These Minnesota ciders will help usher in fall

Early autumn is apple picking time. And apple picking time means it’s also apple pressing time, when the juice is squeezed from the fresh, ripe fruit to make cider. Light-bodied or full, dry or sweet, apple cider is the drink of fall.

Apple cider vs. apple juice: There can be confusion as to which is which. There are no official regulations regarding the terminology. The U.S. Apple Association defines apple cider as the pressed juice of apples that is unfiltered and unpasteurized. It contains sediment and pulp that oxidizes to give it a golden color. Apple juice is filtered and pasteurized to give it a longer shelf life. It may also contain added sugar. Hard cider is cider that has been fermented to produce alcohol.

Hard apple cider was once a mainstay of American life. When the early European settlers arrived, the apple trees they brought with them thrived, while the barley and wheat for making beer did not. The alcohol in cider made a more sanitary drink at a time when water was not always safe. Thus, cider became the daily drink of choice in the colonies. A low-alcohol version called Ciderkin was even served to children.

The reach of cider expanded as the country did. John Chapman — the Johnny Appleseed of legend — was a land speculator and orchardist who acquired western land for a low price. He traveled through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois planting orchards from seed, then selling the land for a profit to migrating pioneers.

Cider’s demise began in the mid-1800s with the influx of German immigrants and the introduction of lager beer. The death knell came with the start of Prohibition. The apples best for making cider are not the apples that are best for eating. Unable to make cider, orchardists found themselves with a product they couldn’t sell. Many of the nation’s heirloom cider apple orchards were destroyed to make room for other crops.

The modern craft cider movement is trying to bring it all back. Orchardists are seeking out and replanting the old cider apple varieties. Small cideries across the country are using those and culinary apples to make ciders of all stripes, from dry, funky, wild-fermented ciders to sweeter ones with added fruits and spices.

Minnesota has a vibrant cidermaking community. The state’s cidermakers are crafting drinks that are gaining national attention and winning awards. The movement has an energy, creativity and spirit of camaraderie to rival that of craft beer 10 to 15 years ago.

Here is a bevy of Minnesota ciders to carry you into fall.

Crispin Cider Co. was a Minnesota original. Though the cider wasn’t made in Minnesota, the company was based in northeast Minneapolis. When it was launched in 2004, it introduced Minnesotans to a new taste. During its run it experimented with different apples and yeasts and imported a dry cider from England. The company was acquired by MillerCoors in 2012 and disappeared from the market shortly afterward.

Minneapolis Cider Co. has now revived the brand and brought its production to the Twin Cities. Crispin Original is sweeter than I remember, but those first tastes were many years and many ciders ago. I’d call it semisweet with a sugary middle and brightening tartness in the finish. Strong apple flavor is joined by hints of pear, grass and a pinch of lemon peel. For those who like a sweeter cider, this is for you.

Gitch from Duluth Cider is another semisweet cider, but with a bit more balancing acidity. Tart, green apple flavor cuts and lifts the moderate mid-palate sweetness. Tannin is low. The dominant flavor is culinary apples. It’s simply straightforward and totally quaffable.

Wild State Cider, also in Duluth, is known for its flavored ciders. But it also makes some tasty straight apple ciders like Imperial Hazy Honeycrisp. This is a rich, medium, full-bodied cider with luscious notes of oxidized apple flesh and honey. Hints of pie spice barely make their way through. Baked apple and earthy bitterness linger in the finish.

The French ciders of Brittany and Normandy are among my favorite drinks on the planet. La Route from Number 12 Cider in Minneapolis pays homage to those sublime beverages. Its deep orange color stands out in the glass. Aromas of bruised and oxidized apples pour out from the glass. The flavor is a complex mélange of oxidized apple, apricot and caramel. This semi-dry yet full-bodied cider has some raisiny sweetness, but leans toward acidity. It’s not a French cider, but it does call them to mind.

Ciders flavored with non-apple fruits and spices are quite popular, and few local cideries do them better than Minneapolis Cider Co. Their Mango Habañero is a standout. Mango melds seamlessly with the underlying medium-sweet cider without overwhelming it. It’s almost more of an aromatic element than a flavor. It’s apple cider first. The mango is joined by subtle hints of cucumber, lemon and habañero flesh. Don’t be afraid of the heat — it’s just a lingering tingle in the finish.

Most ciders are made with a blend of apples. The cidermaker strives to find a good balance of sweetness, acidity and bitter tannin provided by different apple varieties. But sometimes a particular variety has a character that is worth exploring on its own.

Golden Russet Single Varietal from Milk & Honey Ciders in St. Joseph, Minn., is a celebration of the Golden Russet apple, thought to have originated in upstate New York in the 1800s. The aroma gives distinctive floral and tropical fruit notes. The flavor is all about fruit. Lemon and lime blend with more subtle squishy tropical fruits and apricots. Grapes, grass and hay also make an appearance. It’s a vinous wine that at times reminded me of a sauvignon blanc. There is plenty of sweetness up front, but the finish is off-dry and acidic. It’s deliciously nuanced.

Several of the state’s cidermakers have named the chestnut crab as the apple that defines Minnesota cider. Chestnut Crab Single Varietal from Keepsake Cidery in Dundas, Minn., gives this unique apple full expression. This is a complex cider that continually reveals new flavors as you work through a glass. The first cold sips are tart and crisp with loads of sour apple and lemon. As it warms, sweetness comes in to provide balance. It’s joined by notes of nuts, vanilla and juicy orange/tangerine citrus. Wait even longer to discover deeper stone fruit characteristics. Keepsake lets the wild yeasts on the apples do the fermentation, adding a layer of barnyard funk to this rustic cider.

If you want to experience these and other Minnesota ciders, check out the Minnesota Cider Guild’s annual Ciderfest on Oct. 12 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Minneapolis Cider Co. (701 SE. 9th St., Mpls.) Tickets are $50 ($60 for early VIP entry); $10 for designated drivers. Buy them on the Guild’s website, minnesotacider.org.

Michael Agnew is a certified cicerone (beer-world version of sommelier) and owner of A Perfect Pint. He conducts private and corporate beer tasting events in the Twin Cities, and can be reached at michael@aperfectpint.net.