Ciders for Wine Lovers

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Ciders for Wine Lovers

Now that Spring is here and the weather is beautiful, it is time to spend more time outside. One of the most refreshing but little understood categories of beverages is ciders. Much like the Rieslings of the wine world, most people assume that all ciders are sweet. In fact, most ciders are made in a dry style with a super complex flavor that will amaze white wine lovers of Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. 

One of our favorite producers is Farnum Hill out of Vermont. These guys are not just cider makers who buy apple juice (like most of the big cider makers). These are apple farmers who use their ancient apple groves to produce ciders of exceptional quality that are well balanced and dry. If your in the mood to enjoy a Spring evening with a good drink, then pick up a bottle of Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider.

Chad the Tie Guy's Drink of the Week: I love farmhouse ciders because this is the original style of cider simply made from fresh pressed apples and natural wild yeast (used to ferment the sweet apple juice). These ciders are not overly syrupy and sweet like the newer ciders can be but are very easy drinking with a hint of sweetness. This makes the cider taste, well like fresh apples that are juicy but not overly sweet. Think of this as a liquid apple with a little bit of a buzz as a bonus. Enjoy with the gorgeous Spring weather!

Food Pairings: This pairs well with soft cheeses (such as goat cheese) drizzles with fresh honey and topped with toasted salty almond. Try this with a slow cooker pork and sauerkraut topped with crisp apple slices for a real sweet and sour treat!

Cocktail Ideas:

Basic Recipe (aka Kick it Up a Notch): Combine 6oz of Cider with 1oz other flavor

Some Classic Examples:

     Apple Blossom= 6oz Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider + 1oz Elderflower Liqueur

     Irish Apple= 6oz Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider + 1 oz Irish Whiskey 

     Apple Pie= 6oz Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider + 1oz Fireball

     Carmel Apple= 6oz Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider + 1oz Caramel Vodka

Cape Ann Brewing Company, Sunrise Saison

A new Summer seasonal for us but one that stands out from the crowd. What caught our interest was the Saison brewed with fresh strawberry and rhubarb. This sounds like it could be the perfect combination of sweet and tart.

The brewery elaborates on the inventive style saying they took "... a cue from a home brew recipe from Mr. Jumpers Home Brew club, we gave it our own spin and came up with the Sunrise Saison. Our first foray into Belgian styles of beer, Saisons were pale ales originally brewed in the farmhouses of Wallonia, the French speaking region of Belgium. Giving it our own twist, we’ve added 150 lbs of rhubarb and 250 lbs of whole strawberries. The result is a light pink hue and flavors that wonderfully compliment the natural tartness of a traditional saison." We normally don't carry much in the way of this brewery other than their pumpkin stout, but they do seem to have some interesting seasonal beers.

This brew clocks in at 7% which is similar to my other farmhouse saison Colette by Great Divide. When you pour this beer out you get a nice whiff of fresh strawberries. I clarify that statement with "fresh", because you don't get a fake, syrupy strawberry flavor. You definitely get that super ripe, juicy and slightly tart natural strawberry flavor. The aroma also has the classic farmhouse spice of lemon, coriander, clove and slight farm funk. I'm not quite sure what rhubarb smells like, but with the complexity of aromas coming out of this beer are very enjoyable. The flavor in the mouth is very tart and refreshing with just a ghost of sweetness at the end. A perfect beer for Summer that is both flavorful and easy to drink. I would highly recommend picking up a 6 pack especially at the $9.99 price while it is still in stock. I highly enjoyed this beer so I gave it a 9.5 rating, but I took a half a percent off the style rating simply because of the liberal addition of strawberries and rhubarb which while delicious are not normally found in farmhouse saisons. Cheers!

Personal Rating: 9.5 /10
Style Rating: 9 /10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at: 
https://www.whitehorsewine.com/proddetail.php?prod=892480000072