2023 Ultimate Cider Guide

HUDSON VALLEY + CAPITAL REGION

U LT IM ATE CIDER + APPLE SPIRITS

GUIDE — 2023 —

PRESENTED BY

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ULTIMATE CIDER + APPLE SPIRITS GUIDE Volume VII Issue 1 2023 ROBERT BEDFORD LINDA PIERRO PUBLISHERS LINDA PIERRO MANAGING EDITOR / DESIGN DIRECTOR

ULTIMATE CIDER + APPLE SPIRITS

GUIDE

CHERYL ELKINS MCASE MEDIA ADVERTISING SALES

FEATURES EDWARD MATTHEWS LINDA PIERRO CONTRIBUTORS

The Cider Calling Edward Matthews

2 Festivals + Events

27

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Cider Week + Map

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All rights reserved. Hudson Valley Wine and the Ultimate Cider + Apple Spirits Guide are trademarks of Flint Mine Group, llc. Material may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without written permission. No statement in this publication is to be construed as a recommendation. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY. PHOTO: Courtesy New York Cider Association/ Glynwood

28 CIDER

8

Angry Orchard

10

Awestruck

12 Brooklyn Cider House

at Twin Star Orchards

14

Doc’s Draft Hard Cider

16

Hardscrabble Cider

18

Helderberg Meadworks

20 Hudson Valley

Farmhouse Cider

26 Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery

22

Standard Cider Co.

24

Treasury Cider

THE CIDER CALLING

By Edward Matthews

Hard cider has had ups and downs in the American experience. It has gone from an

essential and communal beverage in colonial times and on the frontier, to decline (and opposition to it) during the Temperance Movement and commercial neglect during and after Prohibition, to the craft cider renaissance of the 21st century. In the early days of the Republic, most any property or farm would have had an orchard attached to it, often grown from apple seeds (pippins), with a cider press at the ready. These pippins yielded mostly “spitters” – extremely bitter and tannic apples – that were poor for eating, but excellent for cider (which was the point). Community cider mills were mainstay local institutions, turning out an indispensable drink often used as a substitute for the less sanitary local water. Making cider was not really a calling, but rather part of every day 18th and 19th century life, and one of the few pleasures.

Fast forward to now, the hard cider scene has sprung back to life largely in smaller “craft”

cidery form, and especially in New York State, where the largest number of cider producers in the US reside, and where the traditional apple-growing region of the Hudson Valley has been a magnet for a new generation of cider makers. But unlike the days of yore, cider competes with many other professional options, as well as with many other alcoholic beverages – wine, distilled spirits, craft beer, even hard seltzer. There is also the arduous work and expense associated with farming apple orchards, whether maintaining and converting older orchards, or establishing new ones. So, the plunge into craft cider is not for the faint of heart — it is indeed a calling — but one that has become much easier due to the efforts of some dedicated pioneers. And while the motivations and circumstances can be quite diverse, the common denominator is that many of those with “cider callings” ended up in the Hudson Valley. >> 2 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

ELIZABETH RYAN | HUDSON VALLEY FARMHOUSE CIDER

Farmer, pioneer, advocate, doyenne The American Cider Association recently awarded its prestigious Apple Advocate Award to Elizabeth Ryan of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider, recognizing her pioneering role in the New American Cider Movement. Receiving such a lifetime achievement award would be a crowning moment for most, but for Ryan, “it has taken me about 50 years to connect all the dots – and I’m still learning!”

Farming and fruit were present from the beginning, as both sides of her family farmed, which included a big family farm in Iowa, where Ryan spent her summers growing up. Orchards were also present, where her grandfather fermented fruit into various tipples, like plum wine. But there was also a darker side to farm life, which she absorbed via her extended family – farm debt, foreclosures, and living year-to-year, one tornado or drought away from financial ruin. “We were in the richest country in the world, with the richest soils, and yet farmers could not make a living. I just could not get my head around that.” So, she decided that she would farm and change the world. She chose a great starting place—Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, one of the best places to study fruit growing, anywhere.

