Let hard ciders be the apple of your eye
Natural wine and craft beer drinkers are not alone in enjoying myriad tasty choices. Fans of farmhouse-style hard ciders also have plenty of options for enjoyment during late March’s brisk and often sunny days and early April’s mild evenings. Traditional hard farmhouse ciders — typically with alcohol by volume between 3% and 8% — trace their roots back 1,200 years to farmsteads scattered across Celtic coastal enclaves in Brittany and Normandy in France and southern England. The regions’ cool climates generally precluded growing wine grapes, but every family farm had small orchards of apple trees. Thirsty, resourceful farmers simply allowed native yeasts to ferment juice from the region’s 300 heirloom apple varieties and other tree fruits. And voilà! Distinctive, unfiltered hard ciders resulted for enjoyment with meals and at leisure. Today, international companies offer hard ciders as commodities with uniform flavors and styles, but hand-crafted farmhouse hard ciders, aka fermier cidres, attract consumers seeking diverse flavors and textures. In America, quality bottle shops increasingly offer hard cider imports from France, Spain, Germany and even domestically made versions. For example, Cuvée Bottle Shop, a relatively new enterprise at 5886 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill, offers a small but excellent farmhouse cider selection. Store manager Maddie Burton says the ciders fit well with Cuvée’s focus on alcoholic beverages produced by artisans using organically grown fruits and natural yeasts without synthetic chemical additives. The Val de la Chèvre, Cidre Fermier, Bouché Brut ($21 at Cuvée for a 750 ml bottle) offers a classic Breton cider sealed with a cork. The Tropée family organically farms orchards in the countryside near the city of Rennes. Some of the carefully tended apple trees were planted in 1946. The hard cider process begins in September and October with hand-selected and -sorted apples. Note these are not sweet, pristine “dessert” apples genetically engineered for eating and shelf appearance. They are what the English call “scrumpy” or “ugly” apples: small, tart, irregularly shaped orbs with blemishes, cultivated for flavor rather than looks. Scrumpy apples give farmhouse
ciders subtle earthy aromas and slightly funky flavors balanced with freshness and fruity notes from the tart apples’ ripeness.
In the case of Val de la Chèvre, Cidre Fermier, initial fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks with pure apple juice and no added sugar. Final fermentation occurs in the bottle itself, resulting in tantalizing, effervescent bubbles, a deep golden color, ripe apple aromas and a full-bodied texture with plenty of fruitiness and a touch of funk. It’s only 5.5% alcohol by volume and highly recommended paired with roasted chicken with garlic and lemon wedges.
The Wein Goutte!, Apfel Cidre, Franken, Germany ($37 at Cuvée for a 750 ml bottle) comes from Emily Campeau and Christoph Müller, two ex-chefs from Austria who bought an existing farm in Germany with the goal of making wines and cider. This cider uses apples grown on a neighboring organic farm with heirloom trees.
It has a light straw color and pleasant, light effervescence with light fruity and herbal aromas. On the palate, fresh, light-bodied apple, citrus and light herbal flavors lead to a bone-dry and lightly fruity finish. This is a perfect cider for easy sipping before dinner with bites of cheese and meats.
Not be outdone by European producers, cider producers here in Western Pennsylvania also offer farmhouse-style hard ciders.
“We’re inspired by local legend ‘Johnny Appleseed’ Chapman,” says Brian Bolzan, head cidermaker at Threadbare Cider House (threadbarecider.com) in the North Side’s Spring Garden neighborhood.
“Chapman meticulously collected heirloom apple seeds in Western Pennsylvania and then traveled to plant new orchards without charging throughout Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and elsewhere in the Midwest.”
Since Johnny pursued a vagabond lifestyle dressed in ragged clothes and often bare feet, he acquired the nickname “Threadbare.” As he traveled, he also disseminated teachings as a missionary for Swedenborgian New Church.
Despite the image of Chapman randomly sowing seeds as he traveled, during the first half of the 19th century, he planted orchards systematically on plots that he purchased as he went. Chapman left neighbors to care for the orchards, and then he returned periodically.
