A (very) short trip to Stormalong Cider

[rotuts]

Im placing this here , as its a Discovery and a Trip.

 

a very short trip , 1.5 towns over.

 

https://www.stormalong.com/

 

I discovered some of these Ciders @ TotalWine very recently.

 

they have been in business 10 years or so , and are almost in my backyard.

 

along with   https://jacksabby.com/  , one town west 

 

home of the delicious Hoponius Unioon 

 

Im really set for Local cider // beer.

 

I programed into the ' GPS Display ' the address.  

 

I would have never found the place otherwise.

 

In MA there is the TurnPike  ( AKA ' Pike' )

 

its a highway that charges tolls , even though its been paid for many times over.

 

Its my understanding the tools support distant relatives 

 

3d cousins , 4th nephews etc 

 

relate to the various Finance Committees of Mass.Gov.

 

youdont take that here :

 

you take this :

 

 

this is a bit of the better stretch.

 

you get here 

 

 

that's all there is .  

 

the cider is made in Leominster , not here

 

no hours , no phone .  but the very pleasant fellow i met 

 

said there might be some one here , most days , early afternoon

 

Inside :

 

 

 

they have it seems versions that are available at TJ's, mentioned before , and Total Wine.

 

those come from more common local ( MA ) apples .  Ive posed a few Ive tried.

 

they also have here , versions from more rare apples , harvested in smaller quantities.

 

they have dryish and mid- sweet range of each .  they make versions , that are not really  different than the main stream

 

exclusively for CT.  , from the common apples .  different can is all

 

they also make apple  berry blends  , blueberry , cherry  etc

 

they sell in N.E. , and NYC.  I asked about that for @weinoo

 

the fellow was not sure , but though NYC TJ's had berry versions  , etc

 

but the TW items were also sold in various liquor marts.

 

they also sell in Chicago.

 

so I was pointed to the rare apples , sold at Farmers Markets  not TJ's nor TW

 

don't get me wrong  ,the stuff @ TW ,  based on your ' dryness preference 

 

is excellent.

 

I got 24 cans  , 6 sets of four :

 

 

 

decided to try today , so far :

 

 

this is a dry cider aged in whisky barrels for 10 months.

 

EtOH  8.3 %

 

dry , pleasantly tart , noticeable char and whisky aroma right off the bat. subtle , but right there.

 

delicious .

 

@Duvel   would be all over this.

 

these versions are a bit pricier , being limited editions w rare'er apples .

 

24 cans cost me ~ $ 3.00 a can .  maybe a bit less .

 

most cans are 12 oz , two ro so 16 oz.

 

what a wonderful find for me.

 

although you might not be able to get those versions

 

if you live in NE , CT or NYC  try some , noting the dryness level on the back.

 

not only  did AAPL  go up a bit in the last few days  ( I own a handful of shares ( 

 

and this post is brought to you on an iMac 

 

I get to drink Apple Cider day to day !

 

Ill post the other 5 here as I try them.

 

Cheers !

Edited June 14 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

I just could not stand the anticipation 

 

I tried another can :

 

 

this is made w Wickson Crab apples .

 

7.4 % EtOH

 

Im not a good descriptor of flavor , ie Vanilla is , well vanilla. ( the good stuff )

 

this is Crab Apple.  if youve tasted ripe crab apples , its righ there

 

or crab apple jam , but not sweet , right here it is

 

very nice.

 

hopefully the last can today.

 

what a very nice find., all these are

Edited June 14 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

Oh, that’s awesome.  love all the varietals.  You must be pleasantly buzzed at this point, huh @rotuts

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

exactly

 

emphasis the pleasant.

 

two more trials tomorrow.

[gfweb]

57 minutes ago, rotuts said:

 

 

two more trials tomorrow.

For the sake of science!

[rotuts]

first up :

 

 

thesis from RoxburyRussets and Baldwin apples .

 

Heirloom apples developed in NE in the 1600's  

 

dry and tart , but less tart than the CrabApples of yesterday.

 

Stormsalong description on the back suggests :

 

'''  Champagne-Like w tart and tangy acidity ''

 

I of course quaffed 1/2 of the glass , before I looked into any one else's opinion 

 

but its a bit like champagne , if you delete so many connotations , and rely on your tasting .

 

this is 6.9 % EtOH   a generous 16 oz.

 

Ive liked all Ive tasted so far , and will re-purchase the lot.

 

but on first taste , this seemed to me to be a ' winner by a nose '

 

[ N.B.:  I do liike Champagne , or its modern version M.Rotuts ]

 

16 0z might preclude  todays second tastting , but the day is young.

 

wonderful discovery for me .  I like dry over sweet , and love apples .

 

dry is not quite the same as tart.

 

Adventures continue.

 

When I re-visit to restock   ( Soon ? )

 

Ill look into the medium sweet heirlooms.

 

the person there said he would sell me individual cans.

 

Buzz buzz buzz.

 

Edited June 15 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

Today's first study :

 

 

EtOH 6.9 %

 

dry , tart , possibly a bit more tart than the others.

 

I taste a bit of something , not in the Boston Heirloom , but I can't tell you what that is.

 

studying  the back , this has Pinot Noir skins in it .  no apple variety mentions.

 

I'm enjoying , but Ill sub Bos,H  for it next time .  no real reason.

 

its looking like a two can day..

 

why not ?

 

95 F  ++  Tues, Wed , possibly thursday 

 

cool enough  (  66 F ) inside for a sl buzz.

 

 

 

 

 

[rotuts]

indeed , developed a thirst :

 

 

dry , a bit more tart.

