With the birds chirping and flowers blooming, the apple trees are getting ready to create the fruit that goes into making your favorite ciders. With so many unique cider varieties, strengths, and flavors using various types of apples and other fruits, herbs, etc., I was curious to know what cideries were changing the game in terms of uniqueness. Many people think of cider when it’s actually time to pick the apples but cider can be enjoyed all year from adding pommeau to hot tea on a cold winter night to enjoying a can of dry cider on a humid, summer night.
I chatted with Beth Demmon, a beverage writer and cider book author based in Southern California for advice on who is making some of the best/most unique ciders out there. She included some of her favorite brands and why.
Western Cider
Western Cider – Fat Robin
“I love everything about Western Cider—luckily, that includes their actual cider,” cites Demmon, who loves Western Cider’s colorful can and bottle designs, which can steer non cider drinkers towards the brand.
Western Cider is based in Missoula, Montana and was started in 2012 when co-founder Michael Billingsley planted 2,500 cider apple trees. They now grow over 50 varieties of apple.
Fat Robin is their cherry and apple cider. This cider is made with the iconic Flathead cherry which grow around Flathead Lake near Whitefish, Montana. Thanks to the microclimate around the lake, this allows the cherries to thrive despite the harsher temperatures of the region.
“I’m a big fan of their cans of Fat Robin for a couple of reasons: it’s bright and fruit-forward, with a ton of flathead cherries but still a decently low ABV (5.5% ABV) for a really flavorful, crushable, super summer cider,” says Demmon.
Aval
AVAL Cider – Rosé
French cidermaker AVAL is also on Demmon’s list.
“I’m super excited about AVAL. This unfussy French cider brand is expanding in the U.S. and really making high-quality cider accessible to the masses,” says Demmon.
AVAL makes their rosé using all red fleshed apples to create something that looks akin to sparkling rosé wine but, as their website states, can go in anything from “stemware to a Solo cup.” Demmon says this is the perfect cider for those who are new to cider and want something easy to enjoy.
Ellie’s
Tilted Shed Ciderworks – Ellie’s Non-Alcoholic Gravenstein Cider
Isn’t non-alcoholic cider just regular cider? Not so says Demmon.
“There’s a big difference between apple juice that hasn’t been fermented and non-alcoholic cider. NA cider keeps all that fermented complexity and gets rid of the alcohol, for what I think is one of the closest mimics one can get in beverages today,” remarks Demmon.
The people who are doing the best job at this according to Demmon is Titled Shed Ciderworks out of Sonoma County, CA.
“Ellie’s NA is tannic, complex, delicious, and full of that great Gravenstein apple brightness. You really won’t miss the alcohol,” says Demmon.
Haykin’s Family Cidery
Haykin Family Cider – Kingston Black
If you haven’t heard of Kingston Black apples, you are missing out. These apples have enough acids, tannins, sweetness, and body to stand on its own as a single varietal.
As a matter of fact, it’s Demmon’s favorite cider apple and she credits Haykin’s Family Cidery, a cidery in Aurora, Colorado for showcasing the best of what this apple can do.
Haykin Family Cidery’s Reserve Kingston Black cider clocks in just under 6% ABV and is in a handsome cork and cage bottle, making it a stellar gift for any cider lover.
Autumn Stoscheck
Eve’s Cidery – Pommeau
“Okay, I know that technically pommeau isn’t ‘cider,’ but hear me out,” starts Demmon.
If you are not familiar with pommeau, it is a fortified apple spirit that usually falls between 16% and 20% ABV. Eve’s Cidery in Van Etten, New York, south of the college town of Ithaca, makes one of Demmon’s favorite pommeaus, which is aged in oak for two years before blending and bottling. Eve’s Cidery’s pommeau is usually around 20% ABV.
“Their selection of naturally fermented ciders really shows why New York is the Napa of cider,” remarks Demmon of Eve’s lineup.
Cheers to tasty cider this spring season and remember to drink responsibly and to share a drink with people you truly care about.
