Tieton Cider Works: Yakima Valley Dry Hopped Cider

Greetings readers! Hope you are enjoying some of the spring weather this week along with your favorite cider. This week we continue with another Tieton Cider variety. This one not only contains apples grown in the Yakima Valley, but hops that are grown in the very same region. This cider is a 100 percent authentic Washington state cider. It has a 6.9% ABV and is described as having nutty and fruity citrus notes. You can find all of their varieties here: http://www.tietonciderworks.com/tieton/tieton-our-cider

Color:

Bailey noticed that this cider had a lot of carbonation in it. However, she likes bubbles and thought that they made it pretty. Otherwise, it had a very nice clear golden yellow color. She rated it with a 5/5 apples right out of the gate. 

Hawke thought that it was a very bright, clear yellow cider with lots of bubbles. He also ranked it with a 5/5 apples. 

Smell:
Bailey picked up on the aroma of the hops right away. There were hints of apple in there that added a sweet pleasant smell. Although they were a background player, they compliment the hops well. She gave this cider a 4/5 apples.
Hawke detected a strong earthy scent from the hops with apples adding a sweetness to it. He also rates this with a 4/5 apples.

Taste / Complexity:
After taking a sip, Bailey was surprised that the apples come through as very crisp and clean, but not sweet. This cider has a very nice earthy taste to it that is not affected by the carbonation (such as bubbles on the tongue.)  She enjoyed this cider very much and gave it a 5/5 apples.
Hawke felt some of the dryness after taking a drink, but said that it wasn't overly dry. He felt this cider has a very smooth earthy hops taste that is complimented very well by the crisp apple flavor. He also felt that this cider was blended extremely well. He also rated it with a 5/5 apples.

Aftertaste:
Bailey felt that the aftertaste was slightly sour. This sour flavor hit the back of her tongue for a second and then was gone. She was forced to rate the aftertaste with a 2/5.
Hawke also was disappointed with the lack of lingering flavor for the aftertaste. He felt that this cider was very smooth and crisp, but just did not have an aftertaste. He rated it with a 1/5 apples.

Price:
We are not rating this section because this cider is not currently in our market area. The hopeful release for this cider is Spring or Summer of 2013.

Overall:
Bailey felt that this cider was of really great quality. Other than the aftertaste, this cider is not lacking anything. She thought that this would make a really good late summer or fall cider. Overall, she gave it a 16/20 apples, or a green apple.

Hawke thought that this cider offers a very smooth, subtle, and unique flavor. This may be the cider to introduce your beer drinking friends to. It is blended very well, and is a quality cider. Overall, he gave it a 

15/20 apples, or a green apple! 

Tieton Cider Works: Apricot Cider

Greeting readers! This week we are reviewing a cider from Tieton Cider Works. We first caught wind of this company from the Chicago Cider Summit. Bailey has been complaining since we started this blog that there were no apricot ciders available on the market. I think it went something like: "There are several fruit infused ciders, how could they possibly overlook the apricot to be paired with hard cider?" Anyway, Bailey was over the moon to learn that Tieton Cider Works had produced that very combination. Unfortunately, Tieton had a mix up with the cider delivery, and there was no cider to be tasted at the Summit. Bailey's hopes were crushed until she went up to their table and spoke with the very friendly representatives. They offered to send us a sample to review, so here we go!

This cider is Semi-Dry and has an ABV of 6.9%
All of the ciders produced by Tieton Cider Works are made from apples grown in the beautiful Harmony Orchards located in Tieton, Washington. You can find all of their ciders here: http://www.tietonciderworks.com/tieton/tieton-our-cider

Color:
Bailey thinks this cider has a gorgeous peach-golden hue with slight carbonation. She gives it a 5/5 apples.
Hawke's take was a brassy orange color and also rates it with a 5/5 apples.

Smell:
Bailey loves that the sweet apricots packed a powerful punch in the aroma. There is also a faint sour apple smell that blends in nicely to the bouquet. She quickly rates this with another 5/5 apples.
Hawke's usually doesn't go for sweet things, unless it's a bag of pretzel M&M's. However he does very much enjoy the fresh apricot and apple smell. He gives this cider a 4/5 apples.

