Vander Mill’s Too Gold is a bit of a rare bird. Using a blend of Grimes Golden, Golden Russet and GoldRush apples, the varieties are fermented and aged separately in American white oak, then melded together in the final blend. As a result, the Michigan-based cidery has created a cider that is not shy to fly the coop when it comes to conventional American standards of the drink. Embracing the farmhouse aromas of yeast, barnyard funk and aged cheese typical of a Belgian-style ale, inviting notes of vanilla, oak and juicy golden apple make sipping this cider duck soup. Reflections of the barrels reveal wood-spiced tannin, while the ripe flavors of the apples bring acidity and shape to the nutty finish. Not for the chicken-livered, Vander Mill’s Too Gold would excel next to an aged blue cheese, but, for extra idiom points, would also pair well with an oilier poultry such as duck or goose.
