This past Saturday I attended the 2015 Summer Ciderfeast event which was held outdoors at the Solar One event space in East River Park at 24-20 FDR Drive in Manhattan. I’ve been to several events at this space and essentially its a parking lot under the highway overlooking the East River.
This event was from the producers of Pig Island NYC, Brisket King NYC and Hot Sauce Expo and co-produced with the United States of Cider and Copenhagen Street Dogs. They had over 12 producers pouring over 30 regional, national and international ciders.
I enjoy a good cider but most bars you walk into have the usual mass-produced suspects that are too sweet for my taste. At this event, even the ciders that were “off dry” were dryer than the mass-produced ones with more character.
It was a young, casual crowd who came out to enjoy a sunny Summer afternoon, with some live music and nibbles from local restaurants. The Danish-style hot dogs, a “pølse” from Copenhagen Street Dogs were tasty, they were served on a mini bun slathered with various sauces and topped with chopped raw onions and pickles.
These are what I sampled in the order I sampled them:
Aval Cidre Artisanal 6% (France) Dark pale, very dry with tasty character.
Moa French Oaked Aged Cider 5.6% (New Zealand) Light pale, very dry.
Aspall English Cider “John Barrinton” 8.4% (England) Light pale, light body.
Aspall English Cider “Perronelle’s Blush” 5.7% (England) Blush pink, dry.
E.Z. Orchards “Poire” 5.9% (Oregon) Cloudy yellow, dry, neutral.
E.Z. Orchards “Hawk Haus” 6.6% (Oregon) Yellow, dry, neutral.
E.Z. Orchards “Roman Beauty” 6.1% (Oregon)
Big Apple Cider “Sour Cherry” 7.3% (New York State) Copper with some oak notes.
Big Apple Cider “Bourbon Maple” 7.3% (New York State) Very dry with cooked fruit notes on the finish.
Big Apple Cider “Hipster” 7.3% (New York State) Cloudy, medium orange, slight fizz, some sweetness but finishes dry.
Descendant Cider Co. “Pom-Pomme” (New York City) With Pomegranate and Hibiscus 6.5% (New York State) Rust color.
Descendant Cider Co. “Dry” Heritage Cider 6.9% (New York City) Pale rust in color, very dry and light bodied with some oak notes on the finish.
Embark Craft Cider Works “American Heirloom” 7.5% (New York State) Made with seven varieties of heirloom apple, pale yellow with crisp acidity.
Emabark Craft Cider Works “The Crab Series Vol. 1” 7.2% (New York State) Made from crabapples, pale rust in color, very dry, with lip smacking tannin.
Emabark Craft Cider Works “The Pippin” 7.8% (New York State) Light yellow, light body, crisp.
Reverend Nat’s “Hallelujah Hopricot” 6.7% (Oregon) Made with Cascade hops, Rust color with crisp orange notes on the fruit.
Shacksbury “Farmhouse” (Vermont) 6.5% Made in Vermont from apples grown in England, sparkling, light rust in color, crisp and earthy.
Shacksbury “Basque” (Vermont) 6.2% Make in collaboration with a Spanish cider house, cloudy, light rust color, tart with sour notes on the finish.
Doc’s Draft Dry Hopped Cider 6% ( New York State) Doc’s is pretty much available in a lot of supermarkets, unfortunately, most times they don’t carry this version. Dry and crisp with hoppy tannin notes on the finish.
Austin’s Eastciders “Original” 5% (Texas) Rust color, dry, drinkable.
Citizen Cider “The Full Nelson” 6.9% (Vermont) A good basic, drinkable cider.
Citizen Cider “Northern Spy” 6.9% (Vermont) A single varietal cider, pale yellow, bone dry with a citrus zing at the end.
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I have heard good things about Wassail’s cider selection. I tried Aspall’s Dry Cider recently and really enjoyed it. So, I picked up their Imperial Vintage Cider to try (but haven’t yet). Last night I had another English cider, Sheppy’s Oak Matured. If you are into heavily oak influenced ciders, than I’d recommend it. Its better not as cold though, as it becomes more smooth and less bitter. Thanks for following my blog!