Hidden Cave Cidery Update
- Cru and Hannah
- Feb 28
- 3 min read
Middleton, Wisconsin
Crusin’ Rating: C
Updated Booze Rating: C+
This week, we are revisiting a spot that didn’t get a full review on our first stop. Our first trip to Hidden Cave Cidery was back in August of 2021 - and while some things have changed - we are glad to see that some other things stayed consistent on our second trip almost four years later. When we first visited, there was not really an indoor space - a few outdoor picnic tables and a small serving bar in the production space.
After four years though, we are happy to see that they have a legitimate tasting room, complete with picnic tables, high tables, and some patio-style furniture. Hidden Cave Cidery is Frenchie-friendly and Barlow was offered a pup cup which kept him busy for a solid 3 minutes before he resumed his usual mischief and exploration. Concrete floors, plants hanging from the ceiling and a few posters make this a spartan but functional space. There’s a small wooden stage in the corner that is a nice little spot for a singer to set up. Hannah noted that the space could definitely use a bit of a designers touch to make it more homely and a little more decorated, but it didn’t really bother us. While it may not have been plush or particularly cozy, there was some natural light coming through the windows.
Back near the restrooms, there’s a small arcade area with three pinball machines and a few extra seats. Cheese and Sausage boards and popcorn are available to purchase and a flight will run you $15 for four samples while everything else is priced at $1 per ounce. While we can certainly appreciate someone running a business is trying to turn a profit, a dollar an ounce for cider is going to put you in the range of some of the best made beers in the business - granted cider isn’t beer, but still - it’s a steep cost and actually did discourage us from ordering more.
We had initially mentioned that there was room for Hidden Cave Cidery to grow in the taste department of their ciders, and Hannah and I took a moment to review the two we ordered.
Bananas Foster (6.5% ABV) - This cider features 26 whole bananes in its making, lactose, brown sugar, and 151 Rum. This cider had a cloudy gold hue and sported notes of banana peel, fruit sugars and sweet cream on the nose. Banana, low caramelized sugar, and very low rum caramel and fruit rum notes were present. This wasn’t too over the top banana, but it might get to be a lot if you’re having more than one.
Lemon Butter Tart (6.2% ABV) - This cloudy straw colored cider with low clarity smelled of lemon curd and lactose on the nose and had flavors of fresh lemon, sweet lemon curd, low vanilla custard, and some fermented apple notes in the finish. Neither of us picked up on the tart part - as in - no crust that you’d find on a lemon tart.
We concluded that since our first visit there is a definite improvement in the taste of the ciders. Hidden Cave Cidery has definitely carved out its own niche in the cider market - I honestly couldn’t tell you where else you are going to find a Bananas Foster Cider, a Lemon Butter Tart Cider or a Kiwi Cider. There's unique flavors there and flavors mixed that you probably won’t find anywhere else. If you’re looking for apple-based imbibements that are out of left field and have wild combinations of flavors, then this is absolutely going to be a must stop for you. While they may not be our favorite, there is definitely a spot for them if you're looking for something off the beaten path.
We are going to lean toward preferring ciders that let the apples speak for themselves, just like we do with beer. While we enjoy some unexpected additions to our imbibements here and there, too much can be a little overshadowing of some of those flavors that come out during the fermentation process. We tend to lean towards beer with fewer added flavors and I think the same holds true here, but maybe some will really enjoy the variety!
Until next time, keep on Crusin’, don’t stop boozin’!
To learn more about Hidden Cave Cidery please visit their website at: www.hiddencavecidery.com or on Facebook: @HiddenCaveCidery or on Instagram: @HiddenCaveCidery
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