well-hidden ABV! Low acidity, tartness, and bitterness. The orange and spice notes continued into the flavor. Rich and full-flavored. Medium bodied. Moderate length finish with lots of heat. I liked this a bit more as it warmed up from fridge temperature. Overall this was enjoyable, but I like their Prohibition best.

J.K.’s Scrumpy Cuvee Winterruption, 6.9% ABV, Flushing MI: This is J.K. Scrumpy’s winter seasonal. Very sweet. Honey, orange, and mild spice notes. Mild acidity and tartness. Moderate to full bodied. Apparently this cider usually has much more spice. It was very easy drinking, between the sweetness and low ABV. Overall I found it ok.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

Elemental Seasonal Spiced Apple

January 6, 2016January 6, 2016 cidersays Elemental, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Elemental, hard cider, Seasonal Spiced Apple, spiced, spiced cider, washington, Woodinville

Review of Elemental Hard Cider’s Seasonal Spiced Apple cider, from Woodinville WA. This is a seasonal release for them.

Cider: Seasonal Spiced Apple
Cidery: Elemental Hard Cider
Cidery Location: Woodinville WA
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 22oz bottle (also available on tap)
Style: American spiced apple cider

Availability: During Winter in Western WA

Cider Description: none given

Cidery Description: Family owned and operated. Brian and Christina Callahan launched Elemental Hard Cider to bring quality, affordable, and delicious hard cider to the world. We strive to bring fun and exciting flavors to the experienced cider enthusiast, as well as novice cider drinkers. Hand-Crafted Micro ciders Designed For Taste, smoothness, and quality. Each of our hand-crafted ciders are made from only the finest Northwest apples and cold-fermented to preserve the fruit. Our ciders are reminiscent of champagne, they are lightly filtered and mildly effervescent for clean taste. Experience our quality for yourself. Come in often to grab a glass. We are constantly trying out new flavors, so the line-up is always changing.

They have a tasting room in Woodinville WA open on Saturdays & Sundays.

Price: ~$8
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing, upon recommendation from Nathan from The Cider Chronicles

First Impression: Light amber yellow-orange. Mostly still. Smells like sweet apples, cinnamon, and sugar.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry (so my nose deceived me into thinking it would be sweeter). Moderate tartness. Strong acidity. No sourness or funk. Mild bitterness. Cinnamon-forward, with a touch of nutmeg and cloves, but overall the spice remains moderate. Light bodied. Long finish.

My Opinion: Pretty good. I liked that it wasn’t crazy sweet or heavily spiced. I was surprised however with the level of tartness and acidity.

Most Similar to: This reminds me a bit of 2 Towns Nice & Naughty, which I also found to be semi-dry and not too spiced, but was a significantly higher ABV. I’ve found D’s Wicked Baked Apple and Carlton Cyderworks Sugar and Spice to both be semi-sweet. I had always thought I didn’t like spiced ciders, but I’ve found that to be false.

Closing Notes: This was a great cider to kick off my Christmas break with!

What is your favorite spiced hard cider?

Big B’s Pear Supply

January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 cidersays Big B's, review Big B's, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, pear cider, Pear Supply, sample, sour

Review of Big B’s Pear Supply cider, made in Hotchkiss CO, from fermented pear & apple juices, part of their Farmhouse Cellar series.

>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Big B’s. 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: Pear Supply
Cidery: Big B’s
Cidery Location: Hotchkiss CO
ABV: 6.2%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle
Style: Organic American Farmstead-Style Apple-Pear Cider

Availability: Only in CO, year round, although they take phone orders to ship to customers when their state allows it.

Cider Description: Pear Supply artisanal farm house hard cider is a blend of local organic pears and apples, fermented together and bottle conditioned. Our recipe uses time honored cider making traditions and is cellar aged to perfection. Pear Supply is semi sweet, the apple and pear combination are well rounded and bursting with ripe pear notes and crisp apple undertones.

Made from local organic Winesap apples and Bartlett pears (50-50). Only apples, pears, and yeast, without other ingredients (such as Sulfites).

Cidery Description: Big B’s Hard Ciders – Local, Organic, Delicious. Big B’s proudly handcrafts American Farmstead Hard Ciders in small batches using only organic apples, hand picked at the peak of ripeness. Our orchard and tasting room is located in the North Fork Valley on the Western Slope of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Big B’s has an organic farm market and tasting room in Hotchkiss CO for their juices and hard cider (first sold in 2011), which re-opens for the season in May 2016. Pear Supply won silver at GLINTCAP 2015, and is in the running for a Good Food award for 2016 (along with Grizzly Brand & Orchard Original). Here is an article on Big B’s.

Price: n/a ($15.99 retail price)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: Online. I read about Big B’s, such as from a blog entry from Cider Sage, and have heard only great things.

First Impression: Lemonade light yellow hue. Moderate carbonation. Smells like pears, citrus, sourness, funk, and tartness.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Mild to moderate sourness and tartness. Moderate acidity. Hint of funk. Medium bodied. Fizzy mouthfeel. Notes of citrus and pear. I couldn’t really pick up the apple though. Moderate length finish.

My Opinion: Definitely sour, which isn’t to my liking, but I know a lot of other folks enjoy it. My husband however thought it was really tasty. Its all a matter of preference.

Most Similar to: Sour ciders. This reminded me some of Millstone Cobbler, which also had a lot of sour citrus flavor, although this cider wasn’t quite as sour, sweeter, and had pear not peach notes.

