Eden Claudine Keeved Cider

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.

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

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

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

September 26, 2019September 20, 2019 cidersays Herb's, review cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, Herb's Cider, keeved, keeved cider, tasting notes

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.

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

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

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?

Worley’s Special Reserve

June 14, 2017June 9, 2017 cidersays review, Worley's cider, cider review, cider tasting, English Cider, hard cider, keeved, Special Reserve, tasting notes, worley's

Review of Worley’s Special Reserve, a keeved English cider (a process more common with French cidre, and which makes a naturally sweet and sparkling cider). I previously tried this at Cider Summit Seattle 2015 (see here), but wanted to give it another go. I’ve also tried Worley’s other two ciders which are available in the U.S., Premium Vintage and Mendip Hills.

Cider: Special Reserve
Cidery: Worley’s
Cidery Location: Shepton Mallet, Somerset, UK
ABV: 5.4%
How Supplied: 750ml corked & caged bottle
Style: English craft cider from cider apples, keeved, medium sweet, naturally sparkling

Availability: semi wide release

Cider Description: Worley’s Special Reserve is made from 100% pure cider apple juice using the ancient art of keeving. This creates a naturally sparkling cider of outstanding fruity character with subtle undertones of caramel. It has a sweetness and rounded tannins lifted by a long-lasting carbonation. Bottle-conditioning results in a natural sediment. Store and chill upright and pour with care to leave sediment in the bottle.

Cidery Description: A hobby that got out of control. We first made cider as a bit of fun for ourselves and our friends. Now here we are nearly a decade later and we’re still having fun but we’re making a lot more cider! Our first experience of making was when we bought 50 gallons of juice off the farm press from the iconic Roger Wilkins in Mudgely, Somerset. We made the mistake of adding in a bit of sugar and ended up with 10.5% cider. It was lethal and one of the neighbours spent a few hours in a ditch as a result of downing a couple of pints. Lesson learned, we began to find our own fruit in various small Somerset orchards and gradually started to master the mysterious arts of fruit selection and fermentation. A few years ago we decided if wanted to carry on making cider we’d need the cider to start making a contribution to its upkeep. So we gradually started selling a bit. Now we’re making over 30,000 litres a year and don’t have time to have proper jobs any more!

Price: $16.99
Where Bought: The Cave in Kirkland WA
Where Drank: home
How Found: initially at Cider Summit Seattle

First Impression: Light amber hue. Low to moderate carbonation with some foam. Smells funky, of bittersweet cider apples.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied with a fluffy texture. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low bitterness. Moderate tannins. Moderate to high funk, especially on the finish. Hints of sourness. Moderate to long finish. Notes of bittersweet cider apple juice and pomace, orange, caramel, and barnyard. High apple flavor. Moderate sessionability, complexity, and flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed this. It has an interesting mix between lightness and richness. However, I would have liked less funk (although the quality has grown on me in the last couple years).

Most Similar to: A cross between English and French cider, which are both favorites of mine.

Closing Notes: I’ve been in a big English cider mood lately, but the selection of them has decreased in the Seattle area oddly enough (seems like the imports don’t move very quickly, so the shops haven’t been re-ordering them). My favorite Worley’s cider so far is Mendip Hills, which had all the flavor without the funk.

Have you tried keeved cider? What did you think?

2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche – 2015 Vintage

November 25, 2016November 28, 2016 cidersays 2 Towns, review 2 Towns, cider, cider review, cidre, cidre bouche, French, hard cider, keeved, tasting notes, Traditions

Review of 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche, a French-style keeved cider. This is one of two ciders which they released to start off their new Traditions line. Their Traditions line will replace their separate Traditions brand and focus on barrel aged vintage cider from heirloom apples. The other is Riverwood, which I’ll be reviewing next. Two others will soon be released, Afton Field and La Mûre. Its my first time trying this cider, although I’ve tried many other ciders from 2 Towns (see here).

Keeving is a special labor intensive process of fermenting the cider slowly, starving it of natural nutrients. It results in an apple-forward, naturally sweet, lower ABV, and higher carbonation cider. This is typical for French cidre, but is very rare in the U.S.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by 2 Towns. 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: Traditions Cidre Bouche
Cidery: 2 Towns
Cidery Location: Corvallis Oregon
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 375ml bottles
Style: American craft French keeved style cider from heirloom apples, oak aged

Availability: Limited (only 240 cases of 12 bottles), although 2 Towns ciders are generally available in AK, CA, HI, ID, OR, WA, and Minneapolis MN & Chicago IL.

Cider Description: Oregon grown bittersweet heirloom apples. Old world keeving method. Aged in French oak casks….Inspired by the bittersweet ciders of France, Cidre Bouché is made with an Old World process called keeving. We start with 100% traditional cider apple varieties like Kingston Black, Michelin, Reine des Pommes, Dabinett and Muscat de Lense, and then let the fruit ‘sweat’ and intensify in aroma. Next, the apples are crushed and left to soak on the skins before the juice is fermented slowly over the course of a year, and aged in French oak casks. When finished, this keeved cider is rich, thick and brimming with overripe bittersweet apple character. Pairs well with classic French fare— think savory crepes, pork terrine, camembert and blue cheese.

Cidery Description: At 2 Towns Ciderhouse we believe that the long history of cidermaking demands respect and deserves to be done right. Starting with the highest quality whole ingredients from local farms, we take no shortcuts in crafting our ciders. We never add any sugar, concentrates or artificial flavors, and instead use slow, cold fermentation methods to allow the fruit to speak for itself. As a family-owned company, we are committed to the growth of our team and enrichment of our communities. We take pride in producing true Northwest craft cider.

Price: n/a
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Hazy medium orange amber hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells slightly funky and apple forward.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate to high acid. Low funk and tannins. Hints of sourness and bitterness. Notes of unfiltered apple juice, apple pomace, honey, orange, grapefruit, and butterscotch. Moderate length finish. Moderate to high apple flavor. Moderate sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Moderate complexity.

My Opinion: I really enjoyed it, and thought it paired well with Thanksgiving dinner. It got a bit funkier as it warmed up, so I preferred it cold. I’m a fan of these sorts of bold and rich ciders, and of (not too funky or sour) French cidre.

Most Similar to: French cidre. It definitely seemed true to the style, in between Normandy and Brittany French cidre as it was a bit funky (as Normandy cidre can tend to be), but not overly so. However, it was a bit higher acidity and more fruity though (although the grapefruit I picked up might have been more from the high acidity than anything else), which was a nice twist.

Closing Notes: I look forward to trying the other ciders in their new Traditions line. I think they made a great choice to release them in smaller 375ml bottles, as it will reduce the price point and increase the number of bottles available. I also think the switch to keep these under their 2 Towns brand but in a separate category was a smart move.

Have you tried 2 Towns Traditions Cidre Bouche? What did you think?

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