FH CIDERS: DESCRIPTIONS
Farnum Hill Ciders are dry and complex. Here on the hill grow true cider apples of English, French, and American origin. Cider apples, though nasty eaten fresh, produce gorgeous aromas, flavors and sensations after respectful fermentation and blending. New Hampshire weather seems to concentrate the flavors of certain English, European, and New World cider apples growing in our rocky clay soils.
Sparkling (gently): Farnum Hill Farmhouse Farnum Hill Semi-Dry Farnum Hill Extra Dry Farnum Hill Summer Cider
Still (no bubbles): Farnum Hill Extra Dry Still Farnum Hill Kingston Black, ’11 Harvest
Unpredictable: Farnum Hill Dooryard
They can suggest cornucopias of fruit flavor, without sweetness. (‘Fruity’ and ‘sweet’ are different.) It’s best not to seek ‘apple’ in our ciders, any more than you’d hunt for ‘grape’ in a good wine (or ‘grain in a good beer, for that matter.) The sugars in these apples generally yield alcohol levels of 6.5-8.5% by volume. (Most dry grape wines contain between 11% and 15% alcohol.)
Tannins are probably the most surprising feature of our ciders, because so many people learn that wine tannins come from grape skins, and therefore expect blond beverages to contain no tannins. Bittersweet and bittersharp cider apples contain potent tannins all the way through, as the first startling bite proves. So here you have a clear golden fermented beverage with certain antioxidant and flavor properties that most people associate with dark red fermented beverages. Thanks again, Ms. Nature.
Serving Temperature: Given their tannic structure and bouquet of sensory delights, we recommend serving our ciders at red wine temperatures, 55-ish Fahrenheit. (The recommended “room temperature” for red wines was phrased in the days before central heating.)
To Open: For the still ciders, use a corkscrew. The sparklers open easily: undo the wire hood and twist out the cork with a genial pop. Cider pressure won’t scar the ceiling.
