Hard Cider Day in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a city full of tradition, history and culture nestled in a unique package.  While most people associate the city with the Eagle and slamming a Philly cheese down your gullet there is a lot more to say about it.  While the beer scene has been strong for some time cideries have more recently built up in the cities landscape. Locations like Commonwealth cider, Original 13 Ciderworks, Hale & True Cider Co., Kurant Cider and Cinder (cider bar) are opening their doors and consumers palates.  During a recent visit to the City of Brotherly Love we stopped at 2 of the newer locations Kurant Cider and Hale & True.

Kurant Cider

Kurant Cider is a very new addition to the Philly cityscape in the Fishtown neighborhood.  Fishtown was at one point a classic working class shad fishing neighborhood but is now one of the areas that is on the rise in Philly and continues to see growth and development locally and culturally.  Kurant is one of the locations that has shown up to bring youth and creativity to the area. The team comprised of Mike Meyers and Joe Getz (cidermaker) started Kurant cider after start up ideas for a brewery dried up.  Joe and Mike decided to give cider a go since they saw potential for the area, growth of the cider market was healthy and well the rest is history. The location is equal parts beautiful and captivating being that it was an old carriage house with family found heirlooms and interesting history.  The building was an old 19^th century carriage house that has been painstakingly brought back to life.  Even some of the wood in the building is from an old apple wood trees that was made into custom tables and a bar top.  The custom and interesting designs do not end their though, this principle shrines throughout all of Kurant.

The label designs are simple and Scandanavian in style that makes them unique and clean.  Joe designs the labels himself and said there is something to a simple label since the market has an increasing amount of busy designs on cans and bottles.  The food menu is simple yet classic with 100% beef hot dogs with local ingredients or there may be a food truck outside depending on their event schedule (eat up!).  While their main focus is cider that they make they also offer some local beer, wines and cocktails.

While I was there I tried their Bees, Earth and Arose cider.  The Bees cider was a semi-sweet cider made with locally sources cider which added some mouthfeel and floral notes.  Like with most locally sources honey ciders the flavors are unique to the area and make for a light sweet taste. This one came is at 5.8% ABV and like the Earth and Arose it is on their standard list of offerings.  The Arose was a light dry cider that was infused with an organic gunpowder green tea and hibiscus. The ingredients made this a unique cider from others with Rose in the name at 5.8% this cider was refreshing and light!  Of course I had to have a hopped cider and that comes in the form of their Earth product. This was a cider with mosaic hops which adds a citrus flavor and decent aromas of the hops themselves. This comes is the same as the others with 5.8% abv and was dry but flavorful!  Beyond their normal offerings they are always working on crazy combinations with their exploration series. While this rotates out over time I had a milkshake cider that they had on that was a fusion of the milkshake style beers we are used to with the refreshing lightness of cider.  Keep an eye out for these weekly out of the taproom and buckle in for a flavor rocketship taken to new heights!

Make sure to stop in to their taproom to taste the cider, grab a hot dog and take a look at the unique building and pieces. 

Kurant’s favorite cheesesteak: Pats

Hale &True

Aestethically is it one of the most visually appealing and warm cider taprooms I have been to thus far.  From the outside the warm lights shine through the various exterior windows and your eye is drawn behind the bar top where the cider tanks sit (sounds like an HGTV description, I know).  The inside of the location is both clean, inviting and beautiful…they even have their own custom wallpaper. I met with Risa who was a delight to hang out with for the evening with her teams’ enthusiasm for cider and taking care of their guests.

Hale & True was founded in late 2015 after honing their craft since 2013.  Since then they have been working on learning the craft, volunteering with Frecon Farms, building the business end and looking for their location which ended up in the Bella Vista Neighborhood.  During my visit I walked down the streets in the general area and you can just get a sense of the well-established friendly neighborhood and its welcoming energy. The husband and wife team (Risa and Kerry) built their taproom with reclaimed wood bar tops, tables and holders which add a natural element to the space as well.  I was curious where the name came from and Risa shared with me that it has to do with good health, their approach to the cider, it’s a good phrase for toasting and it brings up ideals of team spirit with the three stars. Looking at their logo and their space you get a sense of their ideals in the building while feeling connected to the Philadelphia;s history.

The ciders are all made in house and are offered up on tap, in a flight, or in a growler.  They also offer some local draft options, wine, spirits and cider cocktails. We are always fascinated to see the creativity that cider cocktails have and they do not disappoint with their Peach Gin Fizz which has the Giant Peach cider, Bluecoat gin, rosemary syrup and lemon.  I have a variety of their ciders and was able to go into their production area and basement where they run small batch runs of experimental ciders. Their current draft lists change around often but I had “The Standard” and Sail Away. The standard was their original cider that was dry, 6.5%, apple forward from the slow fermentation and buttery on the palate.  It was the idea cider to have before venturing into their other flavor profiles. The Sail away which was inspired from their Hawaiian honeymoon location was full of mango brightness that gave a tropical touch with a bit of sweetness. Other ciders on their list include wild ferments, seasonal choices, peach cider, and some with honey infused as well. After some sampling we took a walk around their facility including their fermentation tanks in back.  There was evidence of their slow fermentation process and their basement series in small carboys in the actual basement! If you are in the area make sure to stop over at their facility for some great products and even better customer interactions! After my visit I ate across the street at Risa’s suggested restaurant The Good King Tavern which is also who they partnered with for their small plate style food menu. The food was fantastic and leads to a strong relationship from across the street as well as more reason to visit their taproom.

Hale & True’s favorite cheesesteak: Wiz wit at Sonny’s in Old City. 

More Cider…

With limited travel time I was unable to stop over at Commonwealth Cider, Original 13 Ciderworks or Cinder.  I have visited Cinder in the past and grabbed some local PA ciders while having some fantastic pizza! If you are looking for a large variety and a delicious quick bite this would be your best bet.  Commonwealth Ciders is one of the OG’s in the cider scene in PA and has a variety of ciders that can be found around the city with dry naturally made cider as advertised. The newest kid on the block (in terms of their taproom being most recently opened) is Original 13.  Founder John Kowchak started in 2013 with his Sir Charles line and now you can taste the fruit of his labors in the Olde Kensington neighborhood in Philly. Wherever you decide to go in Philly just make sure to enjoy the history of the city and the ever growing cider scene.