Cider Stop: Number 12 Cider

Tieton Cider & Dry Fly Distilling Collaboration

May 4, 2019

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May 24, 2019

May 7, 2019

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The Cider Story: Every cidery has its own story and Number 12 Cider is no exception to that rule. Owners Colin Post and Steve Hance started like most other cideries do, as homebrewers making beer. Their interest turned to cider purely out of curiosity and this started building the foundation for the brand today. In 2012, the two entered the Minnesota State Fair for the homebrewing competition and won a blue ribbon making cider. The recipe that won the prize was their 12^th recipe, hence the name of the business.

This cider now goes by the name of Voyage and has been changed slightly due to the size of the batches in production. This success led their team to open a taproom at an orchard with the help of Deer Lake Orchard in Buffalo, MN. As cider continued to grow across the US, the team also saw the opportunity to open a larger and higher-traffic location which now is in the North Loop near downtown Minneapolis.

The Location: Number 12 Cider opened its location in November in the North Loop area of Minneapolis. If you are unfamiliar with this area, it is very close to Target Stadium where the Twins play and is home to gorgeous condos and fully developed breweries.

You can enter the cidery from either the front or the back depending on which street you come from. The back door is actually opens up to their second floor while the front entrance leads directly into the main floor of the bar. The main entrance of the bar is quite beautiful as it features a rare grassy area coupled with the cideries’ own pizza food truck and patio. This opens up to a few garage doors for warm weather.

The décor is inspired by the farm but was not played up too much. There are some wood touches including the beams across the top of the bar but this is played against the tasteful décor and modern feel. Lets just say this place is gorgeous and feels like it is from a HGTV show.

The main space is broken into separate areas that highlight different experiences you can have in the cidery. If you want to be more private, you can go in the nooks that have been segmented out for a quiet conversation or you can join the main space and sit at the gorgeous bar top. The highlight of the space is behind the bar — there is a large glass panel highlighting the cider making process and equipment. This mimics the passion and mantra of the team as Co-Owner Colin expressed during my visit. They want the apples to shine, never hiding what they are doing or putting into their products.

In the future you will also be able to rent out the barrel room which is a separate space adjacent to the production area. Overall, the building is beautiful, inviting and can host a great time. Shout out to the owners for having us over to their location and to the ladies behind the bar, Mariah and Teresa, for the entertainment.

The Menu/Cider Selection: The team at Number 12 have put together perhaps the cleanest and easiest to read menu I have come across. The menu breaks down the levels of sweetness of the ciders with easy to identify bubbles, the name of the cider, tasting notes, and what apples are in their products. This makes the selection process very easy for those who are unfamiliar with cider or those who find it intimidating.

The testing notes were created from the owners and a few others whom all taste the cider and build the tasting notes. I found them to be helpful and accurate to what was in the glass. I was lucky enough to try their sweet and dry flights, their barrel-aged cider, their unfiltered non-alcoholic cider (kid friendly!), and another special cider. Typically I find myself going towards the dry ciders but even their sweeter ciders are delicious, not alco-pop! These are thoughtfully created products. Since I tried so many ciders I do not want to break down the whole list as that would get tedious but I will go over three of my favorites. Keep in mind that in MN, these products require that 51% of the apples in the cider be MN sourced!

The Voyage – This is their flagship cider. Yes, the Number 12 recipe that kicked it all off. This cider is plain and simply a great cider. The apple backbone is there but you get the great acidity that adds a bit of tartness and perceived sweetness. This compliments the champagne-like drink with a decent amount of tannin. If you are at the cider house and enjoy a dry cider this is a must taste! This is a 6.9% abv cider.

Helix – This semi-dry cider comes in at 5.5% abv and is a bit more of an oakey cider. Now this is not super oakey like licking a barrel but is more of a subtle flavor. There is a bit of earthiness from the cider that comes from the local honey which imparts character to the cider. If you are a white wine drinker this would likely be something you would enjoy.

Miss Morency – This cider was one of the selection from the sweet flight and it did not disappoint. There is some cherry juice introduced to the blend, which not only adds the tart and sweet flavor you would expect, but also adds some color. You can expect a bit of sweetness on the front and tartness on the back end with some tannin backbone. At 6.9% abv, this cider is a nice one to have after going down the dry side of the menu.

On the Horizon: The team is experimenting with different apples, yeasts, and, perhaps, something quite cold and icy…but we will leave that for the future! With summer coming up, expect the garage doors to be up and a corn hole league as well!

Featured Apple: Chestnut Crabapple – This U-of-M-derived apple, introduced in 1949, is one that is strategically utilized by the Number 12 Cider team. It is a large, russeted crabapple with a nutty flavor. This could be called a local “heritage” apple and adds somewhat of a nutty rich flavor. There is a bit of sweetness and nuanced flavors of honey and vanilla that make it a great apple for blending and not your traditional crab apple as most see it.

Cidery Core: