Let’s Try Some Hard Cider
A truly spectacular season, autumn in Central New York brings cooler weather, stunningly beautiful foliage, and a fall harvest of pumpkins, squash, and lots of apples.
Since most people already have their own opinion of pumpkin flavored everything, and squash wine sounds questionable at best, we decided to head to our favorite apple orchard to try some hard cider.
While many of us have just recently been introduced to boozy cider, the beverage dates back thousands of years. According to Smithsonian Magazine, “By the time the first Romans sailed to the British Isles in 55 B.C., the locals were drinking a cider-like drink made from apples, which their new visitors quickly fell in love with. Soon enough, cider spread throughout the Roman Empire and across Europe, becoming popular with people from the Germanic tribes to the Normans, whose conquest of England in the 9th century brought…the very word “cider” into the English language.” Early settlers brought the boozy drink to New England and because, according to Smithsonian Magazine, “the first Europeans to settle in the colonies had a hard time growing grains and barley needed for beer,” hard cider became a readily available alternative. As the popularity of beer grew, the interest in cider declined until recently when it’s made somewhat of a comeback.
Getting back to the present day, once we decided on cider, we needed to choose where to go. While there are many inviting local orchards and breweries, for this group the choice was clear: Beak and Skiff is our absolute favorite orchard, and not just for apples. While they began with apple trees and a cider mill in 1911, over time Beak and Skiff added a bakery, gift shop, distillery, rental properties (four homes) and a high-quality outdoor concert venue. Just this summer, our music lovers, Kathy and Kate, saw the Bleachers, The Head and The Heart, Flaming Lips, and Jason Isbel. Kate enjoys the outdoor venue because “there’s easy access to drinks and food, and you can choose to be up close or sit back and enjoy the view.” Kathy says, “they have created an atmosphere where you can enjoy the music as well as time with friends.”
Clearly Beak and Skiff has grown exponentially but they have somehow managed to maintain an intimate, hometown esthetic. One of our favorite fall experiences is still taking the tractor ride out into the field to pick our own apples – classic autumn activity for all ages.
Alright, we’ve reviewed history and gushed over Beak and Skiff – time for the tasting. Since most of the group is new to cider, we decided to try a flight of five different ciders: orange creamsicle, original, candy clouds, black cherry, and sweet apple. Rather than go through each one, I’ll just let you know our two favorites were the sweet apple (Pam, Kathy, and Carolyn) and the original (Kate). We all agreed that the orange creamiscle, candy clouds, and black cherry were just a bit too sweet for our middle-aged palates (perhaps a younger audience might enjoy it more).
Pam said the Sweet Apple was smooth and pleasant without an overly sugared taste and Kathy found it light with a mild apple taste at the end. Kate summed it up well saying, “I liked the original the best. It has a hint of apple, wood, and citrus. I can see myself having one on a crisp fall evening. I did not care for the flavored ciders – if I want actual cotton candy or a creamsicle I’ll have one; I don’t want my drink to taste like one.”
Rating: Buy a four pack of the 1911 Sweet Apple or Original Cider
So, grab a cozy fall sweater, head up to your favorite local orchard or brewery, and give some cider a try!
Cheers to all from Kathy, Kate, Pam, & Carolyn.
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