keeved cider

Eden Claudine Keeved Cider

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Review of Eden’s Claudine, a French-style keeved cider.  It is my first time trying this, but I have had their Sparkling Dry, Cinderella’s Slipper, Heirloom Blend Ice Cider, Sparkling Semi-Dry, Northern Spy Ice Cider, Honeycrisp Ice Cider, Imperial 11 Rosé, Heirloom Blend Barrel Aged, Guinevere’s Pearls, Windfall Orchard Ice Cider, Two Ellies, The Falstaff, Heritage, Siren Song, Ezekiel Kingston Black, Harvest, and Extra Sec.

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Cider:  Claudine (Cellar Series)
Cidery:  Eden Specialty Ciders
Cidery Location:  Newport VT
ABV:  4.0%
How Supplied:  375ml bottles
Style:  American craft French-style keeved cicder

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Availability:  online only, limited release

Cider Description:  Normandy-style keeved cider, made from 3 bittersweet apple varieties. This is a special version of a petillant naturel that retains residual sweetness, balanced by tannin rather than acidity. Its delicious, rich flavor is a fantastic accompaniment to traditional Normandy foods. Enjoy with a plate of cider-braised mussels, a bowl of pork stew, or a slather of Camembert cheese.

Cidery Description:  Our specialty ciders reflect the cold winter climate and apple heritage of Northern New England. We make ciders that are unique and innovative, but that also respect the rare and expensive apples we use, and refrain from aggressive manipulation and industrial beer and wine processing techniques.

Price:  $36 / 3 bottles (currently no single bottle option) + shipping
Where Bought:  their website
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  e-mail from the cidery

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First Impression:  Medium orange amber hue.  Moderate carbonation.  Smells sweet, of rich apple and yeast.

Tasting Notes:  On the drier side of semi-sweet.  Medium bodied.  Low tartness and acidity.  No funk or sourness.  Notes of rich complex apple pomace & juice and orange.  Quick finish with a hint of bitterness and tannins.  High apple flavor, sessionability, and overall flavor intensity.  Low complexity.

My Opinion:  I really liked it.  On the simpler side, but most French and French-style ciders are, and its far from boring.  Sweeter than most other offerings from Eden, which I like, as my favorite non-ice cider from them is probably their semi-sweet Guinevere’s Pearls.  I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between this and a French cider.  I think it would be perfect for a weekend brunch.

Most Similar to:  a number of cleaner French ciders (no funk or sourness); see here for some of my past French cider reviews

Closing Notes:  Interesting they are only selling this in half-size 375ml bottles, especially with the low ABV.  From the price and style I’m guessing this cider cost them a lot to make, and the smaller bottle size kept the price much lower (vs. $24 / 750ml bottle assuming double the price of one 375ml bottle).

Have you tried Eden Claudine?  What did you think?

Herb’s Cider Forte Golden Russet Keeved

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Review of Forte from Herb’s Cider, a keeved cider from golden russet apples.  Keeving is a French cidermaking process which leaves the apple pulp and skin with the juice to start fermenting, creating a pectin gel layer which traps nitrogen, which in combination with low temperatures starves the juice of nutrients to completely ferment to dry, slowly creating a naturally sweet cider (see here for more info).  I tried this at Cider Summit a couple weeks ago (see here), plus I’ve had their Triplet Special Reserve, Blue Note Heirloom Blueberry, 7/4 Traditional Bittersharp, Crescendo Cox Orange Pippin SV, and Cider Summit Fruit Challenge Plum Jerkum.

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Cider:  Forte
Cidery:  Herb’s Cider
Cidery Location:  Bellingham WA
ABV:  6.3%
How Supplied:  750ml bottles
Style:  American organic craft keeved cider from Golden Russet heirloom apples

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Availability:  limited release, and probably only in Washington

Cider Description:  A single varietal cider made from organic Golden Russet apples.  Keeved using traditional methods to result in a naturally sweet cider and wild fermented at very low temperatures for several months.  Aged in French oak puncheons.

Cidery Description:  Herb’s Cider is a craft cider produced by world renowned drummer, Tim “Herb” Alexander and award-winning Cider Maker, Chris Weir. Herb’s is located in the heart of Bellingham, Washington. We use only 100% ORGANIC Pacific Northwest fruit for our sophisticated, bright, effervescent and flavorful ciders. We are dedicated to the craft of fine cider making and use only traditional methods. We do not add sugars (back-sweeten) or anything to flavor our end products. Tim and his wife, Shama, fermented their first batch of cider in their garage in the fall of 2016. It was a blend of Ambrosia / Gravenstein apples and Japanese Pears, leftover from their garden after a bumper crop. They couldn’t give enough apples away and didn’t want the apples to rot. Instead, Tim went out and rented an apple press. The rest is history….

Price:  ~ $20
Where Bought:  Cider Summit Seattle 2019
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  tasting

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First Impression:  Medium straw yellow hue.  Low carbonation.  Smells sweet, of pineapple.

Tasting Notes:  On the sweeter side of semi-dry.  Light bodied, with a fluffy texture.  Moderate tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, or funk.  Hints of tannins.  Notes of tart green & rich heirloom apple and tropical fruit, with a creamy mouthfeel.  Moderate length finish, flavor intensity, complexity, sessionability, and apple flavor.

My Opinion:  I really enjoyed it.  Super unique, and the sweetest of all their offerings I’ve tried so far.  I had no idea you could keeve non-bittersweet apples, so that’s pretty cool.

Most Similar to:  This is sweeter than three Golden Russet single varietals I’ve tried, from Finnriver, Liberty, and Wandering Aengus, and was more tropical fruity than earthy/buttery/starchy.

Closing Notes:  My husband smartly recommended I pick up 2 bottles, because whenever I buy 1 bottle of something I really liked at an event, I don’t want to open it, because then it’ll be gone.  So, the good news is I still have another bottle left!

Have you tried keeved cider?  What did you think?