Mission Trail

Mission Trail Peach Coast

cidersays Mission Trail , , , , , ,

Review of Mission Trail’s Peach Coast.  This isn’t actually cider, but fruit wine, or as they call it, Jerkum (only peaches, no apples).  However, Mission Trail also makes ciders, and I occasionally review non-cider beverages here.  I’ve previously tried Mission Trail’s Perry.

2017-08-26 17.12.58

Product:  Peach Coast
Cidery:  Mission Trail
Cidery Location:  Bradley CA
ABV:  6.1%
How Supplied:  500ml bottles
Style:  Californian craft peach wine backsweetened with peach juice

2017-08-26 17.13.05

2017-08-26 17.13.13 2017-08-26 17.13.24

Availability:  at least in CA, OR, and WA, plus case sales online to AZ, CA, NV, OR, and WA (although this style is listed as sold out on their website, and they only produce once a year, at harvest)

Product Description:  Another first! This incredibly aromatic, dry, soft, and complex jerkum is made entirely from peaches. Delicate sweetness and a lingering fruitiness give this jerkum light body with an unmistakable peach glow and soft peach “fuzz” on the finish. Truly a remarkable drink to be enjoyed by all!

Cidery Description:  We focus on: artisanal and traditional cider making practices, original seasonals, innovation, and creating one-of-a-kind jerkums, perrys, and ciders done “right”!

They started in 2014 and don’t have a tasting room.

Price:  $11
Where Bought:  Schilling Cider House in Seattle WA
Where Drank:  home
How Found:  Browsing.  Mission Trail’s products are newly available in the Seattle area

2017-08-26 17.14.33.jpg

First Impression:  Smells mild, of stone fruit.  Low to moderate carbonation.  Moderate peach hue.

Tasting Notes:  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Medium bodied.  Moderate to high tartness.  Low to moderate acidity.  Hints of bitterness.  No tannins, sourness, or funk.  Notes of peach, apricot, nectarine, and lemon.  Moderate peach flavor, flavor intensity, and sessionability.  Low complexity.

My Opinion:  I liked it, but didn’t love it.  My husband however was a bigger fan (although he admittedly loves anything peach).  I would have appreciated less tartness and more complexity.  I think its pretty cool however that they made a 100% peach wine, as I’d always heard that non-grape and non-apple wines were quite cost-prohibitive (although $11 / pint isn’t cheap).

Most Similar to:  I haven’t heard of anyone else making this sort of product, although a handful of grape wineries release some other fruit wines which may include peach.  I’ve had a number of peach flavored ciders though, such as Blue Mountain Peach, Blackfin Pacific Peach, Carlton Bourbon Barrel Peachy Keen, Finnriver Country Peach, Number 6 Peach Fuzz, Red Branch Peach Cider, Schilling Road Trip (Peach Citra), and Tieton Bourbon Peach (Tieron’s was my favorite – I think its the best cider they make).

Closing Notes:  I think they are doing some pretty cool stuff at Mission Trail, and I’d be interested in trying more.

Have you tried Mission Trail’s fruit wines?  What did you think?

Perry Tasting Notes

cidersays AEppelTreow, Dragon's Head, Hogan's, Mission Trail, Oliver's, review, Samuel Smith's, Sea Cider, Viuda de Angelon Sidra , , , , , , , , ,

There was recently a perry tasting at my house (thanks Sarah, Merce, and Kevin from Cider Log for sharing!).  I took a few tasting notes.  Note that perry is similar to cider, but made from pears, no apples.  [In contrast to pear cider, which in the U.S. is often an apple cider with some pear juice/flavor added.]

2017-07-07 19.18.18.jpg

We didn’t end up opening every bottle, so we’ll need to have a perry tasting part 2!  Our dinner pairing was pizza, which worked surprisingly well.

2017-07-07 19.18.58 2017-07-07 19.18.53 - Copy 2017-07-07 19.18.40.jpg

Dragon’s Head (Vashon Island WA) Methode Champenoise Perry (6.3% ABV), $29 / 750ml:  This is a special release of Dragon’s Head’s Perry, which was made in Methode Champenoise, a labor-intensive traditional way of making a naturally sparkling cider.  It was made from Taylor’s Gold and heirloom seedling Vashon Island pears .  High carbonation.  Semi-dry.  Light bodied.  High tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Low tannins.  Hints of bitterness.  Notes of pear juice & skin, floral, and honey.  I enjoyed it, although it was very mildly flavored.  It would be a nice champagne alternative, albeit pricey (this was by far the most expensive bottle we opened).

