Perry, Cocktails, & the Cider Industry with New Hampshire's Farnum Hill Ciders

August's #WineStudio sessions concludes tonight with more tasting and information regarding the cider industry in general and New Hampshire's Farnum Hill Ciders in particular. My previous post focused on the cider house's origins and philosophy.  Last week, the focus was on cocktails and the industry in general with several cider houses and #tastemakers participating.

Cocktails
Farnum Hill and Protocal Wine Studio offer a list of cider based cocktails included the Snakebite (50-50 blend of cider and beer) and  the Happy Apple (run and cider). Darlene Hayes (@allintocider) offers another recipe:

Getting started early w/ @tiltedshed Graviva @_spiritworks Sloe Gin & @AppleEllie Orleans Bitter #winestudio

— Darlene Hayes (@allintocider) August 19, 2015

Kegging Cider
You don't see much kegged cider because most retailers and wholesalers expect the kegged cider to be priced similar to beer. Only the mass produced ciders have the economics of scale to price at that level. Plus these massed produced ciders are mostly likely made from concentrated juice, not freshly pressed.


Regulations
Ciders with alcohol over 7% must be packaged in metric (375, 500, 750 ml) formats which are then taxed like wine and carry a higher tax rate. This Diane Flynt (@FoggyRidgeCider) mentioned that Virginia grown is always above 7% thanks to the warmer temperatures. Unless the cider is diluted, they must be packaged accordingly. Cider makers are hoping the CIDER Act changes this formula.

Perry
Perry is cider made from special pear cultivars that are higher in tannins and acids as compared to common pears and even cider apples.  Because of these tannins, the pear pomace is usually left to on its own as in wine maceration. During this time a secondary malolactic fermentation may result where the harsher malic acids are converted to softer lactic acids.

Farnum Hill Ciders

Farnum Hill Extra Dry Perry ($15, 7.2%) - yeasty and stone fruit nose and less tart than the previous apple ciders. A degree of funk, tannins, and easy acids. This is a special cider.

Farnum Hill Semi Dry ($15, 7.4%) - subtle sweetness which intermingle with the acids for a richer and deeper flavor profile. There's plenty of apple and citrus, both lemon and tangerine, with a touch of honey. Glad we saved the best for last.  

Bus to Boat on the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail During #WBC15

How many wine trails are there where you can ride a boat straight to a winery's dock? According to boat captain, Captain Skip Stamberger of Water to Wine Tours, the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail is the only trail in the world that provides that option. It's hard to validate that claim, but for those of us who participated in the post-conference excursion, we experienced a leisurely boat ride from the Thirsty Owl Wine Company dock to Goose Watch Winery.

In 1983 the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail was the first wine trail established in NY State and currently consists of 16 wineries. When looking at the map, Cayuga Lake is represented as the index finger to the east of Seneca Lake. Ithaca is located on the southern shore and Seneca Falls on the northern end with the wineries dispersed on either shore. There's also a brewery, cider house and a few distilleries.

Our bus left Corning accompanied by Hosmer Winery winemaker Aaron Roisen and Lucas Vineyards winemaker Jeff Houck. Inexplicably, at least to us spoiled bloggers, they forgot to bring wine to share; but our friends from Cider Brothers came packed with William Tell Cider - a wine like cider produced using three strains of yeast and containing 15% Pinot Grigio. With our plastic glasses filled, we listened as Rosien and Houck gave an overview of the wine trail and their respective operations.

Cayuga Lake from Goose Watch Winery

When we arrived at Thirsty Owl, half the group departed the bus with the remainder continuing to Goose Watch.  There were eight wineries at each location and after tasting in one location we were transported past the vineyards to the lake where our boats awaited for our 15 trip to the second winery.  At least it was only that long for those of us on the faster boat.

  Goose Watch Winery 

There were several standouts in both groups starting with the cider from Bellwether Hard Cider. The Barton family started out as cider makers and eventually transitioned to wine, so its no surprise their ciders impressed several of us. Long live King Baldwin. The Hosmer selection was also solid as where the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Toro Run Winery. Their labels are also something special. A pleasant surprise was the Baco Noir from Americana Vineyards and Winery. The all stainless steel process creates a fruit friendly lighter wine.  Sadly I had to race through the Lucas selection which was unfortunate because their Cab Franc and Riesling were worth relishing longer. My favorite of the day probably goes to the Knapp Vineyards & Winery Rose, blend of predominantly Cab Franc with a lesser amount of Pinot Noir.

