Slake Cider Willamette Valley Traditional Sharp Cider Summer Set NV
Slake Cider Willamette Valley Traditional Sharp Cider Summer Set NV
Regular price$1100
$11.00
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Once upon a time, cider was the standard dinnertime drink for most Americans, and most farms from New England to the Mississippi had an apple orchard with apples suited for cider. It wasn’t until the 1880s, when immigrants from Europe brought a taste for wine and beer, that cider lost its place at the table, and prohibition dealt a further blow when almost all of those family orchards were cut down, leaving only sweet “dessert style” apples in the United States, unsuited to making quality hard cider. That has left cider with an odd identity since prohibition ended. Not quite wine, not quite beer, and the only cider available until recently was sticky sweet, nothing like the dry, complex hard ciders of the nineteenth century. A century later, and after much painstaking effort, cider is making a modest comeback. Enterprising cider makers found old orchards that survived prohibition and propagated a new generation of cider apple trees, restarting a once proud tradition for a modern audience. This Slake Cider is a perfect representation of that effort. Mark and Keenan Bailey made this from their family farm, using a combination of the Dolgo crabapple, the Heritage Gravenstein, and several french bittersweet cider varieties to create a neatly balanced, dry cider that offers substantial complexity and pleasant, creamy texture. Wild yeast fermentation ensured that this is much more than the factory issue ciders of the 1990s. Aromas of apple sauce spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, honeycomb, raspberry, incense smoke, and crisp apple. The palate is fully tart, with keen acidity offering sharp green apple flavor, baking spice and pepper, before a gentle touch of earthy farmhouse brett takes hold on the finish. A fresh accompaniment for any sort of picnic spread or day on the porch, but also just fine for tacos or roast chicken. Under 7% alcohol, but rich, complex and satisfying. We think it’s time to reintroduce cider to the table.
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