It’s becoming less of a rarity to see hopped ciders across the country, from the variation’s native Oregon to Virginia and Michigan. However, the odds are sparse for finding a traditional method sparkling hopped cider. Enter MAWBY, the Great Lakes State’s resident house of bubbles that recently swooped onto the cider scene. Twenty-two years of making méthode champenoise wines — the traditional method of France’s Champagne region — set up this maker for success, fermenting prized Leelanau County, Michigan, apples into ciders with both elegant mouthfeel and creativity in flavors.
The Century puts those components nicely in one bottled package: locally grown Centennial hops are added into the cider’s final dosage (addition of sweet juice that ferments into more natural carbonation) and the finished product is aged in bottle for 100 days. Danky hop aromas spill out into the glass upon opening but — if that isn’t your jam — fragrant white flowers and citrus zest develop with air. Delicate bubbles kiss your lips as the pine, zest and Granny Smith flavors flush onto the palate, leaving light, bright and crisply dry.