Fittingly, Ryan majored in Pomology, and aimed to grow wine grapes. She also took a break for two years to work and advocate on farms issues in Washington, DC, (skills she would later use to recraft New York State cider legislation). After graduation, she headed to the Hudson Valley, lured by the opportunity to work as vineyard manager at Benmarl Winery

by Mark Miller, a passionate advocate of the region and its fruit growing potential. Miller, who was the force behind the game-changing New York Farm Winery Act in 1976, gave the young female graduate free rein in the vineyards where she learned a lot—including that she wanted her own farm.

In her spare time, Ryan cultivated another passion: folklore, folk traditions, and oral histories that, in many cases, came out of the rural farm tradition. The Hudson Valley was still a treasure trove of small, fruit-growing farms, many originally established by immigrants, so she started collecting their stories. And then, in 1984, she collected her first property, Breezy Hill Orchard. Apples (mostly heirloom varieties) suddenly became a big part of her life (along with a husband and a small child, too).

In her copious pre-Internet research into folk traditions, coupled with owning her own apple orchard, Ryan became intrigued with the wassail, the ancient custom of visiting orchards in the cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year. One thing led to another, and she took a (then) expensive leap, giving a long-distance call to Richard Sheppy, an esteemed, traditional cider maker in Somerset, England, and host of wassails there. They connected so well during that phone

interview, that before she knew it, she was dashing off to Somerset, arriving on the wassail day. At Sheppy’s 200year old farm and orchards, the entire community, some 500 people, showed up to partake in the local cider and fare, music, and English folk dances. Then, the wassail itself: in complete darkness, the crowd moved to the largest tree in the orchard, along with a large barrel of cider. A bonfire was lit, an iron was heated and dropped into the cider, Arthurian-like, causing it to froth. The tree was served the warm cider around its trunk, and the crowd began singing the wassail songs (which Ryan now knows by heart). Dance and drink followed all night. The mother ship had arrived, and she had been beamed up. This was her “aha” moment – there was no going back.

Elizabeth Ryan

The follow-up came quickly, including a cidermaking course in Hereford with English cider guru Peter Mitchell and others in the English craft cider scene, sealing the deal. Within a year of Ryan’s return from England, Hudson Valley Farmhouse had been launched, with her cider in the marketplace. In 1997, she made The New York Times list of best American ciders.

Throughout all this, however, she saw how disadvantaged cider was under New York State tax law, which, since Repeal, treated it almost like an illegal activity. So, Ryan’s advocacy to change the tax law and definitions for cider began in 1996.

Within two years, her work led to laws being changed, and the tax rate for cider went from $1.07 a gallon, to 7-12 cents a gallon, among other reforms and improvements. This move was the first big step that allowed the craft cider renaissance to take off in New York State. Thank you, Elizabeth!

Since then, Ryan has honed her cider making, and expanded her orchards with ever more cider varieties and the purchase of the historic Stone Ridge Orchard near New Paltz. Elizabeth is a classicist, hewing to traditional European styles using mainly American, English, and French heirloom cider apples.

For her, the cider must stand on its own, but she is not averse to creative use of flavorings and co-ferments so popular now, like with Montmorency cherries grown on her farm.

One of her innovations has been to make more varietal ciders with American antiques like Golden Russet (her favorite) and Esopus Spitzenberg. Another important goal: for New York bars and restaurant to serve and promote more fine local ciders. “In almost any restaurant you go to, whether in the Hudson Valley or New York City, they serve a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc by the glass. Our craft cider should be like New Zealand Sauvignon,” Ryan said. Here, here! >>

HVCiderGuide.com • 2022

3

PETER AND SUSAN YI | BROOKLYN CIDER HOUSE

The lightning strike

Before 2014, Peter Yi, a wine aficionado, buyer and retailer who owned the successful PJ Wine in Manhattan, and a winery in Argentina, had ignored cider. “I love wine, but I had no love for cider, because I never had tasted anything that moved me. I just didn’t get cider,” said Yi. Sometimes, however, cider gets you. On a fateful trip to France and Spain to visit various wine regions, Peter crossed into Spain and the Basque Country near San Sebastian, where a friend convinced him to take a break from his wine tasting and visit a cider house in the mountains, a sagardotegi. What followed was a revelation: the local cider, served directly from the barrel, was natural, fresh, dry and delicious (with relatively low alcohol), brimming with good acidity, the perfect pairing for the farm fresh fare, including grilled steak! More than just the gastronomic pleasure, however, it was the amazing conviviality around the drink and the food that floored Yi. Everybody was talking and laughing despite some language challenges. And the next day, despite consuming plenty of the tipple, there were no ill effects. Never had any alcoholic beverage made such a positive impression on him; quickly, his thoughts turned to how he could translate this beverage and experience to Brooklyn, where he was convinced it would work.

