I’m always surprised at the creativity coming from the cider world. Whether it’s flavor combinations, or really unique uses of non-traditional ingredients, cider-makers are at the top of their game in 2021.
Today we’ll be sampling our way through four different ciders, and as you’ll see, these are some creative and flavorful ciders. The flavors today come from Stem Ciders in Lafayette, CO. Eric Foster and Phil Kao founded the cidery in 2013 with the goal of reviving the cider tradition. They quickly grew with a cider house in the RiNo district of Denver and The Northern Spy in Durham, NC; and when you get to taste these ciders, I think you’ll see why.
The ciders use as few ingredients as possible and as Stem puts it, “It starts with quality ingredients, and the fewer the ingredients, the closer we are to the apple. We use fresh pressed full juice from whole, ripe fruit. We promise to create craft ciders that showcase the individual qualities of the fruit available here in the U.S.: from the Michigan apples that are at the heart of L’Acier and Le Chêne to the crab apples from the Western Slope that put the pucker in our Crabby Neighbor. From our first batch, made with Colorado apples, we’ve been committed to working in close collaboration with growers in our local communities and across the country in ways that are sustainable for our industry and environment and to promote the recultivation of heirloom cider apples.”
I’ll be sampling four ciders today: A Salted Cucumber, Raspberry, Real Dry & Pear and of course I can’t wait to dive in, so off we go.
Stem Cider A Salted Cucumber Apple Cider
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Hard Cider
Packaging: 12oz cans
Appearance: Bright & clear gold
Aroma: Refreshing cucumber & apple
Mouthfeel: Light bodied
Taste: Cucumber, dry apple, floral hops and crisp salt.
Overall: A Salted Cucumber has a really fun and flavorful culinary blend of flavors going on. There are prominent fresh cucumber flavors that are offset nicely by the tart apple, salt and Citra & Cascade hops (yes there are hops on-board) and the combination will leave you wanting another sip (and another sip, and another sip). Overall this cider is really crisp, refreshing and very drinkable.
Stem Cider Pear Apple Cider
ABV: 5.3%
Style: Hard Cider
Packaging: 12oz cans
Appearance: Clear golden-straw
Aroma: Fresh apple and sweet pear
Mouthfeel: Light bodied
Taste: Crisp apple, sweet pear and dry finish.
Overall: Pear Apple Cider plays nicely into my love of fresh juicy pears. The balance of tart apple and sweet pear makes for a really enjoyable sip. The pear flavors really stand out in a good way and the cider has a crisp and somewhat tart finish I really liked. Overall this is a great semi-dry cider combination.
Stem Cider Real Dry Apple Cider
ABV: 6.8%
Style: Hard Cider
Packaging: 12oz cans
Appearance: Bright clear golden
Aroma: Crisp apple and fresh fruit
Mouthfeel: Light bodied & dry
Taste: Fresh apples, more fresh apples and fresh apples.
Overall: Real Dry Apple Cider is the cider you’re looking for if you want fresh apples to take center stage. The cider is really crisp, refreshing and drinkable with a significant dry finish. Overall I like the simplicity and overall drinkability of this cider and I can see where it would be really easy to drink more than one of these.
Stem Cider Raspberry Apple Cider
ABV: 6.7%
Style: Hard Cider
Packaging: 12oz cans
Appearance: Bright orange red
Aroma: Tart apple and raspberry
Mouthfeel: Light bodied & dry
Taste: Tart raspberry and apple with a mild earthy finish.
Overall: Raspberry Apple Cider has a really drinkable mix of tart dry fruit flavors. For me the fresh raspberry flavors lead the way, and the tart apple flavors followed nicely behind. Overall the cider is drinkable, dry, refreshing and it has a nice tart finish I really liked.
Be sure to get out there and try these Stem Ciders for yourself. A Salted Cucumber is available now in 4-packs of 12oz cans and Pear, Real Dry and Raspberry are available in 12-canned in the Stem Cider variety 6-pack. When you do try these ciders, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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