Cider Feast 2016

 

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This past Saturday, August 8th, Food Karma Projects and Cook Out NYC presented this years Cider Feast cookout.

Food Karma Projects is a producer of specialty food and craft beverage events throughout the New York area. Created by NYC restaurateur Jimmy Carbone (Jimmy’s N° 43), they throw several bbq/beverage events during the Summer.

This event featured over a dozen regional, national and international cider producers pouring their ciders along with food on the grill including sliders from Schnack Burgers and tacos from Jimmy’s N° 43. It was held at the Solar One event space on the waterfront and under the FDR drive at 24-20 FDR Drive in Manhattan.

It looked like the event might have been a wash-out, at start time a storm hit, but that soon passed and the sun came out and the event went on as scheduled.

 

Some of the ciders I sampled:

Brooklyn Cider House “Half Sour” (New York). A trio of cider from NY State apples, very light yellow, very crisp with nice apple notes.

Brooklyn Cider House “Kinda Dry” (New York). Light yellow, crisp with champagne like fizz, easy drinking.

Brooklyn Cider House “Bone Dry” (New York). On tap, slightly cloudy, bone dry and tart

Doc’s Draft “Gold Rush” (New York). 100% Goldrush apples, light yellow, light body, crisp with ripe vegetable notes on the finish.

Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider “Traditional” (New York). On tap, clear light amber, bone dry with funky notes.

Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider “Scrumpy” (New York). On tap, unfiltered, cloudy amber, dry with some chewy fruit.

Big Apple Hard Cider “Brooklyn Brew” (New York). On tap, dark amber, sweet with cotton candy and apple pie spice notes.

Indian Ladder Farmstead Pear Cider (New York). On tap, cloudy light yellow, tart finish with some dried herb notes.

Indian Ladder Farmstead Barrel Aged Cider (New York). Light yellow with very light fruit flavors.

Shacksbury “Semi-Dry” (Vermont). In a can, clear, apply with some funk on the finish.

Shacksbury “Lost and Found” (Vermont). A blend of lost apples foraged in the Champlain Valley of Vermont, clear and dry with some tannin on the finish.

Virtue Cider “Michigan Brut” (Michigan). Light yellow with citrus notes on the finish.

Virtue Cider “The Mitten” (Michigan). Bourbon barrel aged, green apple notes with a very crisp finish.

E.Z. Orchards Cider “Hawks Haus” (Oregon). Floral nose, bone dry, crisp with light apple flavors.

Urban Farm Fermentory “Ol Cranny” (Maine). Cranberried Cidah (their spelling), dark copper color, bone dry and very crisp with pixie stick flavors on the finish.

Urban Farm Fermentory “Baby Jimmy” (Maine). Oak barrel aged Cidah, 100% wild yeast, light yellow, slightly cloudy.

Austin Eastciders Hopped Cider (Texas). Medium amber, dry, tannic with green fruit on the finish, feels unbalance.

Fanjul Sidra Natural (Spain). Cloudy, tight and tart, funky with some tannin on the finish.

Cidre Fermier “Brut” (France). Copper color, fizzy, crisp with green asparagus notes on the finish.

Le Brun Cidre de Bretagne “Brut” (France). Medium yellow, fizzy, crisp, green apple notes, very crisp finish.

Le Brun Cidre “Organic” (France). Medium amber, finishes with some sweetness to it.

Aval Cidre (France). Tight and crisp and very funky.

Aspall English Draft Cider “Demi-Sec” (England). Apply, off dry but not sweet.

 

 

Bacon, Beer & Baseball


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This past Friday and  Saturday the Beer and Bacon Classic festival was held in New York City. Another one of the many craft beer fests that are held throughout the year in the city. This one is a traveling beer and bacon fest that tours baseball fields around the country. Here in New York it was held at Citi Field stadium (the former Shea Stadium) at 123-01 Roosevelt Avenue in Corona, Queens and is the home of the New York Mets baseball team.

It featured over 40 local restaurants serving bacon infused dishes and over 40 breweries and cideries pouring their craft products.

I attended the Saturday evening session. I have to admit it was a great venue to have an event, it gave me the opportunity to see the new stadium which is a much more interesting event space than some of the other beer venues.

I generally like the dark beers such as  stouts, porters and cream ales, but since this was a spring time event, not much of the heavier beers were poured but I did find a few ciders. I was lucky to get in to the event before general admission and was able to sample some of the food, when they opened the flood gates at the general admission start times, the lines at the food stands became impossibly long.

 

Some of what I sampled:

Ciders

Bad Seed Cider Co. With 0gms of sugar, about as bone dry as you can get.

Downeast Cider House: Flagship original and summer blend.

Doc’s Draft: Hard pear cider and original.

Strongbow Hard Cider

Northern Spy Hard Cider

Original Sin Hard Cider

McKenzie’s Cider Co.: Seasonal reserve and black cherry.

Ace Cider Co.: Pineapple Cider.

 

Jonas Bronk Beer Co.: One of the few stouts served, nice and creamy.