I hope you enjoyed my chat with Kira last Saturday. It was an epic interview with great responses, so I thought it would be better to put the accompanying tasting notes to one side and publish them separately.

Full disclosure: Kira and I did a swap of ciders and perries earlier this year, as I’d wanted to taste her wares through while doing our interview, and she sent the bottles which we’ll go through below. But as a maker, I know that honest feedback is important, so the barter nature of this acquisition did not influence my notes. Taken very much in the spirit of the American Cider Association sensory analysis method (except I deviated with the colour descriptions), I tend to keep them short. Oh, did I mention I also passed the ACA Certified Pommelier exam along with Adam last April? You’re right, I couldn’t believe it either!

Some notes up front. I was not told the composition of these in advance, so the notes are blind when it comes to varieties used, which is significant. Also, all of these are from the 2023 harvest.

So here they are in order of tasting, spread over a couple of weeks, some shared with my neighbours, some not.

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Apfelgold Craft Cider – review

How I served: Lightly chilled.

Appearance: Light hazy straw

On the nose: Green apple skin, lychee, those white jelly beans that I have no idea what flavour they are supposed to be, and apple sours.

In the mouth: Electric apple sorbet. Zingy lime zest and raspberry. A light touch of residual sugar, making it feel just off-dry, but the whole effect is warm acidity. I know that doesn’t make sense.

In a nutshell: Clean, zesty, refreshing with a very pleasing suggestion of summer berries. I hate to use the word Summer here, but one for a hot day, chilling in the garden.

Post-tasting note: Craft Cider has 30% bittersharp and bittersweets in the mix, with the rest being varieties typically found up near Hanover (and the bulk apparently a seedling propagated at Brüggenwirth, the parents of which are secret, so something very special). As you can see, I didn’t get the bitter notes, but certainly sharps! More on that later.

Apfelgold Fairytale Cider – review

How I served: Cooled, not chilled

Appearance: A shade darker than above.

On the nose: Delicate. Hints of raspberry Traubenzucker you get at pharmacies here in Germany.

In the mouth: Juicy red apple, raspberry, a lick of vanilla. Touches of blackberry on the finish and a touch of mandarin pith. It feels like this has a touch more residual sugar than the Craft Cider, which I think balances the acids a little more.

In a nutshell: A with Craft Cider, very much acid led, and none the worse for it. The berry notes and acidity keep it refreshing and pleasing.

Apfelgold Barrique Cider – review

The label of the next cider, Apfelgold Barrique Cider, mentions that it has no sulfite added, but Kira told me that the barrique was sensibly treated with sulfite before filling.

How I served: Cooled, not chilled

Appearance: Light, hazy gold.

On the nose: Oh, more going on here. Vanilla, orange peel, caramel… has a feel of creme brulee.

In the mouth: Ripe red apple peel, dried apricots, cola cubes, cherry cola. It has a sharpish berry base, given some extra depth with touches of warm vanilla and darker fruits. Very clean.

In a nutshell: As zingy as its sisters, but with deeper, darker undertones, a lick of residual sugar binding it all together nicely. My favourite so far, but then I’m a sucker for barriques.

Apfelgold Blossom – review

How I served: Hot day, straight from the fridge

Appearance: A pale, green-tinged yellow, slight haze on the latter part of the pour due to  a bit of sediment.

On the nose: Green stems, fresh cur green bell pepper, lemon meringue, lemon curd, and that unmistakable elderflower hot, but as if it was candied.

In the mouth: Sweeter than I expected, but this maybe explains the candied nature of the elderflower on the nose. Green bell pepper again, lemon curd turns to lime, with a zing of green apple acidity cutting through a slightly sugary main body. The elderflower adds a herbal, floral accent that lingers.

In a nutshell: A little too sweet for my taste, but if your pallet leans in that direction, it’s clean, spritzy and really quite tasty, the elderflower lingering long after you swallow. One for Hugo drinkers perhaps.

Apfelgold Ruby – review

How I served: As above.