Knapp Winery

Our excursion was far from over as we were transported the short distance to Knapp where a gourmet dinner awaited us. Plus more wine, cider and spirits, the latter courtesy of Knapp featuring Limoncello and a Cucumber Vodka. All where quite smooth and tasty. Being rather fatigued a chose the Bellwether Lord Scudmore, a sparkling cider from Northern Spy apples. Dinner was informative as I shared a table with Knapp winemaker Steve DiFrancesco and Quebec blogger Gigi Bissonnette as they discussed vineyard practices in Quebec and Prince Edward County. Looking forward to a future visit to those regions very soon. But back to our subject matter.

The food on this excursion was fantastic, starting with the cheese plates donated from members of the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail. Yes, there is such an organization.  And our dinner at Knapp featured three area chefs who provided a very delicious and diverse array of food. The brisket over miniature pancakes opened my eyes to unorthodox pairings. Here's the entire menu as provided by the wine trail:

Chef John McNabb of Knapp Vineyard Restaurant served Smoked beef brisket with johnny cakes and Hoisin Poblano, Limoncello Chimichurri an Cabernet & Caramelized Onion demi sauces accompanied by fingerling potato and quinoa salads. Also served were the Calabacitas with corn tortilla ships, Cayuga Caviar and sour cream. The chocolate chunk cookie to go was also provided courtesy of Chef John.

Chef Lindsay of Crystal Lake Café at Americana Vineyards offered a house-made sausage, pan-fried chicken and deviled eggs. Jennifer, the resident baker, provided the baguette during the tasting session and the lemon bars and pecan squares for dessert.

Chef Scott of The Bistro at Thirsty Owl Wine Co. served smoked pulled pork with coleslaw and barbeque beans. Scott also provided the Peanut Butter Corn Flake cookie.

Cheers to the wineries on Cayuga Lake and in the Finger Lakes in general. Check out theCompass Winery, Brewery, Distillery Locator Mobile App to make future trips to the area easier to plan.

 

 

New Hampshire's Farnum Hill Ciders Leads the Resurgence in Hard Cider

August's #WineStudio session moves from wine to hard cider featuring New Hampshire's Farnum Hill Ciders. The cider house is owned and operated by Steve Wood and Louisa Spencer and has been a leader in the resurgence of quality dry hard cider. The fruit is grown at Poverty Lane Orchards which Steve purchased in 1984 and expanded in 1998. The orchard's terrain provides similar benefits as a grape vineyard. The downward slope allows cold air to escape to the neighboring Connecticut River; whereas the rocky, mineral-rich soil and short growing season produces intenser aromas and flavors. Initially planted with Macintosh apples, Poverty Lane Orchards now consists of over 100 apple varieties that fall within four types: bittersweets (hi-tannin, hi-sugar), bittersharps (hi-tannin, hi-acid), sweets, and sharps (acid). When fermenting the apples, Farnum Hill utilizes neutral Champagne yeast that  does not overwhelm the apple character. And the final ciders are generally a blend of multiple apple varieties in order to produce the best acid/bitter balance, complexity, fruit, and astringency.The only sugar added is for dosage.

Farnum Hill Extra Dry Cider ($15, 7.5%) - tart apple & yeasty nose; almost chewy apple texture changing to orange blossom honey; extremely dry; lingering finish - light tannins & effervescence.

Farnum Hill Farmhouse Cider ($15, 6.5%) - bittersweet varieties blended with Spitz and other acidic apples. The cider is tart, slight sweetness, funky palate; full mouth feel; long lemon finish.

Woodchuck Cidery wants you to drink Cheeky Cherry on Valentine's Day

Last night I received a couple of bottles of Cheeky Cherry, the newest addition to Woodchuck Cidery Out on a Limb Series™. The Middlebury Vermont cider house is marketing this cider for Valentine's Day; so I was expecting a sweet cider to pair with the holiday's red coloring. Instead, and to my taste bud's enjoyment, I tasted a dry cider (although not sure the exact R.S. level) full of apple and tart cherry flavors. In fact the tart cherry resides on the tongue long afterwards, with the apple's acidity providing a lively finish. I was also expecting some artificial-ness with the cherry flavor; but no, the cider house infuses dried Michigan tart cherries into the already fermented cider plus a douse of Belgian cherry juice. The base cider is composes of a blend of common eating apple varieties as well as bittersweet cider fruit.  The alcohol weighs in at a reasonable 5.5%. Thumbs up for the Cheeky Cherry.

