Impeared and Pressed for Cold Cider

Impeared and Pressed for Cold Cider
Almost two decades ago, I went to Yorkshire to visit a friend who adored cider. In three weeks, I estimated we had consumed over 60 pints of cider and dozens of shandy's at the pubs. I always ordered bitter shandy's, a mixture of bitter pale ale and lemonade. I took away a fondness for cider back to the States. Unfortunately, my domestic choices were not very delicious or authentic.

That changed when a gentleman by the name of Joe Heron, started a small cidery in Northern California in the Normandy-style in 1998. This artisan operation is known as Crispin, and there is a secondary company brand of specialty pear ciders known as Fox Barrel. Both are fantastic examples of taking traditional drinks in Europe and making them intrinsically American.

I recently met the Southwestern Sales Manager named Luke Adinolfi at a wine shop in Scottsdale. This New Jersey native was far from home in the Sonoran Desert, but I quickly learned he had a true passion for his fine product line. Not so far fetched for a Jersey Boy to have a passion for the alcoholic libations of apples, after all, as Laird's Applejack was distilled in Scobeyville, New Jersey since 1780.

Luke and I went through some great ciders, and I tasted through the following types and bottlings:

Crispin Original: The crisp,refreshing hard cider
Crispin Honey Crisp: Unfiltered, smooth,and creamy made with honey
Crispin Lansdowne: Unfiltered, Irish Stout yeast and organic molasses
Crispin Brownslane: The only imported Crispin product (an English classic dry cider)
Fox Barrel Pacific Pear: Just the pear necessities! 100% pear juice naturally fermented
Fox Barrel Blackberry Pear: A delicious blackberry-infused pear cider

The last product I tasted was the amazing and creative Crispin "the Jacket", which was by far my favorite. It is a blend of 4 apple wines aged in Jack Daniels barrels. The flavor was uniquely old fashioned and rustic and reminiscent of some cloudy Basque sidras from San Sebastian. If you had a shot of Jack, and then drank it and then poured Basque sidra in the same emptied Sour Mash glass...that best describes the unique and fascinating cider by Crispin. Hell, Jack Daniels himself would've loved the stuff!

I cannot wait to see what innovative ciders and delicious variations come from the Crispin orchard presses.