lemongrass

Schilling Bailout (Lemongrass Agave)

cidersays review, Schilling , , , , , , , , ,

Review of Schilling’s new seasonal release, Bailout, made with lemongrass and agave nectar.  I’ve tried a number of their ciders; see here.

2016-06-04 17.21.13.jpg

Cider:  Bailout
Cidery:  Schilling Cider
Cidery Location:  Auburn (Seattle) WA
ABV:  6.0%
How Supplied:  22oz clear glass bottles and kegs
Style:  American craft cider made from dessert apples, with lemongrass and agave nectar

2016-06-04 17.21.22 2016-06-04 17.21.39 2016-06-04 17.21.29

Availability:  May-August (seasonal, although this is the first year).  Schilling Cider is sold at least in AK, AZ, CA, CT, ID, MN, NC, NV, OR, SC, VA, and WA, but this is a special release and is therefore likely to have more limited distribution.

Cider Description:  Sometimes you just need to Bail Out! This summer chiller is highly refreshing and perfectly balanced with subtle herbal notes and a kiss of agave nectar.

Cidery Description:  In 1881, Colin Schilling’s great-great-grandfather, August, founded the Schilling Spice Company in San Francisco. He brought pure, natural, spices to everyone, at a fair price. Today, at Schilling Cider, we carry August’s core values forward and pair them with innovative cider-making techniques to produce quality, complex, hard ciders.

Based in Seattle, Washington, Schilling Cider captures the essence of the Pacific Northwest by creating ciders that are deliberately innovative, bold and flavor forward. Never back-sweetened, we use only 100% fresh pressed apples, locally sourced non-GMO ingredients and individually hand select yeast strains to create a cider experience that is truly unique.

Price:  $6
Where Bought:  Schilling Cider House in Fremont (Seattle) WA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing

2016-06-04 17.22.39.jpg

First Impression:  Medium straw yellow hue.  Almost no carbonation upon pouring.  Smells mild, of apple, citrus, and what I assume is agave nectar (a tart sweetness).

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Still.  Light to medium bodied.  Low tartness and acidity.  No sourness, bitterness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of lemon, agave nectar, pineapple, and a bit of herbalness.  Quick finish.  Low flavor intensity.  Low apple flavor.  High sessionability.

My Opinion:  I liked this cider, but didn’t love it.  I prefer a bit more intense of a flavor.  Also not sure if I liked the slight herbal flavor.

Most Similar to:  Light spring/summer type ciders with citrus notes.  I looked it up online and see that Two Rivers also offers an agave cider.

Closing Notes:   I imagine this will sell well, but I prefer their Pineapple Passion / Trouble in Paradise (which is coming out in bottles very soon).

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

Woodchuck Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy

cidersays review, Woodchuck , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is Woodchuck’s newest Out on a Limb release:

Cider:  Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy
Cidery:  Woodchuck
Cidery Location:  Middlebury, VT
ABV:  4.2%
How Supplied:  6 pack of 12oz bottles
Availability:  limited release (flavors in Out on a Limb rotate)

Description on Bottle:  After a crazy day under the sun, grab a cider – your hammock is calling!  We’ve taken a spin on the traditional shandy and made it our own.  Our “cider shandy” starts with out small batch hard cider and infuses fresh lemon juice and lemongrass, crafting a well-balanced session cider with sweet and tart in every sip.

Price:  $8.99 / six pack (although I only picked up a single bottle for under $2)
Where Bought:  Total Wine
How Found: Started to look for it after reading it on Facebook from Woodchuck.  Note that it can take awhile between when Woodchuck announces a flavor and it is stocked, especially if you are on the other side of the country.  Also, with Out on a Limb, stores are often waiting until they are out of the previous flavor to stock the next one.  I got lucky and was able to find Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy even though it was just announced this past week!
Where Drank:  home

Opinion:  This is Woodchuck’s take on a summer shandy (traditionally a mix of beer & lemonade, but other mixers can be used).  It was created using a mix of McIntosh, Empire, & Cortland apples, and is infused with fresh lemon juice and lemongrass.  They call this a session cider, which typically refers to low alcohol content beers (cider in this case) suitable for extended drinking sessions.  The ABV (alcohol by volume) is 4.2% in this case, where other Woodchuck varieties typically run between 5% and 6.9%.  Woodchuck previously had “Crisp”, a 3.2% ABV session cider, which I actually thought was quite tasty, and good for drinking multiple bottles as it only came in at 120 calories per 12 oz.  With the bump up to 4.2% ABV for this variety, the calories only bump to 140…not bad!  Also, only 9 grams of sugar, much lower than most of their other ciders.

I think Woodchuck went a bit too “Out on a Limb” with this one, as its definitely “Lemon Crazy”!  I love lemon, yet I find this cider is overwhelming with lemon flavor, and finishes a bit too tart.  I’ve never been a fan of tart ciders, such as green apple.  I like the relatively low level of sweetness though.  I think if they toned down the lemon a bit it would be very nice.  It smells really nice, with only a hint of lemon, but the overwhelming lemon flavor lingers on the tongue.  I would however call it refreshing.  I would only recommend this to people who really like lemon, and like a tart cider.

Note that the Woodchuck Out on a Limb series keeps the same packaging but rotates ciders every month or two, so check the bottle neck before assuming it is the same cider as you’ve seen before.  So far they have had:

  • Chocolate Raspberry
  • Splitter Splinter (with bittersweet apples and aged in whiskey barrels; not bad but I like Barrel Select better as this one was a bit tart)
  • Cheeky Cherry (apparently identical to their cellar series Sour Cherry release but 5.5% instead of 6.9%)
  • Oopsy Daisy (chamomile & honey)
  • Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy

Have you tried Lazy Hazy Lemon Crazy?  What did you think?