Taste / Complexity:
Bailey is in apricot heaven with this one (if you couldn't already tell.) The apples offer a sweetness that is a perfect compliment to the very tart apricots. It makes you want to smack your lips after taking a drink. The carbonation makes it very light and enjoyable. Bailey gives it a 5/5 apples!
Hawke thinks that the apricots were a bit too tart for his liking, but still thought it was a solid cider. He detected the semi-dryness on his tongue after drinking. Hawke gives this cider a 4/5 apples.

Aftertaste:
Bailey feels that the tartness lingers into the aftertaste, and the sweet flavors change to sour. The carbonation can still slightly be felt and the aftertaste is very pleasant. She gives another 5/5 apples.
Hawke's taste buds differed a little in that he still tasted sweetness with a slight tart flavor. The dryness continued into the aftertaste for him. He rates it with a 5/5 apples.

Price:
We will be skipping this section as we are not sure how much it is selling for. When we talked to the representatives at the Cider Summit, they were hoping for an April release into the market.

Overall:
Bailey loves this cider and wouldn't change a thing. It's a great summer cider infused with some powerful yet delicious fruit. If you are a fan of apricots, you need to get your mitts on this cider! Overall, Bailey rates this cider with a 20/20 apples, or a green apple!

Hawke thinks this cider is very good and offers a very unique taste for the hard cider lovers. This cider would be great for a seasoned veteran of the cider world, or a beginner wanted to branch out from the norm.   Overall, Hawke rates this cider with a 18/20 apples, or a green apple!

Cider Summit Chicago (Part 2)

Greetings readers! It's time to unveil some of Bailey's favorites from the Chicago Cider Summit festival.
We are still reeling from what a great time was had at the festival. It was so wonderful to see so many people enjoying (and possibly discovering) hard cider. This week we are going to be reviewing Bailey's top 4 ciders.

#1 Eden Ice Cider Company - "Heirloom Blend"
This cider is made from Macintosh, Empire, and Russet apples. It is pretty strong with an ABV of 10%. Ice ciders are used as a "desert wine" because of their sweetness. The winter cold helps to concentrate the juice before it is processed. You can read all about it and find different varieties here: http://www.edenicecider.com/index.html

Color:

This cider has a very nice golden color with a hint of orange. It is also very clear and free of carbonation. Bailey gives it a 5/5 apples.

Smell:

The aroma of this cider is very balanced. It has sour and sweet notes of fermented apple and is very pleasing indeed! Bailey rates this with another 5/5 apples. 

Taste / Complexity:

Upon sipping, Bailey noticed that this cider seems to have a thicker viscosity than normal ciders. It certainly isn't like drinking syrup, but you will notice it is thicker than a normal hard cider. The taste is very sweet with sour undertones. If you don't enjoy sweet things, this might not be for you. Bailey however, loved it and rates it with a 5/5 apples.

Aftertaste:

Surprisingly, all of the sweet and sour flavors linger in the aftertaste. Nothing seems to change, but it does leave you wanting another sip. Bailey was very impressed and gives it yet another 5/5 apples. 

Overall:

If you have a sweet tooth, this cider will satisfy the craving. There is a little sour to offset the sweetness so as not to make it overpowering. The flavors of the different apple varieties are nominally present and blend together well. The thickness makes this cider one more for sipping in Bailey's opinion, but one definitely worth trying! Overall, this cider scored a 20/20 apples, or a green apple!

#2 Orchard Gate - "J.K Scrumpy Orchard Gate Gold"
This cider is organic and boasts only two ingredients: apple juice and yeast. This cider is fermented for six months and hand bottled. Their hard work pays off in Bailey's opinion. You can find all of their varieties here: http://organicscrumpy.com/

Color:

This cider is a beautiful golden orange, which is slightly cloudy. The true color is not perfectly represented by the picture because of the lighting. Bailey gives the color a 5/5 apples.

Smell:

This is what fermented apples should smell like! Slightly spicy and a perfect combination of sweet and sour. This smell will visit you in your dreams later. She rates it with a 5/5 apples.

Taste / Complexity:

The taste is somewhat like Grandma's apple pie. It has a very slight spice to it that reminds you of nutmeg or clove. It has a very good balance between sweet and bitter flavors. Bailey also gives the taste a 5/5 apples.

Aftertaste:

The aftertaste is a bit sour, but does not linger very long. Mostly, you just want to take another drink to bring back the flavor. Bailey gives this a 4/5 apples.

