Searching For Seasonal Cider in Bourbon Country
At least these 3 ciders were obtainable, photo by Sara Havens
The search for 7 autumn ciders in Kentucky
Fall is the definitive season for cider drinking. It’s as if nature shines a multi-colored spotlight on the beverage as it tap dances across happy palates of the world. Cider pairs well with pumpkin. Cider couples up nicely with cinnamon. Cider can even be served warm.
Cider is meant for sweater weather, and it’s that weather now, so why can’t I find many seasonal ciders in Kentucky?
Could bourbon’s boom be blamed? While most liquor stores devote several aisles to the brown spirit, many relegate only one shelf to cider.
Yes, we are fortunate to have a few cideries in the commonwealth, including Pivot and Wise Bird, and a handful of breweries that include cider in their canon, like Rhinegeist and Country Boy. But the other day I went looking for fall-specific ciders at area liquor stores—both big and small—and I only came home with three.
I did some research before heading out on my four-hour journey to five stores, so I anticipated finding at least a dozen. Little did I know I’d return home with half a six-pack.
I’ll talk about what I did find, and I’ll also mention a few ciders I’d love to try if my region wasn’t so obsessed with all things bourbon this time of year.
Ciders found
ACE Pumpkin — 5% ABV
I love most of what comes out of California cidery ACE (they won California Cidery of the Year in the 2020 NY International Cider Competition), so I’m not surprised this pumpkin cider is the optimum example of how cider can harness the flavors of fall. In fact, I’d venture to say this is a pumpkin pie in a glass, as notes of cinnamon, clove and allspice are accentuated with both pumpkin and apple, of course. It’s refreshingly light, too, sipping more like a spiced apple wine than a pumpkin-flavored beer.
Blake’s Hard Cider Flannel Mouth — 6.5% ABV
So this one is actually available all year long, but it fits into my seasonal cider theme because it’s made with late-season table and dessert apples, which grow throughout the fall and winter. OK, so maybe it’s a stretch, but the name sure fits in with the theme, right? This is your classic hard apple cider, and it’s delightfully crisp and light. It’s not too sweet at all, like some ciders can be, and it reminds me of one of those cool October days that were meant for tailgating and sippin’ beer.
A recipe on the website suggests you add a little whiskey to it over ice, and that seems like the perfect way to please those pesky bourbon-specific palates.
Woodchuck Hard Cider Pumpkin — 5% ABV
This limited release from Vermont’s Woodchuck is nothing like the ACE Pumpkin, as it focuses more on those rich pumpkin notes and does not include any spice whatsoever. This isn’t pumpkin pie; it’s purely pumpkin before it becomes a pie. It’s a little too far on the sweet side for me, and the color is much more amber than the previous two, which probably has to do with its additional oak aging. You’ve really gotta be a fan of pumpkins to enjoy this one, and I’ll leave it at that.
What I wanted to find:
Windfall Cider Sweater Weather
This guy, a Gold medal winner in the 2020 NY International Cider Competition, is aged in Woodinville Rye Whiskey barrels and supposedly sips more like a chardonnay. I hear it’ll be bottled in November.
Forbidden Fruit Caramel Apple Hard Cider
I don’t know much about this Paw Paw, Michigan-based winery and cidery, but I know it’s out there and the name sounds like something I must try. They also have a Sinnamon Cider that supposedly smells like Red Hots that I’d love to get my hands on.
Wild Cider Spiced Apple Pie & Wild Cider Hard Pumpkin
This Colorado-based cidery—Colorado Cidery of the Year in the 2020 NY International Cider Competition— has been making some interesting flavors (like Agave Peach and Blueberry Hibiscus), so it’s no wonder they’re in the seasonal game with Spiced Apple Pie and Pumpkin. I’d also love to try their Pineapple, since it’s one of my all-time favorite flavors to pair with apple.
Straight out of Cooperstown, N.Y., this brewery has been making some great beverages since 1997, although the family’s brewing history dates back long before that. For this Chai Cider, the company collaborated with New York tea company Harney & Sons, and I hear it just bursts with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and clove. Sign me up!