Crispin Cider Brut
I have sampled and enjoyed Crispin Cider many times from their first tasting many months ago at The Four Firkins to festivals such as Indulge and the Saint Paul Beer Fest and their most recent tasting event at the Firkins this previous Friday but have never gotten around to writing about it so I figured it was high time. Crispin is a local company headquartered in North East Minneapolis that is currently producing their cider with the help of a cidery located in Norther California. Unlike many ciders on the market Crispin is made from pure apple juice and is fermented with a white wine yeast. The currently produce three varieties of cider Original, Light and Brut my favorite and the one I will be primarily focusing on here. They have also produced a beer called Honey Crisp which is a cloudy cider with honey added but have yet to produce enough to distribute. It was intended to be available shortly after the St. Paul beer fest but due to some production problems at a facility closer to home they were left with a bad batch that contained some lingering unfiltered yeast that made the brew unacceptable for distribution. We were able to sample some of a fresh batch at the Firkins and I’m pleased to say it was as tasty and unique as the last two opportunities I had to sample it and hopefully we should be seeing it sometime soon for our purchasing pleasure. Crispin whole heartedly advocates serving of their beverages over ice and I would concur so long as you don’t plan on sitting on your drink for too long. Serving over ice ensures that your cider is cold as can be and I will happily admit that gulping down some of this cold light bodied brew after hopping off your bike is a wonderful refreshment as that is exactly what I did on Friday. Crispin Brut pours an incredibly translucent slightly golden white wine hue. Aroma is of sweet apples with a gentle dry alcohol note. Tastes of fresh moderately sweet apples with a nice dry bite in the finish. The body is light as can be and the mouthfeel is incredibly clean and smooth. It is unquestionably one easy beverage to drink and with a 5.5% ABV you can enjoy many with no worries. I’ve never been one to drink a ton of cider but I often find it refreshing and this beverage is unquestionably the most refreshing, easy to drink, and overall tasty cider I have had the opportunity to consume. Not to demean the Eric Bordelet 2004 I just consumed because that stuff was great, but in a different category as far as I am concerned. If you have never enjoyed a cider I would encourage you to disregard that prejudice as to me this cider has no real comparable competitors; at least available in our market. If you prefer a sweeter cider go with their Original and if you want something lower ABV their Light is basically just their Brut watered down to 3.2% ABV. Give it a shot and ride your bike.
October 16th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Hey guys – wanted to invite you and everyone else to join us at Brits for our annual St Crispin’s Day celebration. Saturday 24 October from 7 pm at Brits Pub. We will have a great evening, Trailer Trash will be playing, there will be prizes for best dressed man, woman, couple (if they wear blue & orange), more prizes for the best rendition of the St Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V (our own Blakespeare will be there to help anyone who is shy). Crispin on draft. Entrance is a suggested $10 donation to Second Harvest Heartland. We will also be collecting warm winter shoes for those in need (St Crispin is the patron saint of cobblers after all).
http://britspub.com/whats_on/index.php?strWebAction=event_detail&intEventID=661
Cider baby.