A favorite from last summer, Captain Coit returns for the 2019 sunny season courtesy of Connecticut’s Yankee Cider Co. The cidery is an apple venture from the farm-focused team at Staehly Farm Winery in East Haddam. The sustainable, family-owned farm has been growing a variety of fruits on the property since 1985, and launched with a fermented version of its apple crop in 2017. The cidery is housed in a renovated historic barn, nearing its centennial, and is set to complete updates this spring.
In addition to both heritage and culinary apples grown on the farm, blueberries are also a core commodity and made their way into the Captain Coit. Named for the American captain whose “most prized capture was that of a British supply ship loaded down with hard cider,” according to the cider’s label, this sip is built on McIntosh, Golden Delicious and Honeycrisp apples, blended with fresh, farm-grown blueberries. With 3 percent residual sugar, this semisweet cider highlights the fruity, naturally honeyed tones of both the berry and the apples. A mix of tart blueberry and juicy apple max out the nose, then switch positions on the palate with sweet, ripe blueberry and acidic apple to balance.
