Boston’s Hard Cider Scene

[no_toc]One of our cider seekers, Julia, recently made her way out to Boston to explore their cider scene and have a little fun. The trip started on Friday evening with dinner at Pastoral ARTisan Pizza in the Fort Point area for some delicious pizzas and brews. At the time they had Prospect Cider on tap, Bantam Cider’s Wunderkind, and Downeast Cider’s Original Blend, both in cans. The evening ended with a stop just down the road at Coppersmith, where we got to experience the cider of all mixed drinks, “Coppersmith Hard Cider,” a blend of 888 cranberry vodka, apple liqueur, apple cider, Gosling’s ginger beer, lime, caramel, and a cinnamon sugar rim…yum! Let’s explore Boston, MA!

Saturday was a day dedicated to exploring the local cideries. Unfortunately, Prospect Ciderworks and Artifact Cider Project don’t currently have taprooms available to the public, but that didn’t stop us from including them in this article! Bantam Modern American Cider and Downeast Cider House, however, kindly opened their doors and welcomed our (slightly large) group for some tastings and a great time. Before hitting up the two cideries, however, we enjoyed some “Feels Like Home” to kick off the festivities and to honor our friends over at Artifact.

Bantam Cider:

Our first stop for the evening was to Bantam Cider, in Somerville, MA, just north of Boston. Bantam is located at 40 Merriam St, Somerville, MA. They don’t have their own parking lot, but there are plenty of metered public spots on streets nearby. We ended up having to walk about half a mile, but it was worth the journey! Upon arriving, we met Ashley, the shift leader, who was very helpful in describing some of the ciders. I started off with a flight of five ciders, each being noticeably different in flavor. Pictured below, from left to right, is Ginger Beer, Wunderkind, Cream and Sugar, Bigsby, and Buzzwig.

The Ginger Beer is not actually a hard cider, but rather a fermented ginger beer. The ginger flavor is fairly light in comparison to many other ginger beers I’ve tried, but strong enough to give you a noticeable “zing” of flavor and a little bit of a prickling sensation on the tongue. The spice from the ginger is balanced out nicely with the addition of brown sugar.

Wunderkind is Bantam’s flagship cider. It is a semi-sweet, sparkling cider that is a great choice for a staple cider to represent the brand. It has a noticeable flavor and sweetness from the honey (check out our honey cider article here) which makes it smooth and refreshing to sip.

Next up was Cream and Sugar, a hard cider fermented with coffee and ale yeast. This blend was tart and fruity with obvious flavors of both apples and coffee, but without the bitterness of strong coffee.

Bigsby is a very dry, very tannic, European-style cider. From first smelling the cider, you will notice that it is tannic with a whiff of metallic. To me, it did not seem very complex, just very dry, tannic, tart, and flat. It definitely wasn’t my favorite but is a good variation to have available.

Lastly was their Buzzwig, an unfiltered, juicy cider that I certainly enjoyed every last drop of! As you can see, it is slightly hazier than the others, due to the sediment that remains in the juice. It is citrusy and tart and smells kind of like a sweet IPA. Although I’m not a big fan of IPAs, this cider was definitely my favorite of Bantam’s.

After I finished my flight, I stole a sip of my other favorite, Rojo (above), a blend with tart cherry and black pepper and my boyfriend ordered the Papi Chulo for everyone to sample. This is a wild fermented cider with dark maple syrup (which I, personally, didn’t pick up on) and…wait for it…habanero! The habanero flavor was the most prominent but surprisingly wasn’t overwhelming. It mostly just left a lingering spiciness in the back of the throat, but you could definitely taste it throughout the sip!

The near-Boston taproom at Bantam was pretty cool. You can purchase flights of five as well as pints, and they offer growler fills to go! There are bar-height standing tables throughout the room with a tap setup conveniently located in the center with adequate counter space as well. Probably the coolest part about the taproom is that you can see most of the production equipment (such as the barrels pictured above and all of the large fermentation and holding tanks) from right where you’re enjoying your beverage, which makes up for the fact that they don’t currently offer tours to the public. They also have a super cool wall of hanging plants that I would highly recommend trying to get a picture in front of when you visit…unfortunately, we weren’t that lucky and just had to settle for the barrels, oh well. PS that’s me, second from the left!

Downeast Cider:

After we left Bantam, we ventured down to Downeast Cider in East Boston, right on the harbor, at 256 Marginal St, Building 32. Downeast offers free tours, for those who sign up in advance, as well free samples and a free flight…did I mention it’s FREE!? Even if you don’t make it for a tour, stop by for some samples and cans or growler fills to go. They have a few parking spaces directly in front of their building, and there is plenty of parking lining Marginal St. Our favorite taproom manager, Max (pictured below), and the rest of the crew at Downeast was more than accommodating and super fun-loving despite the fact that we were there until close.

The day before we visited, they released a new Dark and Stormy cider, pictured below. It is exactly the cider version of the mixed drink; an unfiltered cider, aged in dark rum barrels with ginger and lime, with a hint of molasses for sweetness. The molasses and the apples made this blend sweeter than expected when you think of a traditional Dark and Stormy.

Also available on tap was their Original Blend: an unfiltered hard cider that tastes just like the stuff you drank as a kid, Cranberry Blend: again, unfiltered hard cider with a splash of fresh cranberry juice, Drier Side: literally a drier, less sweet, ‘chuggable’ version of the OB, Drier Side: Hopped Grapefruit: the IPA of ciders; a dry hopped, unfiltered hard cider with fresh, tart grapefruit juice and ekuanot hops, Roasted Joe: a coffee and bourbon infused unfiltered hard cider with the perfect coffee to apple ratio and a slight oaky/ nuttiness, and finally, the Farm Fresh Cider, a non-alcoholic refreshing drink to enjoy between samples…or better yet, to add to your favorite alcoholic brews!

