Hudson Valley Cider Guide

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  • Stylistically Speaking Cider

    Stylistically Speaking Cider

    THERE’S NO DENYING the popularity of cider is on the rise. At least one commercially-produced cider can be found in your local grocery store, deli, or bodega—something just not available as recently as five years ago. What you’ll find on these shelves is a good stromectol get introduction to the joys of drinking cider, but they lead many to assume cider is always a sweet beverage. Not all ciders fall into this range. The craft cider industry is busting this myth with a variety of styles and flavors to suit all tastes.

    Most Hudson Valley cider houses produce a range of styles. Some craft styles that mirror their favorite type of prednisone online European cider, generally English, Spanish, or French. English cider is known for being dry and tannic with higher alcohol levels, while Spain is known for ciders with racing acidity, slight funk, and bright green, somewhat herbal, flavors. The French create sweeter, lower-alcohol ciders with lively effervescence.

    Building on these traditions, creativity and experimentation is rampant among local producers. Each cider maker brings his or her distinct personality into the mix by using a unique blend of apples or adding surprise elements like spices and other fruits, or by maturing their ciders in different types of vessels.
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    It’s true the best way to learn about cider styles is by drinking them, but you can also learn a lot—and define your own cider style—by understanding the terminology commonly used klonopin online no rx in the craft cider industry.

    OFF-DRY CIDER

    Off-dry ciders have slightly more body than their dry counterparts; usually containing 1% to 2% residual sugar. A rounder, fuller mouthfeel is the norm here, while the cider still contains enough acid to be refreshing. This is an excellent choice for food pairing. The slight sweetness plays nicely with spicy cuisine including Indian, Thai and BBQ.

    TRY: Brooklyn Cider House produces a stellar off-dry style that truly fits the bill in this category.

    DRY CIDER

    Dry ciders generally have less than 0.5% residual sugar. They are often tannic, with a pronounced acidity, and a slightly thinner body than those with more residual sugar. Depending on the apple varieties used, aromas can include spring blossoms, wild flower, and sweet clover. Most styles of dry cider contain enough rich fruit essence to stand up against lightly spiced cuisine. They also complement any type of grilled bratwurst, many different cheeses, and they pair perfectly with a variety of charcuterie and pâtés. Many cider makers in the Hudson Valley craft a dry cider.

    TRY: Top picks include those from Hardscrabble Cider, Kettleborough Cider House, and Indian Ladder Farmstead Cidery.

    BONE-DRY CIDER

    This style is often made with cider apple varieties which add more tannin and a spine-tingly acidity to the finished product. Pleasant earthy notes combine with interesting flavors and exotic aromas to make this mouthwatering style of cider. While this style may take some getting used to for newbies, it’s a favorite among aficionados. For pairings, treat this like a French Chablis – briny raw shellfish, such as oysters and clams, are charmed out of their shells by this style of cider.

    TRY: Pennings Farm Cidery and Brooklyn Cider House both produce bone-dry ciders worth seeking out.

    BOTTLE CONDITIONED

    Produced much like sparkling wine, with a second fermentation occurring in bottle. Not only does bottle conditioning add satisfying and elegant natural carbonation, the live yeast creates complex flavor profiles. These thought-provoking sparkling ciders pair with buttery seafood preparations, pasta with cream sauce, or triple crème cheeses.

    TRY: Orchard Hill Cider Mill and Treasury Cider craft tasty examples of this labor-intensive style. Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider offers several savory ciders in this style which are bottle conditioned in their new temperature-controlled facility.

    SCRUMPY

    Traditionally Scrumpy was a strong, rough, very pulpy cider, cloudy in appearance, and popular in Western England. In the 19th century, farm laborers would generally receive up to a quart daily as an incentive on top of their wages. Today, Scrumpy can be mildly sweet or dry, but it is almost always cloudy due to its unique production method. True Scrumpy is made using the natural yeast found in apples, slowly fermented over a long period of time which produces its natural effervescence. Scrumpy can be bottled with the addition of honey or other sweeteners, and yeast is sometimes added to boost the alcohol and create more bubbles. It can then be left to finish for an additional two or more months. It’s no wonder this rustic beauty has inspired more than one indie folk punk ballad dedicated to its delights. Scrumpys, which are often sold in jugs, are welcome at any BBQ featuring hearty grilled meats and mayo-laden salads, and best in the company of friends and family. TRY: Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider produces a seasonal Scrumpy that is bottled alive so it must be kept cold or refrigerated. This New York take on an English tradition is a win-win on either continent.