Closing Notes: I wasn’t expecting a sour cider, so this surprised me. I think fans who don’t mind a bit of sour would really enjoy this one though, especially in Spring & Summer.

Have you tried Big B’s cider? What did you think?

My Favorite Ciders of 2015

January 4, 2016January 8, 2016 cidersays favorite ciders cider, favorite ciders, hard cider, top ciders

What a wonderful year 2015 was! Cider Says has now been up for just over 6 months, and I’ve published 120 individual cider reviews, plus tasting notes, trip reports, news, and other posts. Like other cider bloggers, I thought it would be fun to make a list of my favorite ciders of 2015. To make it a bit different and easier, I put them into categories instead of trying to do a top ten list or similar.

Note that I wouldn’t try to make a list of the best ciders, just those I enjoyed, as it would be an impossible task to try every cider out there and be impartial. My only criteria for this list is to only include ciders I reviewed at Cider Says (which is probably 99% of what I drank since I started the blog).

Favorite dry cider: Eden Sparkling Dry. I’m usually not a huge dry cider fan, but I was impressed by this one. Its made from a blend of heirloom apples (including 50% Kingston Black) using traditional labor-intensive methode champenoise. I was lucky enough to try it with cidermaker Eleanor Leger. Its also oak aged, but that influence remained mild. I enjoyed how well-crafted and balanced the flavor was, and think its a great alternative to champagne. Interestingly enough I didn’t like the Sparkling Semi-Dry (review not yet posted), as it barely had any carbonation and had some sourness & funk, but its possible it wasn’t the intended result.

Favorite sweet cider: Moonlight Meadery How Do You Like Them Little Apples? This is a tasty draft-only cider with rich ripe apple, honey, oak, brown sugar, floral, and whiskey notes. I’ve really enjoyed everything from Moonlight Meadery so far, and they have quite a lineup between meads, ciders, and cysers.

Favorite barrel aged cider: Traditions Bourbon Barrel 2012. This was my favorite cider from Seattle Cider Summit 2015. Its made with Dabinett & Kingston Black cider apples. Traditions was a line of ciders made by 2 Towns, but they recently decided to re-label them all under 2 Towns. I was able to pick up a bottle, and wish I bought more. It was closely followed by Whitewood Whisky Barrel Aged Kingston Black (80% Kingston Black and 20% Porter’s Perfection), which I also tried at Cider Summit. Both were dry, rich, full-flavored, and had significant barrel & spirit influence.

Favorite fruity cider: tie between Eaglemount Quince and Snowdrift Red. Both are wonderfully but subtly fruity. Eaglemount adds quince fruit to the apples for their cider, but Snowdrift used red-fleshed apples (no other fruit additions). Both are quite complex. I picked up a lot of tropical fruit with Quince, plus some vanilla and honey. With Red, I picked up berry, watermelon, and cranberry notes, which is amazing to have all come from the red-fleshed apples.

Favorite herbal cider: Finnriver Lavender Black Currant. I tried this on Nitro, which added a unique creamy froth. Although the addition of lavender wasn’t overtly noticeable, I enjoyed this even more than their regular Black Currant (probably as it wasn’t as tart). Although the apple is well hidden with this cider, the black currant flavor is wonderful.

Favorite single varietal: Liberty Ciderworks Manchurian Crabapple. This was a very unique 12.5% ABV cider that Liberty described as port-style. It tastes like it was fortified with apple brandy, but wasn’t. Bold and boozy (in a good way). Manchurian Crabapples have a unique flavor, and this cider isn’t as tart and in your face as cider I’ve had which used other crabapple varieties.

Favorite spiced cider: 2 Towns Nice & Naughty. I used to think I didn’t like spiced cider, but I’ve found I do, as long as it isn’t overly spiced or sweet (which I haven’t found to be the case yet). I’ve tried both the regular and barrel aged versions of Nice & Naughty, and oddly enough liked the regular version better. This is an imperial spiced cider (10.5% ABV), and I enjoyed it better at closer to room temperature.

Favorite hopped cider: Cider Riot! Champoeg X-17. Although I’m not a big hopped cider fan (I don’t even like beer), I’ve tried a handful of hopped ciders at tastings and such. I like those which are milder on the hops, coming across more with herbal & floral notes.

Favorite Imperial style cider: 2 Towns The Bad Apple. This is a 10.5% ABV barrel aged imperial style cider. Apple-forward with rich apple, honey, vanilla, and oak notes. I think this is a great deal too at $7.50 for 500ml.

Favorite perry: Eric Bordelet Poire Authentique. This is a tasty easy drinking 3.5% ABV French perry with a bold clean balanced flavor. A close second is a similar French perry, Domaine Pacory Poire Domfront. Both were quite different from the American perries I’ve tried, and tasted more like cider from Brittany France–sweet, rich, and sparkling (or at least the Eric Bordelet was sparkling when it was first opened but not by the time I got a sample).

Favorite cyser: Moonlight Meadery The Last Apple. Cysers are made from fermenting apple juice and honey, so are a cross between cider and mead. This is a lovely 16% ABV bourbon barrel aged cyser with complex honey notes. I tried this on tap and was excited to find a bottle of it, although its quite pricey.

Favorite East Coast cider: Slyboro Ciderhouse Old Sin. ~~My review of this cider from New York isn’t up yet~~, but I really enjoyed it. Semi-dry with butterscotch, caramel, and tropical fruit notes. Rich and full-flavored with moderate tannins.

