ANXO Cidery: Crafting Hard Cider Made from Foraged D.C. Apples

Last year ANXO Cidery (300 Florida Avenue NW) introduced DC residents to the funky and rustic side of cider from the Basque region of Northern Spain. In fact, ANXO (AN-CHO) " is a common first name in Northern Spain and is also a nickname for Basajaun, a Basque mythological creature that is something like a benevolent Bigfoot". They've also introduced cider lovers to a broad range of other styles through collaborations from some of the top American cider houses such as Millstone Cellars, Eden Ice Cider Company, Blue Bee Cider, Farnum Hill Ciders, Snowdrift Cider Company, and Shacksbury Cider. After a trip to the National Zoo, we headed to sample these collaborations and unexpectedly much more.

I ordered the Flight of the Day and not only did it contain collaborations from Eden, Snowdrift, and Shacksbury, but also the Cidra Blanc. This newly released cider is comprised of 100% Goldrush apples from Winchester, VA and fermented with Sauvignon Blanc yeast in stainless steel at the ANXO Cidery & Pintxos Bar at 711 Kennedy Street NW.  It was quite tasty with fresh acids, tart lemon, and a bit of body. As for the collaborations, I enjoyed the rustic Shacksbury the most with its tart funk. The other's were also delicious with the Snowdrift was full of apple flavors and the Eden well balanced.

I then ordered the D. Sidra, a funky cider comprised of D.C. foraged apples and crabapples, fermented with the yeast that naturally occur on their skins, and served in traditional green bottles with a long pour. What a process - foraged apples which include crabapples and natural yeast?  For my acid hound palate, this cider is fantastic - it starts with short bursts of apple before the intense acids and tannins dominate. Be prepared, their presence is felt long after the pour is finished.

ANXO produces a couple other foraged fruit ciders, some blended with Michigan apples, but I'm looking forward to procuring "The Rando" - made from predominantly D.C.-foraged apples from 2016 that were pressed but forgotten until re-discovery.  You can discover all these ciders at either location using theCompass Craft Beverage Finder. Cheers.

Virginia Cider Tasting at Corcoran Vineyards & Ciders

Yesterday several cider enthusiasts met at Loudoun County's Corcoran Vineyards & Cider in order to sample most of their cider portfolio as well as several ciders from across the Commonwealth. I also threw in a Maryland cider from Millstone Cellars that I thought our group would find interesting.  Jim Corcoran asked us to access the ciders not only in relation to each other but which styles would attract the broadest audience. In answering the last question, there was a general consensus that the off-dry Corcoran Sinful and Blue Bee Aragon 1904 were not only the group's favorite but would also have the largest appeal.  Both ciders shared a full apple profile with refreshing acidity.  As for the group, I was impressed by the diversity of styles and thought all the ciders enjoyable and worthy purchases. 

Blue Bee Cider Aragon 1904  - An off dry cider from a blend of modern and heirloom apples. Full of flavor, slightly tart - nice acids.

Castle Hill Cider Terrestrial - Lighter dry cider made from Winesap and Albermarle Pippen apples. Tart acids on the tail.

Courtesy of MyVineSpot

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider Sinful - Off dry, full of apple flavors, nice acids. 

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider PoPo Peach - The cider is fermented in barrels that previously housed peaches, imparting a very subtle peach character. This cider grew on me after subsequent sips.

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider Knot Head - A “secret” blend of seven locally grown apples aged a few weeks in Bourbon barrels. The smoothest of the ciders.

Corcoran Vineyards & Cider Hop n' Pop - Dry hopped hard cider that possesses a slight oily - yet very clean finish.

Foggy Ridge Cider Handmade - Dry cider made from predominately Newtown Pippin apples with some Gold Rush. Softer style.

Millstone Cellars Sidra Americana - Rustic Basque style cider made from Stayman Winesap and Jonathan apples fermented using native yeast and then oak aged sur lie in oak. Funky and sour - lactobacillus sour.

Mt. Defiance Cidery General's Reserve Hard Cider - The cider house's Farmhouse Style cider aged in an bourbon barrels. Very dry lighter profile with a touch of caramel.

