Hard Cider & a Flick

[Barefootgirl]

We've decided to step out for a movie on Halloween, followed by some hard cider and snacks.

We've narrowed down the selection to these three at a nearby multiplex: Sicario, Bridge of Spies or The Martian.

If anyone can vouch for any of these, plus recommendations for one of the hard ciders that are now sort of trendy and can be found in the supermarkets, would most appreciate.

- Grateful and shoeless

[dbCooperAir]

I have been thinking the exact same!

If I can piggyback on this thread, are movie theaters packed on Halloween?

I go to a movie theater about every 5 years

[YttriumNitrate]

deleted.

[campy2010]

Many of the good hard ciders are regional and don't have national distribution. My favorite from my time in New England is Bantam hard cider. Almost like a reisling. On the expensive side but very good. Beer Advocate.com is the Bogleheads forum of the beer/cider world so check their reviews on the ciders available in your area.

[texasdiver]

Some hard ciders are made by small cider companies. For example Woodchuck is an actual local Vermont cider maker.

However and increasing number of cider brands in your supermarket shelves are actually stealth offerings by the giant beer conglomerates. For example:

Strongbow Cider is made by Heineken
Smith Forge Cider is made by Miller/Coors
Crispin Cider was once independent but is now made by Miller/Coors
Johnny Appleseed Cider is made by Anheuser-Busch/InBev
Angry Orchard is made by Sam Adams

That said I am personally partial to Angry Orchard Crisp Apple.

As for movies, Bridge of Spies and the Martian are the two that are on my list.

[Purelife304]

Rotten Tomatoes typically aligns pretty well with my personal preference in movie tastes (however they do tend to rate indy movies higher than I would).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/

Looks like you can't go wrong with any of them. I've heard really good things about the Martian and Bridge of Spies...that other one hasn't hit my radar.

No suggestions on hard cider. However this weekend I'm hoping to take in some Laird's Apple Brandy cocktails.

[Broken Man 1999]

What? No 40th anniversary viewing of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show?

A couple of theatres around here are showing it on the big screen, but toast and candles aren't allowed. Now the candles I can understand, fires and such, but why no toast? Sure, it will draw vermin, but so does all the overpriced popcorn and candy dropped on the floor everyday, anyway.

I think I will dig out my DVD and watch it Saturday night.

Broken Man 1999

[TheRightKost87]

I can't exactly vouch for any of the movies, as I haven't seen any of them. However, I did read the book The Martian and really liked it. I plan on making it to the theater to see that one, so The Martian gets my vote.

As for the cider: it definitely does depend on where you are in the country to know what selection is out there.

I'm in the Boston area, and my favorite is DownEast Cider. But I believe they're really only in New England. If you're outside of that area, my vote would be for Angry Orchard.

[Big Dutch]

Hornsby's is by far my favorite hard cider, although less common in my neck of the woods (Midwest). I really enjoyed watching Sicario - with the disclaimer that it's a bit over the top and occasionally graphic. I've only read The Martian (good) but am looking forward to seeing the movie when it becomes available on demand.

Happy Halloween!
Big Dutch

[rs899]

I saw Bridge of Spies and enjoyed it, mostly because I lived through the period and enjoy things about the 2nd world. But, its not an action movie, if thats what floats your boat.

[cheese_breath]

I'd bring the refreshments home and watch Child's Play on DVD again. My 51 year old step daughter still lives in fear of Chucky.

[bta15]

My wife enjoys the johnny appleseed brand. Says its not as sweet as others like Angry Orchard.

One thing we both like is to kick it up a notch. The ciders are generally pretty low alcohol content. If you buy a bottle of Fireball you can take a swig out of the cider than fill it back with Fireball. Adds a nice taste and definitely helps with the BAC.

[CoAndy]

I really like Woodchuck's Blackberry as well as their Apricot ciders. I believe there is also a Pear cider by Woodchuck. Very delicious. Otherwise, Angry Orchard hard Apple will do in a pinch.

[Carson]

JP Scrumpy's cider is my fav. Costco but I think it is from the UK.

[August]

Original Sin is my favorite if you can find it. Second favorite is Strong Bow. Stella also makes a good cider. Many of the lesser know ciders are usually quite good as well.

[island]

Saw Bridge of Spies and The Martian. Both very good, can't go wrong with either, but Spies would be my first choice. Loved it.

[gatorman]

The Martian was very good. We haven't seen the other two yet.

[BigJohn]

Saw Sicario and The Martian, both are very good so you can't go wrong with either. Sicario is very real and a bit depressing as a result, The Martian is sci-fi and more uplifting as you leave so depends on what you guys are in the mood for tonight.

[rustymutt]

As a home brewer, I made my own hard cider. Starts with 6 gallons of your favorite apple juice. It must to be preservative free, all natural. I add to it, yeast, apple pie spice, sugar, acid, and bentonite, which is powered clay, and helps much with clearing later on in the processes. At the end of the process, I add back into the cider apple juice some regular juice to help with sweetening, cause it's real dry after fermentation. I also cold filtered out sediment in a refrigerator. The range of alcohol by volume is rather high, and depends on how much sugar you added at the start. All my batches came out at around 14% alcohol by volume. It never lasted very long, cause all our friends and neighbors helped drink it. The hard cider was my favorite wine to make. You can be so artistic with apples. If you all like cider, try making a small batch yourselves, and you'll never buy another bottle, cause you can't buy any that taste better than what you make at home.

