At the moment I’m sharing my ideas on the Stormalong collaboration with Exhibit A Brewing Co. IPC, India Pale Cider. It’s a bit overdue as this collaboration was launched in October of final 12 months, so I apologize! I simply have to seek out the proper second of climate, meals, and temper to succeed in for a hopped cider exterior of Spring or Summer season. This previous week, we had these moments a lots as almost every week of unseasonable heat and superb golden sunshine visited the Finger Lakes. I didn’t hesitate to create a meal round this cider. Learn on to seek out out what it was.
First, I’ll quote Stormalong’s web site to color a little bit image of this cidery’s id.
Stormalong Cider was based in 2014 by Shannon Edgar with the will to showcase the virtues of cider made with the proper apples. Cider is a fancy and nuanced beverage, and apple choice and blends are paramount.
We deal with cider making as a creative endeavor, a renaissance of types. Utilizing a mix of culinary and uncommon heirloom varieties, we ferment and age our ciders with conventional and trendy strategies showcasing the distinctive traits of those numerous apples.
At Stormalong, we’re dedicated to high quality. We don’t reduce corners. We respect the apple, the elements, and the method. We goal to extend consciousness of the variety of apple cultivars, a few of which have been round for the reason that nation was based, whereas persevering with to innovate and discover within the pursuit of cider’s full potential.
I’ve reviewed and loved a number of Stormalong ciders for the reason that cidery was based. Right here’s the checklist.
Pearman Quince(my #10 cider of final 12 months): http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/08/cider-review-stormalong-ciders-pearmain.html
Unfiltered: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/04/cider-review-stormalong-ciders.html
White Mountain Magic: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2022/02/cider-review-stormalong-ciders-white.html
Bittersweet Symphonie: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/10/cider-review-stormalongs-bittersweet.html
Depraved Little Wickson: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/08/cider-review-stormalongs-wicked-little.html
Winesap: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2021/04/cider-review-stormalong-ciders-winesap.html
Completely happy Holidays: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/11/cider-review-stormalong-ciders-happy.html
Esopus Spitzenburg: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/08/cider-review-ravens-moon-craft-ciders.html
Ashmead’s Kernel: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/07/cider-review-brannland-just-cider-and.html
Peariful: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/05/cider-review-left-foot-charleys-fortis.html
Legendary Dry: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2016/12/cider-review-stormalongs-legendary-dry.html
Kingston Black: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2019/08/cider-reviews-ninepin-light-cider.html
Mild of the Solar: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/08/cider-review-descendant-cider-company.html
Mass Attraction: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2018/12/cider-review-prospect-ciderworks.html
Boston Heirloom: http://alongcameacider.blogspot.com/2020/01/cider-review-stormalong-ciders-boston.html
On-line yow will discover out about Stormalong’s present releases and full lineup: http://stormalong.com/.
Right here’s how Stormalong and Exhibit A Brewing describe the collaboration cider: India Pale Cider.
This restricted launch cider incorporates a mix of Gold Rush and Idared apples fermented with a Belgian saison yeast and dry-hopped with Mosaic and Simcoe Cryo hops. The result’s a crisp 6.0% ABV cider with notes of citrus, floral, and tropical fruit enhanced by the hops.
Look: Sensible, Intense pollen yellow, Ring of bubbles
I don’t count on a shining and sensible cider for a hopped cider. Usually the aesthetics of beer affect hopped ciders, and the result’s a hazy to cloudy cider. The IPC as an alternative reveals off its intense pollen yellow colours and the tiny corona of bubbles I see the place the cider meets the glass. Beautiful!
Aromas: Grapefruit, Melon, Aquatic, Recent apple, Clear
The primary be aware I scent after pouring this cider is grapefruit flesh, adopted by melon, recent apple, and a splendidly refreshing play of aquatic components. It feels cooling, not sweaty or soiled. The general sense I get from the IPC is that this will probably be recent and clear whereas additionally tasting tremendously fruity. We’ll see if the flavors match the aromas.
Sweetness Dryness: Off Dry
This can be a excellent off-dry cider when it comes to its not-quite-present degree of sweetness. The cider isn’t punishing, austere, or bone dry, however neither is it candy. It’s simply not-dry sufficient to permit that to be a background attribute, making room for different flavors and components.
Flavors and Ingesting Expertise: medium to petillant bubbles. mildly bitter, off dry, massive and acidic with loads of apple.
Hopped ciders are greater than a little bit bit divisive within the cider world. Numerous cider individuals are additionally beer folks, and for them hops have two cleanly outlined roles: aromatics and bitterness. There may be much less settlement about whether or not or not each of these roles are acceptable for hops in cider. Stormalong and Exhibit A Brewing make their collaborative case for many aromas and simply the mildest of bittering. It’s a smart selection and a scrumptious one.
The cider’s texture is medium-full bodied buoyed by petillant bubbles. It’s refreshingly acidic cider with loads of apple, hops and fermentation character.
The Grapefruit notes that I seen within the aromas persist. The hops particularly elide right into a pineyness that appears woody within the context of cider. I benefit from the IPC’s good moist mouthfeel, significantly as a result of it stays recent not dank, bulbous, or funky. The collaboration comes off as mature and centered by making a hopped cider that’s balanced and sessionable with a clear end. It is dedicated to doing a difficult factor effectively: the mixing of apples and hops.
With this cider, we had open-faced cheddar melts, produced from 2 12 months aged cheddar, together with an array of nibbles. The wealthy cheese went superbly with the clear cider and walnuts, craisins, honey, carrots, peppers and hummus. A easy dinner was excellent to enrich this deeply pleasurable cider.