Oliver’s (Herefordshire England) Herefordshire Perry (6.9% ABV), price unknown:  This is an English bottle-conditioned perry made from perry pears.  Smells very funky.  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Light bodied.  Low sourness.  Moderate funk.  Mild tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Low bitterness.  Low tannins.  Pear-forward and floral.  I enjoyed it.

Hogan’s (Alcester, England) Vintage Perry 2010 (5.4% ABV), ~$10 / 500ml:  This is another English perry made from perry pears.  Semi-dry to semi-sweet.  Light bodied.  Hints of sourness, funk, tannins & bitterness.  Low tartness & acidity.  Pear-forward, rich, and nutty.  I really enjoyed it.

2017-07-07 19.18.45 - Copy 2017-07-07 19.18.36

Mission Trail (Bradley CA) Perry (6.0% ABV), price unknown:  This perry was made from Bartlett pears, and claims to be the only true perry (not pear cider) made in California.  Semi-sweet to semi-dry.  Medium bodied.  Moderate tartness & acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  Notes of pear, stone fruit, and honey.  I liked it, but this was the most “commercial” / pear cider type tasting of the group.

Viuda de Angelon (Asturias Spain) Sidra de Pera (5.2% ABV), $4 / 11.2oz:  This is a Spanish perry.  Semi-sweet.  Medium bodied, frothy.  Hints of sourness & funk (less so than most Spanish ciders).  Low to moderate tartness & acidity.  Pear-forward with notes of apricot.  I liked it.

2017-07-07 19.18.53 2017-07-07 19.18.58 - Copy

Sea Cider (Saanichton B.C. Canada) Perry (6.5% ABV), $18 / 750ml:  This is a Canadian perry made from perry pears.  Semi-dry.  Light to medium bodied.  Moderate tartness.  High acidity.  Very light kinda weird flavor, more floral & herbal than pear.  I think this was a bit of an off bottle though, as it was infected with scobies.  I’ll have to give it another try sometime.

AEppelTreow (Burlington WI) Perry (7.5% ABV), $12 / 750ml:  This is a Methode Champenoise perry made from Comice, Bosc, and Bartlett pears.  Semi-sweet.  Moderate carbonation.  Medium bodied.  Low tartness.  Moderate acidity.  Hints of bitterness & tannins.  Tastes exactly like champagne, no pear, but juicy, plus notes of stone fruit and honey.  I enjoyed it, although it was not what we were expecting.  Also a nice champagne alternative, and an excellent value for Methode Champenoise.

The day after the group tasting I opened up my bottle of Samuel Smith’s perry, as it was already in the fridge.

2017-07-07 19.18.45.jpg

Samuel Smith’s (Tadcaster, England) Organic Perry (5.0 ABV), $3 / 12oz:  This is another English perry, and Organic, but the most commercial (ingredient list included water, pear extract, malic acid, etc).  Semi-sweet.  Low to moderate carbonation.  Medium bodied.  Low to moderate tartness and acidity.  No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins.  No pear flavor, but notes of apple, apricot & other stone fruit, and honey (if I tasted it blind I’d call it cider, not perry).  I liked this, although it was definitely commercial tasting, and the sweetest option.

Our favorite was the Hogan’s (also an excellent value, under $10 I believe).  Our least favorite was the Sea Cider.  The most surprising was the AEppeltreow, as it was the least perry-like.

I’ve also previously tried these perries: Dan Armor Poire, Pear UP Half Past Prudent, Pear UP Cherry Perry, Pear UP Watermelon Perry, Pear UP Watermelon Raspberry Perry, Pear UP Raspberry Perry, Domaine Pacory Poire Domfront, Dunkertons Organic Perry, Eaglemount Perry, Locust Seckel Perry, Nashi Orchards Asian Pear Chojuro Blend Perry, Nashi Orchards Island Harvest Perry, Portland Cider Pearfect Perry, Snowdrift Perry, Snowdrift Seckel Perry, Tieton Sparkling Perry, WildCraft Pioneer Perry, WildCraft Elderberry Perry, and William’s Sir Perry