Heritage isn’t just a type of cider apple or variation of ferment for the team at Embark Craft Ciderworks — it is a duty. Fifth-generation New York farmer Jake Lagoner and fellow farm-enthused native Chris Gowan strive to honor the land their families have ties to in the ciders they produce, from Old World-inspired bottlings to innovative cannings with rhubarb, blueberry and Cascade hops. From the limited release portfolio, The Crab Series Vol. No. 1 blends three different tangy and textural crab apples with fruit-forward, juicy Tolman Sweets and ripe Rome Beauty apple. A diligent example of what the duo is growing, the cider boasts notes of apple skin, red apple and golden raisin, with vigorous acid and comforting tannins that hug the mid-palate and release in the finish, leaving your mouth watering. Detailed and complex, this is the cider to pair with grill-charred steak.
