Apples juiced
Hard cider, once a ubiquitous part of American life, is making its comeback after being pushed aside by beer. Make sure it’s icy.
By CHRIS SHERMAN
Published November 1, 2006
What is made from fermented fruit, just like wine, but comes in a beer bottle? What comes sweet and innocent from small towns like Middlebury, Vt., or Somerset, England, but packs almost twice the kick of a draft brew? What is as modern as tutti-frutti flavors but as ancient as a West Country orchard or Johnny Appleseed?
Not much of a riddle. The answer is cider.
Or rather hard cider, dry cider or fermented cider, to distinguish it from sweet apple juice, mild enough for a kid.
Around the world and for most of American history, including the time John Chapman was planting apple trees on the Ohio frontier, cider was an alcoholic beverage. Beer and then Prohibition put the squeeze on cider until the 1970s, when kicky apple was reintroduced as “alcopop” for young drinkers.
Yet when the beer revolution inspired Americans to explore the brews of other countries and the possibilities of brewing their own, they discovered that hard cider could be grand and started importing more and making new U.S. brands.
British ciders, like Hornsby’s, Blackthorn and Strongbow, are the best known here, yet cider is made throughout colder sections of Europe in a variety of tastes and styles.
Around Tampa Bay, ciders are most often found at Spanish stores, beer spots and pubs like Flanagan’s Irish Pub in Dunedin, where Strongbow English Cider has flowed for four years.
“The Europeans like it, and the girls drink it too,’’ says proprietor Trina Coomey. She finds cider too sweet and prefers Guinness. Some patrons split the difference with a pint that’s half stout and half cider.
“In Europe, the kids, the 17- and 18-years-olds, that’s usually the first drink. It has a little sweetness. Then they graduate to beer,’’ says her husband, Noel Coomey, who grew up in Dublin. “It was also good for the ails when people were sick.’’
The growth in the United States requires education and a new image. Ads for Cider Jack crack that “You don’t know Jack’’ about cider.
Right. Even before the new marketing, hard cider was a bottle of contradictions.
Hard cider can be white gold or dark amber, crystal clear or as cloudy as old vinegar. And it’s not always made from apples; perry is a lively cider from pears.
Best of all, it can sparkle, although straight from the bottle the head will be thin and vanish (the body can retain some effervescence).
However, cider on draft does have bubbles. The Norman French make ciders that sparkle like Champagne. In Asturias in the chilly north of Spain, waiters aerate sidra by lifting the bottle over their heads and holding the glass below their waist. With balance and practice, they pour or “throw’’ the cider about 4 feet.
Chill cider to the extreme for the best taste. It may be the symbol of fall, but only nonalcoholic cider should be warmed. Hard cider is at its best when ice cold, with more bubbles, delicate flavor and moderated sweetness.
The best cider apples aren’t the same as eating or cooking varieties; they are smaller and darker, with thicker skins that provide more tannins. Golden delicious need not apply. Pippins, russets and northern spy are the best known, and most varieties are obscure.
Not surprisingly, enterprising farmers are creating serious artisan ciders in some markets. For the rest of us, any cider is a thing of fun and novelty. Serve it cold, adding ice or a squeeze of lemon. Keep a bottle in the kitchen for stews, sauces or gravy.
You’ll realize Johnny was right and be thankful for the sun, the rain and the apple tree.
Tasting notes
• Blackthorn Dry Fermented Cider (6 percent alcohol). Gold color with brief foam but continuing effervescence. Taste too close to apple juice.
• Cider Jack, Vermont (5 percent). Nearly white in color, holds its head briefly, sweet and full. Drink very cold.
• Hornsby’s Hard Cider, Amber Draft (6 percent). An apple in a bottle, evident in the nose and taste, almost like drinking a winesap. Good bubbles and finish. Pick of the Brits.
• K Draft Cider (6.9 percent). Red-amber color with thin head, easy in the mouth, clean sweet taste.
• Strongbow Dry Cider, England (5 percent). Golden amber with a hint of apples in the nose, light and round on the tongue.
• Woodchuck Draft Cider, Granny Smith, Vermont (5 percent). New Zealand’s favorite apple is wrong for an American cider, but it is tart. The cider tastes a bit like a light German white wine.
• Woodchuck Draft Cider, Dark & Dry (5 percent). Red as Killian’s with candy apple smell and taste, but it’s crisp and tingly. Could work on cabbage or pork chops, too. My American champ.
Chris Sherman can be reached at (727) 893-8585 or csherman@sptimes.com.