The 10th Annual Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) Style Guidelines Standard Styles New World Cider – Page 1 English Cider – Page 3 French Cider – Page 4 Spanish Cider – Page 5 New World Perry – Page 7 Traditional Perry – Page 8 Specialty Styles New England Cider – Page 9 Fruit Cider – Page 10 Applewine – Page 11 Hopped/Herbal Cider – Page 12 Spiced Cider – Page 13 Wood Aged Cider and Perry – Page 14 Specialty Cider and Perry – Page 15 Unlimited Cider and Perry – Page 16 Mead – Page 17 Beer – Page 18 Intensified and Distilled Styles Ice Cider – Page 19 Pommeau – Page 20 Eau de vie – Page 21 Brandy – Page 22 New World Cider “New World” references the style, not a location, as ciders in this style are also made in eastern England, Australia, Germany, etc. A New World—Modern cider is made primarily from culinary/table apples. Compared to other Standard styles, these ciders are generally lower in tannin and higher in acidity. A New World—Heritage cider is made primarily from multi-use or cider-specific bittersweet/bittersharp apples, with wild or crab apples sometimes used for acidity/tannin balance. These ciders will generally be higher in tannin than New World—Modern ciders. These ciders will generally lack the malolactic fermentation (MLF) flavor notes often found in English ciders. Aroma/Flavor: Sweet or low-alcohol ciders may have apple aroma and flavor. Dry ciders will be more wine-like with some esters. Sugar and acidity should combine to give a refreshing character. Acidity is medium to high, refreshing, but must not be harsh or biting. Appearance: Modern: Brilliant, pale to yellow in color. Heritage: Clear to brilliant, yellow to amber in color. Mouthfeel: Modern: Medium body. Heritage: Medium body. Some tannin should be present for slight to moderate astringency, but little bitterness. Overall Impression: Modern: A refreshing drink – not bland or watery. Sweet ciders must not be cloying. Dry ciders must not be too austere. Heritage: A refreshing drink of some substance – not bland or watery. Sweet ciders must not be cloying. Dry ciders must not be too austere. Comments: An ideal cider serves well as a “session” drink, and suitably accompanies a wide variety of food. 1 Entry Instructions: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level (3 levels). Entrants MUST specify sweetness (5 levels). If OG is substantially above typical range, entrant should explain, e.g., particular variety of apple giving high-gravity juice. Varieties: Modern: Commonly grown varieties such as Winesap, Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Jonathan. Multi-use varieties (Northern Spy, Russets, Baldwin), crabapples, and any suitable wildings may also be used. Heritage: Multi-use (Northern Spy, Russets, Baldwin), cider-specific bittersweets and bittersharps, crabapples, any suitable wildings. Vital Statistics Modern: OG: 1.045 – 1.065 FG: 0.995 – 1.020 ABV: 5 – 8% Heritage: OG: 1.050 – 1.075 FG: 0.995 – 1.015 ABV: 6 – 9% Commercial Examples Modern: [US] Uncle John’s Fruit House Winery Apple Hard Cider, White Winter Hard Apple Cider (WI). Heritage: [US] Westcott Bay Traditional Very Dry, Dry and Medium Sweet (WA), Farnum Hill Extra-Dry, Dry, and Farmhouse (NH), Wandering Aengus Ciderworks Bloom (OR), Montana CiderWorks North Fork (MT), Bellwether Heritage (NY). 2 English Cider This includes the English “West Country” plus ciders inspired by that style. These ciders are made with bittersweet and bittersharp apple varieties cultivated specifically for cider making. English ciders are traditionally fermented and aged in wood barrels, which adds some character; however, the barrels used are rarely new, so there is no overt wood character. Aroma/Flavor: No overt apple character, but various flavors and esters that suggest apples, particularly tannic varieties. English-style ciders commonly go through malolactic fermentation (MLF) which produces desirable spicy/smoky, phenolic, and farmyard/old-horse characters. These flavor notes are positive but not required. If present, they must not dominate; in particular, the phenolic and farmyard notes should not be heavy. A strong farmyard character without spicy/smoky or phenolic suggests a Brettanomyces contamination, which is a fault. Mousiness is a serious fault. Appearance: Barely cloudy to brilliant. Medium yellow to amber color. Mouthfeel: Full. Moderate to high tannin, perceived as astringency and some bitterness. Carbonation still to moderate. Bottle-fermented or -conditioned ciders may have high carbonation, up to champagne levels, but not gushing or foaming. Overall Impression: Generally dry, full-bodied, austere. Complex flavor profile, long finish. Comments: Sweet examples exist, but dry is most traditional, particularly when considering the drying contributions of tannin. Entry Instructions: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level (3 levels). Entrants MUST specify sweetness (5 levels). Entrants MAY specify variety of apple for a single varietal cider; if specified, varietal character will be expected. Varieties: Kingston Black, Stoke Red, Dabinett, Porter’s Perfection, Nehou, Yarlington Mill, Major, various Jerseys, etc. Vital Statistics: OG: 1.050 – 1.075 FG: 0.995 – 1.015 ABV: 6 – 9% Commercial Examples: [UK] Oliver’s Traditional Dry, Hogan’s Dry and Medium Dry, Henney’s Dry and Vintage Still, Burrow Hill Medium, Aspall English Imperial. 