American cider maker

Cider Review: Cider52: Slyboro Cider House Old Sin

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POM00000712Cider: SLYBORO OLD SIN

Maker: Slyboro Cider House at Hicks Orchard

Origin: Granville, New York  website: www.slyboro.com

ABV: 8% Bottle: 750 ml

Style Notes: Dry, sparkling cider, forced carbonation. Splash of Slyboro Ice Harvest Cider added.

Makers Fruit Notes: Macintosh and Russet apples.

Tasting Notes: In The Glass: Deep clear shining amber. Strong aromas of baked apple and caramel, enriched by splash of Slyboro Harvest Ice Cider.

Our Pairings – The Tasting Lab: We tried with Berkswell raw sheep milk cheese*.

Cheesemonger’s Notes: Pair with a rich double or triple creme such as Pierre Robert for a creme brûlée effect. Bolder, slightly complex companions such as Harbison, Batch 35, Ossau Iraty, and Roquefort should produce delicious results as well.

Overall Impressions: A well crafted American cider that needs a re-tasting away from all the lovely Asturian acidity and funk.

*This cider was part of a January of 2013 Murray’s Cheese tasting class. Rowan Imports was on hand to discuss this cider and cider making practices. This Cider House Rules: Paring Cider and Cheese is being offered again in April.

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Cider Review: Cider52: Slyboro Cider House Hidden Star

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POM00000307Cider: SLYBORO CIDER HOUSE HIDDEN STAR

Maker: Slyboro Cider House at Hicks Orchard

Origin: Granville, New York

website: www.slyboro.com

ABV: 8% Bottle: 750 ml, cork

Style Notes: Semi-dry, sparkling cider, forced carbonation.

Fruit: Apples.

Makers Fruit Notes: Blend of Northern Spy and Liberty apples grown at Hicks Orchard in the Adirondack foothills.

Tasting Notes: In The Glass: Bright, pale golden. Aroma of baking apples, buttery, warm caramel, hints of toffee and spice. Sweetness balanced by fresh crisp acidity.

Our Pairings – The Tasting Lab: We tried with Montgomery’s Cheddar from Somerset, England.* Somerset Cheddar is a Slow Food Forgotten Foods Ark of Taste heritage cheese. This raw cows milk cheese is wrapped in linen and rubbed with lard before cellaring, and ripens from the inside out creating a delicious rind.

Cheesemonger’s Notes: The subtle qualities of this cider will nicely support the sweet butterscotch notes in Aged Goudas (Old Amsterdam, Robusto, 3 or 5 year vintages) plus the carbonation and acidity will cut through the dense flavor giving this sometimes overpowering cheese more play time with your palate.

Overall Impressions: All around pleasing cider. Worth another try when palates are not overwhelmed with Asturian “amargo”.

*This cider was part of a January of 2013 Murray’s Cheese tasting class. Rowan Imports was on hand to discuss this cider and cider making practices. This Cider House Rules: Paring Cider and Cheese is being offered again in April.

If you have tasting notes to add please leave a comment.

Cider52: Cider Review: POMONA cider/braggot at Birreria Eataly NYC

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Cider52: Cider on the Go – Birreria at Eataly NYC

Eataly’s rooftop restaurant and brewery Birreria features an assortment of on site brewed cask ales.

Cider: POMONA cider/braggot on cask at La Birreria NYC.

Maker: “Head brewer Peter Hepp is brewing unfiltered, unpasteurized and naturally carbonated Cask Ales just 30 feet from where you sit, eat and drink. Each is served through traditional hand pumps, at the perfect temperature, so you can enjoy our beers in the most natural and traditional way.”

Origin: Birreria at Eataly NYC

ABV % Unknown

Fruit & Style Notes: Breezy Hill Orchard apples and Catskills Provisions honey

Tasting Notes: SEMI DRY and extremely light with a slight sourness.

Overall: Beer meets Cider meets Mead.

Note: From The Oxford Companion to Beer:  “Braggot, a drink that was popular in parts of medieval Europe. Braggots are beers containing large amounts of honey in the wort, sometimes more than 50% of the original gravity. As such they are technically not necessarily considered beer at all, but beverages on the border between beer and mead.”

