February 2025 Meeting

Tastings

Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. - Talladega Light - lager - 4.2%

Notes: good body, light in flavor, no hop flavor, cracker/biscuity malt

Okcider co - hop transition hard cider - 6.5%

Notes: light, tangy, low tannin, more malic acid vs citric acid, clean fermentation. Doesn't seem back-sweetened with apple juice. Tastes like it has lemon juice to it.

Le Pere Jules - Pommeau de Normandie

Notes: kind of "hot" from the high abv. Bare amount of sweetness. Kind of smells like an overripe apple. Kind of a bruised apple taste. Reminiscent of a carmel apple from the fair. Maybe some cotton candy flavors. Slight maple flavor.

Coup D'Jus - Femme de Port Cousic

Used a brandy from northern brandy called a lambic. Aged for 30 months.

Notes: astringent, tannic, tartness, slight bitterness. Tastes like it was made with the skin and core of the apple.

Troddenvale at oakley farm - a solera pommeau of Virgina Hewes Crabapple aged in a Black Locust barrel. 18% abv.

Notes: tastes like a hewes crab apple with the tannins. Very sweet. Kind of reminds me of cough syrup.

Pommeau 23 - upstate new york in finger lakes region. 20% abv.

Grown on our farm and wild foraged aged in barrelsNotes: pecan, pineapple, fruitcakes. Fruit shnaaps. Feels extremely sweet. High abv causes warmth in the face.

Justen and Crystal's Favorite. My least favorite.

Alpenfire Rosy Pommeau - dessert cider

Notes: pomegranate, kind of syrupy

Jonah's favorite.

West coast Pommeau - raging cider and mead co - Aged for 3 years in a mix of Hungarian oak and red wine barrels.

Notes: honey, spiced baked oak, wood driven tannins. Strong oaks.

Liberty ciderworks - widdershins apple dessert wine

Notes: soap on the nose, black cherry, vanilla, cinnamon - cough syrup - tannic, tangy. Bitter aftertaste.

Crystal least favorite.

Meeting Notes

Justen presented on Pommeau. His notes are as follows:

About Pommeau:

Pommeau is a fortifled cider enjoyed as a dessert or an apéritif, Pommeau is made by blending unfermented apple juice with apple brandy. The mixture is then aged in oak barrels, typically for at least 2 years (and often longer): The high percenlage of alcohol from the apple brandy prevents the fresh juice from fermenting, and thus the beverage retains a considerable level of sweetness. The prolonged aging results in a rich melding of complex flavors from the cider juice blend, warmth from the brandy and complexities from the barrel. Pommeau typically has an alcohol by volume in the 16-18% range, and is best enjoyed an ounce or tiwo at a time at cellar temperatures. Stored at cellar temperatures or refrigerated, even an open bottle of Pommeau will age well and can be enjoyed slowly over time.

What is Pommeau?

Maker: Troddenvale at Oakley Farm (Warm Springs Virginia)

Name: Solera_Pommeau $40/500ml 18% Alc.

100% Virginia Hewe's Crab Countryside Farm & Nursery - Augusta County, 1260' elevation

Foggy Ridge - Dugspur, Carroll County. Virginia 2720" elevation Vinification

The process of making this pommeau started in the 2019 vintage, when three barrels of Virginia Hewe's Crab cider were reserved for distillation taking place S the summer of 2020. The resuling brandy was aged for one year in a combination O a Hungarian oak 40L barrel and glass carboys. S the fall- of 2021, freshly pressed Virginia Hewe's juice was blended with a mixture of predominately aged brandy with a small portion of un-aged 2021 distilate as well. This process stabilizes the juice, preventing fermentation and dropped the alcohol of the brandy from 60-70% to a calculated 18%. This process is perlormed each year, adding to the complexity of our pommeau solera. Each year proceeding year we remove half of the aged wine and replacing it with fresh The solera resides in a domestic Black Locust barrel coopered by East Coast Woodbarrels of Beech Creek, Pennsylvania. This year S blend S comprised of- 42% 2021, 42% 2022, and 16% 2023.

It is no surprise that our Pommeau one of the most, oyful things we get to make each year. Beyond it being utterly delicious, its process allows us to see a rebirth of cider that otherwise might not have been too charming on Its own. Distillation provides us an outlet for both barrels that don't make the cut for expressive quality and fruit that is too bountiful for our cider needs. By electing to produce this by way of a solera we see the annual pommeau slowly builds complexity all the while retaining evolving consistently year to year. This year's release shows a litle more depth and allows for the marriage between the brandy and aged juice to shine. No cryoconcentration was used nor any added sulfites.

Maker: Alpenfire Cider (Washington State, Port Townsend)

Name: Rosy Pommeau $40 500ml 18% alc

Rosy Pommeau is a dessert or aperitif cider made from the red, high acid juice of Airlie Redflesh apples, which were partially fermented before halting the fermentation with the addition of an eau de vie. The eau de vie is distilled from Alpenfire's estate organic cider10:06SupposedlySamvarietals and locally grown organic heirloom apples. Once blended, it is aged in neutral oak for 15+ months before bottling. Notes of sweet apple, spiritous barrels, tart cherry, and candied fruit. Great as an aperitif or accompanying dessert or cheese.

