Aval Cidre

Aval is a French cider from Brittany, one of the two main French cider regions (along with Normandy).  It’s one of the few Breton ciders that’s sort of easy to find around here, and the only French cider I’ve seen that comes in small bottles.  They only seem to make one variety of cider, at least for US export.  It’s 6% ABV, and comes in 330mL four-packs or 750mL bottles.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 2.5/5
• Bubbliness: 3/5
• Complexity: 3/5
• Tannin: 3.2/5
• Temperature: fridge (40°F)

Ben’s notes:

Appearance: Amber, clear, bubbly.

Nose: Bittersweet apple, caramel.

Flavor: Nice medium-dry sweetness (just a bit sweeter than what could reasonably be called “brut”).  Classic French cider flavor of bittersweet apples with a little tartness and some caramel.

Finish: Bitter and sweet, and a little astringent.

Overall: Classic medium-dry French cider.

• 7.8/10

Carr’s Bittersweet Blend

Carr’s Ciderhouse, in Hadley, MA, makes a few different varieties of cider each year.  As far as I know, they grow or forage all their own apples, and all of their ciders are wild fermented.  Here’s the description of the Bittersweet Blend from the website:

This blend of Golden Russet, Dabinett, Gold Rush, foraged apples, and Yarlington MIll has a robust tannin profile, and just enough acidity to make it delightfully refreshing. The predominance of the bittersweet apples in the blend confer a pleasing bitter note to the finish. Aromatic fruity nose and a gentle effervescence. Wild fermented and made with only one ingredient. No additives of any kind, including sulfites.

Bittersweet Blend comes in a 750mL bottle, and is 6% ABV.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 1.2/5
• Bubbliness: 2/5
• Complexity: 3.5/5
• Tannin: 2.8/5
• Temperature: cellar (55°F)

Ben’s comments:

Appearance: A little cloudy, light bronze.

Nose: Some wild-yeast funkiness.

Taste: Bittersweet apples, caramel, tart apples, various wild-apple and wild-yeast flavors that are hard to describe.

Finish: Fairly clean but with a little (pleasant) bitter caramel aftertaste.

Overall: Unashamedly wild-fermented cider, with a lot of nice strong bitter apple flavor.

• 8.1/10

Anxo Cidre Blanc

Anxo is a cidery and restaurant in Washington, DC.  Their Cidre Blanc, which just became available here in Massachusetts, is listed as one of their flagship products.  Here’s what the website says about it:

Made from 100% Goldrush apples from Winchester, VA and fermented with
Sauvignon Blanc yeast in stainless steel. Cidre Blanc is 6.9% abv with
bright acidity that fades into juicy peach and apricot notes with hints of
lemon that are balanced by subtle tannins.

Cidre Blanc comes in four-packs of 12-ounce cans, and is 6.9% ABV.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 1.1/5
• Bubbliness: 2.5/5
• Complexity: 1.5/5
• Tannin: 1/5
• Temperature: Fridge (35°F)

Ben’s notes:

Appearance: Clear, light straw.

Nose: Apple skins, with a slight hint of sulfur.

Flavor: Dry but appley.  Nice balance of tartness and apple-skin bitterness.

Finish: Very clean, with a little bitterness and a sneaky hint of sharpness at the end.

Overall: A clean dry cider.  Maybe not thrilling, but well-made and tasty.

• 7.1/10

JK’s Northern Neighbor

JK’s Northern Neighbor is subtitled as a “Saskatoon Cuvée”.  If you’re curious what a saskatoon is, JK’s website (and the back of the can) says this:

A collaboration with our neighbours to the North has resulted in this blend of Michigan Apples and Saskatchewan Saskatoons. The Saskatoon is a small prairie berry that gives our apples a smooth and lush taste with a bite of tartness at the finish.

This deep bodied, rich violet hued cider is a drink that just like friendship, knows no borders.

Northern Neighbor comes in four-packs of 16-ounce cans, and is 5.5% ABV.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 4/5
• Bubbliness: 1/5
• Complexity: 2.8/5
• Tannin: 2/5
• Temperature: Fridge (35°F)

Ben’s notes:

Appearance: Reddish, clear.

Nose: Fruity candy.

Flavor: At first reminiscent of a fruit rollup, but with some bitterness and berry-like complexity in the background.  Very sweet, with a syrupy mouthfeel.  Almost completely still, with just a few bubbles.

Finish: Sweet-tart.  Tiny bit of astringency.

Overall: Definitely a cider for sweet cider fans.  It’s got a nice interesting flavor from the saskatoons, but it’s too sugary to enjoy a whole can at a time.

• 6.3/10

Artifact Wolf At The Door

Artifact Cider, from Everett, MA, gives all their ciders witty names, but I like how they tell you what you’re getting in the subtitle on the front of the can.  Wolf At The Door has the subtitle “Bittersharp Craft Cider”, which sounds pretty good.  The website also says this about it:

Unfiltered. Bone dry. Acid forward. Made from tannic fruit and not for the faint of heart.

