Woodchuck: Winter Limited Release

With the winter season upon us we decided to open with a seasonal blend from Woodchuck Cidery. (Found at Woodchuck.com). The website states that this is a,

"Somewhere between a delicate snowflake drifting down to your tongue and a hard-packed snowball to the teeth, the power of this winter Cider is a balanced culmination of Premium French and Traditional American Oak, giving the cider great complexity and broad characteristics that neither style could produce on its own." 

Woodchuck is produced in Middlebury, Vermont, and although we were unable to find the variety of apples used in this cider, this cider almost certainly gets its' distinct flavor from the oak barrels it is stored in. 

Color:

      Winter Blend has a clear light caramel color to it representing a quality batch of cider. We used a Champagne flute to better showcase the color.

     Hawke and Bailey both agree that the color is excellent and rate this with a 5 out of 5 apples.

Smell:

     Bringing the bottles to our noses Bailey and I delighted in the scents that came our way. The blend has strong scent of oak. Underscoring this is a lingering scent of vanilla. 

     Hawke thinks the smell was a little overpowering and rates it with a 4 out of 5 apples.

     Bailey concludes that all the flavors blend together and get lost in the smell, rating it with a 3 out of 5 apples.

Complexity/Flavor: 

    Finally Allowing ourselves a chance to drink the cider, it trickled into us. Bailey delighted in the flavor as she relished the "woody, earthy taste, with a hint of vanilla. The subtly flows from a wood flavor to that of vanilla." 

    Hawke detected a strong wood flavor, which brought back fond memories of being in front of a fireplace with the cold wind blowing outside. He, unlike Bailey, did not pick up the exact taste of vanilla at the end, but did get a glimpse of sweetness.

    Hawke give the Complexity a 3 out of 5 apples.

    Bailey absolutely loves this one, so she will give it a 5 out of 5 apples.

Aftertaste:

    Several gulps later, reveling in the flavors and feeling very satisfied, we both pondered on the description of the aftertastes. Hawke said he got a smooth aftertaste rather than a crisp one, still bursting with the wood flavor.

    Bailey exclaimed that she felt like she was drinking a cider "champagne" of sorts. It's almost as if you get the sensation of small bubbles tickling your taste-buds. Bailey experienced a light and sweet aftertaste. 

    Hawke was expecting a more crisp aftertaste rather than smooth, so he rates this one with 3 out of 5 apples

    Bailey loved all the complex flavors of this blend and gives it a 4 out of 5 apples.

Price:

    In the range of $8-$11 depending on store and region.

    Hawke rates this very reasonable with a 4 out of 5 apples.

    Bailey agrees and will rate with the same 4 out of 5 apples.

Overall: 

    Altogether Hawke rates Woodchuck's Winter Limited Release with a 19 out of 25 apples.

    

    Bailey adds her score up to be 21 out of 25 apples. 

Judging of the Ciders

Hawke here. Judging a food or drink is not an easy task. Bailey and I went back and forth for a long time on the various aspects of cider that need to be judged and graded. Bailey with her research, myself with my gut instinct. In the end, we've narrowed it down to a few key categories that each cider shall be judged by.

Color:
-Cider's vary in color from clear, to murky. Ideally, a cider is of good quality is transparent, yet this is not always the case.

Smell:
-Just like flavor, the smell of the cider can be rich or exotic.

Complexity/Flavor:

-The taste of the cider is a integral part of the cider experience. Flavors can vary based on the conditions present and the ingredients used. An example being: Cider made from Granny Smith Apples can have a strong bitter flavor compared to those made from Macintosh apples.

Aftertaste:
-After the cider slides down the throat, it leaves behind a particular taste to please the taste-buds, this can be a strong taste, to a subtle one.

Price:
-Very Important. A hard cider has to be well worth the price that it commands on the shelf.

Overall:
-The total of our thoughts and opinions on the cider. All the previous categories are worth 5 apples for a total of 20. The overall score are these "apples" combined. The 0-10 range will be represented with a red apple. A rating between 10-20 with result with a yellow apple. Finally, anything that makes the 20-25 range will get a shiny green apple!

Greetings!

Greetings new readers! Welcome to The Cider Press, the blog dedicated to exposing everyone

to the wonderful world of hard ciders. In our first post, Hawke and I will be introducing ourselves, recounting some history of hard cider, and be explaining a bit about how this tantalizing drink is made. We are shooting to keep to a bi-weekly schedule of reviewing all your favorite hard ciders, and hopefully exposing you to some new and unique tastes. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

First off, who are these people?

Bailey grew up on her grandparent's apple orchard in the Midwest region of the U.S. She was very lucky to spend her early summers in the midst of blossoming apple trees, and late summers harvesting and pressing the fruit for cider of the non-alcoholic (but still very delicious) variety. If asked to pick something that would sum up the fond memories of her childhood, Bailey would say “the sweet and tangy smell of rotting apples.” Bailey discovered hard cider at the later age of 23 when she moved to a big city. She has been spreading the news to others ever since.

Hawke also grew up in the Midwest, although a little further west than Bailey. His interests have always culminated more in the food portion of sustenance, but recently was introduced to hard cider via Bailey. After the very first sip, his eyes lit up with excitement and wonder. Hawke, who usually lives by the unspoken foodie rule of “try everything at least once,” immediately expressed his desire to seek out all of the different varieties of hard cider and conquer them through gustation.

Where did this stuff come from?

The roots of hard cider date all the way back to the Eighteenth century in Europe, where it was as prevalent as beer is today. According to lore, it wasn't uncommon for Englishmen or even early settlers to drink it with breakfast. Sadly, when German immigrants brought beer with them to the U.S sometime after the Civil War era, the making of hard cider slipped into the shadows. Beer was cheaper to produce and the ingredients grew in a much more rapidly. However, it has made a comeback in the last few generations. It is now mass produced in several countries around the world, each with their own twists and distinct flavors.

How is hard cider made?

The process can be complicated depending on many factors, so this is basically an abbreviated version for those of you who are curious. First of all, the finest apples are picked and crushed into a gooey, sticky substance called pomace. Then the pomace is placed onto a “press” which basically relies on lots of weight to squeeze the juice out. Making hard cider from this juice then requires allowing the natural yeast present to turn the sugar into alcohol. This process must take place without the presence air, otherwise your batch of medal winning cider could turn into a batch of apple cider vinegar, which is not as pleasant to drink. The final result also depends on the length of storage, which can be anywhere from 8 months to 6 years. The preferred container for storage is a wooden barrel, which is very useful for adding desired flavors and being a bit flexible to allow for the various gasses released during fermentation. It is imperative that the concoction not be moved or disturbed for the duration of storage. If this happens, the sediment at the bottom will combine with the mixture and turn the final product cloudy. This is an art that takes attention to detail and lots of patience!