Maker: Eve's Cider (Van Etten NY)

Name: 2023 2 year Pommeau Apple spirits & cider $36 | 375 ml 20% alc

Tasting Notes: pecans ~ pineapple - fruitcake

The Story of 2023 Two Year Pommeau

The first pommeau we ever made was in 2017 (a 3 year aged pommeau). Since then we have been laying away spirits U oak barrels to keep pommeau program going. Since 2014, we've been working with Collin McConvill at Apple Country Spirits (and now at Finger Lakes at Distilling) to custom distill our cider into brandy. Sometimes we ferment batches specifically to distilli sometimes they are mistakes or cider otherwise not good enough to bottle. We hope in the future to expand this effort and distill surplus apples in on-year production cycles. Pommeau in is a blend of apple spirits and apple juice. Practically speaking we are often making a complex blend that includes aged spirits, a fraction of cryo-concentrated juice, and some fully or partially a Or fermented cider. We aim for around 20% alcohol, balanced acidity, appley-ness, bit Of earth/damp leaves, and nutty oxidized flavors.

Also now tradition, we grace the label with one of Ezra's mom's beautiful paintings. Janet Byer Sherman loved the natural beauty of the area and captured the light, color and form in evocative abstract oil paintings. o all the ciders we made, Janet probably liked the pommeau the best and she was tickled that we asked her if we could use her paintings for the labels. Janet passed early this year, but we think of her often and it's nice to be able to continue to share her unique way of seeing the world with all of you.

This 2023 bottling of pommeau was aged in barrels for 2 years before blending and bottling. An U 2 ndispensable sipper for cozy fall nights and a good way to wow your friends with something very good that they probably have not had before Autumn Stoscheck Cider Maker/ Orchardist

Maker: Le Pere Jules (Normandy France)

Name: Pommeau de Normandie $33/750 17% alc

Le Pere Jules Pommeau de Normandie is the result of the subtle marriage of freshly pressed apple cider and Calvados (apple brandy) that has been aged for one year. Afterward, it is aged in oak barrels for several years, where the flavor will be transformed to result in a finished product with a smooth harmonious taste filled with aromas It's the 'aperitif, or before dinner a drink, par excellence from Normandy.

This is a blend of AOC Calvados and the must from bitter and bittersweet apples grown in selected orchards scattered across Normandy. It must be aged for at least 14 months in oak barrels and has an alcohol content of 16-18%, Grab a couple bottles of Le Pere Jules Cider to pair with your bottle of Le Pere Jules Pommeau a de Normandie!

About Pommeau: French-style apple 'mistelle,' a blend of fresh juice (called 'must) and brandy. Historical, in western France fresh: apple juice was blended with cider brandy to preserve the flavors throughout the year. This operation, known as mutage, was done quietly on the family farm and, for centuries, the method was a closely guarded secret. The result became the local apéritif, called Pommeau -from "pomme,' meaning apple. A fine Pommeau blends strength, sweetness and delicacy.

Maker: Raging Cider and Mead (San Diego CA)

Name: West Coast Pommeau $28/375ml 19.2% alc
Raging Cider's West Coast Pommeau is made annually using fresh juice from the same blend of apple varieties: Hyslop crabapple & old cultivar honeyed Golden Delicious. Each year the apples express themselves differently. The fresh juice is blended with apple brandy and barrel aged for at least two years prior to bottling.

Raging uses a solera method for the apple brandy used in their pommeau, constantly adding a in fresh vintage of brandy to the prior year's blend. This 2021 vintage uses brandy between 1 & 4 1 years old.

Rich on the palette with flavors that balance between caramel, spiced apple, honey, and leather. Semi-sweet, which is a touch drier than most pommeau, Bold & smooth, with nice Warmign wood notes, a cutting edge of acidity, and wood driven tannins This is best enjoyed at room temp poured over a cube of ice as an aperitif, digestif, or as a iS decadent indulgence

Maker: Ferme de Port Coustic (France)

Name: Coup d'Jus Pommeau de Bretagne $30/500ml

Coup d'Jus is a Pommeau de Bretagne (Brittany/Breton), made to the AOC standards of Brittany. Made by blending Lambig (apple brandy made in Brittany) with fresh apple juice, and barrel aging it in oak barrels, usually for at least 30 months.

Ferme de Port Coustic is based on the island of Groix, just off the coast of Brittany in France, Noémie Vallélian and Mathieu Le Saux are developing a vinyard in Groix, and in the meantime are already making cider, perry, lambig (apple brandy made to Breton standards) and aperitifs (including Pommeau de Bretagne). They also produce a beer fermented using the lees (yeast sediment) from one of their cider ferments. Their ciders are made true to Breton/Brittany traditions. Ferme de Port translates to Port Farm, their farm is named for the area on Groix island in which they're located.

Maker: Liberty Ciderworks (Spokane, WA)

Name: Widdershins $32/375ml 18% alc

Liberty's version of French Pommeau, this wondrous apéritif begins with Manchurian crabapple juice blended with apple brandy (from 2-Loons _Distillery) to arrest fermentation and retain sweetness. Barrel-aging softens and harmonizes notes of cinnamon, black cherry, and vanilla Enjoy this uniquely wonderful libation as an apéritif, or pair with soft artisan cheeses or creamy desserts.