Ciders

Our ciders are made with wild seedling apples that we discovered in our surrounding area and our favorite orchard varieties. All ciders are fermented with wild yeasts from the apples. Our current batches are:

WITH FRIENDS A blend of Honeycrisp, Cortland, and Empire apples that were frozen outside during the early winter to concentrate the sugars. Tasting notes of florals and ripe pineapple.

With Friends is named as such as it was made entirely with friends. Apples came from T-Bone, owner of Randall Orchard and Sean Turley of Righteous Russet. It was pressed with friends RJ and Tara Walker. It was bottled with brother Justin. We recommend drinking with friends. Serve chilled. Contains sulfites. 750ml bottle. 10.7% ABV.

EN PLEIN AIR – Late-season apples were picked frozen off the tree and partially thawed before being pressed whole. The aromatics and flavor are stone fruit and peachy with a hint of juniper. The peach flavor makes us want to sit outside and enjoy en plein air. Serve chilled. Contains sulfites. 750ml bottle. 6.9% ABV. The front label painting “On Fire!” is by our friend and artist Margaret Dries in North Conway, New Hampshire. Find her on Instagram @SunsetHillStudio.

COMMON FRUIT Traditional dry cider made with wild yeast. Common Fruit is produced from wild seedling apple varieties found on family land in Cornish, Maine. My grandfather always referred to these apples as “common fruit”. They add tannins and body along with rustic aromas and flavors. These apples are blended with a base of our favorite orchard and heirloom varieties to add acidity and fruity aromatics. Pour slowly for clarity. Serve chilled. Contains sulfites. 375ml bottle. 6.8% ABV. 2022 Bronze medalist in the Heritage Cider-Dry category at GLINTCAP // 2021 Gold medalist in the traditional cider category at the Great American Cider Competition.

PAPER CUTTERSOLD OUT Local apples were frozen outside and partially thawed before being pressed whole. Then the very clear and high-sugar juice was frozen outside to further concentrate the sugars. Fermentation took place in a used French oak rum barrel. This cider is named after the bespoke apple press that Jared converted from an old paper cutter found in his parent’s cellar. Paper Cutter’s aroma is of lilacs, faint honey, and rum barrel. The flavor presents as honey, candy, and tangerine. Serve chilled. Contains sulfites. 750ml bottle. 9.9% ABV. 

PRUNER’S RESPITESOLD OUT The next iteration of Ice Saw, our version of ice cider from 2019. This batch features the same blend of apples but concentrated 50% so it isn’t as sweet yet has a higher alcohol percentage. Pruner’s Respite has a wonderful aroma of tropical fruits and creme brulee yet is dry to taste. Serve chilled. Contains sulfites. 375ml bottle. 12.9% ABV. 

THE BACKYARD CIDER PROJECTSOLD OUT A Community Cider of Maine. A collaboration between Cornish Cider Company, Anoche Cider Bar, and the Community. The Backyard Cider Project is a celebration of Maine’s community and produce. From over 20 locations around our wonderful state, our amazing community has come together and donated a vast range of apples in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Anoche Cider Bar in Portland, Maine put out the call to bring the apples together and helped us grind and press the fruits. This singular, authentic Maine cider is a true mix of apple flavors with notes of orange marmalade. Slightly carbonated, slightly sweet. 375ml bottle. 6.7% abv.

The foldable label details the towns where the apples are contributed from: Portland, Gorham, Standish, Windham, Casco, Naples, Sebago, South Bridgton, Denmark, Brownfield, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Bath, Brunswick, Hallowell, Deer Isle, Vinalhaven, Camden, South Paris, Biddeford, Cornish, Wiscasset. The Backyard Cider Project is only available at Cornish Cider Company in Cornish, Maine and Anoche Cider Bar in Portland, Maine.

ODD BARREL Our unique one-off batches that fall under the same label with specified numbers denote each batch. Ever-changing ciders made with wild yeast. Check below for batch-tasting notes.

During blending time we always find that one “odd barrel” that is good enough, and unique enough, to drink on its own. Rather than blend with the juice of other barrels, we decided to bottle this as is. Odd Barrel is our label for unique batches that don’t fit into our regular blends. Serve chilled. Contains sulfites. 375ml bottle. 