Peter and Susan Yi

On his return to NYC, with the zeal of the converted, he told his sister, Susan Yi, then an English teacher in New York, that they should make Basque-style cider and open up a Brooklyn version of the sagardotegi. Susan had been to Spain and had sampled similar cider, and had not been overly impressed. But on the cider house concept, Peter’s passion won her over, and the siblings decided to go all in. “Callings” often become journeys, however.

The original idea was to source New York apples and make the cider in Brooklyn, first at Peter’s house, and then at the eventual Brooklyn Cider House (BCH). Susan was certain that the necessary warehouse space for the venture would be found in Bushwick (it was). They then called apple growers across New York State and found not one that had the apple varieties they wanted for the Basque-style natural cider. Faced with this dilemma, Peter, always proactive, decided they would need to plant the trees themselves. Because the trees and rootstocks would take two years of preparation before planting, he ordered up 8,000 trees — without having anywhere yet to plant them. In the meantime, they would have to purchase an orchard. Thanks to Susan’s rock climbing proclivities, they quickly settled on New Paltz (and the Shawangunks) for the property search, which fortuitously resulted in their purchase of the 200-acre Twin Star Orchard. Welcome to the Hudson Valley!

In the meantime, Peter was honing his cider-making chops, leaning on his own knowledge of wine making, employing information from Spain and France on cider styles, and tapping the equipment, know-how, and wisdom of his good friend Morten Hallgren, the winemaker at Ravines Wine Cellars in the Finger Lakes. BCH was now making cider. Yi noted that within the New York cider community, there had been almost universal skepticism about a making raw, unfiltered Basque-style cider in New York. Fortunately, he was not dissuaded.

At the New Paltz orchard, the Yis pulled out some 50 acres of old trees to make way for the heirloom and hard cider varieties they had ordered. Because they were in a hurry, they had overlooked the possibility to graft the new trees (scions) on to the existing trees (as rootstock), which would have resulted in harvesting apples much faster than planting the new trees (a 5-10 year wait for fruit). But having planted them, they just moved forward, making cider in the old orchard warehouse, and opening the property to the public for cider tastings, apple picking, and wood-fired pizzas and burgers in 2015. Their Hudson Valley footprint was growing.

The actual cider house in Bushwick then became the focus, opening at the end of 2017 with 12,000 square feet, encompassing a working cidery, bar, tasting room, and restaurant. It was an intense and thrilling ride, but the venture quickly ran headlong into the pandemic, forcing the Yis

4 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

Josh Morgenthau

to shut it down. Fortunately, they had the New Paltz operation, and a growing and successful line of highly drinkable ciders— in striking, totemic designed cans—to build upon. The cider house concept did not end in Brooklyn, but has been reinvented in New Paltz, a popular destination with cider tastings, food, and live music.

with some apples leftover to sell to other cideries. And while Peter is pleased with the current BCH product line, his inner winemaker is aiming to make some special, smaller batch and age-worthy cuvees, aiming for the quality of, for example, Eve’s Cidery’s Albee Hill (Finger Lakes), which is a North Star for Yi, almost Burgundian in character.

That leap of faith with the 8,000 trees is now paying off: the cider varieties are now coming in, making for even better BCH ciders,

Quite the adventure from a thunderclap moment, but one gets the sense that the best is yet to come for BCH.

JOSH MORGENTHAU | TREASURY CIDER

Stewarding the legacy Fishkill Farms has been in the Morgenthau family for over a century, growing apples the entire time. It was founded by Henry Morgenthau Jr., who, after a career in farming and conservation, served as Secretary of the Treasury under Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 2006, Henry’s grandson, Josh Morgenthau, moved back to the family farm with some ideas to renovate and replant the historic orchard in sustainable fashion. The cider making interest built over time.

