Angry Orchard Maple Wooden Sleeper

May 1, 2017May 1, 2017 cidersays Angry Orchard, review Angry Orchard, barrel aged, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Crown Maple, hard cider, maple, tasting notes, Wooden Sleeper

Review of Angry Orchard’s Maple Wooden Sleeper, a bourbon barrel aged cider in collaboration with Crown Maple, a maple syrup company. Here is an article with more information on the cider, and here is an article about recent Angry Orchard’s Innovation Cider House releases.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Angry Orchard. 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: Wooden Sleeper
Cidery: Angry Orchard
Cidery Location: Walden NY
ABV: 12.0%
How Supplied: 750ml waxed top bottles
Style: American cider (made from bittersweet & bittersharp apples), with Crown Maple syrup, bourbon barrel aged for 5 12 months

Availability: only at Angry Orchard’s Innovation Cider House and Crown Maple’s tasting room, 400 bottles released March 2017

Cider Description: For this very special and limited cider, we collaborated with our friends up the road at Crown Maple by using their estate grown organic maple syrup to blend with our barrel aged Wooden Sleeper. The resulting cider is deep, complex, and layered with notes of oak, bourbon, and of course, New York maple syrup. Maple Wooden Sleeper is best shared with family and friends to finish out a great meal. Enjoy now or cellar for years to come. Cheers!

Cidery Description: The cider makers at Angry Orchard have been experimenting with apple varieties, ingredients and processes to develop hard cider recipes for more than 20 years. The cider makers have traveled the world to find the best apples for cider making and chose specific varieties – like French bittersweet apples from Normandy, culinary apples from Italy and the Pacific Northwest U.S. based on each cider’s desired flavor profile.

In fall 2015, Angry Orchard opened a new home for research and development on a historic 60-acre apple orchard in the Walden, NY. There, the cider makers will continue to drive experimentation at the Innovation Cider House, and drinkers are welcome to visit for samples of exclusive ciders made on-site. Despite the recent growth of hard cider in the US, the category is still small and relatively unknown. Angry Orchard is committed to drinker education and awareness-building to help grow the category for all craft cider makers.

Price: n/a ($25 retail)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: I asked my Angry Orchard rep about it. They spoil me!

First Impression: Dark amber hue (natural). Still (no carbonation). Smells rich, of caramel, maple, oak, and alcohol.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Moderate acidity. Low tannins. Low bitterness. No sourness or funk. Notes of caramel, brown sugar, maple, oak, vanilla, bourbon, and molasses. Long warming finish. Low maple flavor. Low oak flavor. Moderate bourbon flavor. Very low sessionability. Low to moderate apple flavor. High complexity and flavor intensity.

My Opinion: Amazing! This is my favorite type of cider – rich, complex, and boozy. However, this definitely won’t be for everyone, and isn’t very cider-like.

Most Similar to: Alpenfire Smoke, which is also a rich, complex, and boozy cider (although Alpenfire’s cider is slightly more refined tasting). This didn’t have as much maple flavor as the other maple ciders I’ve had, likely as it had so much else going on too. The other maple ciders I’ve had are Angry Orchard Tapped Maple, Seattle Cider Oaked Maple, and Woodchuck Campfire Pancakes. I’m actually surprised I haven’t seen more ciders with maple, as I think it is a great combination. Rich and complex ciders are my favorite kind. I’d love to try Downeast’s Maple cider, but they aren’t available out West.

Closing Notes: I’m glad I got the chance to try this special release. This is the second batch of Wooden Sleeper (the first didn’t have maple), and another is already in the works.

Have you tried Angry Orchard Wooden Sleeper? What did you think?

Angry Orchard Tapped Maple

February 27, 2017February 26, 2017 cidersays Angry Orchard, review Angry Orchard, cider, cider review, cider tasting, hard cider, maple, Tapped Maple, tasting notes

Review of Angry Orchard’s Tapped Maple, their newest seasonal cider, with Vermont maple syrup.

Cider: Tapped Maple
Cidery: Angry Orchard
Cidery Location: Walden NY (their R&D facility)
Cider Production Locations: Cincinnati OH & Breingsville PA
ABV: 5.o%
How Supplied: 6 or 12 pack of 12oz bottles
Style: American commercial cider made from dessert apple varieties, with maple syrup

Availability: January thru April, wide release, in individual 6 packs plus 12 pack variety packs

Cider Description: Angry Orchard Tapped Maple blends American culinary apples with maple syrup tapped from Vermont maple trees. The maple syrup – rich in flavor and natural maple sweetness – adds a delicate balance, creating a not-too-sweet cider with a strong maple-forward aroma, and full, round mouthfeel. This new seasonal style is perfect to enjoy around the dinner table or fire pit with friends during cooler months.