Favorite multipack craft cider: Reverend Nat’s Revival. I reviewed this cider before it became available in a six pack, which is a great change as it makes it significantly less expensive per ounce. I hope more craft ciders I enjoy become available in multipacks, as it really helps the affordability. This is a tasty cider with some tropical fruit notes which were amazingly created only from the yeast varieties used. However, I’ve found the topical fruit and yeast notes in this cider vary by batch…sometimes I enjoy it much more than other times.

Favorite English cider: Aspall Imperial. I’m a huge fan of Aspall, and have really enjoyed every cider from them I’ve tried so far. However, Imperial is by far my favorite. I loved how rich and full-flavored it was, with some mild tannins from using cider apples. I think Aspall is a great value as well, at approximately $8 a 500ml bottle, which is actually less than many local craft ciders. Sheppy’s Oak Matured would probably be a close second, with strong oak influence (the most I’ve found so far).

Favorite French cider: Dan Armor Cuvee Speciale Cidre Brut. Bubbly, sweet, and rich…what’s not to like? This was also a great deal at only $5 for a 750ml bottle at Trader Joe’s. They appear to have stopped carrying it though (and they appeared to have been the only ones offering it in the U.S.). Also, although the first time I tried it was amazing, the second time wasn’t quite as good. Le Brun Organic and Celt would probably be close seconds. Note that all three of these are ciders from the Brittany France area…so far I haven’t been a fan of any cider from the Normandy France area, which have tended to be drier, less carbonated, funky, and sour.

Favorite canned cider: Downeast Original Blend. I obtained a sample case of ciders from Downeast, their Original, Winter, and Cranberry blends. They were all quite tasty, but Original was my clear favorite. Until this I hadn’t been too impressed with any canned cider. Too bad they aren’t available in WA, as they would have a place in my fridge.

Favorite local canned cider: Cascadia Ciderworks United Dry. This was the first local canned craft cider I enjoyed. I find most canned ciders to be very mild, likely as they are intended to be sessionable (easy drinking, low ABV), when in contrast I prefer a full-flavored cider. Cascadia Dry (more semi-dry) however had some richness and even noticeable tannins.

Favorite commercial cider: Woodchuck Winter Chill. Although I am pro craft cider, I still enjoy commercial cider from time to time. This cider is full-flavored with great oak and vanilla notes. Its definitely sweet, but a bit less than many other commercial ciders. I also enjoy Woodchuck Gumption, Spire Mountain Dark & Dry, Ace Joker, and Crispin Original.

Favorite ice cider: Eden Heirloom Blend. I’ve only tried a few ice ciders so there weren’t many to consider, but Eden’s Heirloom Blend was amazing…rich and sweet with notes of caramelized sugar, brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and honey. I look forward to trying more ice ciders from Eden.

Favorite other cider: Locust Bittersweet Reserve. I wasn’t sure what category to put this in, but its a unique and enjoyable cider made with bittersweet apples. I found orange, spice, raisin, honey, caramel, and coffee notes. Its also super local, made probably 20 or 30 minutes from me in Woodinville WA.

Favorite cider-related beverage: Finnriver Pommeau. This is related to cider as its made with apple juice and apple brandy. Its a real treat…rich, high ABV, and full-flavored, with notes of burnt caramel, vanilla, and oak. I’m hoping to pick up a bottle when I do the Port Townsend cider loop next month. A close second would be Schilling Barrel #2.

Well, I think that does it, a list of 32 of my favorite ciders from 2015. They have a lot in common–most are rich and full-flavored. Still, it seems like so many great ciders didn’t make the cut, which is unfortunate.

What are your favorite ciders?

Dan Kelly’s Irish Cider

January 1, 2016December 31, 2015 cidersays Dan Kelly's, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, Dan Kelly's, hard cider, hard cider review, irish cider

Review of Dan Kelly’s Irish Cider. This is the second Irish cider I’ve tried (the first was Cragie’s Ballyhook Flier, plus I’ve also tried Dublin’s Pub, a Canadian Irish-style cider).

Cider: Cider
Cidery: Dan Kelly’s
Cidery Location: Drogheda Ireland
ABV: 4.5%
How Supplied: 500ml bottle
Style: Irish craft cider

None of the sub-pages of their website worked, including the one to contact them, so I couldn’t find much info straight from the source.

Availability: Unknown, but it appears they have at least limited distribution in the U.S., plus in Ireland and Germany

Cider Description: Dan Kelly’s Irish cider is crisp blend of cider apples with Bramley and dessert fruit using hand-picked apples from our own family orchard. These combinations give our craft cider a refreshing, crisp and extremely flavoursome finish every time.

Aged at least a year (I assume in a tank, as they didn’t mention barrels). Fermented with wild yeast (which is rare, as typically ciders will add a predictable known yeast strain rather than rely on the yeast from the apples & environment).

Cidery Description: Dan Kelly’s Cider is a new Irish cider made from hand picked apples from our very own family orchard. We are one of the only cider producers in Ireland to grow our own fruit. Our apples are blended to ensure the full fruit flavour comes through in our craft cider.

Price: ~$9
Where Bought: Special Brews in Lynnwood WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing

First Impression: Light amber-orange. Low carbonation. Smells dry, funky, and of oak.