  • ODD BARREL 082822 – A collaborative batch with Maine’s own Sean Turley of The Righteous Russet. Included apples are those foraged each by Sean and Jared from all over the State of Maine. 6.4% ABV.
  • ODD BARREL 011922 SOLD OUT – A blend of Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Empire, Baldwin, and Liberty apples. The initial aroma lends itself to that clean dirt floor smell of a classic New England fieldstone cellar with a touch of late-season apples. This cider is bone dry with fast-moving bubbles and tastes of the apples from which it is made. 7.5% ABV.
  • ODD BARREL 101720 SOLD OUT – A blend of Common Fruit and Ice Saw that was matured in a French red wine barrel which was then used for rum. Odd Barrel 101720 has a clear, brassy-gold appearance without bubbles. The aroma presents as equal parts fruitiness, rum, and oak. The flavor profile follows the aroma of fruit with apple and a bit of cherry. Rum lovers will appreciate it. 7.8% ABV.
  • ODD BARREL 092019 SOLD OUT – A blend of wild seedling apples found around the Cornish, Maine area. Odd Barrel 092019 has a slightly hazy, golden appearance with light bubbles. The earthy aroma welcomes subtleties of hay after rain. The flavor presents as mild grapefruit peel and is pleasing on the palate. 6.5% ABV. 
  • ODD BARREL 022219SOLD OUT – A blend of Northern Spy, Ida Red, and Liberty Apples with some wild seedling fruit added for slight tannin. Odd Barrel 022219 has a clear, pale golden appearance with ample bubbles. The nose is reminiscent of early spring soil with a subtle barn funk from the wild yeast fermentation. The flavor hits with a strong minerality, light cherry, and a hint of hay. 6.5% ABV. 
  • ODD BARREL 070818SOLD OUT – A blend of our favorite wild seedling apples that were foraged locally and that we have planted and are now growing in our orchard. OB 070818 has a brilliantly clear, coppery-rust appearance with gentle bubbles. The first aroma hits strongly of burnt sugar and the slight tartness of cherry, with a background of a warm, musty barn. The flavor comes through as cherries and raspberries with a bit of minerality and a slightly dry finish. 6.5% ABV. 2019 Silver medalist in the Heritage Cider-Dry category at GLINTCAP

LAST PICKS – SOLD OUT Last Picks refers to the remaining apples in the storage buildings of our local orchards at the end of the season. In 2019 those apples were Honey Crisp and Northern Spy. This cider was intended to be an ice cider but the winter was not cold enough. The juice concentrated only 50% so we put it in a French white wine barrel that had been used for rum and left it. When we checked the cider in the summer of 2021 we discovered it had taken on the flavor of the barrel with a hint of smoked pineapple. Fermented with natural wild yeasts. Serve chilled. Contains sulfites. 375ml bottle. 10.8% abv.

ICE SAW – SOLD OUT Cryoconcentrated hard cider made with wild yeast. Our take on ice cider, a cider style that was developed in Quebec. Late-harvest dessert apples are picked in the fall and kept until winter when they are pressed. The juice is stored and frozen outside during our cold Maine winter until warming spring temperatures thaw the ice block. While much of the water volume remains frozen, we are left with a concentration of rich, sugar-heavy juice that then ferments with its own wild yeast. This cider has a weighty mouthfeel with strong flavors of caramelized sugar and ripe pineapple yet is balanced with a slight acidity. Contains sulfites. 375ml bottle. 10% ABV.

EASTMAN HILL STOCK FARMSOLD OUT – Dry hard cider made with yeast. I was visited one day by a fellow who said he had a connection to some great apple varieties in Lovell, Maine. I took a drive and found an immaculate former racehorse farm with a small orchard and an impressive collection of heirloom and cider apples. We picked the fruit and I brought it all back to Cornish to complete the transformation. The resulting cider has a full mouthfeel and hits strongly of seasoned apple crates and notes of rum. The drying finish has a slight yet pleasant bitterness. This cider is fermented with wild yeast that is naturally present on the apples. Contains sulfites. 375ml bottle. 7.6% ABV.

COLD CONCENTRATE SOLD OUT – Picked. Pressed. Frozen. Cider. A cider that comes from apple juice that was frozen outside but not to the degree to categorize as traditional ice cider. The appearance is slightly hazy, pale gold with a hint of green. Aromas of caramelized brown sugar and green jolly rancher. The flavor has warm bourbon undertones and a hint of creme brulee. 375ml bottle. 10.7% ABV.

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