Cider Week Quiz: Which U.S. state hosts the most hard cider producers?

With apple season in full swing, hard cider is experiencing a seasonal renaissance with increased exposure from consumers, the media, and online tastings (#winestudio). Plus, Cider week starts November 14th in both Virginia and the Hudson Valley -- where consumers can learn more about the beverage through special tastings and events.

Hard cider is produced in 33 states and six Canadian provinces, and I recently learned that Quebec hosts the largest number of cider producers in North America with 53. This number includes both wineries and cideries as well as distilleries that distill hard cider.  So which U.S. state hosts the largest number of hard cider producers? Winecompass.com and theCompass Mobile Application don't tell the full story, since they are limited to establishment's with tasting rooms. Care to guess?  I'll release the answer and source on Friday. Cheers.

Which state hosts the most hard cider producers?

California

Michigan

New York

Oregon

Washington

Other

Please Specify:

Poll Maker

---

---

Friday Update: According to the Cider Guide website there are 29 cider producers in Oregon, 30 in Michigan and California, 33 in Washington, and 39 in New York state.  Many of these are in the Hudson Valley where Cider Week begins today. Cider Week VA also starts today highlight the Commonwealth's nine operating cideries. Cheers to that.

#TasteCamp Explores #HudsonValley #Cider

From numerous trips to Greenwood Lake, I've become very familiar with two Hudson Valley cider makers, Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery & Applewood Winery. The former produces apple and pear ciders under the Doc’s Draft Ciders brand, while the latter recently introduced their Naked Flock ciders which replaced their Apple Dave's Stone Fence Cider. TasteCamp presented a few opportunities to expand my Hudson Valley cider experience -- starting with a trade tasting at Robibero Family Vineyards.

Among the various wineries at Robibero, Bad Seed Cider Company was pouring their inaugural release: Dry Hard Cider (6.3% abv, $12). The ciderie is co-owned by Devin Britton and Albert Wilklow, a 6th generation apple farmer. Devon is the cider maker - having a history of fermenting anything that would make a tasty beverage. Their Dry Hard Cider was clean, tart, and refreshing and hearing that they produced other styles incited me to visit on Sunday. The taproom was only a week old, yet there was already a decent crowd on my arrival. Devin was pouring four Bad Seed ciders as well as guest ciders from other Hudson Valley producers. I stuck with a sampler of his Dry, Cherried Away, Mapled Monk, and Blueberry. The Cherried Away was easily my favorite, basically the Dry fermented with tart sour cherries. This is one tasty cider. It took a few sips to start to appreciate the Mapled Monk, which is their Belgian Abbey augmented with a touch of maple syrup. There's a bit of funk from being unfiltered and inoculation with Belgian abbey beer yeast. Very interesting.  Expect a lot more of these artisan ciders - I hear there's a bourbon-maple combo on the horizon.

During day 2, our host, Carlo Devito, sponsored another Hudson Valley tasting at his Hudson-Chatham Winery. Among the participants were several cideries including the above mentioned Doc's Draft and Naked Flock. Our host poured an almost cider - the Old Orchard Sparkling Apple Wine which resembled a sparkling cider (clean, effervescent, with a nice tart finish), but it came in at 10.7% abv - too high to be labeled a cider.

Another participant was Orchard Hill Cider Mill, from New Hampton and using fruit from Soons Orchard. They produce still and sparkling cider, the latter using méthode champenoise, whereas  both styles are bottle fermented and unfiltered. Their traditional Red and Gold labels (still vs sparkling) are clean and dry with the Red Label (7.25% abv, $10) having some toasted apple elements. The Gold Label (8% abv, $18) is slightly sweeter and lighter. Orchard Hill also introduced us to their Ten66 brand - the Jerry Lee Lewis of ciders - the killer. Named for the year of the Normandy invasion of Britain and inspired by that region's Pommeau de Normandi, both the Red and Gold labels are delicious. The Red Label (20% abv, $30 375 ml) is mixed with apple brandy distilled from Soons Orchard apples  and aged in French oak wine barrels. The aged brandy is then blended with fresh unfermented Soons' cider and returned to the barrel for extra aging. The result is a tart apple pie flavor with vanilla and nutmeg on the tail. The Ten66 Golden Barrel (20% abv, $30 375 ml) is even better, brandy distilled in 2005 combined with fresh juice and barreled in 2009 - a single barrel mistelle. Not a cider, but one of the best ciderie beverages on the market.

