COMPARATIVE LIT ESSAY:
Today is Father’s Day and I was awarded with being able to spend part of the day sitting on the front porch finishing Andy Brennan’s book, Uncultivated. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a couple bottles of Aaron Burr Cider recently and I decided to celebrate by reviewing one and pairing it with a cider worthy of Brennan’s high standards. As any good philosopher is prone to do—and Brennan may be the cider philosopher par excellence—he gives no simple answers about which cider or apple varietals are the "best" for cider making. (Indeed he somewhat eschews single varietals as they come from clones and prefers wild apple trees from "locations") However, he does mention both what he thinks would make for a good cider apple with the properties he likes in a cider, the Porter’s Perfection, and his favorite apple tree, Denniston Red, which has grown nearby in the Neversink River area. So, I have chosen to pair his Neversink Highlands locational cider, with Haykin’s Porter’s Perfection. Now I can’t prove that apples from Denniston Red went into this bottle, and I know he has some qualms with how Haykin has procured his apples—usually from commercial orchards that grow unique varieties, though Dan Haykin has done some foraging himself of wild apple trees—but Haykin is the only other cider maker I know that shares the deep love and respect for cider apples as Andy Brennan, so I thought this would be a great pairing. Therefore, my father’s day gift is to try these two high-end ciders from two of the best cider makers in the country.
If you’ve seen the individual reviews, you’ll see they’ve both earned the same score. That means neither is really better than the other, it just comes down to your mood—which is obviously subjective (but I always announce a winner which comes down to my subjective experience on that day). In some ways they’re similar when it comes to the quality and the care taken, but in other ways they’re not alike, but let me break down the differences: The most obvious difference just after pouring is the bubbles as almost all Haykin’s ciders are sparkling and the Neversink only has a tiny bit of bubbles from the natural fermentation process. When it comes to the nose, Neversink has a small amount of that raw farmhouse nose, but it is still so subtle and soothing. The Porter’s Perfection though is bright and tropical, and I would say that this is a wash, as they are very different but both inviting in their own ways. When it comes to curb appeal the Neversink has the edge because its golden color just makes it look like somehow a crushed apple has been turned into thick liquid goodness; whereas the Haykin is a bubbly straw color which has never been as inviting to me. When it comes to flavor the Neversink is deep, still and rooted, where Porter’s Perfection has more pop, more zing, and is light and airy, but both are properly dry.
So this comes down to what you are eating and feeling. Do you like the natural taste of a farmhouse? Or maybe you have just been wanting to try one but have been put off by what you have read about the raw or aggressive features of farmhouse/scrumpy ciders. If so, try the Neversink Highlands as it is a great intro to a quality farmhouse cider that is still, calm, subtle, and easy to drink. Granted you must be lucky enough to find one as they are not on every corner like an Angry Orchard, but Brennan likes it that way.
Whether he's just a cider snob, or just "focused on ideals" if you asked him (probably a bit of both), Andy Brennan would probably say that Dan Haykin’s Porter’s Perfection isn’t real cider because he has added carbonation, but it is a cider made with respect and reverence for apples and the incredible diversity they can display in a drink. For reasons above, this is an incredibly complex cider that is citrusy and sweet but incredibly dry and a bit bitter at the same time. I would not grab it just for having a drink—I really believe this is meant to be paired—but it’s a pretty exceptional cider, and my choice on this Father’s Day. But maybe I’ll be lucky enough to repeat this special gift of a comparison next year and change my mind.