It’s not often that I have a cider that really blows me away the way a top-notch beer does, but this cider is quite remarkable. Farnum Hill makes some great ciders, but this batch of Dooryard is a standout, even for them.
What really stands out with this cider for me, is that for all the complexity the apple character is always at the forefront. A big turnoff for a lot of dry ciders I’ve tried is that they seem more like a dry wine first, without much apple behind it. This is definitely apple-first and something I want to put down in quantity
The nose is clean apple, with bright citrus and background notes of pear and floral aromas. On the palate, you get off-dry sweetness with moderate tannins and bright acidity. The acidity is clean citrus, yet soft, and well-balanced by tannin. It almost reminds me of a softer gueuze, minus the funk.
The apple flavor never disappears from beginning to end, with notes of lemonade, passionfruit and SweetTarts coming in and out. The body is fairly thin, but the tannins and prickly carbonation keep it from being watery. The finish is drying, with lingering acidity and apple skin.
I think this batch is in pretty short supply, but if you see this in a NH state liquor store I would snap it up right away. Great stuff!
