Sows Ear Sparkling Cider

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

Yellow with a slight chill haze. Fresh, appley nose with a slight leathery accent. Bone dry, with a faint fruitiness.

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.

Merritt Island Throwdown, thanks CheeseMan! Warm honey color with nice foamy white head. Astringent nose of apple brandy, chardonnay, biscuity. Fizzy, thin palate. Dry apple skin and seed flavors. Nice tartness.

750ml bottle from Porterhouse; Nose of dark red apples with a light tart note; clear dark gold with a huge four finger head that quickly disapates to a quarter inch then lasts; flavor is tart apples with an acidic note; very dry and tart.

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.

Deep gold with a quickly dissapating white head. Aroma is sweet red apples with a light tartness. Taste is reasonably tart, with light apple and heavy carbonation.

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. Clear light yellow color, loose white foam top. Crisp, fresh cut apples, light spice, slight alcohol. Refreshing light taste, lasting crisp, tart finish. Alcohol very well-hidden.