Page 46 - Beverage MasterOct Nov 2020

Craft Cider

What makes Bryant’s Ciders particularly unique is batches; we just go for it. So far, most have gone
the flavors. His mainstays include Unicorn Fuel, a pretty well, and we haven’t had any complete
brut cider with rose hips and hibiscus; Brite Good, disasters.”
the flagship Brut cider, which incorporates French
oak tannins to enhance mouthfeel while leaving a One recent experiment that turned out positive
true cider aroma and flavor profile; Sumthin Juicy, results is Bryant’s line of ciders fermented and
styled after a New England IPA and dry-hopped aged in used stout beer barrels. These include
three times with six different hop varieties; and Red Satan’s Heaven, a slightly bitter cider aged in Blue
Eye, a cold-brewed coffee cider with locally-sourced Mountain Barrel House American oak bourbon
beans brewed directly in the juice. Bryant’s also barrels with cocoa nibs and cayenne pepper, and
sells seasonal and limited release ciders, includ- Dark Unicorn, a smooth cider featuring Bryant’s
ing a Star Sign Line named for signs of the Zodiac. cult favorite, Unicorn Fuel, aged in Blue Mountain’s
Typically, the ciders’ alcohol by volume is 8%. bourbon barrels with rose hips and hibiscus. “I get
barrels from local distilleries and breweries for
While Bryant’s ciders are all-natural, sugar-free aging ciders,” Thornton said. “If I have fresh juice, I
and in the brut style, Thornton is always on the will ferment it in the barrel too.”
lookout for new “funky” flavors. “Our mindset
favors craft beer profiles and ideas as opposed to While fermenting and aging in bourbon barrels are
historic, simple cider profiles,” he said. “If we can relatively new trends among cider makers, the pro-
get an ingredient, we’ll try it. We don’t make test cesses harken back to American cider’s origins in

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