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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/490399
www.cheersonline.com 39 April 2015 • CRISPIN BOHEMIAN CRISPIN CIDER CO. (MINNEAPOLIS, MN) Crispin's latest release in the unfiltered Artisanal Reserve series is the Bohemian, a cloudy hard cider that blends higher-proof apple wine with pure apple juice, without added sugar or colorants. The straw-col- ored cider is fermented with Pilsner lager yeast for aromatics that evoke a crisp lager while offering the smooth fruitiness of a cider. It has a fast-cresting band of foam that settles quickly into medium carbon- ation, fresh apple fermented flavors, and 5.8% ABV. Its silky body makes a good foil to roasted chicken and other roast meats. Presented in 22-oz. bottles. CIDERBOYS HULA CIDERBOYS CIDER CO. (STEVENS POINT, WI) Apples and pineapples blend in Ciderboys Hula, one of several seasonal flavors introduced in the past year by the Ciderboys Cider Co. As the cider brand of the Stevens Point Brewery, Ciderboys is expanding distribution into 23 states, with a plain hard cider and seven flavored ciders including raspberry, strawberry, orange, peach and cinnamon. Available on draft and in 12-oz. bottles. EDEN SPARKLING DRY CIDER EDEN ICE CIDER CO. (WEST CHARLESTON, VT) Eden Sparkling Dry Cider is the first tradi- tional hard cider released by Eden Ice Cider Co. The golden sparkling dry is fermented from a blend of sharp and bittersweet ap- ples, including traditional varieties such as Kingston Black, a classic British cider apple. The cider is fermented and aged in French oak barrels for a year, then bottled with a dosage of fresh apple juice for secondary fermentation. The natural carbonation is fine yet brisk, and plays up the balanced bitter sharpness and acidity. Pairs well with rind-washed cheeses and grilled vegeta- bles. The finished cider has 8.5% ABV and is presented in 750-ml bottles. SOLSTICE SAFFRON CIDER FINNRIVER FARM & CIDERY (CHIMACUM, WA) Using fresh, house-pressed apples, Finnriver Farm & Cidery won 2015 Good Food Awards for its black-currant sparkling cider, a fruity, truly tart and not sugary artisan cider. The Elijah K. Swan Botanical Cider series represents another line of cidermaking experimentation with herbal flavors including rosehips and saffron. The 2015 Solstice Saffron Cider is a dry cider infused with earthy, warming saffron, made with a blend of heirloom and organic dessert apples such as Kingston Black, Granny Smith and Pink Lady. Finnriver also offers assorted flavored craft ciders, including a dry hopped cider that is aged with organic Cascades for a juicy, resinous edge to complement the mellow 6.5% ABV. Available in 22-oz. bottles. MAELOC CIDER (GALICIA, SPAIN) Galician apples are featured in this organic Spanish sidra, or cider. Maeloc cider is made entirely from organic Galician apples from 1,000 local farmers. The heirloom Raxó, Príncipe, Rabiosa and Verdeñ varieties are grown according to Organic Agriculture rules in Galicia. Maeloc Dry is one of the several flavors available, and moderate at 4.2% ABV. Imported in 12-oz. bottles. SIETSEMA CIDER (ADA, MI) Sietsema is a decades-old family orchard transformed into a modern cidery by fourth-generation orchardist and cider maker Andy Sietsema. Sold in 750-ml. bottles and limited cans, the ciders are packaged according to age and sweetness. The Red Label is the sweetest and youngest blend of house-grown and pressed apples. Its flavor is balanced with hints of citrus such as Meyer lemon zest in the finish; the Orange Label is aged in oak bourbon barrels, with more complexity and developed flavors for cider aficionados. Sietsema's ciders have won awards in the Great Lakes Cider Competition, and feature heirloom apples such as Cortland, Spitzenberg and Essex Pippin. Moderate at 6% to 6.8% ABV. ANTHEM/WANDERING AENGUS CIDER (SALEM, OR) James Kohn of Wandering Aengus Ciderworks uses commercial apples grown in Oregon and Washington. He crafts Anthem Cider from table/dessert apples such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. Anthem Cider, noted for its dry hopping, is available primarily on draft and made in four flavors, original, cherry, pear and Cascade hops. Apple availability fluctuates season- ally and lends variations to Anthem's flavor profile from batch to batch; Anthem ciders average 6.5% alcohol by volume. By contrast, the Wandering Aengus line emphasizes heirloom and traditional cider apple varieties with more complex- ity and cost in blending and aging. The Wandering Aengus Golden Russet 2011 is both dry and fruit-forward, with all the rich honeyed flavors of the classic English Golden Russet apple, and higher gravity at about 9% ABV. Wandering Aengus ciders are available in 12 seasonal styles, both on draft and in bottles. Lucy Saunders is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee, WI, and author of five cookbooks, including Dinner In The Beer Garden.