Bone & Bottle Reviews

26/08/2025

🍎 Check out the legendary Richard Yi this Friday at the NY State Fair—and yes, the session is FREE! 🙌

Discover how NY apples are fueling one of the state’s fastest-growing and most exciting craft beverages. 🍏🍻 Richard isn’t just an expert, he’s basically an encyclopedia of cider knowledge—and an all-around great guy you won’t want to miss!

26/08/2025

Just going to leap into it: the last quarter Club Shipment was probably one of the best overall orders I've experienced. This is the third cider from that series and just like the other two...what a banger! Typically I give away a few cans and they tend to sit...but nah I've been drinking them myself, and basically already finished with the stock. Kudos to them!
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One hell of a busy labo(u)r day weekend coming up to finish off my racing season & kick off the fall . Friday I'm heading up to ... hoping all my stops are open/have holiday hours or take impromptu walk ins 😎. Can't wait to visit some great producers such as , , and possibly more/others depending on time/availability!
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Just added one more race to cover on my schedule on Sunday, but that means I should be able to sneak over to quickly! I always love visiting with Fred & Sandy...some great people.
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Probably going to be a quiet week here in preparation for the long weekend. What does everyone have planned for the holiday? Let me know! Cheers!
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21/08/2025

Our next online cider course is almost ready… and we want YOU to be part of it!

🎥 We’re looking for real-world cidermaking footage (photos and videos) —things like pressing, lees, juice additions, active ferments, totes, racking, lab checks (density/pH), and equipment demos. Small-scale preferred. 🍏

Contributors will get:

Credit in the course (shared worldwide 🌎)

A social media spotlight

Exclusive perks (👀 sneak preview + discount)

Want your footage showcased in our course? 👉 DM us or email info@ciderinstitute.com to send your clips and photos!

20/08/2025

The wait is over! We are thrilled to reveal the official lineup of exceptional cider producers joining us for the NY Cider Festival Rochester on September 13th at 🍎

This incredible group of cideries represents the best of the Genesee Valley, and we are honored to showcase their craft. Get ready to explore a diverse selection of ciders and vote for your favorite in our first-ever People’s Choice Award! 🏆

Discover who will be pouring:

















Tickets are available now! Secure your spot and join us for an unforgettable day of celebration. 🥂 Link in bio.

20/08/2025

A photo of a photo, a penny for your thoughts.
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As promised, here is the story of my early infatuation with Somersby.
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Likely late 2015, my first proper trip to Canada. At a Boston Pizza near Hamilton, waiting for my pal to get done his server shift, I order a drink, which happens to be Somersby. I don't know that dry cider is a concept. I still have a massive sweet tooth, and this on tap just hits perfect. However, while finding this in Ontario was easy, finding it in the US ...not so much.
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Research showed me that in 2016, 6 states were carrying Somersby: WI, MN, SC, NC, GA, & FL. I did have a trip to WI planned that year, so I made it a goal to stock up. It actually ended up being more difficult than exu, but at an upscale market in Kohler (yes where the pricey faucet company gets it's name), I found several 4pks. I bought them all. Found out later they were actually past best buy, but I'd didn't care, I guzzled these down as enjoyable as they were to my palate.
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Infact, here's an excerpt from my July 18th, 2016 post from FB: "...No cider as accurately portrays an apple taste as this does. Despite the high sugar, the apple tartness balances it out to make a superior drink. Cost & Sugar content be damned, you could drink this all day & night and never get tired of it."
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Think it's safe to say my taste buds have quite changed in these 9 years, though I'll still fucc with Somersby on tap. Not everywhere can be like Mullers. Tell me, what's one cider you were just over the moon with when you first started drinking cider? Cheers! 🥂
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17/08/2025

Summer "Vacation" is just about over, which means it's time to get back on the road, for the love of cider! What better way than with a Grand Tour? Some fun, some work, but it's all play!
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Getting the season started with some visits to cideries that I've met at Soif de Cidre but never had the chance to see their locations! Who will I be visiting? You'll have to wait to find out 😎. Open to adding more stops over that weekend if I locate a couch/spare bed to crash in.
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After that, things get much more structured. One last being a cider fan with the 2nd Annual Festival in Rochester. It was a sold out banger of an event last year, and I can't see it being anything less this time around!
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From there, the work begins! Really stepping under my involvement with this year, and am very excited to spread the love of this classic NY cider brand throughout NY state and beyond! Catch me at these tasting events:

09/20 at (Watertown, NY)
09/27 at (Potsdam, NY)
10/04 at Brooklyn (Industry City)
10/10 at (Camillus, NY)
11/08 at Boston, MA (S.B. Lithuanian Society)
11/15 the grand finale at Cider Fest in NYC - Hudson Yards.
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It's going to be a great fall, so be sure to follow me on my adventures, and hope to see you all at one or more of these events!! Cheers!
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14/08/2025