Tasting Notes: Between semi-dry and semi-sweet. Low tannins, acidity, tartness, and bitterness. Slight funk. Moderate apple flavor. Medium bodied. Notes of oak and herbalness. Moderate length finish. Moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: I thought this one was ok. My main issue was a slightly off flavor I detected that I didn’t enjoy, likely from wild yeast fermentation (which is what can cause a cider to taste a bit funky).

Most Similar to: English cider, although this one had a bit of unique flavor I assume is from the wild yeast.

Closing Notes: I think I prefer English cider to Irish cider so far. For a dollar or two less I can get an English cider I really enjoy, such as from Aspall or Sheppy’s.

Have you tried Dan Kelly’s cider? What did you think?

Cascadia Ciderworkers United Dry

December 31, 2015June 18, 2017 cidersays Cascadia, review Cascadia, cider, cider review, cider tasting, dry cider, hard cider, oregon, Portlant

Review of Cascadia Ciderworkers United’s Dry cider, produced by Reverend Nat’s in Portland Oregon.

Cider: Dry
Cidery: Cascadia Ciderworks United
Cidery Location: Portland OR
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: four pack of 16oz cans
Style: American New World Style dry canned cider

Availability: Year round in limited markets, such as OR, WA, & CA

Cider Description: This is a true dry cider, made with the finest American dessert apples and crafted with Belgian beer yeast. Cloudy and golden colored, it is best served chilled, not ice cold. The next time you’re in Portland Oregon, stop by for a pint. Our Ciderworkers will be glad to share one with you.

Cidery Description: The Pacific Northwest grows more apples than anywhere else in the country, so we make hard cider here. Our ciderworkers use only Cascadia-grown whole apples, never juice from concentrate.

Price: $9.50 for a four pack (although I got a single can for under $3)
Where Bought: Total Wine
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. I had seen this on the shelves for awhile, and now that I’m open to drier ciders, I thought I might as well give it a try. Also, I’ve been wanting to find a local canned craft cider I like, and not having much luck.

First Impression: Light amber. Moderate carbonation. Smells acidic, tart, slightly rich, and of caramel, honey, and vanilla.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Moderate acidity. Low tartness and tannins. A hint of bitterness. No sourness or funk. The flavor is a bit yeasty and slightly apple forward, with a slight richness. It almost tastes barrel aged. Caramel and vanilla notes. Medium to high sessionability. Light to medium bodied. Moderate to full flavored. Moderate carbonation, which is rare to find. Moderate length finish, with some lingering booziness.

My Opinion: Yum! I enjoyed this cider, and think its a great value too. It was nice to have something that was drier but still fairly full flavored. I think its impressive they even got some tannins in there. Its actually the best local canned cider I’ve tried (my favorite canned cider so far is Downeast Original).

Most Similar to: This reminded me a bit of French cider, such as Celt, as it had a richer flavor and was carbonated (although its a bit drier than most ciders I’ve had from Brittany France).

Closing Notes: I think this would be a great everyday canned cider to keep in my house. Cascadia also makes a Granny Smith variety, and have a winter seasonal (at a whopping 9.5% ABV).

Update: Since I liked this so much I bought a four pack, and it was unfortunately undrinkable. It was like it was a completely different cider (a fruity cider gone bad). I e-mailed the cidery, but didn’t receive a response. Disappointing.

Have you tried Cascadia cider? What did you think?

Freyeisen Apfelwein German Cider

December 30, 2015December 20, 2015 cidersays Freyeisen, review Apfelwein, apple wine, cider, cider review, Freyeisen, german, german cider, hard cider

Review of Freyeisen Apfelwein, a german “apple wine”, and the first cider I’ve tried from Germany.

Cider: Freyeisen Apfelwein German Cider
Cidery: Freyeisen
Cidery Location: Frankfurt Germany (Hessen-Rhine-Main)
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: single 330ml bottles (which is a format you don’t see often)
Style: German Apfelwein

Availability: Unknown

Cider Description: Produced in the hills near Frankfurt, from the region of Hessen which has centuries of cider culture and tradition. Freyeisen uses a unique blend of local apple varieties, crushed and fermented using traditional methods only. Fine soft carbonation. Fresh, crisp and full of ripe fruits. Scents of honey, orange blossom, apple tree and almonds.

Note that I couldn’t find much info on this cider besides a few reviews online…even the cidery’s website wasn’t working.

Price: $4 or $5?
Where Bought: Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: Browsing. Both my husband and I are of German heritage (my husband moreso), so I was quite curious to try a cider from Germany. This was the most affordable German cider they had (the others were larger format bottles), so I thought I’d start with it.

First Impression: Medium amber hue. Low carbonation. Smells of bittersweet apples, yeast, honey, spice, and oak.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry. Moderate tartness and acidity. Mild tannins and bitterness. No sourness or funk. I picked up the same notes as the scent, except add vanilla & citrus and subtract spice. It had a warming effect (tasted like it had a higher ABV than indicated). Well balanced and crisp flavors tending towards apple-forward. Medium bodied. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate length finish.

My Opinion: Pretty tasty, definitely well above average, but not spectacular. Its an easily likable cider as long as someone isn’t expecting something significantly sweeter. I found its sessionability to be moderate (not higher mostly due to it tasting like the ABV was on the high end due to a warming effect).

Most Similar to: It seemed to have characteristics in between that which I’d associate with English & French (Brittany not Normandy) ciders. I don’t however have any other apfelwein experience to compare to.

Closing Notes: I’m curious to try other apfelweins!

Have you tried any ciders from Germany? What did you think?

