Adam's Apples

Cider is not my usual beat. Nor will it be. Nonetheless I enjoy and occasionally write about hard apple cider here.  Stormalong, a Massachusetts-based cidery, offers a dry glass I've enjoyed in the past, though it is a little skimpy somehow on character. When I found a four-pack sampler of their heritage ciders at farmers market back in November, I felt I had to try them.

I snagged a small bag of these elusive apples this year and a few were in pretty good shape. So while I am keeping my original review in place (of an imperfect sample), here are tasting notes based on fresher fruit. Esopus Spitzenberg is attractive: large and classically shaped with prominent ribs and a slightly conical profile. The red blush has a matte finish and runs from various shades of true red to orange to the underlying yellow. Many large irregular tan lenticels accentuate the shape.

I finished the season in November with a stash of apples that I hoped would keep well: Baldwin, Golden Russet, Arkansas Black, and Blushing Golden. These varieties all have reputations as good keepers. Some are said to improve with age. Macoun: not exactly a keeper but in my rotation By supplementing them with supermarket Macouns that have been carefully stored, I have enjoyed an agreeable and varied apple diet. Rather than periodically revise my reviews of these fruits ("two months out and still crispy!"), here is how this experiment has fared.

This variety is old, revered, and hard to find. I've never tasted one before. This medium-sized fruit has an orange-tinged red blush that is streaky on the shaded side and speckled with many light lenticels of varying sizes. It is noticeably ribbed and has a sweet smell of cider and pears. The flesh of my Esopus Spitzenberg is yellow, coarse, and firm, still reasonably crisp but tender. Its taste is nicely balanced and has pronounced acidity. This is a flavorful old-style apple after the manner of a Ribston or Cox's. The peel is thick and adds some sharpness to the finish. There are floral notes and hints of peach and something citrus, pineapple perhaps.