Best Ciders for a Summer BBQ
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St. Louis, known as the gateway to the west, offers much more than most expect from the city. Beyond its beer history, there is an incredible food and drink culture that has been spreading for years. The most recent developments have been in the cider scene as it has expanded rapidly due to a new cider house and the local breweries offering up the craft.
Breweries in the Hard Cider Game
The great thing about the St. Louis cider scene is the diversification of cider makers. Most of the cider in the area is produced by the local breweries as we said before. These include Schlafly and Urban Chestnut who have their own unique takes on the drink. Schlafly is a brewery that started in 1991 becoming direct competition to the big brewers in town. They have now become the largest locally owned independent craft brewery in all of Missouri.
This strength and local pride has earned them a heavy name in the Midwest beer scene. With that they have created many beer varieties, teamed up with European orchards to create a cider and fermented their own hard ciders. Some of the ciders have made their way into the taproom as another option to the customer base. They have recently started canning a cider called Proper Cider Raspberry, which is a 7.2% tart cider with a dry finish. This cider development seems to be an area of focus for them as they also have a cranberry cider for the taproom as well. Visit them at their multiple locations or on their website.
Urban Chestnut is another brewery which has their own cider offerings that there are continuing to develop. This brewery is heavily German influenced. This can be seen in their style, brews, and product names. While their taprooms and brewery space are clean, inviting, and spacious, their development space is intriguing. They test out their new concoctions in a unique space called the URB next to their Grove taproom/brew space. This space is essentially a market research facility where drinkers come in and sample a few new products and fill out a survey for the team. When I visited there was a cranberry cider that was being tested in the URB and was going to be a potential offering for them.
They have had their cider Bushelhead on tap for a few years, which is a crisp refreshing 7.2% cider. As their products and brewery have grown and developed the interest in the drink has increased. If you are in the area make sure to visit all of their locations or check them out on their website.
The New Kid on the Block
Recently, the first true cidery in St. Louis opened, Brick River. Before opening in early 2018, the team at Brick River worked with the cider community and developed quality products that would make a great first impression and lasting memory. Their story is quite unique, too, with apple growing as a family tradition for founder Russ John’s family. This passion for the product is evident in their fresh pressed ciders. Their taproom and production facility is beautiful as it is housed in an old firehouse. Small touches from its history are still in the building, a 2-story delight with dining available on both levels.
Their flagship ciders, Homestead and Cornerstone, are available in their St. Loius cidery taproom and also in cans. Homestead is an unfiltered semi-sweet farmhouse cider while Cornerstone is a semi-dry crisp offering. They also have a brewers choice cider and limited edition ciders coming and going. To pair with the ciders, Brick River also offers shareable plates, soups, salads, and sandwiches. While there are traditional style eats like Cider Braised Pork, items like cider braised wings and roasted beer hummus are a bit more rare. Make sure to stop over at their taproom or look for their canned ciders in your local liquor store. Learn more at brickrivercider.com.
St. Louis Cider Event
This may not be hard cider but, hey, its cider nonetheless. The Hot Cider Hustle will take place on November 3rd, 2018 in Forest Park. The event will be a chip race for tracking purposes and will support the ALS Association. The 5K will end with an apple cider and caramel apple, which is perfect for the fall time. If you sign up now you will receive the early bird pricing around 30 bucks. To register to visit their website and be ready to run at 8 am! Learn more at missouriruns.com/stlouishotciderhustle.