Overall:

Bailey was in love with this cider. This would make a perfect cider to sip by a campfire in summer or autumn. She highly recommends trying this one! Overall, this cider scored a 19/20 apples, or a green apple!

#4 Citizen Cider - "Unified Press"

This cider is made from a staggering 10 different varieties of apples grown all in Vermont. It is described as off-dry, clean and crisp and has a ABV of 6.8%. You can find a list of their ciders here: http://new.citizencider.com/

Color:

The color of this cider is a very light lemon yellow. It has some carbonation, but is very clear. Bailey gives it a 5/5 apples. 

Smell:

The smell is somewhat faint but has a sweet aroma with some alcohol mixed in. Since the apples take a back seat to the alcohol, Bailey rates this with a 3/5 apples. 

Taste / Complexity:

It was somewhat difficult to come up with the words for a description of the taste. This cider is very crisp and clean. It gives you a refreshed feeling after drinking it and also has a hint of sweetness. It also has some acidity to it.  Bailey really enjoyed it and rates it with a 5/5 apples. 

Aftertaste:

Because the taste is so light, the aftertaste doesn't have much power. You will get a slight sour taste on the back of the tongue, but not much more. Bailey also gives this a 3/5 apples. 

Overall:

This would be a great starter cider for someone who isn't feeling adventurous quite yet. It would also be a great summer cider that will quench a thirst on a hot day. This cider's flavor doesn't pack a punch, but the crispness makes it a good one to try. Overall, Bailey rates this cider with a 16/20 apples, or a green apple. 

#3 Uncle John's - "Draught Cider"

This cider is made from Michigan grown apples and comes in a can with some carbonation. Their cider mill has quite a history to it as you can read about here: http://www.ujcidermill.com/cidermill.htm 

They have several varieties of cider which you can find here:

http://www.fruithousewinery.com/hardcider.html

Color:

This cider was surprisingly light. It almost had a clear-white color with the tiniest bit of yellow tint. It was very clear with some carbonation. Bailey gives this cider a 5/5 apples for color. 

Smell:

The smell was not as powerful as she was expecting. It was a little bit of sour mixed with bitter aromas. She rates this with a 3/5 apples. 

Taste / Complexity:

This cider was very crisp, almost like biting into a juicy apple. It has what Bailey would describe as a golden apple flavor. It was slightly acidic with bitter flavors mixed in. The flavor is not overpowering, but it will quench a thirst. Bailey gives this cider a 4/5 apples.

Aftertaste:

The bitter and sour flavors continue into the aftertaste, but they are pleasant. The acidity fades out and leaves you feeling refreshed. She gives the aftertaste a 3/5 apples.

Overall:

This is definitely a summer cider. Bailey was very surprised at how this cider left you feeling very refreshed and cooler somehow. It's hard to explain, but you will just have to try it for yourself. The flavors are not very powerful, but the crispness and overall lightness of this cider places it in Bailey's top four.  Overall, she rates this cider with a 15/20 apples, or a yellow apple. 

We finally made it! There were plenty of other ciders at the festival and we will be reviewing those from time to time. Next time, we will be rating some cider from Tieton Cider Works. If you are a fruit lover, they make an apricot cider that is going to knock your socks off! Stay tuned and have a great week!

Cider Summit Chicago (Part 1)

Greetings readers! This past weekend was slightly momentous. Hawke and Bailey were lucky enough to attend the first ever Cider Summit held in Chicago IL. This heavenly hard cider festival was held in the Lakeview Terrace room of Navy Pier (one of Bailey's favorite places in the whole city.) There had been several days of snow and freezing rain leading up to the event, however the weather decided to give us a break and even let the sun shine for a few hours. All in all, there were 26 different cider producers showcasing their artisanal ciders  for all the thirsty patrons to taste. As soon as we walked into the room, we were hit with a wave of sweet and sour apple aroma that started our taste-buds watering. At first, we were a little skeptical on how many people would actually turn up to a hard cider tasting event, as the market is just starting to get a foothold. Even in a city as big as Chicago, it is still quite hard to find hard ciders on tap (though not impossible) and there are still so many people that have never tried it. Luckily we arrived at just the right time. There were enough people already there to form small lines for each of the vendors, and more attendants were pouring in behind us. Throughout the day, we were lucky enough to chat with some of the vendors and fellow cider lovers alike and spread the word about the blog! There were so many great ciders that we decided to review all of the varieties that we sampled. This means that we will have to do several segments to fit them all in. To simplify the process and keep everything organized in a state of compromised constitution, only one of us will be reviewing each cider with the other chiming in at certain points. Also, we are not including price because many of the ciders will not be hitting the shelves for another few months. To start the first segment, we will go over Hawke's favorites.

