Save the Gravenstein

Is it just me, or do every two weeks feel like a lifetime in 2020? The highlight of the 24 hours news cycle for the last two weeks is that Trump, Melania, and half of the White House came down with Covid. Dump was a super spreader, with his anti-mask rhetoric abounding everywhere. 

Conspiracy theorists say he never was sick. He only pretended to shame his liberal detractors and make people who have been taking the virus seriously to be a bunch of babies. Personally, I think he was ill. If you saw the videos of him on the steps of Walter Reed, the man looked like he was having some serious issues breathing. Probably the most angering thing is that as soon as he was confirmed to be infected, Trump was whisked away for the best healthcare money can buy (not that he actually pays for anything). I do 100% believe that his team knew he was infected before the first debate with Biden but deliberately arrived late to try and infect Uncle Joe.

 I did have a bit of a giggle when the harbinger of doom himself, Stephen Miller, came down with the virus. I learned recently that Miller and I share a birthday (year and everything, so now everyone knows my age), but I really thought he had at least 20 years on me. I feel that this quote from Roald Dahl really fits Miller: 

“If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts, it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

Anyone watch the VP debate last week? Traditionally the Vice Presidential debates tend to fly under the radar popularity-wise. This particular debate, however, earned its place in the 2020 zeitgeist. A suspiciously pink-eyed Mike Pence repeatedly talked over my girl Kamala, and the disappointing moderator, yet never actually answered any of the questions posed to him. To be fair, Kamala side-swept a few questions too, like the court-packing lob. Still, Pence just flat out lied about his role in the Trump administration’s coronavirus failure. 

And then there was the fly. The black fly that landed on Pence’s plastic “Little People” white head and took up residence for two minutes. It took even less than that for fly to trend on Twitter and became the meme of the week. Saturday Night Live, of course, took full advantage, writing the cold open to feature Joe Biden and Herman Caine (RIP) as the flys on Pence’s head. Wonderful.

Here in Los Angeles, we have been riding a heatwave, truly awful. We had a few days respite from the 90+ weather before being plunged back down into the depths of hell. And yet, despite the high temperature, there will always be people wearing long sleeves and coats. I genuinely do not understand. Maybe someone can enlighten me. 

It might not feel like autumn, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some delicious fall beverages. For this week’s drink, I’m veering off beer completely and instead sampled one of the world’s oldest drinks – hard apple cider. There is something about cider (hard and non-fermented) that just screams fall even though it’s available year-round.

It’s unclear where hard cider originated from; however, archaeological evidence was found in Greece, Rome, and Central Asia dating back to 55 BC. This makes sense as the apple itself originated in Kazakhstan. With ancient trade roads, spread all over Europe and Asia, and eventually came to the New World. 

Being from New England, I love cider. A sip of hot non-alcoholic cider on a cold fall day as you stroll through an orchard gives your tummy a bit of warmth. Fermenting apple cider into the beautiful hard cider drink just brings it to a whole other level. There is something for everyone to enjoy, as cider runs the gamut from very dry to very sweet. It can be made with pretty much any apple for a complex blend of malum flavor. And, it’s gluten-free, so our celiac friends can enjoy one or six. I’ve seen maple ciders, ciders dry-hopped for a bit of pine, and everything in between.

Unfortunately, out here in CA, apple ciders are difficult to find. I’ve seen cherry, ginger, blueberry but local apple ciders are a rarity. Oh, sure, my local store carries Angry Orchard, and it’s fine in a pinch, but they are quite sweet and very caloric. However, I was at the corner store the other day when I noticed a 4 pack of cider from Golden State Cider. Huzzah! 

Founded in 2012, Golden State makes their home in Sebastopol, CA, right in the heart of Sonoma County. A mere 7-hour drive from my apartment, I could pop in the cidery taproom any day for a pint…sigh. According to Golden State’s website, Sonoma used to be filled with apple orchards back in the day, but as wineries expanded, grapes began to take the place of apples. Now I love me some wine, but I definitely took the year around availability of hard cider for granted before living in CA. 

Massachusetts, Vermont, New York are just bursting with cideries, and they have become quite experimental with flavors, aging, and hopping. 

My fermented apple drink of the night is called Save the Gravenstein, named after that apple variety. After a peek at their cider list, though, I’d have been happy with almost any of them. But Grav is what my store had so choice made for me. Apparently, this was a limited release, with only 1,700 cases sent out, now don’t I feel special. Now my dumb ass forgot to take a picture of the cider, so you’ll just have to use my words to visualize the drink.

The description mentions the cider as unfiltered, but I found the liquid to be quite clear in its appearance—a pleasing yellowish amber, like the color of an apple jelly you see at diners. The carbonation was low, but this is pretty common with ciders, especially unfiltered ones. The nose was pleasant, with notes of sweet apple, tannic skin, and warm summer flowers. 

I was very much looking forward to those initial few sips, as this is the first local apple cider I’ve had in two years. Grav is nice and smooth, like a satin sheet. Light mouthfeel, not too much noticeable carbonation. I definitely noticed a dryness right away, a tannic astringency similar to sipping a dry cabernet. This isn’t uncommon, though, especially with certain varieties of apples. Apple cider is halfway between a juice and an apple wine in chemistry.

Going in, I had no guess as to how this cider would taste. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a Gravenstein apple. I mostly stick to Macintosh. This cider is dry and crisp, with little sweetness. It tasted a lot like when I made homemade cider and fermented out nearly all of the sugar. You get that apple taste, without the cloyingness of juice. The apple flavor is prominent, but it is paired nicely with a light taste of honey, jasmine, and almost a salt kiss. 

I don’t find this cider to be very complex tasting, but that’s not what I want in a cider. I want one that tastes of an apple orchard – so flowers, apples, and honey. I won’t say no to a sweeter cider. Still, I definitely find my palate gravitating towards dryer alcohols as I get older. When I made my cider, I used champagne yeast. I found the cider was left with a very clean flavor, possibly what Golden State used. Another benefit to a dry cider is lower in calories. Most of the natural sugars fermented out. So everyone wins! And this is a respectable 7%, so you’ll be feeling smooth after a few. And a little smoothness is what everyone needs lately. Stay radicalized, my friends. 

4 out of 5 Black Flies