What-What?! Week of February 11th

Alright, so this week let's talk about hard cider.  Now my husband can't drink beer, as the hops makes him sick, so I don't have any in my house.  On account of this, it's all hard cider, wine, and spirits, with hard cider being what we drink most often.

Last week, the husband and I picked up some new cider from a local liquor store (the nearest Bevmo is in Seattle or Redmond -- too far), because we wanted to try something new.

I like my hard ciders on the dry side; many ciders are way, way too sweet for me.  Beyond that, I like a nice, full-bodied cider with a lot of apple flavor.

Angry Orchard Old Fashioned
From the manufacturer: The Old Fashioned is made with a blend of American apples and is aged on oak with dried tart cherries, California grown navel orange peel, and charred bourbon barrel staves, offering citrus and cherry aromas with a bright apple flavor and slight vanilla notes. It has lasting tannins and a full, round mouthfeel.

In Short: Current favorite

In Long: This is my current favorite hard cider; it's a nice balance of not-too-sweet, not-too-dry.  The oaky-woodiness is a lovely counter to the apple flavor.  Wish you could taste the orange and cherry a bit more, though.


Washington Gold Cider Golden Delicious
From the manufacturer: Bright and crisp with a touch of golden sweetness, our Golden Delicious Cider is the first flavor we’ve offered in 12 ounce cans. Let yourself be transported back to a time when classic apple varieties dotted the orchards and crisp, sweet apples were the afternoon snack of choice.

In Short: Bit too sweet, very nice apple flavor; second favorite

In Long: This is my current second favorite, and has the best apple flavor of anything on this list -- it really is very reminiscent of fresh apples.  It is a bit too sweet, but honestly when you have it with a meal, it's perfectly fine.  I would really like to try this company's original variety, but I don't recall having had seen it at the store.  The apples for this cider are grown north of Wenatchee, right on the edge of the Wenatchee National Forest.


Tieton Cider Works Apricot Cider
From the manufacturer: Crisp apple cider infused with just the perfect amount of apricot. Expect a perfect level of apple tartness coupled by the dry and fresh flavors of apricot. The marriage of these two fruits makes for the perfect cider. Not too sweet, yet not too dry – perfectly balanced.

In Short: Nice apricot flavor, quite dry

In Long: This is a local brand, made from apples grown in the Yakima valley.  It is quite a bit dryer than anything else on this list, but has a really lovely flavor.  I would prefer something a bit sweeter, but overall this is perfectly drinkable.


Angry Orchard Green Apple
From the manufacturer: Angry Orchard Green Apple has a bright, fresh apple aroma, with notes of honeydew melon and kiwi. This cider is slightly tart with balanced sweetness, reminiscent of a fresh green apple.

In Short: WTH happened to it?!

In Long:  I could swear up and down that Angry Orchard changed the flavoring for this cider.  It used to be my favorite before their Old Fashioned variety, but we picked up a case recently, and it's actually pretty gross.  We used to like this one specifically because it wasn't as sweet as Angry Orchard's main cider variety (Crisp Apple), and had a mild green apple flavor.  Now, it's like eating green apple candy -- has that fake flavor, and is much too sweet.

What-What?! Week of February 4th

It's been pretty quiet around here; life's been routine.

Last night, though, the husband and I went on a date.  We hit up a local liqueur store and picked a variety of hard ciders to try (more on that next week!), bought some furniture from Goodwill, and had dinner out.  Which brings me to...

Jeff's Texas-Style BBQ Review

This is a little hole-in-the-wall place at the southern end of town, but well worth visiting.  Getting there early is important; they start cooking in the morning, and when the BBQ is gone, it's gone for the day.  When we got there at about 6 o'clock, they had already run out of sausage for the day, but luckily still had brisket and pulled pork.  So we ordered a combination of:

• Pulled pork
• Brisket
• Potato salad
• Brisket baked beans

Both of our meats were delicious, though in my opinion the brisket beat the pulled pork soundly.  It was so good.  I wish we could've tried the sausage, as that is made fresh everyday and varies by day depending on what's available.

Now, I'm pretty picky when it comes to potato salad; too much dressing or too much sugar are the most egregious offenses, but happily this one had neither.  While it could've used some dill pickle, overall is was perfectly fine.

The last side we had was the brisket baked beans; I have never had baked beans like this.  It had large chunks of brisket, and of all things, small pieces of pineapple.  It had a great mix of sweet, peppery-spiciness, and acidity.  To me, the brisket and these beans were the stars of the meal; it is going to change how we make our own baked beans, for sure.

Unfortunately, we got the small meals, so between the two of us eating, there wasn't any leftovers.  Next time, we'll probably pick up large meals, or if we're feeding the family, buy it by the pound.

Either way, we are going back.