September 2021
September’s Explorer Box features Red, Roe, Ruin (Nordic Cranberry Mead) and Nouveau Riche (Carbonic Cherry Wine Cider).
BOOK OF NOMAD | RED, ROE, RUIN
Meads have such a distinct history that we believe it deserves exploration. We opted for a traditional Nordic Kviek yeast and berries to kick start the fermentation. Kviek yeast is known for its fruity and honey-like flavors, complementing the wildflower honey and berries later blended in. Nordic cuisine and beverages have a long history of using herbs, roots, and spices. Pulling inspiration from history, we used similar ingredients that were available in the old world and blended them into our new world cider our traditional wild yeast fermented cider, and then canned.
SHARED UNIVERSE | NOUVEAU RICHE
A collaboration born out of love for natural wines and funky fruit fermentations. We decided to approach NY-grown English Morello cherries in the same fashion that wine grapes are treated by fermenting using a technique called carbonic maceration. Carbonic maceration creates esters (fruity- smelling chemical compounds) that give certain unmistakable flavors to red wines and in our case, cherries. During the carbonic maceration processes, the entire cherry was fermented until the skins burst inside the tank. We then took this spontaneously fermented cherry juice and blended California white wine concentrate with champagne yeast, wild yeast, and bacteria to enhance the natural wine characteristics found in this style of wine. Finally, the ferment was finished off by blending in barrel-aged new York cider. Deliciously juicy and elevated in flavor, this nontraditional style is hella nouveau rich and spits in the face of convention.
TASTING
Are your ciders chilly? Do you have your tasting card and a pen handy? Taste through your Cider Explorers Box with Kyle & Sara Sherrer.
CIDER COCKTAIL
Edward Gibbons-Brown, one of our favorite local mixologists and theater lover, has created a custom cocktail for you, Cider Explorers, using ingredients found in the common pantry.