33 Books Co. Strikes Again!
October 12, 2018
Boutique Wines and Spirits Fall Tasting & Hudson Valley Cideries
October 23, 2018
I’ve come to notice that every time I go to Vermont, specifically the Burlington area, I just can’t help but attempt to visit any and every cidery I come across. I always have such a positive experience chatting with employees, be going on tours, and doing tastings…whether it trying new ciders or enjoying old favorites. The Vermont cider industry as a whole just seems very collaborative and supportive, in my opinion, which is why I am always happy to support the industry as they welcome me with open arms and, often times, full glasses.
Woodchuck Cidery
On our journey up Route 7 into Vermont, we decided it was only fitting to stop by to see our friends at Woodchuck. Once we arrived in Middlebury, we first drove down Exchange Street, past the cidery, to visit the Otter Creek and Shed Brewery for a pint and some lunch. I’m not the biggest of beer fans, but couldn’t resist trying Shed’s Taproom Exclusive Pumpkin Beer! Justin and I shared some nachos and jalapeño poppers there before heading back down the road to Woodchuck Cider’s massive Cider House.
Once at Woodchuck, we sat and chatted with our favorite bartender, Logan, who always shows us a good time. I took the opportunity to grab my favorite Tank Series release from earlier this year, Pear Ginger, followed by a taproom exclusive, Citrus Freak on Nitro. Never before in my cider adventures have I come across another cider on nitro, so props to Woodchuck on that one! For those of you unfamiliar with nitro ciders (or beers) imagine a Guinness. The nitrogenation process results in a much smoother, creamier texture than the carbonation process. The bubbles are much finer and you get a nice silky, foamy head on top of the pour. The flavor and texture experience is unparalleled, and frankly something I think more craft cideries should delve into. After making some small talk, sipping on cider, and catching up on some old Premiere League games, we filled a growler with Vermont Cider Company’s “Addison” and completed our drive up north.
Oktoberfest Vermont Recap
We started Saturday morning by making a large breakfast, brewing some coffee, and heading out for a brisk fall hike up in Stowe, VT. The leaves were just starting to turn and fall to the ground, a picturesque Vermont fall day. The air was cool and crisp and we could see our breath as we climbed up to Sterling Pond. After our hike, we warmed up with Maple Pecan Lattes (because Vermont, obviously) and got ready to visit Eden Cider’s Boutique Taproom and Cheese Bar. You can read all about our visit, in depth here.
If you attended Oktoberfest in Burlington, Vermont this year, you probably know that the Friday session got cut short due to impending storms and high wind speeds. Fortunately though, Saturday evening was beautiful and we all had a blast sipping on beverages and enjoying the gorgeous sunset over the Adirondack peaks that tower over Lake Champlain.
As the sun set, the temperatures began falling fast, and that’s precisely when the line to play the ring and hook game known as “Tiki Toss” at Woodchuck began to grow. The grand prize for landing your ring on the hook in three tries or less was a soft, fuzzy, warm Woodchuck hoodie. It also didn’t hurt that they were pouring their delicious new Bubbly line, Bubbly Rosé and Bubbly Pearsecco!
Woodchuck wasn’t the only cidery with something delicious up their sleeves. We headed over to the Stowe Cider tent to talk with their Assistant Manager, Dan, who was pouring Volume 4 of this year’s Juniper Sessions, a gin collaboration series that Stowe Cider has undertook. This specific volume of the collaboration involved Maine Craft Distilling of Portland, ME. I look forward to trying some of the rest!
We also made sure to stop over at Citizen Cider’s booth to try two of their core ciders, Lake Hopper, a non-traditional dry-hopped cider featuring local New England Cascade hops, and Wit’s Up, a classic dry sessionable cider. We also found one of their employees, Tim, a hardworking and dedicated Brand Ambassador enjoying his evening and chatted with him for a bit. I can’t say enough about how friendly and accommodating the folks at Citizen Cider are!
Citizen Cider Press House Tour
On Sunday morning, before departing for for Massachusetts, we swung by the new Citizen Press House on Flynn Ave in Burlington, just a few minutes around the corner from their taproom on Pine St. There, we met with Tim and Citizen Cider co-owner, Bryan Holmes, for a tour of their pressing facility. Bryan has been there since the very beginning, back when the original apple press was in use. In case you didn’t know, Citizen Cider sources their apples locally (mainly from Vermont and New York), transports them to their Press House in Burlington for cold storage, and actually press their own juice right there on sight! The juice from these apples are either used for Citizen Sweet, their fresh, non-alcoholic cider, or sent to their Cidery on Pine Street to be fermented into one of your favorite craft beverages.
We were given a private full tour of the facility, from the receiving docks, to cold storage, down the machine line responsible for the entire pre-pressing process, and finally to where the apples are actually pressed and the juice is stored before being transported to Pine St. The pressing process begins with the addition of apples to the giant Apple Hopper, where they then are taken by conveyor belt up the Apple Elevator, across the Inspection Table and through the Apple Scrubber to make sure the apples are suitable and well cleaned before being used to make the juice. Once cleaned, they are brought across the Weighing Conveyor, which allows Citizen employees to determine how many pounds of apples were used to produce a given quantity of pressed juice. From there the apples are ground in the Fruit Grinder and the pomace is transferred over to the final step, the Apple Press. Citizen Cider has an impressive hydraulic press that differs a bit from typical presses. Rather than pressing down vertically, the press works to horizontally squeeze the pomace which allows for easier collection of the resulting pressed juice and disposal of the remaining pulp.
Once the pressing process is complete, some of the juice remains to be used for Citizen Sweet and the rest is transferred in their large tanker from Flynn Ave to Pine St for fermentation. You may have seen their tanker truck driving through town or possibly in the parking lot at the Tap Room. It looks like a giant can of Unified Press laid on its side and is full of the fresh apple products we know and love.
The Press House Tour is a pretty cool experience, and you can learn a lot about the history and daily operations of Citizen Cider there. They have their original apple press on display in the middle of the room, a kind of rustic, small, wooden press, shockingly different from the industrial machinery you’ll see during the tour. The press not only symbolizes Citizen’s humble beginnings, but also highlights the rapid growth that they have experienced over the past decade. The Press House also has a small bar where you can enjoy a cider tasting, or purchase merchandise. Before we left, Tim made sure we had some goodies, including a local favorite, Tulsi, which has recently been released in the Origin Series for citizens everywhere to enjoy, along with their cherry infused cider, Companion.