An Intimate Tasting of Spanish Wine at #WBC15 with Finca Hispana & El Muro del Vino

The beauty of each year's Wine Bloggers Conference is you never know what type of wine you will discover, whether from the year's host region, New York's Finger Lakes in 2015, or from another region. This year I tasted wine made in Lebanon, Brazil, Vermont, Maryland, Virginia, British Columbia, along with more traditional wine making regions in Germany, Austria, Italy, Chile, and Argentina. But it was tasting wines from Spain where I had the most memorial experience.

Late to the Friday afternoon lunch, I settled down at the first open table and was soon accompanied by Carl Giavanti of Carl Giavanti Consulting. We were seated across from who we would later learn to be Peter Deutsch and José A Hidalgo (El Muro del Vino). After listening to their conversation we remarked about Peter's English accent but impeccable Spanish. He then explained his negociant background and the launch of his new brand Finca Hispana which focuses on small producers throughout Spain. At the end of our conversation he invited us to his conference after party to taste these wines. I was intrigued.

Campos Reales Tempranillo

After the Rockwell Museum visit I hurried over to the designated room just as José was propping up a large vertical display sign to prop open the door. There weren't that many visitors the first night, so this evening started with just me and José tasting two of his wines, the easy drinking Campos Reales Tempranillo ($10) and the more complex Darcio Rioja Reserva ($20).  The grapes for the first wine were grown in D.O. La Mancha and José opened Google Maps on his phone and we spent an entire glass zooming to the specific vineyards. Can't get more intimate than that.  Plus the wine was fantastic - very easy drinking and heavy on the blackberry. As for the Rioja,  I'll let Aurelio Montes, of Kaiken Wines, describe: "It is a wine with great fruit expression, where the wood is well integrated with the wine. The palate is elegant, soft tannins, good volume".

By this time, Carl and Todd Trzaskos, author of the newly released Wines of Vermont, joined me and we turned our attention to Peter and the Finca Hispana brand. The first item to note is that almost all these wines retail for less than $15. Second, they come with attractive packaging. The label consists of a photo of the winemaker(s) providing a personal connection between consumer and producer. And being a small group Peter was had time to discuss each winemaker, each region, and each grape. Finally, the wines are simply delicious with ridiculous values. 

Garnacha/Cariñena 

Roble

Garnacha/Carignan/Syrah

One of the early favorites was the Finca Hispana Garnacha/Cariñena Roble, 2011 ($15, 13.5% ABV) produced by the Cristobal family. The wine itself is a 50-50 blend of Garnacha and Cariñena, made grapes harvested from 80+ year old vines in DO Cariñena, located in northern Spain. It is a full bodied wine, with a juicy and chewy texture, finishing with plenty of spicy tannins.

Another wine I returned to was the Finca Hispana Garnacha/Carignan/Syrah DO Monsant ($10, 13.5% ABV). The blend consists of 40% Garnacha, 40% Carignan, 20% Syrah all from vines aged between 30-60 years old in DO Monsant - the center of Catalonia and surrounding DOQ Priorat. This is a juicy fruit forward wine produced by the label model Eugènia Guasch López.

Pedro Ximenez, NV

Eventually the tasting turned to three sherries and the true love affair began. Two of these had graduated from the traditional Solera system, 36 years in all, and are of course comprised of 100% Pedro Ximenez. The clear attraction was the Finca Hispana Pedro Ximenez, NV ($15, 15% ABV) produced by Marta Leiva Vilchez in the D.O. Montilla Moriles appellation. The wine is luscious, with a jammy fig and tobacco profile, and a lingering dry finish. We would have continued yet the hotel security threatened Police action, so off to bed. But they promised to re-open the next evening.

And obviously news about the wine had spread. The next evening I arrived a little late after tasting some cider and could barely fit through the door. I had promised to share some local cider and beer and found myself pouring Maryland's Millstone Cellars Farmgate cider to both José and Aurelio Montes. What a treat discussing the cider and having them compare the cider's qualities to wine faults.  Over time we switched over to Virginia's Old Ox Brewery Kristin’s Passion, a Mexican Hot Chocolate Porter, and a couple from O'Connor Brewing Co.. Once again the evening ended with sherry and the hotel security. Finca Hispana hits is available in most other East coast markets and Chicago and hits the Virginia market later this year. Can't wait. 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