The Cider Crate – Best of 2021

Year two of lockdown provided some really good cider offerings, here are our best for 2021

~Bethany and Barry

Top 5 Overall

1. Cold Creek – Erin Go Brach
2. Duntroon – Empire Dry Apple
3. Saunders – Tricky Treat / Candy Apple
4. Shale Ridge – Cherry Chocolate
5. Geissberger – Hard Apple Cider

Top 10 – Apple

1. Cold Creek – Eirinn Go Brach
2. Duntroon – Empire Dry Apple
3. Geissberger – Hard Apple Cider
4. Cold Creek – Cuvee Madeline (2020)
5. Loch Mor – Danforth Rd Russet
6. Twin Pines – Old World
7. Hounds of Erie – Best in Show
8. Thornbury – Clark’s Reserve Harvest (2020)
9. Heemans – New Traditions
10. Farmgate – Russet Spy

Top 5 – Flavoured Ciders (Fruit + Other)

1. Saunders – Tricky Treat / Candy Apple
2. Shale Ridge – Cherry Chocolate
3. Steel Town – Planet of the Pies
4. Slabtown – Ciderita
5. Thornbury – Peach

Top 5 – Herbed/Spiced/Hopped/Floral

1. Heemans – Dutch Crumble
2. Duxbury – Hopped on Honey
3. Duxbury – Rose Petal Honey
4. Saunders – Pie Faced
5. Steel Town – Hail Mary

Top 5 – Perry

1. FieldBird – Black Barred Charmat Perry
2. Twin Pines – Hammer Bent Perry
3. Front Road – Norfolk Perry
4. Duntroon – Two Parish Perry
5. Ev’s Eclectics – Pear-Ilious

Top 3 – Draught Ciders

1. West Avenue – Fireball
2. Duxbury – Liberium
3. Garage D’Or – Spanish Inquistition

Cidery of the Year

1. Shale Ridge

Runners Up 

• Cold Creek Vineyards
• Heemans

Top Ciders Outside of Ontario

1. Ship Builders – Bavaria Cider
2. Chill Street – Nuts Over You

Top Beers

Barry:

• Merit Brewing – Waves Tangerine w/ Peach

Bethany: 

1. Small Pony Barrelworks – SMVU
2. Blood Brothers – Feed your Gods – Raspberry Shortcake
3. Collective Arts – Origin of Darkness Peanut Butter & Chocolate