When an American cider says it’s “not for the faint of heart”, we usually find that it’s pleasantly dry and flavorful.  Anyway, Wolf At The Door comes in four-packs of 16-ounce cans, and is 6.9% ABV.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 1.9/5
• Bubbliness: 2.2/5
• Complexity: 3/5
• Tannin: 2.6/5
• Temperature: Cellar (50°F)

Phil’s notes:

Nice amber pour with a light mineral nose.  Strong tart apple flavor, with a nice bitter and tannic backbone from mixed bittersharps.  Not too bracing, but enough bitter, peel, and mineral character to keep things interesting.  Overall taste is fresh and well balanced, would be a great cider choice for folks looking to branch out who are looking for more apple than funk.

• 7.7/10

Ben’s notes:

Appearance: Clear, medium gold.

Nose: Light appleyness and minerality.

Flavor: Tartness is predominant but with some bitter-apple mixed in.  Tastes like it’s made with lots of tart eating apples, but enriched with bittersweets/bittersharps.  There’s hints of minerality, caramel, and maybe some tropical fruit.

Finish: Long, sharp, tart.

Overall: Tasty sharp cider with lots of flavor of tart apples.

• 7.6/10

Argus Apple Bomb

Argus Cidery is in Austin, TX.  They have a few varieties available in Massachusetts, but with a name like Apple Bomb, this one was definitely intriguing.  Here’s what Argus’s website says about it:

Apple Bomb is a demi-sec, or slightly sweet, full bodied cider that delivers a blast of fruit and finishes big with a tannic, fruity pucker. This is not a subtle cider, but a fresh apple explosion derived from a collection of fermentation techniques and patience. Cans and draft offerings available.

Apple Bomb comes in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans, and it’s 6.2% ABV.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 2.1/5
• Bubbliness: 4.2/5
• Complexity: 2.1/5
• Tannin: 1.3/5
• Temperature: Fridge (33°F)

Phil’s notes:

Mild slightly yeasty nose, incredibly champagne level bubbly.  Strong eating apple flavor, decent body, not overly sweet.  A little yeasty funk but not in a particularly endearing wild yeast or local culture sort of way.  Slight tannin.  Not bad but not quite enough going on for me, too fussy to be a “lawnmower” cider yet not sipping cider levels.

• 6.9/10

Ben’s notes:

Look: Mostly clear, light gold.  Surprisingly bubbly for a canned.

Nose: Lots of tart apples.

Flavor: Intense tart apple, enhanced by the high carbonation.  A little bitter apple-skin flavor.

Finish: The tart apple flavor lingers for a while.

Overall: Tart cider with lots of apple flavor and lots of bubbles.

• 7.0/10

 

Frecon Orchards Scrumpy

Frecon Farms is a farm store, orchard, and cider maker in eastern Pennsylvania.  They make a wide range of ciders, though they only seem to be available in eastern Pennsylvania.  The cider we tried today was the Scrumpy; here’s how the website describes it:

True to it’s west country heritage, this batch of Scrumpy features a diverse blend of unselected cider apples from England and the US. Barrel aged, this traditional english dry style has a nice coated mouth feel with a smooth but strong finish. The apples in this blend are Dolgo Crab, Gold Rush, Kingston Black, Ashmeads Kernel, Yarlington Mill, Wickson Crab, Roxbury Russet, Winesap, Northern Spy, Golden Russet, and Golden Delicious!
Grown and Harvested in 2016 in the Piedmont region of Pennsylvania.

Frecon Orchards Scrumpy comes in 750mL bottles, and is 7.2% ABV.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 1.6/5
• Bubbliness: 2/5
• Complexity: 3.3/5
• Tannin: 2.8/5

Phil’s notes:

Light gold, modestly carbonated pour with a clean slight barrel nose.  Barrel and bitter apple flavors nicely balance, very full bodied and slightly tannic without being overly astringent, no detectible acetic acid.  Pleasantly dry, with some sweet apple and vanalin barrel flavors, the crabapples in the blend are definitely present.  A solid cider with a quality apple blend and nice character, only lacking the funky “extraness” from the ferment like you’d get out of the best Hereford ciders.

• 8.1/10

Ben’s notes:

Look: Slightly cloudy, light gold.

Nose: Light vanilla oak, caramel.

Taste: Oak flavor is prominent but not overpowering.  It’s backed up by strong bitter apple and some caramel.  Nice round mouthfeel with some astringency.

Finish: Slightly sweet, somewhat bitter, a little astringent.  Some lingering vanilla flavor.

Overall: Complex bittersweet cider with nice barrel-aging flavor.  A good sipping cider.

