Page 67 of Break My Heart
‘I think I should taste them first and then you can tell me. There’s no sense wasting time talking about one that will never win.’
‘Try this one.’ I get him a sample of the one I plan to enter in the competition. ‘This is my best one. I think it could actually win.’
He takes a sip. ‘It’s good.’
‘I know, right?’ I feel my excitement building. I’m proud of myself for making something that good. I’m confident in my beer-making skills, but I wasn’t as sure of myself with the hard cider. ‘The color is good. It’s clear. The flavor is bright and complex.’
He takes another sip. ‘You think it’s complex? I think it’s alittle flat.’
‘Flat?’ My excitement fades. ‘Why do you think it’s flat?’
‘Try it.’ He hands me the glass. ‘Let it sit on your tongue a moment and then tell me what you taste.’
I take a sip and get what he’s saying. ‘It’s too mild.’
‘Exactly. The judges want something that brings their senses alive. This one is good, but it’s not spectacular. It’s the type of cider you could serve to your customers and they’d be totally fine with it, but it’s not going to win the competition.’
‘Damn.’ I sigh and slump down on the stool. ‘I really thought that was the one.’
‘Go get the recipe you used. I’ll look it over and give you some suggestions to boost the flavor. Do you have the ingredients to make more?’
‘Yeah, and I have some new apples. I got them at the orchard here in town.’
‘Kanfield? The place where the competition is?’
I nod. ‘I picked them myself.’
‘Use those. Not sure if it’ll help you win, but if you do, it’ll be good for your image, which will help sales. People like it when a business uses local ingredients.’
Even though I’m irritated Ryder showed up here without telling me and I had to change my plans, I’m happy he’s helping me. He knows a lot more than I do about this and his suggestions might help me win.
After I show him the recipe and we discuss how to change it, I gather all the ingredients and make another batch of hard cider. It needs time to ferment before we can assess the flavor, but tasting it now, I can already tell it’s better than the original one. The same flavors are there, but they’re bumped up to a level where you can actually identify them.
‘I think this one is it,’ I say to Ryder.
‘Check it in a week. Make sure it’s not too bitter.’
‘I will.’ I check the clock on the wall. ‘You should get going. It’s late.’
‘I was going to have a beer first.’
‘Before you drive home?’
He smiles. ‘I’ll drink a low alcohol one. C’mon. Join me.’
‘Okay, but only for a few minutes. I need to help Aria. She’s been out there alone.’
We go out to the bar, get our beers, and sit down at a table.
‘I think Aria can handle it,’ Ryder says, noticing the lack of customers.
‘It’s usually busier. Sundays tend to be slow.’
‘Not during football season. This place should be packed.’ He takes a drink of his beer. ‘You should’ve taken my advice and bought bigger TVs and more of them. Guys come to bars to drink and watch games. The place with the biggest and most TVs gets all the business.’
‘I didn’t want people only coming here to watch TV. I want them coming because they like the beer.’
‘Gina.’ He puts his hand on my arm and leans closer. ‘What you want doesn’t matter. You have to think of the customers and whattheywant. And it’s not like you can’t have both. You can serve great beer and also have TVs for people to watch games.’
