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InCider Info: Orchard Reserve Heirloom Cider by Little Apple Cidery

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There is a cidery within 30 minutes of my parents house, and I’m just…just…beside myself. 🥺❤️

I honestly stumbled upon Little Apple Cidery on happenstance: One of my aunts lives about a mile up the road from there, in Hillsdale, NY. While paying her a socially-distanced visit this past Labor Day weekend, I saw a sign at the intersection of Route 22 and Hunt Road about L.A.C. I did a double-take! I knew I had to stop by on my way back home, and, indeed, I’m sure you can conclude this story on your own. Y’all are smart folks!

Nestled into the rolling hills just east of the Catskills yet west of the Berkshires, L.A.C. is a gorgeous orchard with a recently-opened outdoor Orchard Bar, serving small snacks, their multiple varieties of cider, as well as local beers from Roe Jan Brewing Company. As much as I wanted to sit and stay – another time! – I could tell my parents were itching a little to get home, so I picked up two bottles to go. The first was this Orchard Reserve Heirloom Cider, while I also picked up a bottle of their Nobeltown Bourbon; with the latter’s ABV of 9.9%, I’m saving that for a special occasion – or perhaps after a hard day at work! – and will report back at a later date.

Ciders from Little Apple Cidery

This cider is made from apples grown exclusively at the orchard – which is NOFA-NY Certified Organic, by the by – and boast notes of lemon and fennal with a bright acidity, according to their website. I am inclined to agree! It was a perfect balance of dry, acidic, yet juicy. I could smell the acid as I brought my nose to the glass each sip, which I’m a fan of. I drank about 75% of the bottle myself one evening before realizing…OOP! Ha! In other words, it’s a cider that goes down easily.

If you’re up in Columbia County, NY, or perhaps nearby in the Berkshires or the Catskills, cruise on to L.A.C. for their very special cider offerings.

Orchard Reserve Heirloom Cider from Little Apple Cidery.

InCider Info – tl;dr:

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InCider Info: Coconut Ginger Matcha Hard Kombucha by June Shine x MatchaBar

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I will occasionally veer from the scope of ciders to other hard beverages that I enjoy. Beers? Never, because this Brewer’s Yeast allergy is for REAL, y’all! Hard seltzers? The jury is still out, because I’ve never found one I’ve truly enjoyed and would ever drink again. (Is that unicorn out there somewhere?) I’ve had my share of hard kombuchas, some I’ve enjoyed and others I could leave behind.

But THIS hard kombuchas, this was nothing short of an absolute delight, and I feel the need to shout it from the rooftops! Well, I suppose this website will do.

I’ve long been a kombucha fan, even if my first experiences with kombucha were less than pleasant: I’ll always think that GT’s Kombucha tastes like stomach acid, and there is no way you can change my mind. 😆 Still, I’ve been loyal to brands such as Health-Ade and Bear’s Fruit Kombucha over the years. Hard varieties don’t always hit the mark, but I have tried a few June Shine flavors, and I have always been eager to try more. It’s a consistently good brand.

On the other hand, I love my matcha as well! MatchaBar has long been a fixture in New York City – I still remember when they opened their original Williamsburg location way back when! – and to see them do this collaboration got me excited! Upon further research, I read how this collaboration came about to celebrate Earth Day and to take actionable steps through its production and sales, more of which you can read in this article. Matcha + kombucha x actionable ways to save the planet = Allison is SOLD.

Coconut Ginger Matcha Hard Kombucha by June Shine x Matchabar
Coconut Ginger Matcha Hard Kombucha by June Shine x Matchabar

This is the greenest alcoholic beverage I believe I’ve ever imbibed! The green sparkles and undulates in this delightfully effervescent booch. All flavor notes mentioned its title are present, but it was the gentle ever-present honey flavor note that won me over after each sip. At 6% ABV, it’s a very gentle ride.

Upon tagging June Shine on Instagram, they sent me back a DM telling me stock up, because once this is gone, it’s gone! This was produced in the spring, but I bought my can around September 1st. I better head over to Broadway Dive and pray that they have at least one more can, lest I miss out on another opportunity to indulge in this winning drink!

Coconut Ginger Matcha Hard Kombucha by June Shine x Matchabar
Coconut Ginger Matcha Hard Kombucha by June Shine x Matchabar

InCider Info – tl;dr:

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InCider Info – Citrus Ginger Cider by Hudson North Cider Co.

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As we move closer to autumn – though, let’s not get it twisted because we have a SOLID 3-ish weeks of summer left – I’ve already seen an onslaught of pumpkin-themed alcoholic beverages in my local grocery stores. Hell, I’ve seen them since around August 1st, to be honest.

Now I’m not Team Pumpkin nor am I Team Anti Pumpkin. I’m like, “Hey, pumpkin is cool.” I love a good pumpkin-based cider, with some better than others. (The weakest I’ve had? City Roots’ pumpkin cider. *myeh*) But, I can appreciate moving away from pumpkin (or pumpkin-esque) drinks and enjoying the other warming flavors of autumn, such as citrus, ginger, and cinnamon. Hudson North Cider Co.’s Citrus Ginger hits two out of those three flavor notes in its title alone!

Ginger Citrus by Hudson North Cider Co.

Marked as a dry hazy cider on its label, I was a bit surprised and curious when I poured it into its pint glass – to me, it smells sweeter than it tastes, so I was wondering how the first sip would go down. My nose tricked me, and it was the dry haziness that I was expecting, along with the warmth of the ginger. The cirtus? I didn’t really pick up on it as much, though grapefruit is indicated in its ingredients. No matter to me, I found this to be delicious for a late summer day, and it’ll still be amazing as we head into autumn.

I drank this up north near Lake Luzerne, New York, which is – appropriately – very far north along the Hudson! I couldn’t have consumed this in a better place. 😉

Ginger Citrus by Hudson North Cider Co. – The can got a little dented en route, but the cider was no worse for wear upon arrival. 😂

InCider Info – tl;dr: