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I am a side cider connoisseur and when I saw Ogopogo was launching a line, I knew I would be trying them. And I decided to start with this highest price entry in their range. Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrel aged. And though, I generally prefer “clean”, plain cider. This is a really well balanced drink. It is more barrel than bourbon to me, the cider shines through and it still has enough bubbles in it to make it a bit crisp as well.
Angelenos have a new spot for cider tucked away near Hollywood in the enclave known as Virgil Village. Alma’s Cider & Beer, like everyone else, is to-go for now but peruse their menu HERE, maybe you will find a nice sparkling cider for New Years.
If you haven’t had cider that has been aged in a spirit barrel, well, you are missing out on a unique flavor pairing. You can see what apples and Heaven Hill bourbon barrels can do together with this new release from Ogopogo Brewing.
CAMRA wants to educate us on British Cider through the years. Their books division is Kickstarter-ing a “book that will look at how cider has formed an integral part of the UK’s landscape, with a heritage dating back at least 2,000 years. Today, cider faces a new change in the drinking landscape of Britain — the rise of craft and modern, discerning drinkers with different needs, habits and spending opportunities.”
Those choosing to crowdfund Cider “the book for £15 to demonstrate interest in the subject, which will also give them the opportunity to take part in a personal online tasting, and get limited edition T-shirts and signed editions of the new title.”
Lastly, CAMRA adds, “This is a unique opportunity for CAMRA books to gauge interest prior to a book’s publication, which can, in turn, allow us to offer a far wider selection of books in the future and potentially increase our publishing portfolio.”
There are quite few breweries in the cider space, but maybe it is time to let a winemaker in. I have had a few Thacher wines and their spread in Paso Robles is so calming. And if we get back on track by June next year, maybe I will be buying wine and cider.
San Gabriel based Ogopogo Brewing is branching out, so to speak, into Dry Apple Cider. And try as I might, I cannot see any mythical monsters on the label. Perhaps I am not seeing the orchard for the trees. Hopefully this will be available for pick-up at the brewery soon so I can investigate the art more.
Been on a bit of a kick of books by food people with pretty uncompromising views and Uncultivated is the tip of that particular spear.
Author Brennan walks his path and when it comes to apples and cider, it is a specific path. He grudgingly accepts that others have their way but as you read his book about his journey from NYC to a Cidery named after Aaron Burr, well you have to just go with it. Part philosophy, part natural agriculture, and all learning, this book really takes you into the mind and that explains why Brennan does what he does and why he does it in his own way.
I can sense that many readers of this book are either of this group or not but I would recommend setting aside what you know and add this information to your brain. I did not like Brennan early in this book, but as I turned the pages, I found a lot of practical information. And by the end, I really wanted to taste his cider.
I decided to chaffeur my wife into her job on a recent Saturday and used the time to hit a couple spots in Long Beach. One was Beachwood Blendery and the other is the new (a couple months old) Ficklewood Ciderworks. I will write more in depth about it for Food GPS next month but suffice it to say that they had two hopped ciders that actually were both hoppy and apple-y at the same time. So, I recommend heading out there. Bonus points is that it is next to a Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.
The last time that I was in Portland, I had a spirit-ed doughnut from Blue Star, the Portland chain that also has locations right here in Los Angeles.
Maybe Portland Cider will sell this “inspired by” cider down here to combine forces in SoCal too.