    SWEET

    For those that prefer a sweeter style cider, there are many farm-fresh options to choose from. Instead of the commercial brands, which typically contain fifty percent juice and rely on added sugar to achieve a fuller flavor, there are lush orchard fruit ciders and versions back-sweetened with local honey being crafted in the Hudson Valley. These styles are delicious paired with strong washed-rind or blue cheeses.

    TRY: Weed Orchards’ Papa’s Peaches Hard Cider, or honey ciders from Penning’s Farm Cidery and Standard Cider Co.

    CROSSOVER STYLES

    Most cider makers are purists and let the terroir of the orchard and the character of the apples weave the story that ends up in the glass. But some can’t help being rebels, commingling flavors from other facets of the beverage industry to influence their finished products. Dry-hopped ciders, for example, have citrus flavors and floral notes that are not only more refreshing than an IPA beer, they are also much less filling.

    TRY: Standouts include Bad Seed Cider’s IPC Hopped Cider and Joe Daddy’s Hoppin’ Joey. Naked Flock’s Currant Saison is a crossover that would satisfy any beer lover’s palate.

    Other alternative cider styles take their cues from wine. Try Nine Pin Ciderworks’ Cidre Rosé, made by co-fermenting apples with the skins of red grapes to create a pink tipple perfect for summer sipping, with a lower alcohol than your average rosé. For those seeking a more assertive flavor, barrel-aged ciders offer up flavors of spice, a touch of smoky character, and a bit of heft. Angry Orchard’s small batch barrel-aged ciders stamp a distinctly Hudson Valley signature on this traditionally European style of cider.

    The talented cider pioneers throughout the region are crafting many palate-pleasing styles of ciders—from sweet to bone-dry. You just may have to try them all to discover a few go-to styles to call your own.

    By Wendy Crispell

    Photo: Eric Lewandowski

     

  • Apple-icious Adventure Awaits

    Apple-icious Adventure Awaits

    HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, the noble apple has played an integral part in some of the most interesting stories, legends, and tall tales of the world. It tempted Adam and Eve, sent Snow White into a deep sleep, helped gain William Tell his freedom, and hit Isaac prednisone online Newton in the head thus formulating the theory of gravitation while he was simply seeking some shade to enjoy a cup of tea.

    Today, a new apple-centric story is unfolding in the ambien Hudson Valley and Capital Region. It involves the passion and dedication devoted to the revival of an ancient beverage, hard cider, the drink of choice on the early American dinner table.

    With New York ranking the second-largest apple growing state in the country, it should be no surprise that the region is riding high on the crest of American orchard cider. Discriminating consumers are discovering the small number of craft cider makers claiming a stake in the farm to glass movement. Interest in antabuse online no prescription the gluten-free lifestyle has also helped hard cider, a naturally gluten-free beverage, gain momentum.

    Currently there are nearly thirty cider producers in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region, and many have tasting rooms located in the rolling hills and scenic vistas that the region is known for. What are you waiting for? Plan a visit to apple country. Stroll the orchards filled with majestic beauty. Experience the passion and dedication crafted into apple-icious delight.

    Be a part of the new cider story unfolding, and be enticed with a taste of authentic, modern apple history.

    Flagship Favorites + Tasting Room Exclusives

    Some cideries specialize in particular styles or have a flagship brand that has proven to be a crowd pleaser. Others produce a dizzying array of choices available on tap in the tasting room, where you can find seasonal specialties, or one-offs awaiting critical acclaim. The abundance of fresh berries, herbs, and culinary genius in the region has led to sometimes geeky, yet tasty, experimentation. Collaborations with local distillers, coffee roasters, hop farms, and vineyards have resulted in wildly popular results. Each tasting room is a unique experience filled with friendly, knowledge- able guides ready to help you navigate your cider journey. Read on for more about some of these unique producers and what influences their individual style. Whatever style your palate prefers, you’re sure to find a few new favorites.

    Fermenting Family History

    Bad Seed Cider

    Bad Seed Cider is the brainchild of lifelong friends Albert Wilklow and Devin Britton. Devin’s love of home brewing and Albert’s gluten intolerance resulted in their first cider made with fruit from Wilklow Orchards, a six-generation family farm owned by Albert’s family. A range of dry hard cider and flavors are available in the tasting room with favorites including a bourbon barrel-aged cider, a Raspberry tasting room exclusive, and IPC (aka India Pale Cider), a true dry cider brewed with American Ale yeast and Cascade hops. For those fans of traditional IPAs and pale ales, this is the cider for you. A cold brew infused cider, a recent collaboration with a local coffee roaster, is quickly gaining an enthusiastic fan following.

