CRAB APPLE CIDERS: Made featuring, or with at least 50 percent, crab apples. Put them in your basket and check out.
Art+Science 2016 Little Apples
This Oregon winery/cidery hybrid produces this cider exclusively from high acid, tannic and foraged crab apples and other “little apples” in the Willamette Valley. Left to ferment by wild yeast in old French oak, the result is floral, sharp and driven by red fruit. | 7% ABV | 750ml | $20
Nine Pin Cider Crimson Gold
Crimson Gold crabs are co-fermented with sour cherry skins and aged for over a year. Tartness is upfront and center, with a fuller body of mineral, tropical fruits and zippy acidity. Try pairing this with the grilled veggies and pickled cherry salad on pg. TK. | 6.5% ABV | 22oz | $11
Good Intent Cider Wickson
Another single varietal sipper, this is also the Pennsylvania cidery’s first solo variety bottling. And rightly so, taking this fairly edible apple’s confectionary aromas and melding it with plenty of tart astringency. Get some sharp cheddar and enjoy. | 9% ABV | 750ml | $16
Dragon’s Head Cider Columbia Crabapple
Not this Vashon, Washington, makers’ first rodeo with fermenting crab apples, this varietal cider is one of the “sweeter” iterations from the island-based cidery. Fruit-forward with plenty of bold acid and tang that crabs are praised for. | 6.7% ABV | 750ml | $15
Meriwether Cider Co. Heritage Crab Apple
Fresh-pressed Northwest apples are blended with Dolgo crab apples — known for their beautiful skin color, slightly stained flesh and rich flavor — and the combination does not disappoint with this juicy and bright cider from the Garden City, Idaho, maker. | 7.4% ABV | 22oz | $13
Liberty Ciderworks Manchurian Crabapple SV
Warning: this cider is still and dangerously delicious with a higher ABV that sneaks up on you without you noticing. Teeny, tiny Manchurian crabs are fermented to dark stone-fruited refinement, finishing lush and zipped up with acid. | 12.5% ABV | 375ml | $14
This article first ran in Vol. 11 of Cidercraft magazine. For the full story and more like it, click here.
