I’m freshly dwelling from a cider journey in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Late final week, I used to be fortunate sufficient to get to guage cider for the PA Farm Present. I’ve joined this group for six years now, so long as the competitors has been working. I just like the folks tremendously, and I’ve been launched to some great cideries this fashion. And should you’re within the Harrisburg space in January, take a look at the PA Farm Present occasion!
PA Farm Present: https://www.farmshow.pa.gov/pafarmshow/Pages/default.aspx
One of many ciders I used to be in a position to carry dwelling this 12 months was Brother Monk Ciderworks’ Blacklick Onerous Cider. It’s my first time ever reviewing this PA cidery. The cider involves us from Northern Cambria the place this cidery and orchard have been began in 2017.
Right here’s slightly data about Brother Monk Ciderworks from the web site.
Our Method
We focus on hand-crafted onerous cider, cider-style fruit wine, and mead. The bushes we planted in our orchard have been chosen particularly for onerous cider. This consists of apple varieties like Roxbury Russet, Kingston Black, St. Martins, Hewes Crab, Harrison, Bulman’s Norman, and Dabinett. These cultivars, add an amazing quantity of complexity and richness to the ciders. We’ve got taken over the administration of an older orchard, which has allowed us so as to add different apples to our onerous ciders. These apple varieties embody Winesap, Cameo, Honeycrisp, Golden Scrumptious, and Macintosh.
Go to the Brother Monk Ciderworks web site to maintain up with all of the cider releases and information: https://brothermonk.com/
Right here’s the official description I discovered for the Blacklick Onerous Cider
Blacklick Onerous Cider
This restricted launch cider is an off-dry conventional cidr produced from locally-sourced, specifically chosen apples. Blacklick cider was barrel aged which imparted a refined smooth tannin observe. This cider is a balanced mixture of tannins, tartness, and reasonable sweetness. 6.5% ABV.
Look: hazy, various shades of heat gold, few seen bubbles
I discovered it so attention-grabbing that once I poured two glasses of this cider the primary got here out a extra intense and wealthy shade of heat peachy gold and the second was lighter and yellower. The change wasn’t overwhelming, nevertheless it was noticeable.
Aromas: Funky, barrel, stone fruit
I don’t get the strongest aromas from the Blacklick, however I do discover some wild tanginess, barrel character, and stone fruits. This offers me hope for one thing thrilling and sophisticated.
Dryness/Sweetness: Semi-Dry
The cider’s label calls it off dry, however for me the cider registers as a semi-dry. That may be perceptually totally different for various drinkers, so I’m not that shocked to see it known as off dry. What sweetness is current comes throughout as extra hooked up to the barrel getting older of the cider than different parts.
Flavors and ingesting expertise: Barrel, excessive acid, peach and ripe apple
The primary observe that completely shouts within the Blacklick onerous cider is a wild fringe of acetic acid tartness. It’s a rangy and zesty little spike that evens out on the midpalate. That’s the place extra of the cider’s barrel-aged qualities come to the fore. Sure, it’s nonetheless excessive acid, however the construction and bread crumb notes emerge. When it comes to fruit, the Blacklick gives up plentiful peach and apple notes with a background of twiggy inexperienced wooden tannins.
I respect the positive bubble and spherical sweetness, which counterpoint each other properly. The cider’s end is a return of the barrel with a delicate vanilla ship off. It’s certainly a posh cider with hundreds occurring! I’d like to see these parts pull collectively in a extra built-in manner; the tannins, acids, and sweetness stand alone greater than mix right into a recognizable cider profile. I like what’s right here lots.
I paired this cider with spinach tortellini and broccoli and a easy aspect salad. I feel the acid was particularly good with pasta, and I’d suggest that pairing for certain!
