There’s a growing overlap between beer and cider, and I’m not just talking about the lucrative craft beverage market. Craft beer is increasingly taking inspiration from cider and vice versa. There’s beer/cider hybrid styles that have emerged, like graf (which was technically invented by author Stephen King, weirdly enough). Some beers, like Four Winds’ recent collab with Nomad Cider, Clairvoyance, utilize byproducts of the cider-making process in new ways—in this case, fermenting the beer on cider apple skins.
Cider has taken inspiration from craft beer as well, most notably with dry-hopping. Dry-hopping is a brewing method most commonly associated with IPAs, where hops are added to the beer during various stages of the fermentation process, steeping the beer with luscious fruity flavours.
Dry-hopping cider can imbue it with complexity and depth of flavour, allowing the fruitiness of the hops to shine against the clean, dry cider base.
But don’t get the wrong idea. Dry-hopping doesn’t necessarily make a cider bitter.
Wild Card by Windfall Cider is one such dry-hopped cider that offers a refreshing, citrus-forward flavour with more personality than your traditional new world dry cider.
Orchard fruit and citrus feature heavily on the nose, with notes of pear, grapefruit, apple, and a touch of earthy mustiness. The hop character is mild enough to complement the flavours of the cider without overpowering them and becoming too “hoppy.”
Light and refreshing with a fruity, off-dry finish, Wild Card will be a great thirst-quencher for when you finally go outside.
Drink this: Wild Card by Windfall Cider
Dry-hopped cider • 6.0% ABV • 473 mL tall cans
Appearance: Brilliant pale straw with a fleeting thin white head.
Aroma: Orchard fruit, citrus, earthy.
Flavour: Citrus, apple, par, earthy, musty, refreshing, touch of residual sweetness, mild hop character.
Body/Finish: Light bodied with an off-dry finish.
Pairs with: Hot wings, halibut tacos, summer salad, and staying the hell away from everyone at the beach.
