Comments on: Brew Blog #22: What The Frig Is A Scrumpy?…Who Cares, This Is The Greatest Hard Cider Ever!

By: Gary

Gary — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:32:04 +0000

Bruce and Jim’s comment aside, I don’t believe your review is over the top. I was just writing about this cider to a friend and fellow onetime Michigander and found this review. Scrumpy is available at my local beverage store in Boston, too.

J.K.’s Scrumpy is a distillation of pure Michigan appletude.

By: Joe Segar

Joe Segar — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 01:33:57 +0000

Cheers. The best I’ve had. Really tastes like cider rather than apple juice. Richer and more complex in flavor than any other I’ve sampled. I wish it were available more places and I’ll pick some up when and wherever I can.

By: Sean McLennan

Sean McLennan — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:13:24 +0000

A wee pub in Brooklyn sells it. I’ve never tasted anything like it. Waiting for it to come to Scotland!

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:51:36 +0000

I concur, this is a truly awesome cider. Most of the mass producted ciders taste like Draino and have a similar impact. This drop is up there with the best Irish or English ciders and a few boutique producers in Australia taht I have tasted. Its one bottle that I’ll keep a lookout for while I’m in the US.

Regards

peter

By: Jill

Jill — Mon, 31 May 2010 21:52:16 +0000

I am in agreement as well. Just came across this review while looking for distributors of Scrumpy in the area (Boston). I had one of these amazingly wonderful ciders last night, and I don’t think I can drink any other cider without wishing it was a Scrumpy!
Man….good stuff.

By: Matt

Matt — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:50:30 +0000

I am with you when it comes to how great JK’s Scrumpy is. Have you tried their Winter Solstice (cider blended with a touch of maple syrup and some spices)? All good stuff. Great stuff, in fact. I am from Michigan, so of course I also love the kudos for our dirt.

As I was reading this, I was wondering what your opinion was of Massachusetts’s own Johnny Mash? I certainly love the Scrumpy (still working through a case I bought in October), but whenever I drive out to Boston, I make a detour north off I-90 near the state line and stock up on as much Johnny Mash as I can safely take across the border through Canada on my way home.

For me, which is better depends a lot on my mood. And I a guess when I feel like something more dry, and the farmhouse ciders and draft ciders are just too sweet (which happens in odd batches of the Scrumpy throughout the year) I grab a growler of Winesap from Tandem Ciders in Suttons Bay, Michigan.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 04:16:10 +0000

Hey Mike,

Just read your review, I have had a few lately and they have all been good, but yours is just over the top.

We are a family operation, the family has made hard cider since the 1850s, legally for about ten years. It saved the farm during the great depression and prohibition. Today the massive influx of Asian apple concentrate flooding the market has put many American orchards out of business. Our cider gives us a way to sell a product not a commodity, it is once again saving the farm.

The cider we make is made entirely at the Almar orchard in Flushing MI, We are a 100% USDA certified organic orchard and our cider is certified. We grow,crush, ferment & bottle . Production can take a year , fermentation alone is 9-12 months as we ferment at very cool temps. There will be slight variations from batch to batch in both color and flavor,because apples will vary.

The cider itself is golden and hazy, the nose is like fresh apples about 6% . Just apples, yeast and patience

You must try our limited winter Solstice Cider

Cheers
Bruce & Jim (JK)