Cider Review: Harvest Moon Cidery Four Screw Hard Cider with Maple Syrup: Cider52

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Trained&PrunedAppleTree

 

Cider: HARVEST MOON CIDERY FOUR SCREW HARD CIDER with Maple Syrup

Maker: Harvest Moon Cidery  Origin: Critz Farms, Cazenovia, New York

website: harvestmooncidery.com

ABV: 6.25%   Bottle: 22 oz bottle, crown cap

Style Notes: Dessert apples, champagne yeasts, maple syrup added.

Fruit: Apples.

Makers Fruit Notes: “Our hard cider is crafted from a special blend of sweet and tart dessert apples pressed on our 1890′s rack and cloth Four Screw Press.”

Tasting Notes: In The Glass: Bright, clear, light gold. Big bubbles. Winey, culinary apple, hint of lime zest. Maple provides a light candied sugar flavor. Sweet, tart, balanced, with a slight warming finish.

Parings Suggestions & Flavor Compliments:

Our Pairings – The Tasting Lab: We tried Harvest Moon Cidery Four Screw with Belgian ginger cookies and gingerbread caramels. Tasty. Four Screw’s subtle nutty notes suggest it would pair well with roasted and caramelized foods, bitter greens, roast fruit.

Cheesemonger’s Notes: Any cheese with a nutty, caramel profile, some crunch, and a bit of age would pair well with Four Screw.

Overall Impressions:  This cider was a surprise, “with maple syrup” suggested a sugar bomb and darker color. The maple gave the cider just a hint of candied sweetness that balanced the tartness and acidity. Thanks Maple Syrup!

Note: According to their website Harvest Moon Cidery, Critz Farms “plans to establish a new orchard dedicated specifically to growing cider apples. A mix of European cider apple trees and other dessert apple trees will be planted in the spring of 2014”.

If you have tasting notes to add please leave a comment.

 

Cider Review: Original Sin Newtown Pippin Cider: Cider52

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POM00000793(NewtownPippin-detail)

Cider: ORIGINAL SIN NEWTOWN PIPPIN CIDER

Maker: Original Sin Hard Cider  Origin: New York* website: origsin.com

ABV:  6.7%  Bottle:  750 ml, crown cap

Style Notes: Sparkling single varietal heirloom apple cider made with champagne yeast.

Fruit: Apple. Newtown Pippin.

Makers Fruit Notes: “The Prince of Apples. First discovered as a seedling in Queens, New York in 1730, the Newtown Pippin earned a reputation as one of the finest apples of its day and was cherished by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who cultivated it in their personal estates. Commonly used in hard cider production, this storied apple was sold to the United Kingdom in large quantities, helping to establishing the United States fruit export industry.”

Tasting Notes: In The Glass: Pale yellow straw. Fresh apple aroma. Fast sweet start, with hints of caramel, balanced by juicy tart acidity, “green apple in a glass”.

Parings Suggestions & Flavor Compliments: Fried foods, spicy  foods, think Thai, Indian, Chinese, spring rolls, pork dumplings. Good “small plate” and appetizer-pairing cider.

Our Pairings – The Tasting Lab: We tried Newtown Pippin with Dirty Bird takeout fried chicken, garlic kale, and cornbread. Perfect lunch pairing. The cider was even more enjoyable with food.

Cheesemonger’s Notes: Try pairing Newtown Pippin with Alpine-style or mountain cheeses, such as Appenzeller or other washed rind cheese. Would be great with a grilled cheese sandwich, or fancy slice.

Overall Impressions: Easily drinkable Original Sin Newtown Pippin cider is a single varietal apple cider that is enhanced by pairing. Fresh, crisp, juicy, tart, and clean. Tastes just like we imagine a Newtown Pippin in a glass would. Raise a glass and celebrate New York’s Newtown Pippin. Hurray for the return of an important heirloom apple as a New York made cider!

*Note: Listed as a New York company. This bottle of Original Sin Newtown Pippin was bottled in Milton Freewater, Oregon.