Angry Orchard Introduces Orchard's Edge Series with Two New Hard Cider Styles

WALDEN, N.Y., Feb. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The cider makers at Angry Orchard today announced national availability of their latest project, the Orchard's Edge series. The first two hard ciders in the series – Knotty Pear and The Old Fashioned – hit shelves this month. This new series is inspired by unexpected ingredients and aging processes the cider makers have been working on at Angry Orchard's new Innovation Cider House on its orchard in Walden, New York.

The hard cider industry has seen incredible growth over the past several years, and drinkers are embracing it as a refreshing alternative to beer or wine. As drinkers continue to rediscover the American cider tradition, they are interested in trying ciders with more complexity. Craft brewers have been experimenting with ingredients and processes for the past thirty years, and now that the cider drinker's palate is also maturing, cider makers have the opportunity to push the limits and develop more complex ciders, like Orchard's Edge.

The ciders in the Orchard's Edge series are aged on American oak and feature non-apple fruits like pears and oranges along with exotic spices like cardamom, all meant to work with and enhance cider's most important ingredient: the apple.

Cider maker's notes on each style:

• Orchard's Edge Knotty Pear (6.5% ABV): While not a perry, Knotty Pear is made with a blend of domestic culinary pears, including Bartlett, Doyenne de Comice, Bosc and D'Anjou, and apples grown in the United States. The cider leads with ripe apple, baked pear aromas and spicy, herbal hints from the cardamom. The pears also give the cider a subtle spiced essence along with notes of citrus and mint. Aged on American oak, this cider has a pleasant, dry finish.

• Orchard's Edge The Old Fashioned (6.5% ABV): Developed from a blend of American apples like Gala and Fuji, The Old Fashioned is aged on charred oak bourbon barrel staves with dried tart cherries and California grown navel orange peel. The cider has a delicate citrus aroma with hints of vanilla and bourbon flavor from the wood aging process. The Old Fashioned has lasting tannins and a full, round mouthfeel.

"American cider has come a long way in the past few years, and we think it can be pushed even further. With Orchard's Edge, we took our two decades of experience to create styles that represent what is next for cider," said Ryan Burk, Head Cider Maker at Angry Orchard. "We had a lot of fun exploring different ingredients and techniques for these ciders at our Innovation Cider House, and ultimately found two combinations we hope will give drinkers a taste of all that craft cider can be."

With Angry Orchard's new home for research and development on the Angry Orchard, its 60-acre orchard in New York's Hudson River Valley, the cider makers at America's leading cidery are committed to furthering drinker education and broadening awareness of cider here in the U.S. Additional ciders will be added to the Angry Orchard and Orchard's Edge lineup as the cider makers tinker with new ingredients and techniques at the orchard, and find recipes they love and want to share with drinkers.

Orchard's Edge is available year-round in 6-packs beginning February 2016 for a suggested retail price of $10.99 (price varies per market). Both varieties will also be available on rotating draft in select bars and restaurants beginning spring 2016.

About Angry Orchard Cider Company: 
The cider makers at Angry Orchard have been experimenting with apple varieties, ingredients and processes to develop hard cider recipes for more than 20 years. The cider makers have travelled the world to find the best apples for cider making and chose specific varieties – like French bittersweet apples from Normandy, culinary apples from Italy and the Pacific Northwest U.S. based on each cider's desired flavor profile. In fall 2015, Angry Orchard opened a new home for research and development on a historic 60-acre apple orchard in the Walden, NY. There, the cider makers will continue to drive experimentation at the Innovation Cider House, and drinkers are welcome to visit for samples of exclusive ciders made on-site. Despite the recent growth of hard cider in the US, the category is still small and relatively unknown. Angry Orchard is committed to drinker education and awareness-building to help grow the category for all craft cider makers.

Angry Orchard makes a variety of year-round craft cider styles, including Angry Orchard Crisp Apple, a crisp and refreshing fruit-forward cider that blends the sweetness of culinary apples with dryness and bright acidity from bittersweet apples for a balanced flavor profile. Angry Orchard also makes The Cider House Collection specialty ciders, as well as a variety of seasonal ciders.

To Learn More: 
To find where Angry Orchard hard cider is served near you, visit the "cider finder" at www.angryorchard.com/cider-finder. Cider lovers can explore the Orchard online at www.angryorchard.com/our-orchard and like us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @AngryOrchard.

Angry Orchard is a registered trademark of the Angry Orchard Cider Company.

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SOURCE Angry Orchard

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