It is common to associate carbonation with the crisp refreshing taste of a good cider. But, there are some ciders out there that ditch the bubbles and focus solely on the apples, especially those made in traditional, English-style. Although still ciders are few and far between compared to the amount of naturally sparkling or carbonated ciders on the market, we’ve found five still ciders to savor.
Castle Hill Cider Gravity || Keswick, VA || Gravity from this northern Virginia cidery is one of the seven ciders produced by this historic estate. It is one of the two still ciders that they offer. In addition to Gravity, Castle Hill produces Black Twig another still cider. Grimes Golden apples are used in the Gravity Cider, resulting in a juicy profile with vanilla and white flower nodes.
Slyboro Ciderhouse Night Pasture || Granville, NY || Slyboro Ciderhouse produces four different ciders, with Night Pasture being the only still cider in their repertoire. Made from Golden Delicious, English Bittersweet and Northern Spy apples, this cider was named for the estate’s oldest orchard where, at the end of the work day, the original farmers of the property would let their cattle out. This dry cider finishes with hints of caramel and spice.
Eve’s Cidery 2014 Albee Hill 2014 || Van Etten, NY || With only 226 cases bottled, the Albee Hill from Eve’s Cidery is a hot commodity. Orchardists of dessert and cider apple varieties along with a variety of tree fruit, Eve’s also uses méthode champenoise to get the bubbles into their other ciders. This still cider has a dry finish and tastes of ripe apples, green apricots and oregano.
Washington Gold Cider Heritage || Chelan, WA || Washington Gold Cider in Chelan makes their cider using only apples grown on their family-owned farm in central Washington state’s Chelan Valley. The Original, The Cherry and The Heritage are the three main products they offer, with the Heritage living up to its name as one that shows the pure story of the cidery—still, smooth with dazzling acid to boot.
Farnum Hill Ciders Extra Dry Still || Lebanon, NH || The Extra Dry Still cider from Farnum Hill Ciders in New Hampshire embodies everything a still cider should be. No bubbles? Check. No extra sugar? Check. Fermented from late harvest, estate cider apples? Check. The Extra Dry Still has a wide range of aromatic fruit flavors that are not interrupted by unnecessary carbonation.
