Urban Tree – Harvest Apple, Sweet Heat Haze, Orange U an IPA?, and Wild on Cherry

Review of Urban Tree’s Harvest Apple, Sweet Heat Haze, Orange U an IPA?, and Wild on Cherry. It is my first time trying these, but I had their Original, Classic, and Barrel-Aged varieties in 2017.

Cider: Harvest Apple, Sweet Heat Haze, Orange U an IPA?, and Wild on Cherry
Cidery:  Urban Tree
Cidery Location:  Atlanta, Georgia
ABV:  6.5%
How Supplied: 12oz cans
Style: American craft cider from dessert apples with nothing, habanero, orange & hops & coriander, or cherry added

>>This is a review of sample cans provided to Cider Says by Urban Tree. 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.<<

Availability: in Georgia (see here), and Urban Tree’s online store

Harvest Apple Description: Modern, full bodied cider that is medium dry, complex and balanced with fresh apple aromas.
Sweet Heat Haze: Medium bodied and perfectly balanced between a refreshing sweet zest and a subtle robust zing.
Orange U An IPA?: Orange peel, coriander and citra hops make you think twice about this cider.
Wild on Cherry: Slightly apple sweet on the front with a puckery punch on the finish.

Cidery Description: Urban Tree isn’t only about making deliciously refreshing ciders. Although that’s what we do day in and out, we believe in something bigger. We believe that legacies connect us to the past and bridge us to the future. Whether it’s within our families, communities, or friendships, we owe it to the generations to come to preserve historical legacies while planting the seeds for new ones to grow. You can taste this in every sip of Urban Tree Cider.

Price: n/a (retails for ~ $10 / six pack of 12oz cans)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: a cidery rep contacted me

Harvest Apple: Mild straw yellow hue. Low carbonation. Smells of sweet & acidic apple. Semi-dry. Light bodied. Moderate tartness & acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of apple, honey, and a hint of lemon. Quick finish. High apple flavor and sessionability. Low complexity. Moderate flavor intensity.

Sweet Heat Haze: Hazy light amber hue. Low carbonation. Smells of apple with a hint of spiciness. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light bodied. Low tartness & acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of sweet apple with citrus and hints of herbs. Long spicy finish. Low to moderate spiciness. Moderate apple flavor, overall flavor intensity, and sessionability. Low to moderate complexity.

Orange U an IPA?: Hazy light orange hue. Low carbonation. Smells of citrus & hops. Semi-dry to semi-sweet. Light to medium bodied. Low tartness & acidity. Hints of bitterness. No sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of orange and hops with hints of herbs and lemon. Low apple flavor. Moderate flavor intensity and complexity. Low to moderate hops. High sessionability.

Wild on Cherry: Deep ruby red hue. Low carbonation. Smells of mild tart berry. Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of lots of real cherry. Quick finish. High cherry flavor. No apple flavor. High sessionability and flavor intensity. Low complexity.

My Opinion: I liked all but the Sweet Heat Haze, but only because I’m not a fan of spicy beverages. My husband liked all of them. The Cherry was a standout as it had a lot of awesome real cherry flavor. Plus I liked the lack of bitterness with the hopped ‘Orange You an IPA?’.

Closing Notes: I was impressed with these selections. The IPA one was especially interesting, and I liked it despite not being a beer drinker.

Have you tried Urban Tree cider? What did you think?

Urban Tree Cidery Classic

August 25, 2017August 21, 2017 cidersays review, Urban Tree Atlanta, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Classic, Georgia, hard cider, tasting notes, Urban Tree

Review of Urban Tree Cidery’s Classic variety, described as crisp, sweet, and refreshing. It is my first time trying any of their ciders, and I sampled their current flagship line-up of three ciders all at once.

>>This is a review of a sample bottle provided to Cider Says by Urban Tree. 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: Classic
Cidery: Urban Tree Cidery
Cidery Location: Atlanta Georgia
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles (and kegs)
Style: American craft cider

Availability: Their tasting room in Atlanta, these locations around Atlanta, and online sales (in Georgia)

Cider Description: Composed to be refreshing and pleasant with bright apple notes, this delicious symphony inspired by Georgia’s sweet charm will make your senses sing. It’s best accompanied with a light meal or snack, dessert, or interesting conversation.

Cidery Description: At the core of Georgian pride and Atlanta’s spirit live the seeds of change. A new legacy is rising – challenging the conventions of good taste and fine drink.

Urban Tree was founded by a husband and wife in 2015, opened a tasting room in 2016, and is described as Atlanta’s first cidery. They use local apples from the Cathey Family Orchard in Mountain City Georgia.

Price: n/a (retails for $13-16)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the cidery contacted me

First Impression: Light golden amber. Very low carbonation with some foam. Smells of sweet baked apple with a hint of cinnamon.

Tasting Notes: Semi-sweet. Medium bodied. Low tartness and acidity. No bitterness, sourness, funk, or tannins. Notes of baked apple, caramel, honey, and a hint of cinnamon. Quick finish. High apple flavor and sessionability. Moderate flavor intensity. Low to moderate complexity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it. It reminded me of fall. Very easy to drink and apple-forward, although slightly juice-like.

Most Similar to: D’s Wicked Baked Apple (except drier and less spiced), Locust Sweet Aged Apple (except drier), One Tree Crisp Apple (except less citrusy), and 2 Towns Return of the Mac (except less citrusy and more filtered).

Side Notes: I love their bottle labels, and their website is well laid out and thorough.