#1 The Colorado Cider Company - "Grasshopp-ah Cider"

Bailey commented that this is the closest you can get to beer without actually having to drink the wretched stuff. You can find their website and other cider varieties here: http://www.coloradocider.com/
This cider comes from a blend of lemongrass and hops and is gluten free.

Color:
This ciders has a very pale yellow color that was very pleasing to Hawke's eyes. It also had slight carbonation to it. Hawke wasted no time in giving this cider a 5/5 apples.

Smell:
Bringing the cup to his nose brought an array of different smells. There was a slight alcohol odor present, but not too much. The robust bouquet was mostly an earthy smell of lemongrass and hops, which was very promising indeed. He also rates this category with a 5/5 apples.

Taste / Complexity:
This cider provides a strong and smooth apple flavor. It was both sweet and bitter, but it was the perfect amount of both. The hops and lemon flavors were to follow, but everything blended very well. This cider also scored a 5/5 apples for taste.

Aftertaste:
The aftertaste was slightly bitter but very smooth. It didn't linger too long, and left a pleasant tingle on the back of the tongue. Hawke also gives this a 5/5 apples.

Overall:
This cider was all that is promised and more! Beer lovers and cider lovers alike will love it! It will no doubt be a staple for a hot summer evening on the porch. This cider scored a perfect 15/15 apples, or a green apple!

#2 Julian Hard Cider - "Julian Cherry Bomb"  6.9% ABV

If you love cherries, or a hair band from the 80's called Warrant, this cider will be for you!

Made with Montmorency cherries, this cider definitely packs a flavor punch. 

You can check out their website here: http://julianhardcider.biz/

Color:

Hawke loved this gorgeous display of color. This cider is mostly red with a hint of orange when the light hits it and is very clear. He took no hesitation in giving it a 5/5 apples.

Smell:

The aroma was surprisingly mostly alcohol. There was a hint of cherry mixed in there somewhere, but it was very subtle. He gives it a 3/5 apples. 

Taste / Complexity:

At first you will find a smooth apple taste with this cider....then POW! While definitely containing that familiar tartness of cherries, it is not overpowering. The flavors were very balanced and smooth together. Hawke gives it a 4/5 apples. 

Aftertaste:

The cherries stick around for an encore, drowning out the apple flavors. It is still a very enjoyable aftertaste though. He rates this with a 4/5 apples. 

Overall:

This cider will leave you licking your lips and longing for cherry stems to tie together. It would be great on a hot summer day. This cider gets a 16/20 apples, or a green apple!

#3 Farnum Hills Cider - "F.H Xtra Dry"  7.5% ABV

This cider is made from late harvest apple varieties and boasts an acidic profile. 

You can find all of their ciders here: http://www.povertylaneorchards.com/   

Color:

Hawke commented that this cider had a very eye pleasing golden-orange color to it. It was also very clear with a few bubbles. He rates it with a 5/5 apples. 

Smell:

He was a bit contemplative when asked how this cider smelled. He finally settled on saying that it smelled bitter, with a slight alcohol tinge to it. It was pleasant, yet mild. Hawke gives this cider a 3/5 apples for smell.

Taste / Complexity:

This is where things get interesting. There is a mild bitter flavor with some acidity to it, followed by a wooden and earthy bouquet. Hawke said he had never tasted anything like it. He also explained that this cider made his tongue feel very dry. He gives this cider a 4/5 apples.

Aftertaste:

The aftertaste is a continuation and evolution of the earthy / barrel flavor. If you like savory flavors, you might enjoy this quite a bit. Hawke gives it a 4/5 apples. 

Overall:

If you are looking to get a little adventurous, this cider will take you there. The website tells us that this cider will stand up to some spicy dishes and we believe it. Also, if you don't mind the dry mouth feel, this cider might go pretty well with a cigar. Hawke's overall rating for this cider is a 16/20 apples, or a green apple!

