Flag Hill Farm Vermont Sparkling Hard Cyder

Brewed by Flag Hill Farm
Style: Cider
Vershire, Vermont USA

Nov 2001: Superb champagne-like drink with powerful apple-wine aroma and intense semi-sweet flavor. Not as dry or winelike as its non-sparkling labelmate, it is the standard to which all ciders will have to measure up to in my future tastings.

April 2004, post TAP NY tasting. Now I notice the gueuze-like, sour character; now also I have had many ciders to compare. This is still the best, dry, complex and difficult...not for the faint of heart or those who think Woodchuck sets the standard.

Noted a bit of oxidation that if anything, added more depth and pungency. Sour, yeasty moss aroma. Maybe brets as well. Funky, yet bright. Flavor was that of muted Granny Smith apples with some thyme and rosemary. Beware invisible alcohol...This brewery should try making lambic, I think they would excell. Artisanal skill evident. Thanks so much Barry!

Poured from a bottle to a flute glass. Yellow and hazy with a champagne like head to it (i.e. fizzy). Aroma of a mixture of apples, wood, and farm. Taste once again of a variety of apples with a tart but sweet finish. A dry lingering that could be connected to the yeast and apple choice most likely. Overall a very good cider or cyder that is more American then most people think, but either way a delicious choice of drink for the thanksgiving holidays.

Vintage 2002: Whitish straw color. Crackling bubbles subside to a wispy white ring. Intensely musty aroma with notes of green raisins, honeysuckle, bandage, and rich apple must. Becomes firmly stonelike and perfumey with a heavy swirl of the glass. Spritzy carbonation, yet remarkably feathery with a light fluff on the tongue. Jellyfish feel to the body. Staggering complexity in the flavor with plentiful bandage notes backed with bright, juicy apple must, which temporarily lessens some of the tartness. Mild cellar character coupled with toasty champagne notes. Lovely brett astringency touched with medicine, pear, and a plethora of elegant apple subtleties. Gritty dryness in the finish resurrects the lemony tartness as restrained, spicy alcohol tingles the cheeks amid eternal bandage and perfumey brett notes. Long, focused aftertaste of juicy apple skins and brett. Awe-inspiring creation, courtesy of my friend Muzzlehatch. Wow!

sparkling hazy deep golden. complex aroma of apple, lemon, barnyard and leather. the mouthfeel is full, spritzy and soft all at the same time. crisp sweet apple flavour balanced out with lemony and slight alcohol flavours. a damn fine cider.

Flashy pure shining yellow, fading white head, juicy radioactive golden appearance. Funky yeasty nose reminds of band-aid. Slightly phenolic, spoiled apples, getting farmier as it wars unveiling those horseblanket covers. Very tart in mouth, yet remaining juicy through the strong apple concentration. Still a decent residual sweetness, but the tart apples of many varieties are peely, gueuzy anbd marvellous. High sparkling carbonation, light-medium body, comfortable. Makes me want to fly straight to Normandy on the minute.

Green apple tart-sweet, clean, concentrated. Intensely freshand so artisanal. Clear, sparkling gold, thinnish - exceptionally dry - sour and sweet harmoniously blended - a super treat, and many thanks to Muzzle the cider-bearing guest.

Hazy tan; large apple nose, leather, alcohol. Fizzy but full body. Soft apple tones. Full and fruity - eminently drinkable. Brought me back to Somerset.