Lyman’s 1741 Hard Cider and Sift Bake Shops Pecan Scotchie

1741 is the year that the Lyman Orchard Farm began. That’s pretty crazy, a pre-revolutionary war era farm still in operation is a rare thing. Not only are they still in operation but they grow tons of fruit, they have a healthy and well traveled pick your own situation, along with a really nice bakery and grocery called the apple barrel. If you're from Connecticut you definitely know what Lyman’s orchards is all about.

I love their hot apple crumble and apple cider donuts. Every year when I go apple picking with the kids, I can’t help but grab a small apple cider too - a tradition I hope continues.

The Beer: 1742 is an excellent canned hard cider. I would call it a little on the sweet side, but not nearly as sweet as some other commercial ciders. I might call it semi-sweet, falling in the right zone of having some sweetness without the astringent character of a dry cider. It has a pleasant well rounded apple flavor, and the carbonation is just right. I hope this remains widely available because I think it could become a go to cider.

The Cookie: We have posted some Sift Bake Shop stuff before - the macaron pairing - and hopefully we will get out there in person again to do a nice bakery visit post too. Be on the lookout for that. Needless to say, with the best baker in America leading the team at Sift, it is a superb bakery. My dad regularly mentions that they make the best cookie he has ever eaten. For this pairing, the cookie we chose is a Pecan Scotchie, a crispy buttery cookie with pecans and butterscotch. The balance of flavors is so perfect. It. Is. Divine. A friend of mine picked it up for me while she was out in Mystic and I wish she brought me a dozen.

The Pairing: I was over the moon for this pairing. I shared it with the guys on game night, and honestly I wish I had saved it for myself when no one else was around so I could eat it all.

The crumbly and nutty nature of the cookie which actually wasn’t particularly sweet matched up with the sweeter cider. It felt very much like an adult after school snack.