    Joe Daddy’s Cider

    Joe Daddy’s Cider is the newest addition at Brookview Station Winery, where husband and wife team Ed Miller and Sue Goold Miller are no strangers to the orchard to glass movement. The winery was started in 2006 with their first wine made from apples sourced from the adjoining orchard, founded by Sue’s grandparents in 1910. Joe Daddy’s Cider is a semidry blend of culinary and cider apples using English yeast and years of experience to charm just the right blend of flavors from the Hudson Valley’s noble apple. Available on draft only in the tasting room with growlers to go, Joe Daddy’s Original, Apple Cranberry, and the seasonal Pomegranate ciders are making a splash in the cider world.

    Kettleborough Cider House

    Kettleborough Cider House is owned and operated by one-man show Tim Dressel, who had originally planned on a small farm winery. The cider move-ment, and the availability of fruit sourced from Dressel Farms owned by his family, caused a change in gears. As a participant in Glynwood’s 2011 cider exchange program in France, Tim’s cider has a French influence with the terroir of the Hudson Valley. Styles include a flagship Dry Cider, reminiscent of a clean and crisp Prosecco; Honey Honey, a slightly off-dry sweetened with local honey; and a Straw-berry Cider made with berries from Dressel Farm. Kettleborough is a must-visit for seasoned cider drinkers and newbies looking to gain insight into small farmhouse cider production using only estate grown fruit.

    Weed Orchards and Winery

    Weed Orchard and Winery is a relative newcomer on the craft beverage scene, but this farm operation has been delighting U-Pickers with an array of fresh produce and homebaked goodness for decades. Fifth-generation owner John Weed along with his wife and daughters are now crafting their prize-winning fruit into ciders including Blueberry and just-picked Peach, both on the sweeter side of their semidry signature Homegrown Hard Cider.

    Hardscrabble Cider

    Hardscrabble Cider is new from Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard, where they press and produce farm-to-bottle hard cider from apples picked on-site. Along with a lineup of classic American style ciders ranging from dry to sweet, this first generation family-owned farm also offers fresh eggs, grass-fed beef, pasteurized pork, seasonal produce, and other local goodies.

    Doc’s Draft Hard Cider

    Doc’S Draft Hard Cider from Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery was the first hard cider introduced to the Hudson Valley more than twenty years ago. Today, a range of seasonal ciders and apple-based spirits can be paired with a relaxing day away. Features include an on-site cafe, infor- mative tastings, and an endless roster of events. Take a sip and savor the beginnings of New York’s craft cider movement!

    Naked Flock Cider

    Naked Flock Cider at Applewood Winery was founded by Jonathan Hull, who sources fruit from his family’s orchard, named “Apple Dave” after his father, a trained Pomologist. The highly-prized Naked Flock Cider, with its eye-catching label and zany backstory (see page 16), has a dedicated following both in the tasting room and beyond. The Original, made with Champagne yeast and sweetened with local honey, and Draft style, made with Belgian yeast and finished with maple syrup, are balanced and refreshing. In the tasting room, a selection of drafts are available for sampling and to go in growlers. Seasonal favorites and experimental flavors such as Pumpkin, Black Tea, and Currant Saison await, in addition to a line of red and white wines. Food pairings at the Cider Café, weekend festivities, and general merriment are abundant at this cider destination.

    Pennings Farm Cidery

    Pennings Farm Cidery is part farm stand, pub, hop farm, orchard, grill, cider tasting room and music venue. Pennings offers something for everyone in the family including hard cider on tap, and in a number of housemade specialties, such as cider-infused pulled pork and onion soup made from local Black Dirt onions. A dedication to keeping it local keeps the Pennings family busy innovating new ways to showcase their own products along with the best of what the Hudson Valley has to offer. It’s the perfect day trip destination. Tour the farm, bring the kids to Pennings’ petting zoo, sample American farmhouse cider and beer, settle in for lunch or dinner, and shop for locally grown fruits and veggies, baked goods, and cheeses before you go.