#4 Vander Mill - "Totally Roasted Cider"

A limited edition that would be great for fall or winter drinking, this cider uses a wide array of ingredients. From cinnamon roasted pecans to whole vanilla beans, it will definitely bring something unique to the table. 

You can more information here: http://www.vandermill.com/index.html 

Color:

Hawke really liked the pale yellow color of this curious cider. It is slightly cloudy with some carbonation. This specific sample was also on tap. He gives it a 4/5 apples.

Smell:

The aroma of this cider is delicate. It hints at sweet apples and cinnamon and is very attractive, but leaves you wanting something a little more powerful because of all the ingredients. He gives this cider a 3/5 apples for smell. 

Taste / Complexity:

This cider is somewhat of a kaleidoscope of flavors. Sweet apples are present in the beginning and shifts to cinnamon, and finally pecan. The apples get somewhat muted as the other more powerful ones take over. Hawke rates this with a 4/5 apples.

Aftertaste:

The pecan flavor gets fairly strong and usurps the aftertaste experience. There is also a slightly thick texture left on the tongue. He also gives this category a 4/5 apples.

Overall:

This is a cider to drink while wrapped up in a blanket next to the fireplace. It would also make a great drink around the holiday season. Since they do soak the pecans in the cider, anyone who has a nut allergy is advised to stay away from this one. Overall, Hawke rates this cider with 15/20 apples, or a yellow apple!

Whew! That was only the first round? There are still so many to review! The next post will be a list of Bailey's top favorites (none repeated.) Have a great week and stay warm out there!

Superbowl Recipes and Hard Cider Recommendations

Greetings everyone! We here at Ciderpress hope that everyone is staying warm through this cold weather that is sweeping some of the country. How many of you are ready for Superbowl Sunday? It's a great time of the year to curl up on the couch and watch some football, and you can't do that without food. It's pretty much a scientific law that Superbowl Sunday is only second to Thanksgiving when it comes to comfort food. Hawke and I have come up with some of our favorite football food recipes to share with you. But this post wouldn't be complete without pairing those goodies with hard cider! Since some of us are trying to be healthy this time of year we thought it would be fitting to offer some options to these recipes to make them more diet friendly....where it's possible.

#1  Curried Ground Pork Chili (Vegetarian Option)

1/2 cup Quinoa (rinsed) + 1 cup of water
1-2 pounds of ground pork
1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced  (add more if you want more spice)
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (combine different colors for more flavor)
1 zucchini, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
3 cans of chili beans, drain half way
3 cans of diced tomatoes (with juice)
2 cans of tomato sauce
Use salt, pepper, chili powder, and a pinch or two of sugar depending on taste.
2 Tablespoons of ground Cumin
3 Tablespoons of Curry Powder

**For the Vegetarian option, just remove the pork from the recipe!
Top with sour cream, (or greek yogurt) shredded cheese, or even corn chips!

First, combine the Quinoa and water, cover with lid and cook about 10-15 mins (you may need to add a little additional water)
Brown the ground pork in a skillet with the chopped onion, you can drain the fat or add it for flavor
Combine pork and onions with the rest of the chopped veggies, adding the beans (with half the juice) and diced tomatoes.
Stir everything together and add Cumin and Curry Powder. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 15 mins. Taste, and then season as desired. Simmer for another 15 mins.

The Curry adds a great new flavor to an old favorite, and the great thing about this recipe is that it will feed a crowd! Depending on the size of all the vegetables, it will serve 7-8 people.
For this chili, we suggest a mild hard cider so as not to take away from the bold flavors. Aspall English Demi Sec would be a good selection, or possibly Woodpecker.

#2  Slow-Cooker Hot Wings 

One 4-5 pound bad of chicken wings
1 1/2 cups honey
1 stick of melted butter (or margarine)
1 12 oz bottle of your favorite hot sauce (we used Frank's Red Hot)

**For the cider lovers, add 1 bottle of Woodchuck Amber or Angry Orchard Crisp to the sauce mix before pouring into the slow cooker. The sauce will be thinner, but the cider flavor will cook into the chicken.

Melt the butter in the microwave and combine with the hot sauce and honey in a big mixing bowl.
Arrange the chicken wings so that they comfortably fit in the slow cooker.
Pour the hot sauce mixture evenly over the wings and cover.
Cook 6-8 hours on low. Periodically (every 2 hours) rotate and baste the wings in the sauce.

