THE VAS BLOG – INSIGHTS ON THE ART OF DRINKING
It’s pretty darn hot outside. While I am well known for extolling the virtues of beer for all occasions, I was thoroughly upbraided by my sister-in-law for neglecting some of the other superb choices in the drink-world that let us unwind from the heat of the long summer days. With her inspiration, I will digress into the world of cider.
When you hear cider, you probably think apples, and therefore fall. And you’d be right in your initial inclination, because apples are harvested in the fall. There’s no reason, however, that you need to constrain your consumption to autumn. After all, you don’t drink wine only in the season that the grapes are harvested, right? Same logic applies in this case.
Hard Cider isn’t only made from fermented apple juice. Other fruit, such as pear, is also commonly used. Like beer, hard cider also comes in a variety of styles, and ranges in taste from super dry to syrupy sweet. Like wine, the type of fruit used (in the case of apple cider, even the type of apple) will make a huge difference in the overall flavor of the drink.
Cider is a classically American experience. Until prohibition, this was a huge drink in America, from the times of the colonists onwards. In New England, apple trees grew prodigiously, and their harvest contributed to the brewing of apple cider. Cider only began to dip in popularity towards the end of the 19th century, when beer made huge inroads intoAmerica along with waves of immigrants coming in fromGermany and Bohemia.
In the last few years, as the popularity of Hard Cider has grown, the available brands have as well. Some of the more popular ones include Woodchuck, which carries a variety of different styles, Crispin, Strongbow and Angry Orchard.
We’ve got all of these available, and I will happily vouch for the pleasant experience of cracking open a cold bottle of cider on a hot day. Have a great week, everyone. As always, if you have any questions about anything I’ve written, or even general questions about anything else, please feel free to email me at george@vasforemost.com, tweet us: @vasforemost, or give us a call at (773) 278-9420.