Cider of the Week

The cider: 1911 Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Hard Cider

The cidery: Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards, Lafayette, New York

Description (from Untappd): "Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Hard Cider is the first limited release in our elevated Masters’ Series. Patient attention to detail was the key ingredient to creating truly unique flavor profiles in this line up of ciders. MBBAHC is a sweet cider that has been years in the making."

Would I buy it again? It may only be the first weekend in August, but the fall beers are already coming out. Of course, this isn't a beer, but you try to tell me that a maple-flavored hard cider isn't at least a little autumnal. 

Anyway, I'm glad I didn't wait any longer, because this thing is absolutely incredible. Quite possibly the best hard cider I've ever had. The maple hits instantly, and the sweet cider flavor follows it up perfectly. And best of all, since it's a cider and therefore relatively light, it doesn't even feel bad to drink it on a hot summer day. I really hope I can find more of this, because I'd buy more in a heartbeat.

Cider of the Week

The cider: Pumpkin Spice

The cidery: Wyndridge Cider Company, Dallastown, Pennsylvania

Description (from the website): "A blend of late harvest apples matured in stainless steel, this cider is conditioned on pumpkin purée and fall spices, married well with dates and maple syrup!"

Would I buy it again? Nothing quite like digging up a beer (or cider, as the case is this week) that you bought months ago in an entirely different season and context. Ah well, it's not like a pumpkin cider will ever be a bad thing to drink. And this definitely isn't. It tastes precisely how you'd think it would taste. It's good, and I enjoy it. I'd definitely buy it again ... just on a nice, crisp fall day, not a cool, rainy, frankly kind of miserable spring day.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Caramel Apple Ale

The brewery: Vanish Farmwoods Brewery, Leesburg, Virginia

Description (from Untappd): "A hybrid of our cider and beer designed to have a strong malt backbone to uplift the characters of both caramel and apples."

Would I buy it again? I had this beer over the winter, back when Vanish opened their new taproom in Frederick, but never got around to reviewing it. So, my precise memory of the taste is kind of foggy, but this beer was definitely very good. Not too much caramel and not too much cider flavor to overpower the beer. It was a very solid beer, and if I ever see it, I'd definitely buy it again.

Cider of the Week

The cider: Apple Pie

The cidery: Coyote Hole Ciderworks, Mineral, Virginia

Description (from the website): "Apple Pie is the iconic autumn dessert, along with hot apple cider. Leaning on our Dutch heritage, we had to bring this iconic fall flavor into one of our hard ciders. Blending a unique mixture of our green apple hard cider with Dutch apple pie spices, bringing you a wonderful autumn flavored treat."

Would I buy it again? I'm not convinced on this particular cider, it sounded better than it actually is. It's extremely sweet, but there's a slight bitter aftertaste to this cider as well, and the two tastes do not play very well together. Somehow, instead of them covering each other up, you get both distinct flavors at the same time. I would pass on this particular cider in the future.

Cider of the Week

The cider: Baker's Dozen

The cidery: Citizen Cider, Burlington, Vermont

Description (from the can): "Sometimes the best part about visiting an orchard isn't the apples ... it's the cider donuts. In fact, we love them so much that a dozen just isn't quite enough. We want a Baker's Dozen! This delicious cider, inspired by our own house cider donuts, combines a fresh, fruity nose with aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, and allspice. It's so good, we think you'll agree and want just one more."

Would I buy it again? That's right, we have a hard cider inspired by a donut which is made using cider. Cider has truly come full circle. Now, I like a good cider, and I like a good cider donut. That made buying this a no-brainer. As for taste ... well, what do you think it tastes like? It tastes like cider. This is what happens when you make a hard cider inspired by something made from cider. And you know what? That works for me. I'd buy this again.

Not-a-Beer of the Week

The cider: Black Widow

Brewed by: Original Sin Cider, New York City

Description (from the website): "The black widow is fruit-forward, yet tart, with a tantalizing complexity, made with blackberries and freshly pressed New York apples"

Would I buy it again?: Unlike last week's cider, this one actually does taste like blackberries, rather than a regular hard cider with a little bit of blackberry flavor thrown in. So because of that, I prefer this one. I would buy this again, but it wouldn't be a very common purchase. Hard cider is okay from time to time, but overall I prefer beer.

Not-a-Beer of the Week

The cider: Blackberry Cider

Brewed by: Chesapeake Cider Company, Annapolis, Maryland

Description (from Untappd): "This fruit forward cider is conditioned on pureed blackberries."

Would I buy it again?: So we're going to be taking a brief vacation from the beer and take a 2-week excursion into the world of blackberry ciders. This is the first one, and overall, I thought it was okay but it could have better. The blackberry flavor was a bit on the light side, if I'm being honest. It was perfectly drinkable, but I was hoping for a bit more.

"Beer" of the Week

The "beer": ACE Pumpkin

Brewed by: Ace Cider, Sebastopol, California

Description (from the website): "First produced in the fall of 2010, our Ace Pumpkin cider is a seasonal favorite. Its unique orange color and full rich flavor will leave you craving more. This seasonal Cider is released after Labor Day and available throughout fall. Ace Pumpkin is perfect for the pumpkin lover that just can’t get enough. Ideal for Halloween and Thanksgiving this cider pairs well with beef. Our pumpkin cider also makes a great snakebite when mixed with a heavy lager."

Would I buy it again?: I'm cheating a little bit here, reviewing a hard cider, but I saw a pumpkin cider and I thought that would be appropriate for my last beer review before Halloween. And you know what? I liked this quite a bit. It had the right amount of pumpkin flavor mixed in with the cider taste, and I'd definitely buy it again.