Spire Mountain Cider

Posted: January 30th, 2008 | Author: Stacy | Filed under: Beer Reviews, Cider, Craft Brew, Gluten-free | No Comments »

I first encountered Spire Mountain ciders about eight years ago when an ex-girlfriend’s mom bought some while working at a wine shop. It was markedly different from the ciders on the market then, balancing sweet apple flavors with a light dryness. Most US ciders were overly sweet, and UK ciders a bit too dry and bubbly. Spire was just right, but hard to find outside of the Seattle area. Fortunately, Fish Brewing in Olympia purchased Spire Mountain and currently distributes their ciders far and wide — or at least as far as Portland.

I haven’t consumed much cider in the last few years, I have to admit. It really only sounds good on a hot summer day, and even then I’d rather have a beer. But I had a Spire pear cider the other night and was reminded of how tasty their ciders are. The pear cider is light, crisp, sweet but not cloying, and nicely carbonated and smooth to drink. I’d be interested in how their pear cider turned out if it weren’t a mix of pear varieties. A comice pear cider made with a champagne yeast would be delicious!

I do prefer the apple cider to pear, as it’s a bit more crisp and tart. Once upon a time, Spire made a “spiced apple” cider that was a bit darker and heavier that was great winter drinking material. Perhaps their Dark & Dry (as pictured on the right) fills that gap. I’ll have to look for it.

I’ll post about making cider soon, since I’ve got my second batch of cider bottled now and am nearly out of our first batch. Talk about easy home brewing!

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