Coincidentally, we suggest drinking Woodchuck Amber with this recipe. Blackthorn Cider might also be a good flavor pairing.

#3 Hawke's (Not So Secret Anymore) Pork Pot Stickers

Your in luck readers! After much pleading and bribery, I have convinced  Hawke to give up his most valued secret recipe. I have personally witnessed 50 of these bad boys disappear in a matter of minutes. True story bro!

1 pound ground pork (or substitute tofu)
1 cup chopped kimchi (add more for extra spice)
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 package of wanton wrappers
1 Tablespoon of honey

**To make the kimchi more uniform and easy to work with, pulse it in a food processor.

In a large bowl, combine by hand: ground pork (or tofu,) kimchi, honey, ginger, garlic, egg and salt.
Use a large plate to prepare the wanton wrappers and have a small bowl of water handy.
Spoon a teaspoon of the mixture into the middle of one wanton wrapper. Dip your finger into the bowl of water and trace the edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper and pinch the edges to seal.
In a non-stick skillet, heat a few teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Cook each batch about 2 mins until lightly browned on the bottom. Add 1/2 cup of water to the batch and cover, cook 6 mins or until the filling is cooked through. Serve with soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

For the pot stickers we recommend trying a ginger hard cider such as Angry Orchard Ginger. This variety of cider has become somewhat of a fad in the market, so there are several companies that now make ginger hard cider.

As always, thank you for reading and enjoy the recipes! Feel free to post comments on our Facebook page if you like them.

Aspall English Demi-Sec Draft Cider

Greetings readers! We hope all of you had a great holiday season and that the reality of returning to work hasn't hit you too hard. But if it has, we have a new cider to recommend to take the edge off! We received this cider as a Christmas present from one of Bailey's roommates (and we are very thankful.) Let's get this rolling!

Aspall English Demi-Sec Draft Cider is made in Suffolk, England. It has an ABV of 6.8% and take it from us, it packs a punch! This company makes a few different varieties of cider, but sadly the website was not working properly when we tried to access it. We will list it for you anyway and hope you have better luck.
                                                         http://www.aspall.co.uk/

Color:
Bailey really loved the color of this cider. It is a very crisp light gold that is very clear. She rates it with a 5/5 apples.
Hawke also enjoyed the color, however he has become a fan of the more unfiltered ciders as they seem to have richer flavors. He rates this one with a 4/5 apples.

Smell:
Bailey started to feel a bit let down after taking a whiff. She felt there is an overbearing smell of alcohol with a faint sour apple aroma. She rates this with a 2/5 apples for this category.
Hawke also felt that the apple smell was there, but it definitely took a back seat to the wine / alcohol. He gives it a 3/5 apples.

Taste / Complexity:
You will understand then, when Bailey took a cautious sip and loved it! She feels that this cider is very crisp, with a slightly sour apple flavor. The alcohol flavor is also very present, but it seems to complement and balance with the apples. The flavor is very mellow, but enjoyable. She rates this with a 3/5 apples.
Hawke got the alcohol flavor right away, but also detected a bittersweet apple flavor that left a tingle in the back of his throat. He felt that there were no extremely bold flavors here, but also enjoyed it. He rates it with a 4/5 apples.

Aftertaste:
The mellow taste continues as Bailey felt this cider has a sweet (but not too sweet) aftertaste. It is a very simple and clean aftertaste. She rates it with a 3/5 apples. Hawke felt that the aftertaste was very fleeting, but it was somewhat sweet. He rates it with a 2/5 apples.

 Price:
$8-10 for a pint bottle. Bailey feels that this is a very nice cider and feel that the price is reasonable for a pint.  She gives it a 4/5 apples for price.
Hawke definitely agrees that the price is reasonable considering that it is an imported cider. He feels like that it is a solid cider. He gives it a 4/5 apples.

Overall:
We have to say, out of all the English ciders we have tried so far, this one ranks pretty high. Usually we feel that they are very bitter or that the taste of alcohol is just too overpowering to enjoy. We feel this cider would be great for a spring or summer evening possibly paired with a seafood dish. Hawke also commented that he could definitely see this cider being served with a basket of fish and chips at the local pub. This is a great mellow cider for someone who doesn't want or need big bold flavors in their drink of choice.

Overall Bailey rates this cider with a 17/ 25 apples or a yellow apple.

