Sipping Some Cider With American Gods

This is the way my mind works when I’m pairing: American Gods by Neil Gaiman… That’s definitely a beer book… I just had a “beer” book… Okay, well it mentions mead. Bleck, nobody likes mead, least of all Gaiman… Gaiman, he’s a Brit… Britain = cider. At least in my fuzzy muddled head where the first legal alcoholic drink I had was a pint of Strongbow in a Scottish pub (hi Ailsa!).

So, today I bring you Neil Gaiman’s American Gods with a side of cider, Crispin’s to be exact.

gaiman_american_gods

American Gods is a huge epic and weaving story answering the question: what happened to all of the old world gods when people migrated to the U.S.? In American Gods, the gods followed us as well and were eventually forgotten in the hostile land. The novel starts with the old gods starting a battle with the new gods of America–TV, the internet, etc.–and one man who is chosen to help the side of the old gods.

It’s one of Gaiman’s finest works–a huge rambling story interspersed with vignettes of people bringing their gods over. I listened to the 10th anniversary all-cast audio book edition, and well, it was fantastic. Best audio book I’ve listened to–both because the actors were so great and it didn’t have the awkward male doing female characters voice, or vice versa.

Now, you have two choices with the cider, depending on your preference:

  • Cho-tokkyu, a cider made with sake yeast and organic rice syrup
  • Lansdowne, a cider made with irish stout yeast and organic molasses

crispin_ciderI love Cho-tokkyu. It’s a good clean, crisp, and dry cider that’s nice and bubbly. I could drink it all the time (and probably be absolutely knackered all the time).

Mr. BookPairing prefers Lansdowne, which is almost four times as dark as Cho-tokkyu, and is thick and heavy with spice. And, interestingly enough, it tastes quite a bit like our old friend mead, he says, and since he brews the stuff, I think he knows what he’s talking about. In either case, both are lovely and a fun alternative to wine or beer.

Do you drink cider? What are your favorite brands? Have you read American Gods? 

P.S.: This.

About nikki_steele

Freelance writer and editor. Creator of BookPairing blog.
by nikki_steele Posted on January 24, 2013
This entry was posted in Book to Wine Pairings, Pairings and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.
  • Dani

    Mmmm, Strongbow…

    I just finished American Gods and loved it! And I have thoughts about it. Lots of them. Incidentally, I drank quite a bit of cider while reading this book, but not the alcoholic kind. I agree very much with this match :)

    • http://www.bookpairing.com/ Nikki Steele

      Did you read or listen to the audio? I loved it too, especially how he combined and layered all of the different stories. We’ll have to discuss soonly. Heheh well, now you’ll just have to follow up with some of the alcoholic kind.

      • Dani

        I read it and had Neil Gaiman’s voice in my head the whole time. Should we discuss it over stouts?? The combination of hot cider, a warm blanket, and a good book just seemed like the perfect thing for all the cold weather we were having :)

        • http://www.bookpairing.com/ Nikki Steele

          Oh you’ll be there tonight? Hooray!
          Gaiman actually narrates the in-between bits which is really fun.

  • Amanda @ On a Book Bender

    I’m suddenly developing a craving for cider–and Neil Gaiman. :)

    • http://www.bookpairing.com/ Nikki Steele

      And they work so well together. If you do the audio book, you have much much more time to enjoy that cider :D

  • http://twitter.com/AvidReader12 Melissa

    Love this pairing! I drank a lot of Strongbow in England. I loved that stuff. Woodchuck Cider is a good one too. I’m always in the mood for it during the fall when the air is crisp and the leaves are changing colors. It’s been 6 years since I read American Gods. Your comments make me want to listen to the new anniversary audiobook!

    • http://www.bookpairing.com/ Nikki Steele

      Strongbow is such a great classic cider that I’ll always love as well. I do like Woodchuck too. I think they had a spiced one out this fall that was excellent. Yep, totally not making it up (haha thanks Google search — http://www.woodchuck.com/cider/limited-release.html).

      The audio version was so very very excellent. It took all the things I don’t particularly enjoy about audio books and made them so much better. The guy who narrates Wednesday is absolutely spot-on.

  • http://twitter.com/JoannaInBxl Joanna Hennon

    There are actually some great types of mead out there, my favorite is produced in Holland. American Gods is a great book – I just love the premise about the Gods following the immigrants and also that if people stop believing in them then their power diminishes.

    • http://www.bookpairing.com/ Nikki Steele

      Hehehe I just love teasing about mead because Mr. BookPairing loves it so much and Gaiman makes a point in the book to talk about how dreck it is. What Dutch brand do you drink? I’d love to have some more to try :D

      I know, wasn’t that just the most perfect idea? I love how he can show such a wide array of characters using that storyline.