Category: Cider

Lapinette

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Maker: Virtue Farms, Fennville, Michigan, USAwpid-2014-12-16-16.53.00.jpg.jpeg

Style: Cidre Brut (in the style of dry Norman cider)

ABV: 6.8%

Purchased: $8/750 ml

Appearance: Pale gold. Very little effervescence.

Nose: Yeasty funk with a light sweet apple juice aroma.

Palate: Mineral water with hints of apple, yeast and lemon juice.

Finish: Clean and quick. Flint, dry citrus.

Parting words: The last cider I reviewed was a real Norman cider, so I thought it might be fun to try this hommage. It’s firmly in the style with all the yeasty dryness of its French cousin. Maybe I’m just getting used to the style but I enjoyed this one a little more. Not that I really love it but it’s more enjoyable. No criticism of Virtue here, they nailed the style, but Lapinette is only mildly recommended.

Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouché Brut de Normandie

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Maker: Etienne Dupont, Victot-Pontfol, Normandy, Francewpid-2014-11-18-10.22.09.jpg.jpeg

Vintage: 2012

ABV: 5.5%

Purchased for $12/750 ml

Appearance: light ochre with a big fizzy head that disperses soon after pouring.

Nose: Dry and flinty with a hint of yeasty funk.

Palate: Fizzy, apple juice, sourdough, chalk dust.

Finish: Fairly clean with a little funk and a touch of sweetness.

Parting words: There are very few denizens of the Wonderful Land of Booze that I just don’t enjoy. Sherry, flavored vodka, American blended whiskey, Coors/Bud/Miller beer and French cider all fall into that category.

This cider is drinkable enough, but the combination of funky yeast and dry chalk don’t exactly keep me coming back. Maybe I should have started my cider journey in Normandy and then sailed to the UK and US, or it’s over or underaged but this is not a repeat buy, especially at this price. Not recommended.

Vanderbush

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Makers: Greenbush, Sawyer, Michigan/Vandermill, Spring Lake, Michigan, USAwpid-20141110_170204.jpg

Style: Tripel brewed with cider.

ABV: 10.2%

Purchased for $13/4 pack

Appearance: Like cloudy cider with a big foamy head.

Nose: Sweet malt, hot cereal, hot cider.

Palate: Effervescent with hops, apple juice, and sourdough swimming around.

Finish: Bizarre. Big bitter hops clashing with a slightly sweet, apple flavor. Like chewing on cotton or accidently swallowing a bug.

Parting words: I have had lots of great beers from Greenbush and lots of great ciders from Vandermill. I have nothing but love and respect for both producers. That said, this is a terrible product. The nose and palate are decent, but nothing special. The finish is what kills it. It’s just gross. If a cider-beer from two great craft producers tastes this bad, I shudder to think what the corporate versions taste like. Vanderbush is not recommended.

The Mitten

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Maker: Virtue, Fennville, Michigan, USAThe Mitten

Style: Dry cider aged in bourbon barrels.

ABV: 6.8%

Price: $17/750ml (Binny’s)

Appearance: Light gold and effervescent.

Nose: Apple juice, dry Riesling, hint of oak and corn syrup.

Palate: Light and bubbly. Dry but with a tangy apple flavor. Also some caramel and bitter oak.

Finish: More tart and then dry with a background of oak and caramel.

Parting words: Virtue was founded by Gregory Hall, former brewmaster at Goose Island brewery in Chicago. He founded Virtue Cider in order to make European-style farmhouse ciders. While a bourbon barrel-aged cider doesn’t exactly fit that profile it is very much in the spirit of the thing.

This is my first Virtue cider, having been disconnected from the cider scene for quite some time. It’s very well done and I will definitely be seeking more of these out in the future. The bourbon barrel makes itself known but does not overwhelm the crisp flavor of the cider like it does in other barrel aged ciders I’ve had. It’s priced like a special occasion cider but it does quite well with food. Think Gewurz or Sauv Blanc when pairing it with a meal.

I alluded to the price earlier. It’s listed at $17 at Binny’s but I’ve seen it for even more elsewhere. If you can get it for less than $20, it’s worth a buy. The Mitten is recommended.

Blue Gold Hard Cider

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Maker: Vander Mill, Spring Lake, Michigan, USABlue Gold

Style: Apple cider flavored with blueberries

ABV: 6.9%

Appearance: Auburn and fizzy.

Nose: Delicate. Crisp apples and berries.

On the palate: Medium bodied and easy drinking. Crisp, fairly dry apple cider nicely balanced with the blueberries. They don’t overwhelm the cider or make it overly sweet, they just provide a mild but flavorful counterpoint.

Finish: Slightly sweet and a little fruity. Low key but lingers for a long time.

Parting words: Like most of Vander Mill’s products, Blue Gold is very tasty and well done all around. This is not a life-changing cider, but it was very refreshing on the 94° F day I tasted it. It comes in pint cans which is a big plus in my book and adds to its drinkability. I purchased my 4-pack for $10.99. That’s pricey but if one compares it to a table wine or a craft beer, that’s not too bad. At any rate, it’s definitely worth the price. Blue Gold is recommended.