'ello people. Long time no post, I know. Not really been drinking at the dwelling...been giving the livah a nice sleep. That said, I did just this afternoon crack open a lil something something, and 🫨😍, wowza!
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A couple weeks ago I was out in the Ottawa area, and was going to visit my pal Wes of and check in on the progress of their taproom. Unfortunately our schedules and such didn't align, but he was nice enough to ensure I came home with some treats. The "Lost & Found" after reading the description sounded magnitudes more enjoyable than the lost & found at say, an airport, or Walmart, so I decided this would be a great way to enjoy the break in the temperatures.
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This was an active little buddy upon opening. The only thing more active was likely my pleasure centers in the brain about 15 seconds after taking the photos. One sip and 😍😍 I was smitten. The liquid itself is bubbly and massaging on the tongue. But the flavo(u)r is just next level. It's subtle and sublime with how the tannins are lightly presented up front , but instead of building up, the gentle sweetness from the maple kicks in to complete the finish. It's not dry dry, but it's not sweet either. It's a high wire balancing act that leaves the palate stumped. Cold out of the fridge or an hour or two in a warm room, this balance of dry approachable tannin and clean finishing feeling of slight sweetness never wavers.
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This is a cider that's deceivingly complex. You could easily just down the whole bottle...or uhh, share if you have that kinda support system, and not give it a second thought past "wow this is great!". But dive in and let it sit , and with all the different components of forged apples, barrel again, maple, etc, you quickly come to appreciate the blending that took place. It's truly a work of art in liquid form. Cheers!
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(not here yet but elsewhere 😎)

13/08/2025

Local cideries getting national attention!

How Canton Apples and Frosty Twig fuse cider brands in New York’s North Country. With 250+ apple varieties and a shared passion for cider.

06/08/2025

It's been kinda quiet here while I've been on something of a summer holiday from reviewing and whatnot. Things are really going to be picking up on Labo(u)r day weekend, and not really stopping for a couple months so I'm enjoying the hiatus.
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That said, tonight while a pizza is in the oven, I had a hankering for something, and in anticipation of this, put some cans in the fridge. Ended up reaching for this Golden Russet/Harrison from . The fact that this isn't like 15% ABV considering how much sugar both these apples tend to have is pretty surprising, but let me say it does not drink like the 9% presented. Pretty dry & apple-ly up front but the finish is like a dry red Hawaiian Punch. I've not drank that stuff in years but that's the feel I get, and I'm not mad. Dried the back of the mouth out just enough that you must go back from another sip, and the cycle repeats until the can is done 😎.
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Dion never seems to miss with his blending and final products, and this can, even being a couple years old shows how reliable of an expectation that is. Cheers!
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03/08/2025

It's finally here after a couple weeks of dilly dallying when it comes to posting. My 4th and final stop from my recent tour. A place that I've passed by the sign on the 401 so many times, but finally got to visit: .
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After seeing a post from a couple months ago in which they visited this place and there was a cider available, well that really solidified my efforts to check this place out. This is on the farther Eastern end of the island, so I had to skip over some places I haven't been in ages, but this was certainly worth the trek!
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This place changed ownership a few years ago, and that's when Andrew, the head wine and cider maker, came on board. My visit was actually well timed, as I got to try the both the last of their current batch of cider, which was clean and easy drinking, as well as the opening of their latest offering, which is a pear cider. They have a few older pear and apples trees on their spacious property which make up the bulk of their cider. Both were quite different, but fit the overall feel of ciders on the island...clean, some minerality, and a general kind of wine vibe to them.
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But speaking of wine, I also had the chance to try some of their white wines, and an orange wine (last photo). The driest Riesling wasn't really my thing (Didn't taste enough like licking a rock, IYKYK), but the standard offering and the Pinot Gris were excellent and I could have seen myself with a glass of them had here been no cider on offer.
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On top of all this...a spacious property, live music, & brick oven pizza make this a stop on the trail that you don't want to miss out on. Cheers!
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02/08/2025

Some days all the stars just align, and you need to recognize it and go with the flow. After seeing that today is Dave from birthday, I went down into the stash and pulled out this bottle of Peaceable Kingdom, which I actually came home with when I myself visited the cidery on my birthday.
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A wild pear and Kingston Black cider...I mean this is so many things I like all in one package. It's creamy on the tongue, but is just super balanced overall. Not "sweet", but not too dry. It very lightly poaches the tongue, but certainly no cottonmouth be found here. It's full of character that stands on its own or with some sweet heat flatbread pizza as I had for dinner. It's a chill, fruitful way to enjoy a Friday night, and that just fits the general vibe. Happy birthday Dave, and happy Friday to all. Cheers!
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30/07/2025

Explore Saint Lawrence Nursery's cold-hardy trees in upstate New York, now thriving under the care of Connor and Allyssa Hardiman.