Cider

AS COMMONWEALTH-IAN AS APPLE PIE

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As Matt’s Meals fans know, I am a BIG cider fan who has been fortunate enough to find favorites far and wide- from Austin Eastciders in TX to Champlain Orchards and Stowe Cider in VT to Angry Orchard, Nine Pin, Hudson North, and Left Bank in upstate NY (not to mention Canada’s Sober Carpenter for when I want the flavor without the fuzzy feeling), I am blessed with an international menu of apple-based awesomeness!

While these brands are all worth reaching out for, living in MA, I am all the more blessed to be able to reach just a bit past my front door to find great ciders as well. While I have long sung the praises of Harpoon’s offerings, I am also a fan of my cider-savvy neighbors at Downeast and Stormalong.

As our area has so many great apple varieties, it is great to see how Downeast avoids filtering their ciders and adds instead of taking away. While I often enjoy their blackberry and strawberry ciders, as someone who still drinks syrup straight, I have been especially enamored with their maple waffle cider, but always look forward to the next addition to their offerings.

As they are just a few towns away in Sherborn, Stormalong is another recurrent go-to- And with good reason! From their Boston Heirloom and Blue Hill unfiltered option to their Mass Appeal and Massive Appeal imperial, the Stormalong team knows how to pay tribute to their Nor-easter roots. And their Berry Perry and Light of the Sun varieties introduce other fruit flavors without stepping on any apples.

So the next time you want locally-sourced refreshment, raise a cider to your Commonwealth and common health and enjoy the local bounty in a can. 

https://downeastcider.com / https://www.stormalong.com/

IMPERIAL DESTROYERS

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As I have been writing about music and food for so many years, Austin has become a second home. 

And just as I love ciders from Champlain Orchards, Stormalong, Harpoon, Nine Pin, Hudson North, Left Bank, and Angry Orchard in this area, I LOVE Austin East Ciders anywhere I can get them!

While I have long been a fan of their Texas honey and fruit-based ciders (especially those featuring lemon and ginger, blackberry, and other flavors I have not tasted at other cideries), as I enjoy them so much, I have recently found my way to their 100-calorie light ciders which also offer great fruit taste and feature combinations like blueberry yuzu and cucumber agave that are as deliciously weird as the city itself!

While the lower-calorie varieties are every bit as delicious and refreshing as anything else in the East Ciders line (which is saying something!), I have also been indulging in the 8% ABV line of Imperial ciders, which includes a juicy tropical punch and the latest edition- a Mosaic hops-based dry cider.

Not only do these new additions to Austin East Cider’s impressive and expansive (but all equally high-quality) menu taste amazing, but their red, green, and gold color scheme are perfect for the holidays (though I cannot wait that long!).

Speaking of the season so giving, in addition to providing some of the tastiest ciders around, Austin East Ciders also uses proceeds from their sales to support not-for-profit organizations in the Austin area, including many that support animals and artists, children and students, and the environment. As global warming has become such an issue in the South, it is more important than ever for everyone to do what they can to fight the heat- and not just with cold beverages. Fortunately, Austin East Ciders has that down cold as well!

www.austineastciders.com

WINE-DING YOUR WAY THROUGH SUMMER

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As his recent Wednesday night wine pairings have proven so popular, Harvard Square’s resident hospitality guru and wine expert Bertil Jean-Chronberg (who also enjoys a following around the world) is again expanding the offerings at his food and wine emporium Bonde (again with an “e”). 

Having kicked off with a French food-filled Bastille Day party on July 14, Bonde will host special tastings for eight people every other Wednesday through September 27, from 7-8:30 PM that will feature flights from some of the world’s finest organic and biodynamic wineries paired with sushi, sausages, French baked goods, and, of course, fromage.

As a proud native Frenchman who has worked in hospitality for 40 years, Bertil knows a great deal about food and wine and even more about how to make guests comfortable and to share his vast knowledge in a comfortable, convivial way that edifies even the most experienced imbiber. That is surely why his events continue to prove so popular and why it would be wise to register soon at www.bondewines.com and to keep an eye not only on his event calendar but his legendary wine publication, Zero-Two-Wine-Three-Eight (which is a well-poured pun on Bonde’s zip code) and other community-serving programs like the Black Donkey project that helps children in need.

Speaking of events, Bonde will also be hosting weekly wine garden parties no Sundays from 11-5 where guests can take in the Tour de France and tours of Harvard while enjoying wines from various regions (including New England on August 6!).

No matter when you go, it is always wine o’clock at Bonde and that is a wine-derful thing! www.bondewines.com

A Lone Star on the Cider Shelf

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As a fan of music and food, one of my favorite places to visit is Austin, TX. From beef ribs to fried chicken to donuts, Austin has some of my favorite places for some of my favorite foods. 

