August 2019: Cider of the Month

Mercier Orchards Grumpy Granny

Now my late father is responsible, in part, for this month’s selection of hard ciders: He and my mother had retired to Florida, over a thousand miles away from even the closest of their children; and when he passed away recently, my mother decided she simply could not live in Florida anymore and insisted that we move her back North immediately: She was convinced that he had taken to haunting her at night in the hallway of their condo, but this was not something she found comforting. So my sister and I headed south in an old blue pick-up truck on an involuntary road trip. Since my parents lived in far western Florida, instead of a more convenient Orlando or Fort Lauderdale or even Tampa,  we took the interstate 81 all the way down through the Blue Ridge, into Georgia, then Alabama and Florida.
In Georgia, we came upon the quaint town of Newnan, where we had lunch on the town square, then walked around a bit to stretch our legs. And here we happened upon the Ace Beer Growlers shop in a little brick building, where the proprietor kindly let us sample some genuine Georgia hard ciders. I ended up with a half-growler of a delicious concoction called ‘Grumpy Granny.’ Which seemed just about perfect, considering the task at hand. It had been brewed in Northern Georgia, at Mercier Orchards, and was perfectly sweet (for me), sparkly and fresh. My sister, who is more fond of the grape, said it was like a good sipping wine, and I agree, although it went very well with the Alaskan crab my mom boiled up for us at the very end of the trip. And the growler was finished before we even left Pensacola.
On the return trip, my mother in tow along with what remained of her earthly possessions, we stopped just off 81 in Kingsport, Tennessee, to visit the Gypsy Circus cidery just outside town. And while it was a fun and convivial experience—we sampled four different kinds of cider, but I have to say it’s mostly a ‘novelty’ cidery specializing in unusual flavors, and I prefer plain, classic stuff. But the one I liked best was their Orange Blossom cider, which tasted closest to classic cider, though it was a bit too sweet even for me. It had a beautiful amber color, however, and went down very easily, no weird aftertaste that the others had. So I guess the Gypsy Circus Orange Blossom is the runner-up for this month,
Next month I’ll stay home, and will feature some local New Jersey favorites, my usual ‘go-to’ ciders for everyday life. But I’m looking forward to my next road trip—whatever that might be—and the chance to try some interesting new brew.    

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