    Age Worthy Bottle Beauties

    Orchard Hills Cider Mill

    Orchard Hills Cider Mill is located next to the Soons Orchard farm store, produces elegant ciders and a decidedly different apple aperitif, both with a nod to French style. Their Red Label Cider is a stellar example of second fermentation in the bottle. Red Label is a dry, crisp champagne-style cider with fine bubbles and delicate flavors, drinking beautifully on release, or aged for a few years to gain a bit of savory complexity. A must-try is their Ten 66 Gold Label, a single-barrel Pommeau that combines apple brandy with freshly pressed apple juice, then aged nine years in French oak. This advantageous marriage of apple-based products creates a magical elixir that must be tasted to be believed.

    Creative, Modern Flavor Flair

    Angry Orchard

    Angry Orchard was founded as an R and D facility and tasting room owned by The Boston Beer Company. Head cider maker Ryan Burk favors the English cider style using a blend of culinary and cider apples. An impressive barrel room houses experimental ciders taking a nap in used bourbon, cognac, red wine, and sauterne casks, as well as crisp styles aged in stainless steel. While Angry Orchard’s Crisp Apple flagship cider is widely available, a number of specialties will only be available on-site. Standouts include Wooden Sleeper, aged for five months in bourbon barrels, and Dear Brittany, a wild ferment aged in cognac barrels. There is a style for every palate here with many new releases planned.

    Nine Pin Ciderworks

    Nine Pin Ciderworks is popular with both city dwellers and visitors seeking New York farm flavor. Founder Alejandro del Peral uses only locally grown fruit (pressed in the orchard) to craft a head-spinning selection of cider in an urban setting. Signature, their flagship slightly off-dry cider is tasty and refreshing, but quirky, experimental ciders are something not to be missed here. Cardamom, sarsaparilla, dandelion, black walnut, aloe, and rye and rum barrels are just a few things used to create buzz-worthy ciders available in the tasting room. Must-tries include the Cider Monster, made with 87 different apple varieties; and any of the yarrow-infused ciders. The plan this year is to release 26 different ciders in a two-week rotation. Frequent visitors can sign up to become a “26er” – a cider club of sorts that includes a challenge to sample all 26 flavors!

    Be a True Believer

    Standard Cider

    Standard Cider is produced by Brotherhood, America’s Oldest Winery, where you can wander the historic hand-dug cellars, tour the grounds, and settle in for a glass and a bite at the Vinum Café. Standard Ciders are made from fresh apple juice sourced from 100% culinary apples and finished in stainless steel (with the exception of the Reserve) to achieve a fresh American style. Favorites include True Companion, a rich, slightly sweet sparkling cider produced with the addition of ginger. Its sweet and spicy ending is the perfect companion for sushi, Thai, or Indian cuisine. Rebel Reserve, their barrel-aged cider, is smooth, deliciously off dry, with a full, juicy finish, and just the thing to serve with smoky BBQ or hard cheeses.

    By Wendy Crispell

  • Cocktail Corner

    Cocktail Corner

    Artisanal hard cider is refreshing straight up, but it also shines in these classic cocktails blended with local craft spirits.

    Hudson Dark and Stormy

    1 ounce Taconic Rum
    4 ounces Nine Pin Ginger cider
    Fill a tall glass with ice. Add rum and
    top with cider. Stir and garnish with a
    lime wedge.

    Apple Royale

    4 ounces of your favorite
    dry hard cider
    1/2 ounce local cassis or
    black currant liqueur
    Fill a flute glass with chilled cider. Add
    cassis and garnish with a lemon peel.

    Eastside

    2 ounces Applewood Gin
    1 ounce Naked Flock Citra cider
    3/4 ounce simple syrup
    8 mint leaves
    2 slices cucumber
    Lightly muddle cucumber and mint leaves in a shaker. Add the liquid ingredients and shake well. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a thin slice of cucumber.

  • Apples to Apples

    Apples to Apples

    Hard cider in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region runs the gamut from pleasantly fruit-forward to tongue curling bone dry, or those with a bit of interesting funk. There is something for every taste, yet the finished product depends on a number of different factors, including the variety of apple used. The decision to use cider apples, culinary apples, or a carefully selected blend of both depends on the style of cider desired.

    Traditional cider apple varieties that are used in England, Spain, and France are becoming popular again in New York. Although once widely planted here, many of these orchards were ripped out during Prohibition due to the fact that the apples weren’t suitable for eating or baking. Known as “spitters” (because of their bitter, acrid taste) their higher sugar content made them perfect for hard cider, but not quite the right choice for daily munching or mom’s apple pie.