[Barefootgirl]

My grandparents stored their regular cider in the basement and sometime over the winter it turned naturally to hard cider without intervention?

[JDDS]

Angry Orchard and Woodchuck are fine. I got some Sprecker hard apple pie recently, quite tasty. I came by it via the brewery directly though, so I'm not sure how wide the distribution is--I think it is new this year.

Sorry, no movie suggestions.

[LifeLearner]

I've seen Sicario and The Martian. Sicario is a very gripping, tense movie - thoroughly enjoyed it. The scenes keep you glued to the screen, standing on pins and needles. The score just adds to the mounting tension in a lot of the scenes.

The Martian is also fantastic for different reasons. The landscapes are awesome and Matt Damon does what he does. This is more a Hollywood feel-good movie, but it does a very good job at evoking a strong emotional response during a few particularly potent scenes. Unlike most movie adaptations, I thought this was just as good as the book since it's not super futuristic or sci-fi to the point where the movie adaptation clashes with what I had in mind. With that said, some scenes are left out and so, I think I actually enjoyed it more having read the book - obviously an assumption on my part.

Can't go wrong with either!

[bhsince87]

My grandparents stored their regular cider in the basement and sometime over the winter it turned naturally to hard cider without intervention?

Yep, that will work if it's not pasteurized or treated with preservatives. But those ciders are getting hard to find. There will be wild yeast naturally present that will do the trick. However, the outcome isn't predictable. But it's fun! I do a couple gallons a year like that. And if you let it sit even longer, you'll end up with homemade apple cider vinegar.

I used to be so into cider that I actually own a cider press. But making it is very time consuming (and messy!) so I just buy it premade now. I'm fortunate in that I live near the heart of PA apple country, and within a few miles of our house, there are 4 different fruit markets that each make their own special blends of fresh cider.

Some of their recipes are secret and they grow certain apple varieties just for their ciders. I talked to one orchardist who makes a very tasty blend, and he said he grows 20 varieties just for cider. But half of those are decoys to throw off his competitors!

[mouses]

The Martian.

It's not hard, but Martinelli's sparkling apple cider is excellent, imho.

[TimDex]

Try to find some local hard cider brands. There are a lot of small producers turning out a good cider. We have a lot in NY because the state relaxed the regs on orchards producing their own if they use their own apples. I've also tried one from I think Michigan, JM Scrumpy, which was,outstanding. The big brands are churning it out with Chinese apple juice concentrate. Tim

[island]

Barefoot girl
So what cider and flick did you settle on for Halloween or did you decide to stay in and give candy to the hordes of little goblins....well superheros and Disney princesses?

[Barefootgirl]

Hi thanks. we went with Cidre from Stella Artois, very drinkable and smooth. Also, a Stephen King based movie called "The Good Marriage" with Anthony LaPaglia and Joan Allen - a thriller about a serial murderer. Headed out to see The Martian, but turns out that I had misread the showtimes LOL

[Colorado13]

BFG, I recommend that you put The Martian on your "to see" list for the future. We saw it this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[jprivott]

I know I"m a day late etc, but I'm a cider enthusiast and thought I would comment for those interested in tasting cider

If you're drinking cider to appreciate the taste, avoid six-packs and cans. The overwhelming majority of ciders bottles as single-serves (12fl oz) are backsweetened, and increasingly, artificially flavored. All of the major domestic brands mentioned so far fit into one of these two categories.

Clues to look for:
"added apple juice"
"malic acid" (naturally present in apples, but added to backsweetened cider in the same way phosphoric acid is added to colas)
"sucrose + other __oses"
"natural flavors"
"artificial flavors"

Then there are the apple flavored 'malternatives' which may have any of the above ingredients but the booze isn't actually made from juice. These are in the same vein as Zima and Smirnoff. They parade around avoiding the word cider - "apple ales" etc. Like these brands, most cider is marketed towards women and made cloyingly sweet, and flavored like a scented candle . These are basically liquid candy with alcohol

The good news!
Support local business - many states are condusive to growing apples. Visit a cidery and seek out the drier stuff. It will be more wine-like and derive flavor from the apples and the skill of the brewer, rather than a test-tube. Washington state has many labels, as does Virginia, where I live.

Samuel Smith's has wide distribution and is a good intro to 'real' cider
World Market sometimes carries local ciders, again go for the big bottles.
Some Trader Joe's may stock a 750ml bottle of Normandy cider for $5 (stupid cheap for its quality). Their "Newton's Folly" is an imprint of the Woodchuck label - caveat emptor.

Cheers

[keystone]

This thread inspired me to give hard cider a try on Halloween. I went with the Woodchuck Granny Smith. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it was a letdown. Every person that tried it at my party gave it a thumbs down. I am still optimistic that I will find a brand/flavor that I like.

[protagonist]

Hi thanks. we went with Cidre from Stella Artois, very drinkable and smooth. Also, a Stephen King based movie called "The Good Marriage" with Anthony LaPaglia and Joan Allen - a thriller about a serial murderer. Headed out to see The Martian, but turns out that I had misread the showtimes LOL

I don't know The Good Marriage, but I found The Martian to be quite forgettable (thin plot, more melodrama in space than sci-fi). If you liked the recent blockbusters Gravity and Interstellar you would probably like The Martian. If your sci-fi tastes run closer to The Matrix, District 9, Cloud Atlas, Inception, then I think you would be disappointed. Plus where I saw it in 3D in NYC it was flirting with the $20/ticket barrier (I think I paid about $19.50 each). At that level one begins to internalize disappointment when the show is sub-optimal.