Book Review #6, Craft Cider – How to Turn Apples into Alcohol

December 29, 2015December 29, 2015 cidersays book, cider education, review book, book review, cider, cider book, craft cider, hard cider, Jeff Smith

For the sixth book review here at Cider Says (see here for the first five): “Craft Cider – How to Turn Apples Into Alcohol”, by Jeff Smith, published September 2015, with a suggested price of $17.95. Jeff Smith is the one who started Bushwhacker Cider in Portland OR, a cider bar and cidery. I suggested that my local library add this book to their collection, and they bought it for me to borrow! I think libraries are great to check out a book to see if you may want to purchase it.

I always like reading about cider, and this was a nice quick weekend vacation read.

This book includes the following Chapters:

The World of Cider (the cider industry & some cider history)
Styles of Cider (English, Spanish, French, American, German, Irish, Scandinavian, Ice, & Pommeau)
Sourcing Fruit and Juice (Farmer’s Markets, Local Orchards, Grocery Stores, Juice, Neighbors, What Makes a Cider Apple Different?, and Apple Varieties)
A Cider Maker’s Necessary Equipment (Fermentation Vessel, Sourcing and Using Wood Barrels, Hydrometer, Wine Thief, Thermometer, pH Meter and pH Strips, Airlocks and Bungs, Cleaning Chemicals, Sanitizer, Siphons, Bottling Equipment, Kegging Equipment, More About Kegging)
Step by Step (process of making cider)
So You Want to Press Your Own Apples? (Presses, Basic Overview)
Recipes (Basic Dry, Bushwhacker Smoked, New England Style, Lingonberry, Local Cyser, Scrumpy, Cherry, Ginger, Pear Cider and Perry, Dry Oaked, Spanish-Style, Cranberry, High Gravity, Bushwhacker Italian Plum, Spiced, Sweet, Bushwhacker Alice, Forgotten Trail)
How to Taste Cider (Tasting at Home, Setting up a Tasting, Cellaring Ciders, Terms)
Cooking with Cider (Bushwhacker Cider Vinaigrette, Apple Coleslaw, Pulled Pork Butt, Cider House Fondue)
Cider Cocktails (Pommeau Manhattan, Bushwhacker G&T, Apply Brandy “Cide-Car”, Cherry 88, Cider Mule, Forgetful Rob, Basque-Tini, Cider Dark & Stormy, Cider Julep, Apple Cosmo, Big Apple Iced Tea)
Resources (Blogs, Organizations, Events, Country-Specific Cider Terms, Cider-Making Terms)

My favorite parts were those which were unique to this book, such as about using wood barrels, pros & cons of kegging, and cellaring cider.

Overall this book isn’t a bad choice for a newbie to cider, especially one who wants to get into making their own cider, but for others like me, they may not get much out of it. I also didn’t like how often the book mentioned the author’s cider bar & cidery, Bushwhacker (it literally seemed like almost every page), and its language was almost too informal (didn’t seem like it had much editing). I’m glad I got to get it from the library, but its not something I see the need to buy for my own collection.

Elemental Cider Tasting Notes

December 28, 2015December 19, 2015 cidersays Elemental, review Around the Table, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Elemental, hard cider, lynnwood, washington, Woodinville

Around the Table, a game pub in Lynnwood WA, recently hosted an Elemental Hard Cider tasting. Although I’m not really into the game portion of their shop, its a great place to pick up a growler of cider, as they usually have a few selections on tap (plus a mead), typically from local cideries. Elemental Cider hails from Woodinville WA, also in the greater Seattle area. Brian and Christina Callahan, founders of Elemental, were there pouring, and it wasn’t too busy so I got to talk with Brian about cider for awhile. Elemental has a tasting room in Woodinville WA. They started off making wine, founding Callahan Cellars, but have since transitioned to cider, closing Callahan Cellars.

I’ve had a number of Elemental’s selections, including past versions of the Carbon and NW Atomic Rootbeer varieties they were sampling. I was surprised how different the recipes were from what I had previously tried, but they said they have continued to tweak them after release, although the current versions should be the permanent ones. Even without knowingly tweaking a recipe, a cider can change significantly batch to batch, year to year.

Blood Orange is a newer variety for them and only available at their tap room, but Carbon and NW Atomic Rootbeer are available in bottles. I think Pom-Cherry is also a newer tap room only variety, but they have a Pomegranate variety dubbed”Oxygen” available in bottles & kegs, and I’ve had a Cherry variety from them from a keg previously.

I started with Carbon, which they describe as a traditional dry hard cider. The cidermaker Brian divulged that they have a special ingredient they use, a touch of lavender, for a little something special. I couldn’t pick up that flavor, but this was rather unique for a basic cider. I’d call it more semi-dry than dry. Its fairly apple-forward, moderately full flavored, and slightly rich. Moderate acidity, mild tartness, and a hint of tannins, with no detectable bitterness, sourness, or funk. Medium bodied.

I learned that they use colder fermenation temperatures than some other cideries to retain more apple flavor in their ciders. I really like when a cider is apple-forward without tasting juice-like (which often happens when they overly back-sweeten a cider with unfermented juice).

This version of Carbon was quite different than the version I tried a couple months ago (which was probably bottled many months before that), which was very pale in color, drier, less flavorful, and had more bitterness & tannins. I enjoyed this new version much better. I’d love if they would make it available in cans, as I’ve been searching for an affordable craft cider (which usually means a multi-pack) that I enjoy, and coming up empty as most are very mildly flavored.