    According to Tim Dressel of Kettleborough Cider House (who uses both cider and culinary apples), there are certainly specific varieties that are considered more valuable than others for cider, but overall it’s more about their classification: sweet, bittersweet, bittersharp, and sharp. English and French style cider producers concern themselves with getting the right ratio of these four categories.

    Other cider makers prefer to use a blend of culinary or dessert apples that naturally contain less pectin and tannin. Scrumptious when freshly picked off the tree, these varieties produce hard cider that’s filled with local terroir. Many of these producers are sourcing apples from local family farms passed down from generation to generation.

    With thousands of different apple varieties available (some popular ones on page 4), it’s up to the individual cider maker to select the type of fruit that will create the balance of sweet, bitter, and sharp qualities they are looking for in the glass. Then the decision of finishing in steel, inert vessels, or oak comes into play, but more on that at another time!

    Popular Culinary Apples

    Wine Sap

    An American heirloom apple dating back to the 18th century, it can be eaten fresh but is primarily a baking apple, popular for juice and cider production

    Empire

    With Red Delicious and McIntosh for parents, this apple was destined for greatness. Developed at Cornell University in the ’40s, its sweet-tart combination is at home in pies, tarts, lunch boxes, and in a glass.

    Northern Spy

    This historic variety is as versatile as apples come. It can be served raw, baked, roasted, sauteed, or slow cooked. Perfect in classic apple preparations such as pies, tarts, cobblers and cider!

    Esopus Spitzenburg

    Named in the 1800s after the town in Ulster County, NY, this American variety is one that should appeal to European tastes. It has an aromatic flavor with dense yellow flesh, and the rich sharpness of a high- quality dessert apple. Eating a Spitzenburg is a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and said to have been a favorite of Thomas Jefferson.

    Popular Cider Apples

    Brown Snout

    A traditional hard cider variety discovered in 1850 in England, its name derives from the “brown eye” at the base of the apple. It produces a sweet, slightly astringent juice and makes a mild to medium bittersweet cider.

    Bedan

    This bittersweet apple is one of the most favored in Normandy, used for cider and the famous Calvados brandy produced in the region. It’s known for its intriguing flavors, which can include notes of clove, banana, and licorice.

    Dabinett

    Hailing from England this is one of the easier bittersweet apples to grow, favored for its reliability to yield stellar fruit annually. It can be used to make a single variety cider, or blended.

    by Wendy Crispell

  • Cheesy Collaborations, Perfect Pairings!

    Cheesy Collaborations, Perfect Pairings!

    It’s no coincidence that the world’s best cider regions are also known for their cheeses. Here in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region there are a number of creameries producing cheeses that create magical combinations when paired with local hard ciders, and many are available in tasting rooms, farm stores and markets.

    In general, drier styles of cider pair well with mild, fresh goat cheeses, while off-dry, fruit infused or barrel-aged styles favor cheddars and Gouda. Sweeter-style ciders, and Orchard Hill’s Pommeau, are the perfect ending to any meal accompanied with a spicy blue cheese.

    Some cideries are collaborating with local dairies and cheese caves to create their own special cheeses. Try one of the following for an ideal marriage of cider and cheese:

    Nine Pin Ciderworks has recently teamed up with Nettle Meadows Farm to create Pins and Nettles, a mixed goat and cow’s milk tomme washed with cider, then rubbed with bright green tarragon and sea salt. It’s a delicious, crumbly, hard cheese with ginger undertones.

    A seasonal favorite from Murray’s Cheese in NYC is Little Big Apple (below) using apple leaves from Warwick Valley Winery’s orchard. After soaking the leaves in apple brandy, they are wrapped around a triple crème tomme and aged in caves on Bleeker Street in the West Village. If you’re lucky enough to score a piece of this, sit down and pour yourself a glass of Warwick’s Black Dirt Apple Jack or their aged American Fruits Apple Liqueur. Pure perfection!

    Consider Bardwell Farm Slyboro is a raw goat milk cheese, washed in hard cider from Slyboro Cider House in Granville. Aged for about two months, this cheese has sweet grassy notes and a hint of apple lingering on the rind.

    Local cheeses are also available at Bad Seed Cider Co., Brookview Station Winery, Applewood Winery, and Nine Pin Ciderworks. Discover your own favorite pairings with the region’s ciders and recreate the experience at home!

     By Wendy Crispell