A Fall Update From the Cidery
Happy fall from Seminary Hill! There are a few leaves left on the apple trees. We got our first real snow on November 16. Just a couple of inches this time, but more than flurries.
Up in the Tasting Room and over in the Boarding House, we're hosting our Cider & Harvest Fest this weekend. If this is the first you've heard about it, we're offering it again on Friday, November 25-Sunday, November 27, when you can stay two nights and get the third night free using code FEST when you reserve a stay on our website.
New Ciders in Time for Thanksgiving
Nothing pairs better with the traditional Thanksgiving meal than cider. Although there was probably no cider at the first Thanksgiving feast, apple seeds and small trees did arrive on the Mayflower, making the practice as old as the Thanksgiving tradition itself.
More than that, the combination of acid, fruit, and herbal earthiness is an excellent match for turkey, rich gravy, and herbs.
Our latest shipment includes Sturm und Drang (reserved for Cider Club subscribers), which has those qualities in spades. It's my recommendation for the main meal. It starts with an explosion of fruit that settles into a mild herby bitterness and, finally, taut astringency.
Recapping the Season
Seminary Hill is a terroir-driven cidery. Our cider reflects the particular location of our orchards and cidery in space and time, and 2021 was the wettest year in Callicoon since record-keeping began.
Week after week, we got rain, and not in small amounts. In general, this means that many of the ciders are more delicate in flavor (Sturm und Drang being an exception to that) and also less acidic. One of my favorite things about cider is the refreshing, sometimes bracing quality of a high-acid cider, further accentuated by bubbles.
2021 invited me to go the other way with some of the cider. So, we made two still ciders: low acid and high tannin. These ciders are soft, round, and mouth-filling. They are a little more on the cozy warm blanket side than the bracing side, but they still have plenty going on.
Beechwoods 2021 is dry and unfiltered, with a warm, dark, and cozy feeling with plenty of fruit. Dry Brook is also dry, with a slight prickle of a bubble or two. It's a little brighter but also has plenty of fruit and a satisfying evolution on the palate. I hope you enjoy this different direction that 2021 took us in.
New Cider Tasting Notes
Sturm und Drang: Brilliant, amber, petillant. Chisel Jersey 60%, Harry Master's Jersey, Dabinett, Liberty, Redfield. Nose: Intense aromas of dried apricot, orange, herbs, and brandy. Palate: Expansive apricot, orange, and apple followed by herbal notes and moderate bitterness, ending in pronounced astringency. ABV 8.4%. (Bottles are a Subscriber Exclusive)
Dry Brook 2021: Deep gold, brilliant, still. Golden Delicious 49%, Pseudo Hudson's Golden Gem, Chisel Jersey, Newtown Pippin, ABV 8.3%. Nose: Peach, apple, spice, salt water, floral. Palate: Apricot, spice, bitter, astringent. (Bottles are a Subscriber Exclusive)
Beechwoods 2021: Bronze, cloudy, still. Chisel Jersey 44%, Dabinett, Wickson, Porter's Perfection. ABV 7.7% Unfiltered and dry. Nose: Apricot and jasmine. Palate: Velvety with mild acid, apricot, peach, and minneola. The finish has medium bitterness and generous astringency.
Learn About Our Cider Club Subscriptions
We have a new option just in time for the holidays. You can now give a Seminary Hill Cider Club subscription as a gift. What a perfect way to share the Catskills with friends and family.
One of the best reasons to subscribe today? We reserve new releases throughout the year, such as Sturm und Drang, for subscribers only!
Happy Thanksgiving and happy fall. And, as always, we thank all our visitors, guests, and subscribers! On your next visit, please stop by the cellar, introduce yourself, and look at what we're doing.
Cheers!
Stuart