By the beginning of the 20th century, beer drinking had taken prominence over hard ciders. However, over the last 25 years or so, consumer demand for distinctive hard ciders has reemerged.
Beginning in 2017, the owners of Wigle Whiskey Distillery founded Threadbare Cider House. As an urban operation with close ties to the community, Threadbare does not have its own apple orchards. From the beginning, Bolzan and his colleagues worked closely with Soergel Orchards in Franklin Park to source apples.
Soergel’s has planted “scrumpy” heirloom apples such as Dabinett, an English bittersweet, and bittersharps such as foxwhelp, an ancient English cider apple, as well as American Newtown Pippin and Redfield, a red-fleshed apple.
“They will take time to reach maturity,” Bolzan notes. “Meanwhile, we use blends of quality regional varieties such as Jonagold, Grimes Golden and others.”
Bittersweet apples are low in acidity and high in supple tannins, which adds texture to the cider. Conversely, “sharps” are low in tannins, but high in acidity. The acidity adds refreshing balance to the cider.
Threadbare Farmhouse Cider ($13 for a 750 ml bottle at the cider house) uses a rotating blend of American heirloom apples and modern table apples. Fermentation to an off-dry finish takes place with wild yeasts. The cider’s deep golden color offers forward ripe apple aromas opening to ripe golden apple flavors. Soft tannins add ample body, and fine acidity perfectly balances the slightly sweet finish. Pair this tasty bottle with pizza topped with mild sausage and pepperoni. It has 8% ABV.
Threadbare Allegheny Dry Cider ($13 for a 750 ml bottle) uses a blend of American heirloom apple varieties originally collected and planted by Johnny Appleseed himself in Western Pennsylvania. Fermentation to a crisp, dry finish takes place with traditional English hard cider yeasts. The cider’s fine effervescent bubbles come from “bottle conditioning” with secondary fermentation in the bottles itself.
“It’s more difficult and expensive to oversee the fermentation,” Bolzan says. “But the process gives high quality cider.”
The cider’s light straw color suggests green and yellow apples. On the palate, delicious tart citrus and apple flavors balance with superb freshness, light texture, and a touch of pleasant tannic bitterness. The clean, dry finish lingers delightfully. Unfiltered and only 7.5% ABV, this makes a great sipping cider on the back porch on a balmy spring night.
Another local hard cider pioneer, Bill Larkin, founded Arsenal Cider House (arsenalciderhouse.com) in Lawrenceville in 2010 with his partner, Michelle Larkin. Today they have other locations in Dormont, Wexford, Penn Hills and Ohio City (near Cleveland).
From the start, Larkin led the authentic hard cider renaissance by producing small-batch, hand-crafted ciders.
Arsenal Harris’s Farmhouse Cider ($15 for a 750 ml bottle at the cider house) is fermented in stainless steel with wild yeast from local apple varieties grown at Soergel Orchards.
“It’s a challenge with wild yeasts to manage aromas of volatile acidity and hydrogen sulfites,” Larkin notes. But with experience, he has enjoyed success with his farmhouse-style cider.
“The response to Harris’s Farmhouse Cider on tap has been terrific,” Larkin says.
The cider takes its names from James Harris, an African American who served as a sergeant for the Union Army during the Civil War. Harris was awarded the Medal of Honor for his gallantry and bravery in leading a frontal assault and hand-tohand combat against intense Confederate resistance.
Harris’s Farmhouse Cider’s straw color offers light fruity aromas with subtle earthy notes. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and effervescent with a touch of sweetness in an otherwise refreshing finish. Pair this tasty cider with pork roasted with apple rings. It’s only 3.75% ABV so it’s easy to simply drink and enjoy.
Cheers!
Dave DeSimone is a certified French Wine Scholar who has been writing about wine, food and travel for over 30 years both in Pittsburgh and for publications including the Circle of Wine Writers Circular in England, The Wine Enthusiast magazine and Glass of Bubbly online. He also has conducted wine and gastronomic tours. For more information see his website, www.daveswinecellar.com.