We set out to explore the radical breadth of styles and flavors that makes Maine’s cider boomlet so much fun. Our search was fruitful.
Baby Jimmy
Urban Farm Fermentory, Portland
Pale and almost breathtakingly dry, with a nose that’s pleasantly earthy and ripe from the exclusive use of wild yeasts during fermentation.
The Sow’s Ear Cider
The Sow’s Ear Winery, Brooksville
A cloudy, vinous cider that finishes clean, but comes out swinging with an upfront sweetness and a faint taste of alcohol.
Honey Elder
Whaleback Farm Cider, Lincolnville
Fermented in oak barrels and blended with wildflower honey mead and elderberries. Super crisp, with a nice pink blush and very light carbonation.
Maniac Gold
A great starter cider made mostly with Golden Delicious apples — not too sweet or complex. Goes down startlingly easily.
Traditional Hard Cider
Kennebec Cider Company, Winthrop
Ripe apple flavor with just a hint of barnyard funk, rounded out by soft, champagne-like bubbles and a pleasant acidity from the addition of crab apples.
Aronia
Dry and rich like a great rosé, with an added boost of tannin that comes from aronia berries, also grown at the orchard.
Cayford’s Hardend Cider
A full-bodied, almost creamy cider with a bittersweet flavor and tongue-tingling effervescence. Terrific for dessert.
Fatty Bampkins Dry Cider
Lip-smackingly crisp and tart and somewhat reminiscent of a fruit brandy, while still maintaining a pronounced apple flavor.
Hoboken Station Cider
Oyster River Winegrowers, Warren
Pours straw yellow and packs a punch at 9% ABV (the strongest on this list). A mildly sweet cider with a faintly metallic kick that’ll appeal to fans of hoppy beers.
Classic Hard Cider
Norumbega Cidery, New Gloucester
Intensely bubbly, refreshing, and only faintly sweet, with a blend of apples that changes each season. Best served cold.