Final week, we had a tiny preview of Spring. It was unbelievable, and it jogged my memory to belief that in a few months Spring will arrive in earnest. The Tall One and I took a protracted impromptu stroll, impressed by daylight after 4pm and gentle temperatures. It was a type of magic that Winter doesn’t know. We ended up catching a stunning meal at a restaurant we’d not visited for months and months. There, I attempted a Blackbird Cider Works Further Dry Basic Wooden Aged Cider.
Blackbird Cider Works is now primarily based out of Buffalo, New York. Although it’s a regional cidery, I’ve not tasted or reviewed the ciders fairly often. I regarded and solely discovered one earlier evaluation! I’ll put the hyperlink under.
Orchardist’s Reserve: https://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2014/10/cider-review-blackbird-ciders.html
What I’ll observe is that Resurgence Brewing acquired Blackbird Ciderworks from Donovan Orchards as of 2023. Right here’s a hyperlink to a information story with extra particulars about that change.
https://blackbirdciders.com/ That is at present beneath building, so it would make extra sense to attach with Blackbird Cider Works on social media as a substitute.
https://www.fb.com/blackbirdciders
https://www.instagram.com/blackbirdciderworks/
Right here’s the outline I might discover for this cider on-line.
Further Dry Basic Wooden-Aged Cider is a traditional ultra-dry cider. Golden in coloration with apple aromatics, dry apple taste, and only a slight trace of oak. Good stability between acidity and tannin, and a clean, dry end. 6.6% ABV.
Look: slight haze, cool pale straw, few seen bubbles
This has the look of a wood-aged cider. Typically that aspect of fermentation course of lends a light haze to the ultimate cider. The colour jogs my memory of a night moon; it’s pale and funky. I don’t see rather a lot in the way in which of seen bubbles.
Aromas: minerals, pears, overripe apples, grapefruit, a little bit of funk
The cider begins off with a waft of minerals adopted by a parade of fruit: pear, grapefruit, and overripe apples. By some means there’s a touch of salt. The wooden getting older is obvious however not tremendous distinct. Hints of funk are current.
Dryness/sweetness: Dry
This can be a dry cider. There are parts of fruit and extra candy aromas, however I don’t suppose the cider has a number of residual sugar occurring.
Flavors and ingesting expertise: sap, barrel, medium acid, low tannins, twiggy, medium bubbly
I assumed I received a good suggestion of the wooden getting older from the Further Dry’s aromas, however I used to be so fallacious. There’s a lot extra to it! This cider is superbly balanced with it’s dryness and wooden getting older. That’s not a simple mixture to get proper; too many parts can combat to be the first driver of taste.
Blackbird has chosen to place the wooden getting older ahead within the Further Dry. I believe that’s a incredible alternative. What I get as I sip this are a medley of thrilling flavors together with: salt, tree sap, butterscotch, banana and apple. There’s loads of barrel on the end. The cider tastes dry all through with medium acid and sparkle.
What little sweetness comes by has barrel and maple heat; I’m reminded of salted butterscotch, which pairs properly with the wintry, twiggy dryness. The cider has a medium mouthful. Tannins are low however make themselves recognized.
I paired this cider with a meal of blackened salmon served with julienned roasted root greens and wealthy creamy grits. It was an ideal seasonal mixture. Extremely advisable!
