Grin and Pear it

Being a resident of New London, CT from August 2002 through May 2006 gave me ample opportunities to explore the various food purveyors, restaurants, wine shops, brew pubs, vineyards, and fish shacks dotted throughout South East Connecticut.  While a few places stood out, like Stonington Vineyards, Brie and Bleu, and Thames River Wine and Spirits, there is one gastronomic institution that cannot be overlooked.  In the town of Mystic resides B.F. Clyde’s cider mill, the oldest steam powered cider mill in the US.  Clyde’s sells a number of cider-based products, including some outrageously good cider donuts, along with a countless array of spreads, dips, dressings, and pickles.  However, the pièce de résistance is the hard cider sold in the cellar of the barn.

Clyde’s hard cider is sold in gallon jugs and comes in a variety of flavors, like Blackout and Lucky Lion, which pair apple with fruits like blackberries and raisins.  The cider boasts a rather high amount of alcohol, typically around 12 percent.  That said, this cider is not a substitute for Woodchuck or any other variety of mass produced hard cider.  It is not sweet, has a rather harsh bite to it, and is not carbonated…this stuff is the real deal.  The DA trio drank much of this elixir, especially when fishing along the banks of Thames River for stripers and blues.  Clyde’s cider sparked my interest in hard cider and started me on a journey of sampling the very best bottles of autumn’s finest bounties.

 

Since my departure from South East CT in the spring of 2006, I have had the opportunity to sample a variety of delicious hard ciders from around the world.  My favorite was some delicious Basque-region cider that I had during my trip to Spain earlier this year.  It was moderately carbonated, had a powerful yeast flavor to it, and reminded the DA squad of gueuze beer.  It was the first cider that I had ever had with such a strong yeast quality to it…something that I really enjoyed.  I have been searching for a comparable cider in the US since my return from Spain, but have not been able to find anything like it in the Boston region…until now.

This past weekend I went into Whole Foods of all places and found an interesting looking hard cider in the beer and wine section.  The cider was called Doc’s Draft, had an appealing label, and was locally produced at the Warwick Valley Winery in Warwick, NY.  I immediately grabbed a couple of bottles and headed for the register.  When I got home, I popped one open, poured a glass, and was immediately transported back to Spain.  A wild, yeasty aroma rose from the glass, promising a barnyard-like flavor that I had only experienced in Spain.  I took a long, purposeful sip, and sank deep into my memories of Barcelona.  However, there was something quite distinct about this cider…something that set it apart from its Spanish cousin, or primo, if you will. 

I took a second look at the bottle and realized that in my excitement of finding a new hard cider, I had overlooked the fact that this particular cider was made with pears, not apples.  The pear flavor was really quite interesting.  It was certainly milder than the Spanish apple cider, and also had a little bit more acidity on the finish.  It was also sweeter than the Spanish variety, which worked nicely with the earthiness of the strong yeast flavor and aroma.  All in all, it is a huge winner.  Now I need to find Doc’s hard apple cider, which will certainly have its own post once I’ve had the opportunity to sample it.

I have two more steps in my hard cider saga, being the use of hard ciders in cooking applications, as well as sampling other ciders/wines made out of fruits other than apples, pears, and grapes.  All will be reported in due time.