Though I miss the 6th Street scene sorely whenever I come home, I can take solace in the fact that I can always enjoy whatever food I am enjoying at home with a li’l taste of TinTin, thanks to the folks at Austin Eastciders.

Though I first fell in love with their fruit-forward flavors like pineapple and blackberry and their best-of-both-worlds hopped cider, I quickly expanded my repertoire (and my refrigerator) to include such sweet and satisfying southern sippers as the Sangria cider, the fresh and fruity light cider series (which ranges in tasty tastes from the spa-tastic cucumber agave and brunch-y mango mimosa to juicy strawberry lemonade and desert-dry Texas Brut) and the TX honey type (which has since been joined by a can that carries Mike’s hot honey as well!).

New this year (and for obvious reasons) is AEC’s limited-edition 10 Year Anniversary cider and a pair of powerful (as in 8.3&% ABV) “Imperial” ciders that are royally good! The Imperial Gold variety is surely worth more than a lone star and the Tropical Punch (which blends AEC’s Imperial Cider base with a passion fruit, orange, and guava juice) packs a punch as well!

As with so many of my favorite food-makers, AEC gives back to my second-favorite city that rhymes with “Coston” through their Austin Eastciders Cares programs that donates proceeds to nonprofit organizations on both sides of the Red River (and even helps keep the river itself clean!). As good as all that is, the best thing that AEC gives to the community is some of the most creative and refreshing ciders on either side of the Mississippi (but preferably the east side). Though the city may have limits, the deliciousness of Austin’s best ciders do not!

https://austineastciders.com

Take your pick from Champlain Orchards

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Though apple picking season may be a bit behind us, that does not mean it is too late for great cider (as if it were ever!).

That is why I was so excited to hear all that is going on in one of my favorite cider sources- Champlain Orchards!

While they are celebrating 25 years under the same name and family ownership, Champlain is far from resting on their laurels. These days they are growing over 150 different kinds of apples (did you know there WERE so many?!) as well as a massive mix of pears, plums, cherries, and more! After every harvest, the Champlain team sell some of this premiere produce directly and making amazing ciders and other tasty treats out of the rest.

Recently, the Orchard started tapping into their sugar maple trees in order to add organic maple products to the mix to make such sweet stuff as a a maple cider syrup that is truly the best of both worlds!

Among my favorites of their ecologically-processed products are such Good Food and other award-winners like their Mac & Maple (which is reminiscent of their amazing new cider syrup), their cider-Sangria mashup called Sidria, the Honeycrisp ice cider, and their sugar-free selections like their top-selling Kingston Dry that are great refreshers after a day of shoveling (or not).

Though Champlain distributes throughout the region, a visit to their Shoreham, VT, mothership will be made all the sweeter with the opening of their new Cider Garden, which offers full pours, small bites, fire pits, lawn games, and plenty of pick-your-own pleasure!

Champlain Orchards has long been a favorite, but as they continue to expand their offerings, I hope that I do not fall behind trying them all. 

I will surely enjoy the effort!

www.champlainorchards.com

HOLDAYS AT HAYMARKET

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Now that we are (hopefully) visiting others for the holidays it is time once again to get gifts for them all!

As usual, our friends at Boston Public Market have everything we (and everyone we know) could ask for…and more!

From gifts to groceries and treats to trimming, BPM makes holiday prep easy. And not only will you be helping the Market’s marvelous makers, you will also be supporting area entrepreneurs through the “Market on a Mission” non-profit program as well.

As part of its December Happenings series, the Market is hosting such special events as Pine Bar tap takeover featuring Shelburne, VT’s Fiddlehead Beer on December 22, a visit from Frosty the Snowman December 18, and a Holiday CrEATor Market (with an emphasis on the “E A T”) every weekend right up until Christmas Eve! There will also be a sleigh-full of tours, tastings, and classes, including pasta ornament making with Seven Hills Pasta December 17, ornament decorating with Laurel Greenfield Art December 20, and a coffee tasting with George Howell on the 23rd that will help you power through the final shopping days and get ready for what is sure to be a great holiday (or at least better than last year)!

No matter when you visit, there are always plenty of pretty and practical pieces from the enviro-conscious crafters of Peterman’s Board and Bowls, American Stonecraft, and the ever-able artists at HOPe Unlimited. If you have already finished your holiday shopping (as if!), you can still enjoy local legends like Beantown Pastrami, Crescent Ridge ice cream, Red’s Best seafood, and the ever-popular gift-makers at Q’s Nuts (as well as bagels from Bagel Guild for those who prefer to shmear through the snow).

Whether you need gifts for others or a well-deserved treat for yourself, Boston Public Market is always ready to deliver. And as we prepare to give to others we love, a visit to the Market is a great opportunity to also give to some of our most creative our friends and neighbors as well!

www.bostonpublicmarket.org