Embark The Northerner

This cider was one that we picked up in New York during one of our trips. Val likes ciders, so we opened this one up one night.

ABV: 5.1%

Style: Cider

Trivia: According to the cidery website, “The Northerner is a refreshing semisweet cider made of 100% Northern Spy apples. We derived our inspiration for the label artwork from the following history of the naming of the apple. One of the most famous of all American apples, Northern Spy originated in East Bloomfield, NY, around 1800. The apple was named for the ‘hero’ of that nororious dime store novel The Northern Spy. The book was written anonymously, published sub-rosa, and circulated among radical hard-core abolitionists circa 1830. The ‘Northern Spy’ set up a series of safehouses from Virginia through Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York State for runaway slaves to excape to Canada. It was a blueprint for the underground railroad.”

Random: The cider has the most adorable label.

The cider poured with absolutely no head on top of a clear, yellow-green body. There was some carbonation visible. The nose was filled with apples and a slight tartness. There was some notes of sweet honey as well. The taste started with semi-sweet apples. It quickly went into notes of honey and apple skin. It then transitioned into pears and lychee. The body was on the lighter side with a lot of carbonation. It had a moderate length finish with apple skins. A bottle of this cider was $7.99, which came to $.47 per ounce. This was a really pleasant cider that I would definitely have again.

Untappd Rating: 4.0/5.0

Embark The Batch Cider

Val and I watch a lot of “The Real Housewives” series. I don’t know why I enjoy them, but it’s the perfect thing to watch when I come home from work. When I’m watching it though, I wonder if they know if they are being filmed, because there are certain situations where they say things and then deny them and it comes up at the reunion. Anyways, let’s talk about a cider that Val picked out.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Cider

Trivia: According to the cidery website, “The town of Williamson’s own McIntosh, Empire, Ida Red & Jonagold make up the entirety of this cider. Categorized as semi-sweet with a fresh apple aroma followed by a juicy, ripe apple finish make it hard to resist reaching for another.”

Random: Val picked this one out because of the label.

The cider poured with less than a quarter finger of white head. It went away by the time I took the picture. The body was perfectly clear and yellowish-green in color. There was a lot of visible carbonation. The nose had some wildflower honey and a combination of red and green apples. The taste started with some green apple tartness and followed up with some honey sweetness. It had some floral aspects as well. The body was on the light side and had a lot of carbonation as well. It had a quick and sweet finish with honey. A can of this was $2.99, which came to $.25 per ounce. This was an easy drinking cider, but wasn’t all that complex. This would make for a good introductory cider or throw a few in a cooler for a barbecue.

Untappd Rating: 3.5/5.0