[splinky]

have we ever discussed this in any depth before?

[Chad Ward]

have we ever discussed this in any depth before?

It's a little sweet for true cider aficionados, but I love Samuel Smiths Organic Cider. Great stuff. Tart and appley but with just a bit of residual sweetness.

I've made my own hard cider several times now and have been pleased with the results. The first batch fermented completely dry and was closer to German Apfelwien. With the most recent batch I was able to cold crash the cider to encourage the yeast to drop out and then backsweetened with some fresh cider. I kegged it under CO2 pressure, so after a couple of weeks it was very lightly sparkling, which was surprisingly nice.

I haven't tried some of the true traditional English ciders. They rarely show up in the US. All we get are the commercial ones like Strongbow (if you can even find that). Of the ones I've tasted, the Samuel Smiths is my favorite.

[Lippy]

I guess this thread is as good as any to point out that cider is a great choice for Indian and Chinese food. No one believes this until they try it.

[splinky]

this past week, i've been drinking magner's irish and woodchuck


i'm loving the lightness of the woodchuck granny smith apple

i also like their motto:

crisp and refreshing because they’re made from apples, never woodchucks

[Wilfrid]

Woodchuck's selection is nice. I recommend Doc's Hard Cider, not difficult to find on tap.

[StephanieL]

Both Whole Foods Bowery and Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg have excellent cider selections. I'm particularly fond of Farnum Hill and various Norman producers (like Dupont)--they produce quite dry ciders.

However, shouldn't this thread belong in the one of the Liquid categories?

[g.johnson]

I haven't tried some of the true traditional English ciders. They rarely show up in the US. All we get are the commercial ones like Strongbow (if you can even find that). Of the ones I've tasted, the Samuel Smiths is my favorite.

They rarely show up in the UK.

I like Samuel Smiths too.

I generally dislike French ciders. Far too acidic for my tastes.

[g.johnson]

West Country Cider* are very good too -- better than the commercial imports, I think.

*Western Massachusetts not Dorset.

[foodie52]

One of my fondest memories is driving around Somerset (near Lewes? Am I remembering this correctly?) and stopping at a cider tasting: the barn was filled with barrels, ranging from verrrryyy drrrryyyy to very sweet. They gave you a small glass and let you loose. Then, while you were loopy, they sold you cases of your choice.

We can get Blackthorn here. I like it, and I also like the French "K" but it's way too pricey.

[Wilfrid]

There were still plenty of people making their own "scrumpy" in garages when I lived in the West Country. You could buy it by the gallon for almost nothing, it certainly made you loopy, and the next day your brain would be trying to get out of your head by pounding the inside of your skull with a hammer.


Happy days.

[splinky]

don't they call that alcohol poisoning?

[foodie52]

scrumpy

oh aye

[flyfish]

Strongbow is better than Magners, to me. Local ciders hereabouts include Growers Granny Smith, which is okay, and County Cider, which is among the best.

We get ice cider hereabouts. Mmmmm, ice cider. Whole other ball game.

[Wilfrid]

don't they call that alcohol poisoning?

Not in the West Country, they didn't. But they did have a useful mnemonic rhyme:

"Beer on cider makes a good rider.
Cider on beer makes 'ee queer."

Note, pre-ActUp usage of "queer".

[GG Mora]

Farnum Hill good. Slyboro not so good.

(Farnum Hill pleasantly dry and well balanced; Slyboro overly yeasty and sweet...these assessments apply to their multiple profiles.)