• 8.2/10

Shacksbury Deer Snacks

Deer Snacks is a wild-fermented wild-apple cider from Shacksbury in Vergennes, VT.  The cans are handsome and easy to spot once you know what to look for, but you have to turn them around to see the name and description of the cider.  Here’s what the website says about Deer Snacks:

Unfiltered and unapologetic, Deer Snacks is a worthy complement to Will Bryant’s fun-loving art. Cheers to Will, Austin, and Brew and Brew that brought us together. Made from wild Vermont apples and fermented with wild yeast.

Deer Snacks is 6.9% ABV, and comes in 4-packs of 12-ounce cans.

Initial notes:

• Sweetness: 1/5
• Bubbliness: 2/5
• Complexity: 3.7/5
• Tannin: 3.5/5
• Temperature: Cellar (50°F)

Phil’s comments:

Hazy unfiltered light gold pour. Bitter nose with a slight touch of sulfur gives way to a tart, pleasantly bitter, and earthy blend of apples. Great body, a nice tannic hit of flavor coats your tongue. Ends on a pleasant savory note, funky without crossing the line into disco. Solidly delivers on it’s wild promise.

• 8.02/10 (round up on the .02, call it a VT 8.2)

Ben’s comments:

Look: Cloudy, light gold.

Nose: Bitter crabapples, hint of sulfur.

Taste: Fully dry.  Wild-apple foxiness with just a little tartness and a little earthy bitterness.  Nice full mouthfeel.

Finish: Very dry, a little astringent.  Lingering earthy, almost savory flavor.

Overall: A really flavorful wild-apple cider.

• 8.3/10

Liberty Ciderworks English Style

Liberty Ciderworks, in Spokane, WA, makes a wide range of single-varietal and other ciders.  They’re not distributed to stores around here, but they will ship to most states.  I had some of their cider at CiderDays last fall, and since I remember it being really good (inasmuch as it’s possible to remember any particular cider when you’re tasting dozens in a single afternoon), I ordered a few of them.  The one we tried today was the English Style; here’s what the website says about it:

Classic cider varietals from the mother country – including Dabinett, Yarlington Mill and Ashton Bitter – come together for this dry, English-style cider. Complex, layered aromas, with a hint of bittersweet apple flavor. (GLINTCAP 2014 Gold Medal Winner)

It’s 8% ABV, comes in 750mL bottles, and sells for $12.99 from the online shop.

Initial observations:

• Sweetness: 1.5/5
• Bubbliness: 2.5/5
• Complexity: 3.2/5
• Tannin: 2.7/5
• Temperature: Cellar (50°F)

Phil’s comments:

Nice nose, dabinett forward with a surprising balance of tart, and fruity apple flavor coming in from the Yarlington Mill. Some delicate floral notes play along with the sweet, reminiscent of a posh honey. Not particularly tannic or sour, but bittersharps are noticeably present. Great balanced apple mix, but not quite enough funk and body to punch in the same weight class as the best English ciders.

• 8/10

Ben’s comments:

Look: Slightly cloudy, medium gold.

Nose: Bitter apple, caramel.

Taste: Balanced tart and bitter, with a full apple flavor.  There’s a hint of floralness and a hint of sweetness while still being very dry.  There’s just a bit of tannic funkiness reminiscent of west country English cider.

Finish: Clean with a little lingering tartness.

Overall: A well-balanced full-flavored bitter/tart/dry cider.

• 8.1/10

Farnum Hill Dooryard 1703

Farnum Hill Dooryard, from Poverty Lane Orchards in New Hampshire, is a general name given to any of their ciders that aren’t one of their standard labels (Farmhouse, Extra-Dry, Semi-Dry, etc.).  The website has a brief description of each of the numbered Dooryard releases (the first two digits are the harvest year).  A lot of them seem to be sold only on draft at the orchard or at restaurants, but others are distributed in bottles.  We bought this one, 1703, as a growler fill at the orchard.

Initial notes:

• Sweetness: 1.5/5
• Bubbliness: 0.8/5
• Complexity: 2.8/5
• Tannin: 2.2/5
• Temperature: Fridge (35°F)

Phil’s comments:

Enticing apple nose, crisp and lightly tart, cider apple tannin leaves a pleasant lingering finish.  A little barnyard funk and hints of pure bittersweets makes this more complex than a usual dry.  Not overly fussy, solid New England cider.

• 7.7/10

Ben’s comments:

Look: Clear, light straw.

Nose: Apples (bittersweet and tart), orchard.

Taste: Rich tart apple flavor, with some spicy bitter tannic notes, and a slight hint of caramel.  Slightly astringent mouthfeel.

Finish: Balanced bitterness and tartness, a little astringent.

Overall: Lots of interesting flavor notes combine into a tasty refreshing cider, though maybe it’s a little less polished than the main-label Farnum Hill ciders.

• 7.4/10