COMPARATIVE LIT ESSAY:
“Western imperialism” is a term that conjures up many negative feelings in the world of history and international politics, but in the cider world imperial ciders from the American west constitute a tradition to be proud of. Like their brewed cousins, imperial-style ciders originated in Britain and can be found throughout New England, however, this bold and hardy tradition made it to the Pacific Northwest several years ago and several cideries there produce these heavy ciders with higher ABV. Tonight, I review Excelsior, the imperial cider from Schilling, which may be the largest, most popular cidery in the Pacific Northwest, with C Squared’s recently released Radical Liberator, which to my knowledge is the first imperial-style cider produced by a Colorado cidery. I will say from the outset I hope this tradition continues to grow across the US and beyond as I love these ciders and tonight is no exception because both of these ciders make me as a happy as a history professor in an old-world library.
Both of these drinks have a beautiful golden hue. In the glass the Excelsior is clearly bubblier as the Liberator is more or less flat. The Excelsior has a sweeter and brighter nose with a mix of sugar, acidity and the apple juice you had in your childhood with just a bit of spice. The Liberator has a deeper, more intriguing nose. The barrel aging makes it smell more like a proper drink, which I preferred. The Excelsior is sweeter and a bit lighter and it even has a bit of bounce to it because of the bubbles. It has some tart notes and a really rounded flavor with tart acidity. The Liberator clearly has a heavier mouthfeel, but it is not overbearing. It has an incredible finish that creates a bit of alcoholic heat in the back of the throat, but also produces a type of creamy caramel reprise.
Man, please don’t make me choose between these two drinks, they are both excellent! I’d be excited to open my cider fridge and find either of these and proud to share them with any of my serious cider drinking friends. Neither is for hard seltzer drinkers. (I mean it’s just chemicals in water? shakes head in disdain) But here is how I’d separate the two: recently I’ve been reading about the Dhufar Rebellion in the Sultanate of Oman in the 1960s and 70s. At the beginning there were two groups committed to overthrowing the Sultan and his Western imperialist overlords—the tribal groups and the committed communist idealogues. A couple of years in, some of the tribal groups were willing to compromise when a new sultan came to power with whom they found some common ground; whereas the true revolutionaries vowed for no compromises and to never give in to a system supported by western imperialists. Well, Schilling is the tribalists. Are they willing to carry the banner of the imperial cider revolution? Yes. This is a serious cider with depth and complexity and enough heft to feel like this is a proper drink worthy of your time and attention. And yet, at the end of the day it is light-hearted, semi-sweet with an astronaut giraffe on the can. (I know I’ve been accused of reading too much into can art, but it often gives us insights into the characteristics cider makers see in their ciders) So they are willing to fight the cause of imperial ciders, but they still want to make sure sweet cider drinkers will drink it and thus make it more approachable. The Radical Liberator is committed to the cause of serious cider until the bitter and complex end. Every element of this cider is elevated and bold and yet still smooth and well-balanced. Yes, the tannic structure of the Excelsior is complex, but the Radical liberator has complex tannins with the barrel-aged dimension and the powerful finish, and it captures every element of the imperial genre. There will be nights when I prefer the “lighter” and sweeter Excelsior, but when I want a serious drink that’s sold out to the cause of bold and intricate imperial ciders, I’ll turn to the Radical Liberator.