Left Bank Ciders

I spent part of a lazy Sunday afternoon down in Catskill and stumbled across a gem of a spot Left Bank Ciders (@leftbankciders) • Instagram photos and videos. I walked in and immediately felt at home.

Now, I’m not a huge Cider girl, but there’s no denying that there are some great innovative ciders out there, and a few of those reside here at Left Bank. It was a chilly day, and the warm, welcoming atmosphere was appreciated as I made my way to the table next to the wood stove.

Jake behind the bar is a joy and definitely brought this Cidery up a level. He was knowledgeable about the available ciders and beers and fun to chat with. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: a good bartender and an inviting atmosphere will bring me back, even if the cider/beer is just ok.

I took a moment to peruse the tap list, and I decided on a 4-pour flight. They also offer an 8-pour flight, which includes all of their current ciders available.

I started with the Chanterelle Cider which is made with pounds of foraged chanterelle mushrooms and is 8.0% ABV. A few years ago, I had a lovely chanterelle stout, but never a cider.

It quickly became apparent that I’d been missing out my whole life. Earthy but light and smooth with a definite chanterelle flavor on the back end, this was by far my favorite of the four. As I was getting ready to leave, I tried to bring some home with me, but unfortunately, it was such a small batch they didn’t have any cans for sale.

Next up was the black currant cider, a lovely rouge in color with a nice dry simple tartness and a touch of sweetness towards the back. The black currant also came in at 8.0% ABV.

My third choice was the Spruceton Road which is a wild ferment made from foraged apples from the ground. This one confused me a bit, it did not have much in the way of the nose, but it sure did travel up into my sinus cavity upon drinking. The exciting aspect of wild fermentation is you truly never know just exactly what you’ll get batch to batch.

In this case, these local apples are pulled from the ground underneath a stretch of road full of wild apple trees. I can’t say it was my favorite; the whole menthol-type feeling sent up my nose was startling, and I’m not sure where I stand on this, Lol. I would definitely try this one again next season to see what if any, similarities exist.

Mead

The final tasting in my flight was a winter spiced mead. A mead created with local wildflower honey and mulling spices and then barrel-aged. The mead comes in at 8.5%, which is definitely on the low side for mead, which is interesting. Overall, the taste was a little mediciny for me, I would pass on this one next time.

When It’s Cold Outside

The Hot Mulled Cider created with Mac’s Blended Whiskey is a house specialty. They also offer an N/A version. I chose the N/A version during this visit and was delighted by the cinnamon and clove flavors. It’s kept bubbling hot behind the bar and at the ready.

I’ll definitely be giving the whiskey variety a try on my next visit.

There’s also a nice outdoor seating area available for the warmer days.

The taproom itself is a friendly, spacious, green space with lots of light. It’s not a huge space, so I’m sure it can get a little crowded on the weekend evenings.

That being said I imagine it would feel like a room full of friends you just haven’t met yet.

Community

Left Bank Ciders is big on Community. Every Thursday during the winter months starting in January and running through the end of March, they offer a soup night from 5 pm-7 pm. Community members donate 2 gallons of soup and bowls are sold for around $5. All the proceeds are donated to different local charities. I love this so much! What a great way to give back and build clientele at the same time. A soup night sign-up is available on their website.

Left Bank also opens its taproom to 1841 Farm several Sundays during the winter months. 1841 is a 300-acre farm in Rhinebeck, NY. I spoke with vegetable farmer Christina Miller when I was in and was able to purchase some delicious chanterelle mushrooms.

They also had some root vegetables, micro greens, and spinach for purchase. She had some fresh frozen chicken and pork direct from the farm for sale as well. I think this is part of what makes Left Bank Ciders different from other taprooms I’ve visited. They consider themselves to truly be part of the community and want their community and surrounding communities to grow and succeed together. Take the time and make the trip to Left Bank Ciders you won’t be disappointed.

A Little Bit Extra

Left Bank Ciders got its initial start with cast-out compost apples that weren’t able to be sold at market. Then, in 2019, the owners were traveling through the Catskills and noticed all the wild apple trees. They decided to collect roadside apples for cider, and the rest is what they call so-called history.