One of the most interesting collection of ciders the entire weekend was poured by Aaron Burr Cidery. These were apple and pear ciders from uncultivated fruit - foraged from wild or abandoned orchards in the Catskills. The apples and pears are small and mangled - providing more skin contact in relation to juice. The Homestead Ciders are fermented using native yeast and unfiltered to create a cider style that was consumed when the country was founded. Obviously these are very small productions, maybe 100 cases, and extremely unique and tasty. Aaron Burr also produces an Appinette (8.4% abv) cider using 30% Finger Lakes Traminette grapes and 70% Orange County (NY) apples. It comes off dry, effervescent, with a tart - slightly bitter finish. Cheers for pulling these off; Aaron Burr ciders are highly recommended.

There are more cideries in the Hudson Valley waiting for my next trip. Hope to visit or taste Kettleborough Cider House, Annadale Cidery, Slyboro Cider House, and Breezy Hill Orchard & Cider Mill soon. Cheers.

Cider and Spirits Arrive in the Middleburg AVA with Mt. Defiance Cidery and Distillery

Middleburg Virginia was already a solid wine destination with several surrounding the old town; but now there is even more of an incentive with the addition of Mt. Defiance Cidery - right at the end of Washington Street. The cidery is the second cider operation started by Marc Chretien, who opened Vermont's Stowe Cider last year. Growing up in Northern Virginia, Chretien wanted to return to the DC area to join the growing Virginia cider movement. Currently the cidery operates in an old gas station in Middlburg, but Chretien plans to move production to a larger facility in the country to accommodate a canning line. Don't worry however, the location will then be home to Mt. Defiance Distillery. The nano-distillery is currently producing small batches of rum, absinthe, and applejack that should be available in ABC stores and the distillery this fall.

Currently at the cider, there are four ciders on tap. And I mean on tap - bring your growlers to stock up; although there are some bottles for sale. The flagship Farmhouse Cider is a traditional dry cider, very tart and refreshing. They also produce a Ginger Cider with this batch evidently higher in ginger - interesting - but not my thing. The Cider Blanc was fermented with wine yeast and is tasty with a more bready flavor than apple. Finally, their General's Reserve Barrel Aged is apple cider aged in used Wild Turkey bourbon barrels. This is delicious, only subtle hints of the whiskey that doesn't overwhelm the apples. This one is only available in growlers so be prepared when visiting. Cheers.

Beer & Cider along the Torrey C. Brown Trail: Monkton to New Freedom

Ever since the 2013 Drink Local Wine Conference, held that year in Baltimore (Maryland Wine country), I've been trying to visit Millstone Cellars, a unique cidery located north of the city in Monkton. This weekend presented an opportunity and after a little research I discovered that Monkton is a stop on the Torrey C. Brown Trail, a converted rail line which runs adjacent to the Gunpowder River into Pennsylvania. Once in the Keystone state, the York County Heritage Trail commences giving cyclists 41 miles of trail -- 20 in Maryland, 21 in Pennsylvania.  Time for a bike ride.

Using theCompass, I saw that three Maryland wineries were near Monkton (Royal Rabbit Vineyards, Woodhall Wine Cellars, Basignani Winery) but not close enough to the trail for an easy side trip. I did find, however; a Pennsylvania brewery, Gunpowder Falls Brewing, located in New Freedom - the source of the Gunpowder River. Plus New Freedom is home to The William H. Simpson #17, a replica of the Civil War steam locomotive that carried Abraham Lincoln to deliver the Gettysburg Address, which now rides along the York County Heritage Trail to York.

Monkton is located just after mile marker 7 on the Torrey C. Brown Trail, so I parked alongside the tubers and started pedaling north. The trail is an easy ride, the steepest sections are only 2-3% grade. There are restrooms every few miles, but the general store in Monkton is the only food shop until New Freedom. The trail itself is packed gravel and dirt; my hybrid had no problems and I did see several road bikes throughout the day.  The river flowing nearby is soothing and provides a nice landscape for the ride. When reaching New Freedom, I stopped to peek at The William H. Simpson #17 and get a quick snack at the Trail Museum and cafe.  Finding the brewery became a bit of a challenge since its 3.5 miles off the trail. Start by going east on W. Main Street and then turn left on N. Constitution and cycle along this rode for 1.7 miles. Turn left on S. Main Street then a right on E. Tolna Road. Enjoy the mile downhill ride, because you will need to pedal up on your return trip. Just before a mile, turn right on Elm and the brewery entrance is on the backside of the warehouse.