3 French Cider This includes Normandy styles plus ciders inspired by those styles, including ciders made by various techniques to achieve the French flavor profile. These ciders are made with bittersweet and bitter-sharp apple varieties cultivated specifically for cider making. Traditional French procedures use small amounts of salt and calcium compounds (calcium chloride, calcium carbonate) to aid the process of pectin coagulation. These compounds may be used, pre-fermentation, but in limited quantity. It is a fault if judges can detect a salty or chalky taste. The enzyme PME (pectin methyl esterase) may also be used pre- fermentation for pectin coagulation. Note that the sweetness/gravity levels indicate an overall tendency, not a sharp delineation between English and French ciders. Aroma/Flavor: Fruity character/aroma. This may come from slow or arrested fermentation (in the French technique of défécation) or approximated by back-sweetening with juice. Tends to a rich fullness. MLF notes of spicy-smoky, phenolic, and farmyard are common but not required (just as with English style), and must not be pronounced. The French expect more subtle MLF character than do the English. Appearance: Clear to brilliant, medium yellow to amber color. Mouthfeel: Medium to full, mouth-filling. Moderate tannin, perceived mainly as astringency. Carbonation moderate to champagne-like, but at higher levels it must not gush or foam. Overall Impression: Medium to sweet, full-bodied, rich. Comments: Typically made sweet to balance the tannin levels from the traditional apple varieties. Entry Instructions: Entrants MUST specify carbonation level (3 levels). Entrants MUST specify sweetness (medium to sweet only, 3 levels). Entrants MAY specify variety of apple for a single varietal cider; if specified, varietal character will be expected. Varieties: Nehou, Muscadet de Dieppe, Reine des Pommes, Michelin, etc. Vital Statistics: OG: 1.050 – 1.065 FG: 1.010 – 1.020 ABV: 3 – 6% Commercial Examples: [US] West County Reine de Pomme (MA), [France] Eric Bordelet (various), Etienne Dupont, Etienne Dupont Organic, Bellot 4 Spanish Cider This category is for traditional ciders (sidra natural / sagardoa) associated with the northern coast of Spain. Modern styles of cider produced in this region (such as Nueva Expresión or Espumosa) would often be better entered in New World Cider—Heritage. Traditional cider is made primarily with sharp and semi-sharp local apple varieties. Each pressing takes 2-3 days to complete, and the tradition is to allow wild yeasts to ferment the cider, rather than using cultured yeasts. After pressing, the juice is pumped into chestnut barrels or stainless steel tanks. Traditional cider requires both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation (MLF) to reach completeness. The traditional skill of pouring of cider in Asturias is unique. The bottle is held in one hand with the arm reaching as high as possible. The glass is held, at an angle, in the other hand with the arm stretched down as low as possible. The cider is carefully poured so that a thin stream of liquid drops from a height into the tip of the glass. Only a small amount of cider is poured, just enough to consume in a mouthful or two. The aim is to release carbon dioxide in the cider and to volatilize part of the acetic acid. Aroma: Ciders from Asturias typically have fresh citric and floral aromas. Ciders from the Basque Country may also exhibit light spice, leather, and smoke aroma. Aged cheese and butter aromas may also be encountered, but any excess is undesirable. Appearance: These ciders are unfiltered, so cloudiness is normal. Shaking the bottle before opening and pouring is recommended. The color for Asturian ciders should be straw yellow. The color for Basque ciders tends toward pale to deep gold. Amber or darker colors are considered faults. Professional tasting competitions in Asturias require specific visual evaluations after the traditional pouring of the ciders. Espalme – Foam must disappear quickly from the top of the cider. Aguante – Refers to the carbon dioxide bubbles in cider. After traditional pouring, small bubbles disappear slowly, allowing just enough time to drink the cider in perfect condition. Pegue – Refers to the thin film adhering to the sides of the glass after the cider has been drunk. It is viewed favorably. 5 Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied mouthfeel. No sweetness expected. Carbonation is light to moderate, depending on the height of the pour. Taste profile is acidic/tangy, citric/lemony, with little to no astringency or bitterness. Pleasant scratchy and tickly throat due to acetic acid is expected (often more intense in Basque ciders). Overall Impression: Dry, fresh with lively acidity. Varieties: Regona, Raxao, Limón Montés, Verdialona, De la Riega (Asturias). San Juan, Errezil, Gezamin, Moko (Basque Country).