Since we’re talking about mixology, now’s a great time to mention some of our favorite combos from behind the bar. If you haven’t tried the Roasted Joe mixed with the Farm Fresh Cider, let me tell you, you’re missing out. Even the non-coffee drinkers enjoyed this one! Not willing to compromise on the alcohol content? Us either, so try combining the Roasted Joe with the OB or even Drier Side. Another fan favorite for the evening, Cranberry Blend mixed with Hopped Grapefruit, kind of like fruit punch but drier, boozier, and just…better. Also, Dark and Stormy + Hopped Grapefruit = out-of-this-world-flavor-explosion-in-your-mouth-experience. Finally, let’s just say that there was a surprise Aloha Saturday waiting for the birthday girl and although it’s amazing by itself, mixed with the Dark and Stormy it was PHENOMENAL.

On the downside for us, but the upside for business for Downeast, they sold out of the last of this season’s Winter Blend (AKA my favorite Downeast cider) as well as their relatively new Double Blend that afternoon before we arrived. To make up for it, we made sure to leave with enough cider to last us a few weeks, including some cans of Roasted Joe and Cranberry Blend, plus Aloha Saturday, Dark and Stormy, and Roasted Joe with Original Blend growlers.

Prospect Cider:

Although Prospect doesn’t have a Boston facility open to the public at this point in time, that doesn’t mean they aren’t killing it with distribution sales! A lot of big things have been happening for Prospect since they first opened. Prospect Cider first opened in 2015 by co-founders Chase and Mark. In February of last year, they re-branded, changing their name from Harvard Cider Company to what they are now known as, Prospect Ciderworks. They recently redesigned their cans to be sharper, brighter, and easier to read than ever, so keep your eyes peeled for those in stores.

Even though we were unable to meet with the Prospect crew in person, we were able to connect via email and try each of their three cider varieties. Each one was very different from the others and unique in their own way.

First up, their flagship cider, Sidro, a “balanced New England cider.” Sidro is a slightly hazy, fruity smelling cider with medium to light carbonation and uses a blend of New England apple varieties and a Belgian Saison yeast. It tastes rather comparable to fresh apple juice with an added bite of tartness. It is an excellent balance of tart and sweet, in my opinion, and a solid choice for a flagship blend. Just an all-but-simple, straight-forward, delicious cider.

Next, I tried Paradise, a blend of orange peel and grains of paradise. Now, before I get into this, some of you may be wondering, “what are grains of paradise?” just as I was upon reading the can…so I looked it up! Grains of paradise is a spice in the ginger family which closely resemble pepper. Again, it is a somewhat hazy cider, fermented with a Belgian yeast and then steeped with orange peel and grains of paradise for flavor. It tastes like a dry juice with a unique flavor. The orange becomes more prominent and sweeter after the pour and allowing it to sit and aerate for a few minutes.

Finally, I tried their Missing Link, “hopped session cider”. Many cideries have been trying to bridge the gap and find that “missing link” between cider and beer by incorporating hops. Prospect does just that with this truly dry hopped cider with mosaic hops. Right as you open the can you will notice the strong bitterness from the hoppy aroma, very akin to that of an IPA. It is HEAVILY dry hopped and pretty dry on the palate. I would almost go as far as to say that it is closer to a beer than it is a cider. It would definitely be an easy drink for a hops fan who shies away from the sweeter choices, like hard cider since there is nothing sweet about this brew.

Artifact Cider:

Artifact Cider Project does not currently have a tap room either, but they’re one of the newest cideries out in the greater Boston area. Their driving force: to make unique ciders that highlight New England’s apples, and revive local cider culture. Artifact began a few years back out in Springfield, Ma, on the western side of the state before deciding to make the move out to Everett, Ma, a little over a year ago. They’re hoping to open up their facility to the public in the future. Artifact has four ciders currently available: “Wild Thing”, “Feels Like Home”, “Perception Shift”, and “May We Have Your Attention, Please”, all of which come in 16oz tall cans.

Wild Thing is their single varietal Macintosh cider, meaning that only Macintosh apples were fermented in the making of this cider. It is a very bubbly, dry, champagne-style cider. It is definitely a great choice for wine-lovers or those who tend to shy away from sweeter beverages. In fact, Artifact doesn’t add sugar to any of their products!

Feels Like Home is Artifact’s “winter blend” which we reviewed more in depth here. It is a smooth comfort drink aged over rum-soaked oak chips and sweetened just a tad with fresh pressed cider…the non-alcoholic kind. You’ll notice nice hints of oak, cinnamon, vanilla, and rum with this one.

Perception Shift is on the slightly sweeter side for Artifact. Again, it is a champagne-style cider with bittersweet tasting notes. I think that Perception Shift tastes like a sparkling dry white wine, very crisp and refreshing. Perception Shift also won our 2017 Award for Best Name! If you’re able to read the can correctly on your first attempt, you’ll have our respect for sure!

Last on the list is May We Have Your Attention, Please, my personal favorite by Artifact. It is a very tart, dry cider, wild fermented with pure blackcurrants. The cider was designed with Kir, the popular French drink from the ‘40s, in mind. It is a sophisticated yet fun well-balanced cider that is definitely one for the tasting list.

Both Artifact and Prospect can only be purchased in Massachusetts as of now, but they are both located throughout the entire state. Both companies offer cans in your local liquor stores and may be found on tap at your favorite bar our restaurant. So cheers to the little guys! Show them some love and support and help them grow! We’re sure you’ll love them just as much as we do!