Sows Ear Sparkling Cider

Brewed by Sows Ear Winery
Style: Cider
Brooksville, Maine USA

Courtesy TheCheeseman. Pours a clear yellow gold, with a bubbly white head. Smells of fresh sweet apple orchards, and maybe a little pear in there too. Not overly perfumatic or stinging. The flavor is mostly of apples as expected, but maybe on the mild blander side. Doesnt taste nearly as heavy opn alcohol as the 10% would suggest, so if its true, they masked it wonderfully. Decent cider, but could use an energy boost.

Courtesy TheCheeseMan. Pours a clear, medium golden color. Lively carbonation bubbles stream towards the surface, pooling into a fizzy, persistent head. Thin looking body. The nose shows fresh red and green apples and pears, leaning towards the tart side more so than sweet. The flavor follows suit, with tart orchard fruits coming across dry and very nearly sour. Lighter bodied, with a lively carbonation, this one feels light and fizzy in the mouth. Finishes bone dry. Overall, a decent sparkling cider, but not something I’d go out of my way to procure again.

Merritt Island Throwdown ’08: Bottle, courtesy TheCheeseMan. Pours a golden reddish color, with a fizzy head and no lacing at all. Sharp tartness in the nose, with big apple and some watermelon. Big sour cider flavor, with a mellow finish. Very true to the sparkling name; very well-carbonated and refreshing to drink. Balanced well. Impossible to believe this is 10%, there’s just no way.

Courtesy of TheCheeseman, I think. Pours a light copper color with no head. Aroma is mostly apple. Tastes almost like champagne. Apple is mostly what I get out of this. Palate is a little dry, with nice carbonation. Alcohol is masked perfectly. I would not think this would have been 10%.

(750 ml bottle from the cidery) Pours clear and roughly the color of apple juice with lots of effervescence. Tall very fizzy off white head dissipates very quickly. Aroma of tart and sour apple and yeast, mild funk. Mouthfeel light, quite effervescent, actually quite soda pop-like until it settles down. Dry, but not as dry as their still cider. Flavor is tart and sour apple, hints of yeast and very slight cheesiness. A bit stronger apple flavor (less yeasty) and a bit of sweetness that the still doesn’t have. This is nice but I think I give a slight edge to the still for its more earthy, rustic character.

2007 750mL corked/caged bottle consumed on 4/28/07
Yes, Yes, Yes!! This is incredible beer #2 on my recent weekend in Maine. If you don’t know Maine, it’s usually few and far between to even find 1 great Maine beer any time I go up (not counting Allagash). So this was a treat...
White head is very aerated and quickly fades to partial cover, leaving strong legs on the glass. Lovely, bright clarity, with a true golden color and very fine carbonation. Looks just like champagne...
Hell yes. Lacto and brett in the nose are joined by an intensely crisp, dry, heavily attenuated apple note with some mineral notes, a bit of farm character and an ever-so-slight oily oak character. No off-notes whatsoever, no diacetyl or green apple (haha, I guess acetyldehyde would be difficult to detect in the nose of a cider). Very strong and quite lambic-like, reminding me also very much of Dupont ciders. The lacto is noted initially, though it is quite reserved and rather cheesey/soft. Brett comes on through the middle, also rather light, adding a delicious, semi-tart fruitiness. Appleskins and moderate malic acid hang on the end. Very high strength of aroma, no alcohol noted, impressively (not even any warming).
Brett is strong in the flavor, mixing with the apple notes which are staunchly dry (bone dry) and yet still give some juiciness. An interesting flavor that I can best describe as "heavy white pepper mixed with cedar" is omnipresent (a phenolic compound maybe?) and gives a chewiness in concert with the oak tannin, on the finish. But it’s a minute or so before I even note the oak. Delightfully reserved, it lets the apples do the talking (though they have plenty of help from the wild yeast). So ya, a lot like Dupont stuff, though this one seemed a little bit more reserved in flavor overall, with lots more crispness and dryness. Not as thoroughly rich as the true French ciders. But every bit as enjoyable, I thought. Carbonation and mouthfeel are akin to a champagne, not a lambic. Alcohol shockingly well-concealed.