Apple Varieties: Pacific Northwest dessert varieties (Braeburn, Fuji, Granny Smith, Gala, and Pink Lady)

Ingredients: hard cider, water, cane sugar, apple juice concentrate, malic acid, maple syrup, natural flavor, carbon dioxide, sulfites

Price: n/a (but retails for $8.99-$9.99 / 6 pack, or $15.99-$18.99 / 12 pack variety pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Dark straw yellow hue. Still (no carbonation). Smells of concentrated apple with a hint of maple.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet to semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness. Low to moderate acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of concentrated apple with hints of maple and citrus. Quick finish. High apple flavor. High sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low complexity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it. Very drinkable, as it isn’t too sweet. I was expecting more maple, but I’m glad they didn’t go overboard.

Most Similar to: The other ciders with maple I’ve had are Woodchuck Campfire Pancakes (which was fake maple overload and very sweet) and Seattle Cider Oaked Maple (which had even less maple flavor than this one, and was drier).

Closing Notes: This was a nice selection from Angry Orchard, although I’d like to see them improve their ingredient list.

Have you tried Angry Orchard Tapped Maple? What did you think?

Woodchuck Out on a Limb Campfire Pancakes

February 2, 2016February 2, 2016 cidersays review, Woodchuck Campfire Pancakes, cider, cider review, hard cider, maple, Out on a Limb, smoke, Vermont, Woodchuck

Review of Woodchuck’s newest (7th) Out on a Limb release, Campfire Pancakes, a smoked maple cider (more info from Woodchuck here). The ciders rotate every few months in the same six pack. They were nice enough to send me a sample bottle. I’ve reviewed a number of their ciders here.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Woodchuck. 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: Campfire Pancakes (Out on a Limb)
Cidery: Woodchuck
Cidery Location: Middlebury VT
ABV: 5.5%
How Supplied: six pack of 12oz bottles

Availability: Wide release, but only until April or whenever they run out (as Out on a Limb rotates varieties).

Cider Description: Campfire Pancakes brings you our small batch hard cider with an infusion of smoked apple pomace. Topped off with a dash of Vermont Maple Syrup, this cider brings forward a delightfully smoky and sweet taste. LoVermont? Then you’ll love Campfire Pancakes.

Cidery Description: Here at the Woodchuck Cidery in Vermont, we handcraft every batch of Woodchuck Hard Cider. Our Cider Makers utilize the highest quality ingredients and meticulously oversee each small batch from start to finish. We reinvigorated American cider in 1991 and continue to lead the category through our commitment to craft innovative and refreshing hard ciders.

Price: n/a (but it runs $9-11 a six pack)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: n/a

First Impression: Medium straw yellow. Light carbonation with large bubbles. Smells like smoke flavor, maple flavor, and apple candy.

Opinion: Sweet. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, tannins, or funk. Medium bodied. It begins with the scent (but not flavor) of smoke, then apple juice with real maple and literally a starchy pancake-like flavor, then finishes with fake maple. The maple scent in the air is quite strong. Quick finish. Moderate apple influence. High sessionability.

Most Similar to: Not much. There are a handful of maple ciders (such as Seattle Cider Oaked Maple, Crispin The Saint, and Downeast Maple Blend) and smoked ciders (such as Alpenfire Smoke, Tieton Smoked Pumpkin, and Woodchuck Smoked Apple), but nothing like this.

Closing Notes: I was really looking forward to this cider as I love maple, and love smoked ciders (such as Alpenfire Smoke), but it was disappointing. It overall seemed very fake. Although they used real maple syrup and smoked pommace, there is the less than 1% natural flavor listed, and I think they somehow even added maple aroma. The fake maple scent lingered in the air after finishing the cider and putting away the glass. I think that without the fakeness and with some barrel aging, a maple cider can be awesome. Hopefully they will make an Out on a Limb cider more along the lines of Gumption or Winter Chill, which I enjoy.

Have you tried Woodchuck Campfire Pancakes? What did you think?

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