Two new ciders to store shelves

Angry Orchard will have five ciders available for sale here in Berkshire County this fall.

Just as the leaves will start to turn, Sam Adams-owned Angry Orchard has two new ciders to try.

The Angry Orchard Cider House Collection is made with heirloom varietals that showcase complex flavors. After carefully experimenting with European apple blends, wood-aging and fermentation methods, this resulting collection is a balance of ingenuity and craftsmanship.

“Our ciders are comparable to wine because we carefully selected a wine yeast that brings out our apples’ exceptional flavors. The terroir (which loosely translates as “sense of place”) where our apples grow is unique to cider making the same way a vineyard is to winemaking,” Angry Orchard said at the release.

The Angry Orchard Cider House Collection blends Italian culinary apples from the foothills of the Northern Alps and French bittersweet apples from Normandy.

This combination produces two rich, complex and wood aged ciders that are perfect to share with a friend over dinner.

The first cider, Iceman, is inspired by the traditional ice ciders of Quebec. Iceman combines crisp apples with notes of caramel and toffee for a cider that’s sweet but not syrupy or cloying.

Aging the cider on oak adds a smooth, vanilla character.

Iceman is medium-bodied, leaving a smooth finish with rich flavor and lingering sweetness on the palate.

The second new cider is Strawman. This one is flush with ripe apple, vanilla and honeysuckle flavors that impart an earthy character complimented by a distinct aroma of ripe apples, wood, dark fruits and sweet citrus.

Inspired by centuries-old farmhouse cider-making techniques traditionally found along the English and French countryside, Strawman balances a distinct blend of culinary and bittersweet apple juices which are then aged on oak.

Strawman’s wine-like characteristics leave a smooth, fruity and effervescent finish with lingering notes of wood and apple that are crisp off the palate, refreshing and flavorful.

Both ciders come in at 10 percent abv and are strong drinks, made to be drunk more as wine than beer.

These two specialty ciders will continue to be joined by the company’s three classics, Crisp Apple, Traditional Dry and Apple Ginger.

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on September 6, 2012. Filed under Columns,Food,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry