Kettleborough Dry Cider - Excellent

 

I recently tried some Kettleborough Dry Cider. The name "Kettleborough" comes from the moniker of the original settlement of the area where the cidery is now located.  Kettleborough was inhabited by the LeFevre family whose descendants still live in the New Paltz area.  The old Kettleborough School House still stands adjacent to the orchard that has since been planted on their land. 

 

Kettleborough has instantly become one of the darling ciders of the Hudson Valley. It can be found in a number of foodie stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

According to their company website: Kettleborough Cider House was founded in 2011 by Tim Dressel.  The Dressel Family has been growing apples in New Paltz for four generations, beginning with Tim's Great-Grandfather Fred Dressel in 1923.  After graduating from Cornell University in 2007, Tim returned to the family business and still works there full-time.  Kettleborough Cider House was born out of his love of horticulture, farm business, and oenology (wine-making).  Coming from our apple-growing heritage, we know that great hard cider begins with great apples.  Therefore, we have begun planting nearly-extinct varieties of apples that are better suited for hard cider production than your typical grocery store varieties. 100% of the apples used to make Kettleborough Hard Cider come from trees on Dressel Farms.  

 

This is Kettleborough's flagship cider. Their Dry Cider is a departure from sweeter run-of-the-mill hard ciders that have always dominated the market. This cider is made from a blend of Northern Spy and Granny Smith apples. Big green apple taste I balanced by a great acidity. This is a wine drinker's cider. This is meant to pair with food, like you might a fine sparkling wine. It's almost like a dry Prosecco. Very light, delicate. A lovely, complex cider. Excellent. Perfect to serve in a pint or a champagne flute.