Appearance: Well named, a luscious ruby red.

On the nose: Creme de cassis, blueberry yogurt, ripe red apple, and that smell you get hanging around a distillery when cider is being distilled.

In the mouth: Diluted Ribena, rhubarb jam, red apple sours as a twist of apple acidity keeps a bright spark in the proceedings. There is some residual sweetness, but more fruity and juicy of character than sugary.

In a nutshell: Even for my dry pallet, this isn’t overly sweet or cloying. Ruby gives more than a suggestion of fresh blackcurrants while keeping true to the apple character at its core.

Apfelgold Farmhouse Cider – review

How I served: Another warm day, 10 minutes in the freezer to cool it down a little.

Appearance: Hazy pale gold.

On the nose: Cream soda, pear skin, a hint of vanilla, dried apricots,,,

In the mouth: Fudge and vanilla toffee, a creamy texture, aided by low carbonation. Strawberry jam, apricot yogurt, raspberries, again. Not really getting the tannins promised on the label, acids certainly taking the lead with a lime-like and raspberry notes, a common thread in Apfelgold so far (not that I am complaining!). Maybe the most “rustic” feeling of the lot so far.

In a nutshell: Acid-led with abundant berries and stone fruits, another refresher. While I didn’t get the tannins suggested, I wondered if the German tannin threshold is lower than West Counties or French populations might be.

An extra note on this one: Farmhouse is actually made of 100% “cider apples”, Dufflin (bittersharp), Dabinett (bittersweet), Harry Masters Jersey (bittersweet), Medaille d’Or (bittersweet) and Kingston Black (bittersharp). The trees are however young, only 4 years, and on dwarfing rootstocks (Geneva 11 for those interested) suited to the higher density fruit farming at Brüggenwirth. So it’s really fascinating that I perceived none of the tannins associated with those varieties (indeed, Kira said she was a bit disappointed), and this warrants further exploration. Is it the age of the trees, the rootstocks or the growing conditions reducing apparent tannin content? But I look forward to see how later vintages develop!

Apfelgold Orchard Cider – review

How I served: From the fridge.

Appearance: Pale straw with a light haze.

On the nose: Mandarin peel, marzipan, green apple flesh and red apple skins. Perhaps the appleiest of them all so far.

In the mouth: A softer, more rounded acidity than the others, loaded with tinned peaches, blueberries, raspberry jelly and mandarin zest.

In a nutshell: Luscious and juicy, it feels a little more rounded and even more fruit forward than some of its siblings. Of the seven ciders tried, I think my favourite is now a toss-up between this and the Barrique.

Apfelgold Perry – review

The perry coming up is made from English and French varieties, Thorn, Hendre Huffcap and Plant de Blanc. Kira later told me the trees are all quite young, and felt that Plant de Blanc dominates.

How I served: From the fridge.

Appearance: Almost a light amber.

On the nose: Fruit cocktail, a medley of tinned pears, peaches and lychee.

In the mouth: Oh, now there’s tannin! Astringency almost to the fore, but with ripe pear flesh, tinned pears, a berry-like acidity, suggesting redcurrant, slight green bell pepper and fresh vegetal undertone. Dry, with a tongue-fuzzing astringency that I quite enjoy.

In a nutshell: Brisque, bright acidity, with fruity berry and tropical notes make it sound like a light summer refresher, but boy, those tannins take no prisoners, so might not be to everyone’s taste. Crisp, clean and not dumbed down, both the neighbours and I enjoyed it. It might benefit from a bit of ageing.

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And there you are. I hope the above notes give an impression of the Apfelgold ciders. They’re all pretty good and clean, with zero faults. Barrique and Orchard are certainly my personal favourites of the ciders, but I’d open any of them to share with the neighbours. I think there’s a common thread amongst them, those rich acids being a kind of signature, and that’s not at all unusual for German ciders. But I really am hoping that Kira keeps Apfelgold going, as I want to see how those bittersweets develop as the trees mature!