Next was Cherry-Pom, which had a light cherry hue, and with which I picked up more cherry than pomegranate flavor (the Pom mostly presented as tartness), but it remained mild to moderately flavored. It was semi-dry, with mild to moderate acidity. I’m not really a big fan of fruity ciders, but I found no faults with it.

I then tried NW Atomic Rootbeer, which is their root beer made with a cider base (in contrast to a malt base like most hard root beers). It smells almost exactly like the soda version of root beer (moreso than the previous version), but has a hint of apple on the finish (also moreso than the previous version). However, in between, the root beer flavor seemed to be less than the previous version. Brian said that they ferment the apple base dry, so it shouldn’t have much apple flavor remaining, so it may be been perceived on my part (or I had some previous cider remaining in my glass). Overall it was enjoyable, but I remembered liking the previous version better, so I was a bit disappointed.

They’ve actually got some members of the cider community in uproar on this product, saying it isn’t craft cider. Although this is “Alcopop”, I don’t see it as much different than fruit, hopped, or spiced cider…the main difference is that they use caramel coloring. However, its cane sugar based, non-GMO, and the closest you can get to all natural (they are currently trying to go one step further and get the organic version of it). I personally don’t have an issue with the product as they are upfront about what it is.

The final cider was Blood Orange. This seems to be a new fad, as Ace recently released a “Space” blood orange cider (my tasting notes here), as well as some other cideries which don’t distribute in my area (2 Rivers, Bulmers, Country Cider Co, Common Cider Co, & FoxCraft. Thankfully I liked Elemental’s version much better than Ace’s, as it tasted real instead of fake, although rather juice-like. It was full-flavored, but the blood orange portion of the flavor remained mild instead of overpowering. It had a hazy orange hue with a hint of pink. Full bodied. This is a pretty easily likable cider, and seemed to be a hit during the tasting. I thought it was well-done, but its just not a flavor I enjoy.

My favorite of the four ciders was oddly enough the Carbon. I unfortunately liked the previous version of NW Atomic Rootbeer better. I decided to get a half growler of Carbon since I liked it, it was such a good price (about the same as a bottle of their cider which is half the size), and its no fun to leave a tasting empty handed.

They were doing a raffle for giveaways (mostly Elemental Hard Cider & NW Atomic Rootbeer branded glass growlers) for folks who bought a pint of cider. However, I didn’t have a reason to hang out after my cider tasting and a bit of Full Tilt ice cream, so I got a growler and headed home. They were doing the same deal they did with the last cider tasting (Finnriver) where you got the growler glass for free (instead of $5) with a fill, so now I have two 32oz cider growlers. I was able to drink the cider a few nights that week and it actually stayed perfectly fresh and lightly carbonated the whole time.

I look forward to the next cider tasting they have at Around the Table, and trying more ciders from Elemental. They have been commercially producing cider for just over a year, and already have a maximum capacity of 30 barrels a week.

Spire Mountain Red Apple

December 25, 2015December 18, 2015 cidersays review, Spire Mountain apple cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Leavenworth, Red Apple, Spire, Spire Mountain, washington

Review of Spire Mountain’s Red Apple variety. I’ve had this one a couple times before, same with their Sparkling Pear, but this is the first time since starting Cider Says. My favorite cider from Spire Mountain is their Dark & Dry (which isn’t dry, but is a nice rich semi-sweet cider), which I reviewed here, one of my first reviews.

Cider: Red Apple
Cidery: Spire Mountain (Fish Brewing Company)
Cidery Location: Olympia WA
ABV: 5.0%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles, kegs
Style: American (New World) modern apple cider

Availability: AL, AK, CA, FL, HI, ID, IL, MI, MN, MT, ND, OR, PA, RI, SD, WA, Canada (Alberta & British Columbia), and online through BeerShip.com. Red Apple, Sparkling Pear, and Dark & Dry are available year-round in six packs & kegs, Spiced Cider is available Nov-Jan in limited markets in 22oz bottles, and they have a new variety I haven’t even seen yet, Habanero Apple, which is also available Nov-Jan (I also assume in limited markets) in 22oz bottles.

Cider Description: From the natural sweetness of famed Washington apples comes this delightful hard cider. Pleasant, light and with a snap of champagne effervescence, each glass is like a bite of crisp liquid apple. Perfectly balanced with just the right tartness, this is one of life’s natural pleasures.

Cidery Description: Deep in the very heart of the Cascade Mountain Range, legend has it that there is a hidden mountain with an enchanted orchard, where the climate is ideal for growing the world’s finest apples and pears. For centuries, the inhabitants of this magical place known as Spire Mountain, have spent their days doing nothing but nurturing the fruit on the trees, and making the best cider on earth. Is it any wonder that Spire Mountain Cider is the oldest premium cider brand in America? The next time you order a cider, ask for the one made in the enchanted orchard on Spire Mountain!

Spire Mountain was founded in 1985 (yes that is correct, before even Woodchuck) and have a tap room (under Fish Brewing) in Woodinville WA and a Brew Pub (under Fish Brewing) in Olympia WA.

