COMPARATIVE LIT ESSAY:
American Thanksgiving is upon us and many cider aficionados will tell you that cider undoubtedly goes better with turkey than beer. Indeed, for decades the pilgrims and their descendants most prominently drank cider from their own orchards with their wild turkey they shot—and rarely beer. But I know many 21st century Americans drink beer with Turkey Day so I would like to promote a compromise by reviewing three hopped ciders to try and entice beer drinkers into transitioning to something new this year. (Though I readily admit that other ciders which use only crisp apple varietals with a nice dry finish probably go better with white meat than a hopped cider) I have one from Rev. Nat West—one of the most innovative American cider makers who I am thankful for—Cottonwood Dry Hopped Cider from Utah and a hopped Kiwi option (Zeffer’s) that has recently found more shelf space in America. I think the closest thing to Thanksgiving in New Zealand is Waitangi Day or Treaty Day which I am not sure all Maoris are thankful for, but I think Thanksgiving is about (hopefully) putting politics to the side for a day and just enjoying the bounty of the country with friends and family. So, in that spirit let’s compare these three ciders and see how they fare.
All three present well in the glass with Cottonwood having a pale straw color, the Zeffer is pale gold, and the Rev. Nat’s Shoot the Glass has a pale amber hue. The Zeffer clearly has the hoppiest nose of the three and Rev. Nat’s has a more mellow aroma that is deep and slightly foreboding, whereas the Cottonwood had a surprisingly sweet nose of cherries which was the most enticing to my nostrils. The Cottonwood was also clearly the driest of the three and had just a hint of earthiness. It was no surprise that the Zeffer had the hoppiest taste, but it was also the most vibrant of the three with the boldest flavor that had clear tropical tones. Overall, it was probably the most well-balanced cider. Shoot the Glass is probably the heaviest option with very little hops flavor and just a hint of spices. Compared to other Rev. Nat creations, this is less exotic with a more straightforward tart apple flavor and a bit of bitterness that builds towards the finish.
So yes, they’re all hoped ciders, but they are fairly different. So then, what’s your mood? The Rev. Nat’s is a mellow drink that is probably the most versatile and would be easy to drink at just about any occasion. Zeffer is very bold and you need to be in the mood for big flavor and maybe something fragrant and rich to eat with it to match the intensity. Even though I scored Zeffer higher, I guess tonight I will choose the winner based on which would go best with my dry turkey breast and cranberry sauce on Thursday. The crisp, super dry Cottonwood with tart finish seems like it would best complement a Thanksgiving feast. So, turn on the Macy’s Parade, cheer for your favorite dog at Westminster, eat too much, have a couple of these, and then fall asleep watching football. Wassail!