Gunpowder Falls Brewing is an American-German craft brewery operated by brewery Martin Virga.  Virga received his brewer training in Germany then returned to the states to help start the  Capitol City Brewing Company in Washington D.C. and later the Ellicott Mills Brewing Company.  He started Gunpowder Fallsto focus exclusively on traditional German style lagers. Each batch is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law of 1516) which dictates that only water, malt and hops may be used in brewing beer. The role of yeast came centuries later.


When I arrived at Gunpowder Falls Brewing, they were serving three beers, a Pilsner, Dunkel, and Helles.  I started with the later, clean and refreshing - a very nice representation of a standard lager. Over bratwurst, I slowed down with a Dunkel, a sweeter beer with plenty of malt flavor.  Knowing I had a hill to climb, I just sampled the Pils, noting the hoppier character of this beer.  These are solid beers and glad to see classic lagers featured.

The return ride back to Monkton was quite easy - once I made it back to the York trail. With the decreasing grade, the return trip was much faster.  Millstone Cellars is not far from the trail (.4 miles), take a left on Millstone Road - a couple short hills - then take a right to remain on Millstone. You can't miss the refurbished Monkton Mill, an old, 1840′s circa grist mill that Millstone calls home. The cidery is owned and operated by the father-son team of Curt and Kyle Sherrer. You won't find traditional ciders and meads here; instead the two focus on artisan versions of each. Let's start with my favorite, Hopvine ($16), a cask cider (York Imperial) aged with Maryland grown Cascade hops and blended with a little raw honey. The Farmgate ($16) is about as close a traditional cider you will find - distinct that it is unfiltered Jonathon, Stayman Winesap, and Smokehouse apples fermented and aged in American oak barrels. Dry, flavorful, and tart. The latest find is Thistle ($20), a session sour mead from wild and belgian ale yeast and aged in oak for almost a year. Love the acids and unique sour flavor.  This mead is another representation how Millstone is pushing the boundaries of traditional recipes adding interesting aspects from other brewing techniques.  Besides these three there are several other ciders and meads available - like the Sidra Americana, Rhuberry, Peche Cyser, Spruced, Gingeroot, and several more concoctions aging in the mill.  Cheers to that.


Total mileage: 35.
Photos: Facebook

Brews at Zoos: Palm Beach Zoo

The Palm Beach Zoo is a regular stop in our south Florida travels. They provide educational exhibits on animals indigenous to the Sunshine state (Black Bears, Florida Panthers, Alligators, Flamingos)as well as Australia (Koala and Wallabies), Asia (Tigers), Africa (Fennec Foxes, Serval, Lemurs) and the Americas (Ocelot, Sloths). Plus many more. And on Friday nights the zoo offers Safari Nights - extending hours with live music and wine\beer.  On our last visit, they were pouring local beer from Cigar City Brewing (Jai Alai IPA) augmented with Angry Orchard Crisp Apple hard cider, and nondescript wine.  And Cigar City is generally available at the Tropics Café during regular hours. Cheers.

Cider, Wine, and Sparkling - Great Shoals Winery

We heard recently that Maryland cider maker, Great Shoals Winery, opened a tasting room in my old neighborhood, so on my next trip home, I headed a few miles away to Heyser Farms. This is the orchard that grows the tasty Spencerville Red apples which Great Shoals has developed into one of my favorite hard ciders.  But there are more reasons to visit - several other hard ciders, including the Black Twig; still wines such as Chardonnay and Chambourcin; and many Champagne-styled sparkling wines - either grape or fruit. These last are made in the true traditional méthode champenoise and are nice interpretations of local fruit. Visitors have a choice of many tasting routes and I choose the Champagne-styled fruit sparkling wines which included Apple, Peach, Pomme Aronia (Aronia berries), and Elderberry. The last two were my favorites, I think from their uniqueness which balances the many apple profiles in their portfolio. The one objection: sample sizes were very small - even after paying a tasting fee.  I couldn't leave without stocking up on some hard cider - now that biking season is ending - time for more Hemingway Josie Russell.  Pairing all with Maryland based O.A.R.. Cheers