Price: $6.50! / 12oz bottle (it runs around $8-$11 a six pack in stores)
Where Drank: J.J. Hills in Leavenworth WA, which we visited to satisfy my husband’s prime rib desires. Leavenworth is a quaint Bavarian-themed mountain town a couple hours East of Seattle WA, which we were visiting for one of their famous Christmas Lighting Festival weekends (it literally requires a reservation a year in advance to stay the weekend).
Their Cider Selection: J.J. Hills offered Spire Mountain’s Red Apple and Sparkling Pear varieties in bottles. The Spire rep must have hit up Leavenworth, as a couple years ago when we last visited, almost no cider was to be found, and now every place had an offering or two, mostly Spire (where in Seattle I rarely find it in a restaurant or bar).

I was able to order the following ciders during our weekend in Leavenworth:
– Spire Mountain Dark & Dry on draft at Bavarian Lodge (our hotel, which is awesome, and the only place we’ll stay in Leavenworth)
– Spire Mountain Dark & Dry on draft at Bavarian Bistro & Bar
– Seattle Cider Semi-Sweet on draft at Cured
– Spire Mountain Red Apple in a bottle at J.J. Hills
– Woodchuck Amber in a bottle at Icicle Brewery
– this one doesn’t really count, but I brought a can of Downeast Cranberry Blend with us to enjoy in the room, and it tasted nice and festive

First Impression: Light amber. Low carbonation. Smells like apple juice with a touch of acidity and tartness.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. No sourness, bitterness, or funk. Very apple-forward with crisp flavrs, but I also detected some mild tropical notes. Juice-like, but not syrupy. Highly sessionable and a well-hidden ABV. Light to medium bodied. Quick finish length.

My Opinion: Above average. Its a pretty standard tasting cider and doesn’t have any significant complexity. However, its tasty, easy to drink, apple forward, and on the sweeter side but not crazy sweet or syrupy like some other easily available ciders are (such as Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, Strongbow Gold Apple, and Smith & Forge). Still, its on the commercial side, and they even add sugar after fermentation (listed on the ingredient list).

Most Similar to: Semi-sweet apple-forward commercial and craft-commercial ciders.

Closing Notes: Dark & Dry is definitely my favorite Spire Mountain cider, especially on draft, but Red Apple definitely hit the spot, and I wouldn’t hesitate to order it if it was available, although its not something I’d buy to keep in the house.

Have you tried Spire Mountain ciders? What did you think?

Schilling Cider House Visit 8 Tasting Notes

December 24, 2015August 12, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, AEppelTreow, Cider Riot, Eaglemount, Number Six, review, Schilling cider, cider flight, cider review, cider tasting, flight, Fremont, hard cider, Schilling Cider House, seattle, tasting notes

Yes, I made yet another trip to the Schilling Cider House! Check out my past posts here. This time it was for a random visit in early December, as I knew I wouldn’t have time to go for awhile with the holidays. I wasn’t disappointed, as there were a good number of ciders on tap I hadn’t tried previously.

I had a flight of six ciders, then picked up a half growler of Locust Bittersweet (which I have a bottle of, but was a really good deal and is quite tasty) and a few bottles. I was intrigued by a new Liberty Ciderworks (Spokane WA) cider called Garretza, but learned it is a barrel aged sour, and passed as I’m not into sours.

Schilling Pineapple Passion (aka Trouble in Paradise), 5% ABV, Seattle WA: This is a brand new currently tap-only release at Schilling which added pineapple & passion fruit juices to cider, and may be canned in the future. Slightly hazy pineapple-yellow hue. On the drier side of semi-sweet. Light bodied. Moderate pineapple flavor. I didn’t pick up any passion fruit flavor. The only other pineapple ciders I’ve had are Ace Pineapple (apple cider backsweetened with pineapple juice) and Reverend Nat’s Tepache (made only using pineapple juice, very low ABV, and lots of spice). In my mind I was comparing this to Ace’s pineapple cider. I liked Schilling’s much better, as it wasn’t as juice-like (I used to really enjoy Ace’s Pineapple, but my tastes moved away from ciders which taste like juice). However, Schilling’s Pineapple cider seemed to be missing something…maybe it needed more carbonation?

Number 6 Pomegranate, 5.4% ABV, Seattle WA: I’ve previously only had their “True Cider” variety. Light cherry / pomegranate type hue. Semi-sweet. Light bodied. Low acidity and tartness. It remained light to moderate on the pomegranate flavor, similar to Elemental’s “Oxygen” Pomegranate cider (Elemental is also in the Seattle area, in Woodinville WA). I found this to be rather average, as it left me wanting more flavor. I mostly tried it as I hadn’t had it before.

AeppelTreow Barn Swallow, 6% ABV, Burlington WI: This is the first cider I’ve had from them. Made from Red Delicious, Cortland, Ida Red, and Greenings apples. Semi-sweet. Medium straw yellow. Low acidity and tartness. No bitterness. Medium boded. There was a slight richness which I enjoyed. Overall definitely well above average, and quite tasty. I look forward to trying the bottle of their Appely Brut I have at home.

Eaglemount Cyser, 8% ABV, Port Townsend WA: Cysers are made by fermenting both apple juice and honey, so are classified in between cider and mead. Smells dry, of yeast & honey, with a slight funk. Medium straw yellow. Semi-sweet. Nice mild honey flavor. Medium bodied. Moderate acidity. Mild tartness. The higher ABV was noticeable. Really nice! However, I was more impressed with their Quince cider I had a bottle of awhile back, which was crazy complex and fruity. I want to try more from them.