Overall Hawke rates this cider with a 17/25 apples or a yellow apple.

An Afternoon With Tom Douglas (Time Out For Some Food Part 2)

It's the Holiday season! That means spending time with family and friends... around mountains of delicious food. Although this blog is mostly dedicated to hard cider, we do try to spend some time on libation's perfect partner. This week Bailey was lucky enough to be a part of Tom Douglas's cooking demonstration at Macy's on State Street in Chicago!

I will start by giving you some basic info on this amazing chef. Tom Douglas was born in Delaware and moved to Seattle in 1977. He never attended any type of formal culinary school. Instead, he climbed his way up the ropes by working in restaurant kitchens around Seattle. He currently owns a whopping 13 restaurants in the Seattle area and cultivates an array of ingredients used in their kitchens on his farm in Prosser, WA. He also produces a line of seasonings called "Rub With Love." As if all this wasn't enough to keep him busy, he also co-hosts a weekly radio show called "In the Kitchen with Tom and Thierry."
His website can be found here, and there is also a link directly to the shop containing the "Rub With Love" seasoning line:
http://tomdouglas.com/
http://store.tomdouglas.com/storefront.aspx

On to the show!

Upon arriving to the lovely and festively decorated lower level of the Macy's on State Street, I was greeted by the always friendly staff and ushered to my seat. I couldn't help buy notice the Christmas music playing in the background and the upbeat attitude in the air. Chef Douglas was setting up his cooking area and was dancing to the beat of "Run Run Rudolph" and I couldn't help but chuckle. Throughout the entire cooking demo it was easy to see that he was enjoying himself and really wanted to be there with everyone in the crowd.

The first course was a variation of his recipe for Coffee-Bean Turkey with Sweet Onion Gravy. In this variation he used prime rib instead of turkey to spare us from our post Thanksgiving nightmares of having to eat more roasted gobble-gobblers. He had a few general tips for cooking meat in your kitchen. Most importantly he stressed using a meat thermometer to judge when meats are done instead of relying on time. Secondly, he suggested buying a thermometer to place in your oven to make sure that the heat runs true to the digital (or dial) display. I personally never attempt to cook prime rib or any meat with a fat cap on it because the one occasion I did, it came out very dry and left me disappointed. Luckily Chef Douglas debunked a common misconception for these type of meats. He suggested trimming most of the fat cap off because it does not baste the meat, but melts and sits in the bottom of the pan with no purpose. He prepared a rub for the prime rib made out of ground coffee (for a smokey flavor,) salt, pepper, fennel seeds, and coriander. Then he did something genius by placing the sliced onions underneath the slab of prime rib on the baking sheet so they could brown while cooking the meat. The gravy was a very simple process of using the browned onions with a few sprinkles of flour and adding in turkey (or chicken) stock. To complement the meat, he then mixed together some stuffing made with dried cherries, hazelnuts, and oyster mushrooms. Luckily, I was able to sample all of this and it was amazing. The flavors meshed so well together but they also contrasted one another. I like to use the example of an everlasting gobstopper, and this is a perfect time to use that analogy. The stuffing was very moist and the cherries brought a very bold flavor to the bread chunks used for the base. The hazelnuts were not overpowering, but added another subtle layer to the overall flavors. The prime rib was seasoned very well and I was surprised that the coffee flavor did not overtake the other spices. The gravy was the blandest of all, but it was very savory and complimented the other flavors.

For the second course Chef Douglas prepared Pear Tarts with Dreamy Caramel Sauce. They were pretty dreamy. He first poached halved pears in syrup. He then mixed together a filling made from almond paste, sugar, butter, and egg yolk. The tarts were then assembled on a puff pastry and baked to a golden brown. I was sitting in the audience thinking this could not get any better when Chef Douglas made a caramel sauce to drizzle on the top. These tarts do not leave anything to be desired (no pun intended.) These were served in about 3" squares that were small enough to be considered finger food. They would definitely disappear at a holiday party.

Sadly, that was the end of the cooking demonstration, but the Chef did stick around to answer various kitchen questions from the audience. He also signed copies of his new cookbook entitled "The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook." Overall this was a great experience, and I would recommend going to Macy's on State Street for one of their many cooking demonstrations that happen throughout the year.


Disclosure:
I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with the compensation for this post about Macy's Culinary Council. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.