Nomad Dry Hard Cider

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Nomad CiderMaker: North Peak Brewing, Dexter/Traverse City, Michigan, USA

Appearance: Like cloudy lemonade. Fizzy head upon decanting, then with a few bubbles in the haze.

Nose: A crisp, subtle apple aroma with a bit of limestone in the background.

On the palate: Medium-bodied and very dry. Golden delicious, more mineral water.

Finish: Crisp and clean. Leaves a bit of a carbonated tingle behind.

Parting words: This is hands down the driest American cider I have ever tasted. It’s really remarkable. Not that it’s the best one I’ve ever had, but it’s unlike anything I have had made in this country. I’ve had British ciders that approached this level of dryness, but the closest comparison that came to my mind was the dry Austrian Riesling I reviewed a while back. An apple-infused San Pellegrino or Gerolsteiner come close too.

My only complaint is the price, which is very high. If I recall correctly I paid over $12 for a six pack. Still, there’s not much out there like it, and it’s very refreshing on a hot, humid summer day. Nomad Dry cider is recommended.

Stella Artois Cidre

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Maker: Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Missouri, USA (InBev)stella-artois-cidre

ABV: 4.5%

Thanks to Oscar for the sample.

Appearance: Dark gold and very fizzy.

Nose: American lager, apple juice, light brown sugar.

On the palate: Full bodied and sweet. Apple crisp.

Finish: Medium long and sweet with a slight apple flavor.

Parting words: This is not a bad cider at all. It’s very drinkable and it’s basically what one would expect from a big brewery cider. My biggest complaint is that it is much too sweet for causal sipping or with a meal. I love drinking cider on a hot summer afternoon or with lunch or a light supper, but this is not one I would reach for at those times. It drinks like a dessert fruit wine in spite of claims that it is in a drier “European style” by marketers. It is nothing of the sort. The prices I’ve seen have been on par with micro-brewed ciders which makes it too expensive for me. Finally the fact that it’s brewed in the US while being marketed as an import complete with a pretentious pronunciation and spelling irritates me. At any rate, Stella Artois Cidre is mildly recommended.

Vander Mill Cider Masala

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Maker: Vander Mill, Spring Lake, Michigan, USA

Style: Spiced Cider

ABV: 6.8%

Appearance: Cloudy gold and effervescent.

Nose: Clove, ginger, star anise, crisp apple.

On the palate: Medium-bodied, slightly tart. Apple pie, sweet curry, ginger chutney.

Finish: Tart and spicy. The tartness tickles the cheeks for several minutes afterwards.

Parting words: If there’s a cider equivalent to B. Nektar meadery, Vander Mill is it. They release a number of one-off experimental bottlings like this one.

Cider Masala is a cider infused with Indian Masala spices. It’s an interesting sip, and as an experiment it works. I don’t see it becoming a go-to cider, but that’s not the point. Vander Mill Cider Masala is a recommended.

Woodchuck Barrel Reserve

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Maker: Woodchuck¸ Middlebury, Vermont, USA

Style: Barrel-aged cider

ABV: 6.9%

Appearance: Dark copper.

Nose: Toffee apples, vanilla

On the palate: Medium-bodied and creamy. Vanilla, apple crisp a la mode, butterscotch candy

Finish: Tangy apple, carrot cake with vanilla icing.

Parting words: This stuff is so sweet that I ran out of desserty descriptors when I was writing this review. I don’t know where they got the barrel this was aged in, but it imparted a crazy amount of vanilla and caramel to the cider. I assume it all comes from the barrel. I would be disappointed if some vanilla or caramel flavoring was added to “round out” the barrel flavors. Speculation aside, Woodchuck Barrel Select earns a recommendation.

Vander Mill Hard Apple Cider

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Maker: Vander Mill Cider Mill & Winery, Spring Lake, Ottawa Co., Michigan, USA

ABV: 7%

Appearance: light gold, not much in the way of legs. Lightly effervescent.

Nose: Dry, a bit of yeast at first, but it dies down shortly.

On the palate: light and dry. A little sweetness and some delicate apple flavors, but mostly dry and light.

Finish: Fairly sweet, but mostly dry. Very pleasant.

Parting words: This is a fine table cider. It’s not overly sweet or heavy, and pairs very well with food. Serve it as you would a Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc or a dry Riesling. Kudos to Vander Mill for using all Michigan-grown fruit and producing hard cider at all, frankly. It is a constant puzzlement to me why more Cider mills and orchards in Michigan don’t produce hard ciders but opt instead to become petting zoos and doughnut bakeries. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Vander Mill Hard Cider gets a recommendation. They make a variety of ciders, include fruit-juice flavored ones and a Wit made with Belgian ale yeast and spices. Hopefully I can review those someday soon!