Closing Notes: This was my favorite of the three ciders, likely as it didn’t have any sourness (although the other two only had a hint). My husband’s favorite was the Barrel-Aged, and my friends seemed to prefer the Original. However, if these ciders were available in the PNW, I believe they would do better if sold in multi packs rather than large bottles, especially the Classic (I’m not familiar with the cider market in the South though). Although the price point is on the low end for 750s and they are tasty, I don’t know if they would hold their own in a taste test against other ciders sold in 750s that are more cider apple centric. It was great to have a chance to try ciders not available to me in Seattle. They were a solid initial offering from Urban Tree, and I’m interested to see what they release next.

Have you tried cider from Urban Tree? What did you think?

Urban Tree Cidery Barrel-Aged

August 24, 2017August 21, 2017 cidersays review, Urban Tree Atlanta, barrel aged, barrel aged cider, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Georgia, hard cider, tasting notes, Urban Tree

Review of Urban Tree Cidery’s Barrel-Aged variety, described as a premium cider aged in oak rum barrels. It is my first time trying any of their ciders, and I sampled their current flagship line-up of three ciders all at once.

Cider: Barrel-Aged
Cidery: Urban Tree Cidery
Cidery Location: Atlanta Georgia
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles (and kegs)
Style: American craft cider, rum barrel aged

Availability: Their tasting room in Atlanta, these locations around Atlanta, and online sales (in Georgia)

Cider Description: Our hand-pressed apple juice is slowly fermented with champagne yeast, then aged to perfection in Nicaraguan rum barrels. Hints of brown sugar, woody vanilla and oak notes play in this dry, sturdy sip. A perfect complement to those moments you want to slow down a little to soak up the memory.

Cidery Description: At the core of Georgian pride and Atlanta’s spirit live the seeds of change. A new legacy is rising – challenging the conventions of good taste and fine drink.

Price: n/a (retails for $13-16)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the cidery contacted me

First Impression: Light golden amber hue. Low carbonation with some foam. Smells acidic and slightly sour, with a hint of richness.

Tasting Notes: On the sweeter side of semi-dry. Medium bodied. Low tartness and acidity. Low tannins. Hints of sourness, bitterness, and funk. Notes of caramel, lemon, grapefruit, wood, earth, and nuts. Moderate length finish. Low oak influence. Hints of rum influence. Moderate apple flavor, sessionability, complexity, and flavor intensity.

My Opinion: I enjoyed it. I had been expecting more barrel influence due to the cider’s name, but I perceived it as pretty mild. However, my husband picked up significantly more oak & rum flavor than me and my friends, likely as he drinks aged spirits more often. I imagine they were going for approachable, which makes sense. It was similar to their Original, except with the tang mellowed out a bit, and hints of richness.

Most Similar to: This was less intense than the rum barrel aged ciders I’ve previously tried, such as Crispin 15 Men, Sea Cider Prohibition / Rum Runner, and Vermont Cider Co. Wassail. Slightly reminiscent of Montana CiderWorks North Fork Traditional and Moonlight Meadery How Do You Like Them Apples.

Closing Notes: Next up (and last) is Urban Tree’s Classic cider.

Have you tried cider from Urban Tree? What did you think?

Urban Tree Cidery Original

August 23, 2017August 21, 2017 cidersays review, Urban Tree Atlanta, cider, cider review, cider tasting, Georgia, hard cider, Original, tasting notes, Urban Tree, Urban Tree Cidery

Review of Urban Tree Cidery’s Original variety, described as a European-style dry cider. It is my first time trying any of their ciders, and I sampled their current flagship line-up of three ciders all at once.

Cider: Original
Cidery: Urban Tree Cidery
Cidery Location: Atlanta Georgia
ABV: 6.5%
How Supplied: 750ml bottles (and kegs)
Style: American craft cider from bittersweet cider apples

Availability: Their tasting room in Atlanta, these locations around Atlanta, and online sales (in Georgia)

Cider Description: Our original cider is dry, yet crisp, with subtle notes of apple sweetness, the way traditional European-style cider is designed to go down. Crafted from bittersweet apples and with less than .5% residual sugar, it boasts of tannic and acidic notes. For a real taste of the old country, pour yourself a glass and enjoy.

Cidery Description: At the core of Georgian pride and Atlanta’s spirit live the seeds of change. A new legacy is rising – challenging the conventions of good taste and fine drink.

Price: n/a (retails for $13-16)
Where Bought: n/a
Where Drank: home
How Found: the cidery contacted me

First Impression: Light golden hue. Low carbonation with some foam. Smell is reminiscent of Chardonnay, acidic and slightly oaked.

Tasting Notes: Semi-dry to dry. Low to moderate tartness. Moderate acidity. Low tannins. Hints of sourness, funk, and bitterness. Tangy, with notes of lemon, grapefruit, wood, and honey. Moderate length finish. Low apple flavor. Moderate sessionability, flavor intensity, and complexity.

My Opinion: I liked it. Very interesting, as it was tangy, but not really tart or sour. Slightly Farmhouse-style, with the tang, citrus notes, and hints of sourness. The scent was quite different from the taste.

Most Similar to: This was very unique, but I’ve had a few ciders that were slightly similar – Ace Blackjack 21, Angry Orchard Walden Hollow, Number 12 Sparkling Dry, Sietsema Traditional Dry, and Three Kees Dessert Apple

Closing Notes: Next up is Urban Tree’s Classic and Barrel-Aged ciders.

Have you tried cider from Urban Tree? What did you think?

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