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We gathered at the Waterfront Ale House on one of the last summery days of the season to taste some locally purchased domestic hard ciders that ranging from 4% to 7.5% in strength. As always, the entries were blind tasted, and panelists received no information on any of them until the tasting was concluded.

Baldwin Cider, 6.2%, West County Cider, Colrain, MA:  A single varietal cider made from Baldwin apples, this cider easily won first place in the panel by almost a two to one margin. The corked bottle gave a nice pop when opened, and the pale golden cider poured with some bubbles that quickly disappeared. The aroma was pure apples, very clean and delicate, with a light alcohol note in the background. Aromas of green apples, fresh earth, some wild yeast funk, and light baked apple spice in the background. “Nice apple flavor, well-balanced, but quite tart. A bit of astringency, and highly carbonated.” “A keeper. Nice balance — leans a bit towards the acidic end of the spectrum. Clean and crisp.”
4.5 stars

Doc’s Draft Hard Apple Cider, 4.5%, Warwick Valley Winery, Warwick, NY: Tied for second place in the tasting. Pale gold chardonnay color, poured with a light head that quickly disappeared. Green apples with a bit of wild yeast funk in the nose, some Riesling character with vegetal undertones. “Very highly carbonated, earthy apple character, acidity and some sour funk present. Complex and tasty.” “Sweet and tart through and through, wine-like. Nice balance with good tartness. An adult cider.” 4 stars

Semi Dry Cider, 7.4%,  Farnum Hill Ciders, Lebanon, NH. Tied for second place of the tasting. With a nice hard pop from the champagne cork, this cider poured with more head than any of the other entries. Pale golden straw color with a tight head that lasted a bit. Tart apple and earthy nose. “Wild, tart, really dry finish. Quick flash of fruit, then very tart dry finish.” “Very tart and dry, great mouthfeel. Would be good with food like poultry or pork.”
 4 stars

Summer Cider, 7.5%,  Farnum Hill Ciders, Lebanon, NH: Third place of the tasting. Big pop from the cork, and the winner of longest lasting head award. Bright light gold color with a rich green apple aroma, and some earthy undertones. “Earthy apple flavor, then dries out. Nice flavor, complex for being so dry.” “Very dry, tart flavor behind it. Champagne-like carbonation. Nice mouthfeel. Would be great with food.”
4 stars.

JK’s Scrumpy Hard Cider, 6%, Almar Orchards, Flushing, MI: This organic unfiltered cider poured a light yellow/golden hue with a slight haze. Rich, juicy apples in the nose, a bit of sweetness, with some caramel, butter, and wood underneath. “Sweet, but good, balanced, clean. Well made.” “Sweet and juicy, would like more acidity to balance the sweetness.”
3.5 stars

Amber, 5%, Woodchuck Draft Cider, Springfield, VT: Pale golden color with slight head and carbonation. Clean, sweet apple aroma. “Sweet apple flavor, very clean, inviting tartness in finish. Good blend of sweet and sour.” “Sweet up front with some acid to balance, finish dries out a bit. Drinkable, but a bit too sweet for me.”
3 stars

802 Dark and Dry, 5%,  Woodchuck Draft Cider, Springfield, VT: Poured light amber with some quickly disappearing bubbles. Light nose of fresh-pressed fruit with sweet caramel/candy apple notes. “Good mouthfeel. Sweet start, lasting tart finish. Well-balanced but light.” “Pretty good acidity, slight sweetness, green apple candy. Pretty good overall even with candy quality.” 3 stars

Cider, 4.1%, Harpoon Brewery, Boston MA/Windsor, VT: Bright pale gold color with no bubbles even when swirled. Aromas of fresh and cooked apples, along with light caramel and candy apple. “Tart Granny Smith up front that almost disappears from palate in finish. Nice and tart but too watery.” “Easy drinking, light in aroma and flavor, not very complex.”
2.5 stars

McIntosh Cider, 3.25%, West County Cider, Colrain, MA: Very clear light straw/gold color, poured with some quickly disappearing bubbles. Buttery aroma with some fresh and caramel baked apple underneath. “Buttery aroma, but flavor has nice balance of carbonation and sweetness to dry finish.” “Diacetyl aroma and flavor, some apple fruitiness, acid level is good.”
2.5 stars

After we unmasked the bottles and relaxed with some snacks provided by our host Sam Barbieri, we re-sampled the entries and got to experience how well they accompanied the food, especially the drier ciders. That is really the advantage of a great cider. It can accompany many foods as well as wine, but because it is lighter and less intoxicating, it keeps the focus on the flavor of the food.