2 Towns Nice & Naughty Bourbon Barrel Aged, 10.5% ABV, Corvallis OR: I had 2 Towns’ Nice & Naughty (their holiday seasonal) on tap only a couple weeks before this, but this one is a special bourbon barrel aged release of it which appears to be tap-only. Smells spiced, rich, and alcohol-forward. The spice remains very mild, even more so than the regular version. Moderate barrel influence and mild bourbon influence for the flavor, but this tastes quite boozy. Some caramel and vanilla notes, and oddly enough, ginger? Mild tartness, acidity, and bitterness. Medium bodied. Long finish with a lot of warmth. I drank it last, letting it warm up to close to room temperature, based on my previous experience with the regular version of Nice & Naughty tasting better that way. However, it may have been a mistake, as I didn’t really care for this version of the cider. The high ABV, spice, barrel aging, and bourbon influence seemed to be competing for attention. I much preferred the regular Nice & Naughty (which is odd as typically I love barrel aged ciders), but would be curious to try this one again when it was very cold.

Cider Riot Champoeg X-17 on Nitro, 4.6% ABV, Portland OR: This is a hopped cider, part of their new Champoeg line, and made using an experimental hops variety. Smells herbal & floral. Semi-dry. The hops flavor remains very mild, and is more herbal & floral than hoppy. It reminded me some of Portland Hop’rageous and Tod Creek Mala-Hop, which are also both mild (although this cider was even milder on the hops). Very light boded. The Nitro tap didn’t seem to add much except additional foam (I think it works best with Berry ciders). I’m not a hops fan, so I don’t think I fully appreciated it, but it wasn’t bad. Overall it left me wanting more flavor, but I wouldn’t have wanted any more hops flavor.

My favorites of the evening were Eaglemount Cyser, AeppelTreow Barn Swallow, and Schilling Pineapple Passion, in that order.

Stay tuned for more Schilling Cider House tasting notes here at Cider Says! Have you had any good draft cider / cider flights recently?

Big B’s Grizzly Brand Bourbon Barrel Aged Cider

December 23, 2015December 25, 2015 cidersays Big B's barrel aged, Big B's, bourbon barrel aged, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Colorado, Grizzly Brand, hard cider

Review of Grizzly Brand, an organic bourbon barrel aged cider from Big B’s out of Hotchkiss Colorado, part of their small batch Farmhouse Cellar series.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Big B’s. 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.<<

<aren’t these cool bottle labels & stickers they sent?>

Cider: Grizzly Brand
Cidery: Big B’s
Cidery Location: Hotchkiss CO
ABV: 6.9%
How Supplied: 750ml bottle
Style: American New World Style Bourbon Barrel Aged Cider

Availability: Only in CO, year round, although they take phone orders to ship to customers when their state allows it.

Cider Description: For over 80 years the Growers Trading and Supply Co. in Hotchkiss Colorado sold millions of lbs of Apples as Grizzly Brand Apples. Big B’s took over this location in 1973 and to pay homage to the Grizzly Brand we created a Hard Cider with historic roots and time honored traditions. Grizzly Brand Hard Cider is aged in used bourbon barrels, it’s unfiltered and bottle conditioned. It’s a crisp and dry cider that’s laced with woody vanilla like tones and finishes with the warmth of fine bourbon. USDA Certified Organic. ABV 6.9% and available in 750ml bottle.

Local organic Winesap apple single varietal aged 12-15 months in High West Distillery barrels from Park City UT. Only apples and yeast, without other ingredients (such as Sulfites).

Big B’s has an organic farm market and tasting room in Hotchkiss CO for their juices and hard cider (first sold in 2011), which re-opens for the season in May 2016. Grizzly Brand won silver at GLINTCAP 2015, and is in the running for a Good Food award for 2016 (along with Pear Supply & Orchard Original). Here is an article on Big B’s.

First Impression: Slightly hazy honey-lemon hue. Carbonation level between still and very low. Smells of sweet honey, oak barrels, citrus, and bourbon. The smell really reminds me of Crispin’s 15 Men–barrel aged and a lot of honey (although that one was rum not bourbon barrel).

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry (which was a bit difficult to decide on as there were some completing aspects). Mild acidity, tartness, and bitterness. No sourness or funk. The flavor was complex, starting with honey & citrus, then moving to oak wood & vanilla, then into the lingering warming bourbon. Moderate barrel and bourbon spirit influence. Medium bodied. Long finish length. Low to moderate sessionability.

My Opinion: Pretty tasty! Definitely unique. I liked that they went a bit stronger on the barrel & spirit influence than most spirit barrel aged ciders.

Most Similar to: The honey combined with barrel aged most reminded me of Crispin 15 Men (rum barrel), followed by Carlton Slake (whiskey barrel), 2 Towns The Bad Apple (bourbon barrel), and Moonlight Meadery How Do You Like Them Little Apples (whiskey barrel). The difficulty in determining the level of sweetness with a barrel aged cider with sweet notes reminded me of Thistly Cross Whisky Cask (which is sweeter). The other bourbon barrel aged ciders I’ve had include Tieton Cidermaker’s Reserve and Traditions Bourbon Barrel 2012 (the Traditions one, made by 2 Towns, is literally one of my favorite ciders by the way).

Closing Notes: Too bad Big B’s Grizzly Brand isn’t available outside of Colorado yet. I think they will do very well with expanded distribution. Barrel aged cider is typically my favorite variety, and this one didn’t disappoint. I look forward to trying the other cider they sent, Pear Supply.

Have you tried Big B’s Cider? What did you think?

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