 

could not pinpoint the subtle differences.

 

rare Harrison , Graniwincle , Newtown Pippin , Franklin.

 

I have had  Newtown Pippins .  can't tell you much about that.

 

very nice  .

 

more tomorrow.

 

cheers

[C. sapidus]

On 6/14/2024 at 2:53 PM, rotuts said:

this is a dry cider aged in whisky barrels for 10 months.

 

EtOH  8.3 %

 

dry , pleasantly tart , noticeable char and whisky aroma right off the bat. subtle , but right there.

 

delicious .

 

 

That sounds soooo good. I love beers and whatnot aged in whisky barrels.

[Kim Shook]

What a treat this would be for me!  I adore apples, apple cider and hard cider.  When we went to England in 2011, cider was my drink of choice since I'm not a beer drinker.  Those all look so interesting.  I confess I do lean more towards the sweeter ones - though not too sweet - which is not a surprise to anyone here!  Thank you for sharing your voyage of discovery with us! 

[rotuts]

next time I re-stock

 

Ill ask about the medium sweet versions.

 

I think the fellow said he would sell mw individual cans 

 

they have those min rare apples I think.

[FauxPas]

@rotuts, I think I'd sign up for their Rare Apple Club and get first dibs at some of the small batch stuff! 

 

https://www.stormalong.com/cider-club

 

"From orchard to press to tank to can and then to your doorstep. Twice a year, we ship a variety of small batch ciders that include limited releases, special collaborations and limited amounts of our vintage ciders to our club members. Showcasing rare, heirloom apple varieties, some that have been around since the country was founded, these ciders are released first — and sometimes exclusively — to club members."

[rotuts]

@FauxPas

 

that's a good idea .  thank you for the reminder .

 

I saw this on their web site , before I realized I could visit

 

thus there would be no shipping charges,

 

Ill sign up.  hopefully it involves more than one can // selection.  these seem to come 

 

in 4 can sets.  rthe Wisky version I think was sold a can at a time.

[FauxPas]

2 minutes ago, rotuts said:

I saw this on their web site , before I realized I could visit

 

thus there would be no shipping charges,

 

But it's always nice to visit in person, isn't it? Aside from shipping charges, it's nice to meet the people who are involved in the product, you almost always learn something extra that way! I'd probably sign up but still visit from time to time!  🙂

 

 

 

[rotuts]

Today's Selection :

 

 

this is a Big Boy : 16 oz !

 

Kingston apples  6.5 % EtOH

 

its very tart  AKA crisp.   there are flavors here the seem like a very light char 

 

best I can say .  

 

they say  ' Refreshingly crisp with a rich tannic finish '

 

Im not sure Id like tannic , but I like this.

 

Fini .  for now.

 

the only one I might not purchase again , is the one re: pinot noir

 

not because I didn't like it

 

but  Id put my funds elsewhere 

 

3 more cans of each to re-review.

 

the CEO // Yoder Master of the WKPS  called to check in

 

Ill put aside a can of each for him to try.

 

so  2 more for me of each.

 

looking forward to it.

 

cheers

 

I wish the many Cider Heads here on eG could try these

 

esp @Duvel  for the whisky version

 

but as Ive said , I do enjoy sharing 

 

but , Me First 

 

****  burp *****

Edited June 17 by rotuts (log)

[TdeV]

Thank you @rotuts for your excellent diary!! 😁

[weinoo]

While I had trouble finding Stormalong when we were in the Berkshires this past weekend, we were quite close to another apple orchard/cidery.  So, for the sake of science, I took a drive to: Hilltop Orchards, where they make JMash Ciders.

 

 

Bought a 4-pack of each (except the coconut thing) and will report once I have a couple.

 

 

[Shelby]

Thanks for this report!  I, too, enjoy hard ciders.  I'm decidedly more on the sweet side.  But, maybe because it's been so hot, the drier ones sound good to me.  I just might have to order some  

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

Thanks for this report!  I, too, enjoy hard ciders.  I'm decidedly more on the sweet side.  But, maybe because it's been so hot, the drier ones sound good to me.  I just might have to order some  

 

Shacksbury and Doc's are also good, but stay away from Angry Orchard!

[FrogPrincesse]

Angry orchard is vile. So is our “local” Julian hard cider (they import most of the apples they use and it’s just mass-produced crap).

 

I think it’s hard to compete with a classic breton or normand cider. That’s the reference for me as I like a rustic, dry style. 

[Shelby]

23 minutes ago, weinoo said:

 

Shacksbury and Doc's are also good, but stay away from Angry Orchard!

I do NOT like that at all.  It leaves a horrid aftertaste and...some sort of slime that makes me gag.

[rotuts]

I agree re : Angry Orchard .

 

to me , they taste soapy .  Vile  stuff.

 

@FrogPrincesse

 

bit of a shame you can't try Stormalong.

 

one of their versions is at least an equal match to French cider.

 

and I do like French cider.

[weinoo]

30 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:

I think it’s hard to compete with a classic breton or normand cider. That’s the reference for me as I like a rustic, dry style. 

 

You must be from France 😉 .  I really like those cidres, as well as Basque sagardoa. Some nice funkiness there.

[FrogPrincesse]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

bit of a shame you can't try Stormalong.

 

one of their versions is at least an equal match to French cider.

 

and I do like French cider.

If I see it in the store I will grab a can, for sure. I always like to try new stuff.

[weinoo]

So we each drank a can of Johnny Mash Original Cider last night.  Too sweet for us.