PHOTO: Grant Delin

Josh had spent some time traveling in Europe in the early 2000s, visiting farms and wineries. As fine arts major and painter, the combination of farming and craftsmanship involved in traditional European winemaking appealed to him, and he wanted to do something similar at Fishkill. But he figured the New York terroir was more suitable for apples, which have been growing in the Hudson Valley far longer than vinifera wine grapes, and are better adapted. He also had the family orchard to work with, where in 2008 he started planting dozens of heirloom apple varieties, motivated out of historical curiosity and a belief that foodies looking for tastes beyond supermarket produce aisles would provide a market for these apples.

As it happens, these heirlooms are very well suited for fine cider production. Originally oblivious to this, when he started researching hard cider, he realized that he already had many of the best North American cider apples growing in his orchard, varieties like Golden Russet, Newtown Pippin and Northern Spy. The seed had been planted.

Josh started fermenting several gallons of cider in the cellar every year — with some good results — but the impetus to operate on a larger scale was actually climate change, after losing a substantial portion of the apple crop in 2012, and then again only a few years later. These losses were a direct result of warm winters in which the trees woke up from dormancy earlier than usual, unprepared to weather the otherwise typical spring freezes. While these sorts of crop losses are not unheard of, they should be one-in-every-10

or 20-year occurrences, not just four years apart. (And those years were typically followed by “bumper crop” years, where there were more apples than could actually be sold in such a short window.) So, the appeal of having a product made with apples that would be sold the year after harvest became obvious. From a business point of view, a cider business had the potential to smooth out those seasonal mismatches of supply and demand, and provide some insurance by further diversifying away from fresh fruit. Henry would have concurred.

In 2015, Josh decided to go commercial under the Treasury Cider nameplate, in honor of his grandfather. He was aided by the newly passed New York State Farm Cidery legislation, which brought the venture within reach from a legal perspective, and allowed production of cider at scale without the prohibitively steep licensing fees of a conventional liquor license. It felt like fate.

Beyond a week-long seminar at Cornell with British cider master Peter Mitchell, most of Josh’s cider making training has been self-directed, gleaned from books and visits to other cider makers (both in the Hudson Valley and New York State), through educational trips to visit UK and Spanish cider makers arranged by the agricultural nonprofit Glynwood, and drilled in through good, old-fashioned trial and error. The results of the education have been impressive.

In the orchard, a segment of Fishkill is grown organically, and the rest grown with eco-friendly methods following the Eco Apple protocol. In the Hudson Valley, organic methods are often not viable for tree fruit — there is nothing sustainable about devoting resources to growing organic apples only to lose them mid-season because of bugs or fungus. Eco Apple is a happy medium that combines the sustainable focus of organic production with the economic viability of conventional.

The Morgenthau legacy at Fishkill Farms is safe.

>>

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

5

DOUG DOETSCH | SEMINARY HILL ORCHARD AND CIDERY

PHOTO: Peter Crosby

Giving back (sustainably)

Doug Doetsch

Callicoon is a hamlet on the Delaware River in western Sullivan County near the Pennsylvania border. Established in 1842, the hamlet and surrounding area was populated by a surge of German immigrant farmers in the 1850s and 60s, and farming is what they did once they arrived. Doug Doetsch, the owner and visionary behind Seminary Hill Orchard and Cidery is a fifth generation descendent of these German farmers, who grew up in the area.

From the 19th to the mid-to-late 20th century, these farms were around 80-120 acres in size, and most did a variety of things to subsist – dairy cows for selling milk to the local creamery, some pigs, chickens or sheep, possibly an orchard for cider and fresh fruit. Also in the summer months, many farms would take on boarders from New York City, who would escape to Callicoon for fresh air and respite from the urban frenzy. Doug remembered this well, but as a teenager, he could already see this economic model breaking down. Dairy prices collapsed for the small-scale farms, and many went out of business and left western Sullivan altogether. And that boarder connection from New York City broke down in the economic distress, isolating the hamlet from the economic colossus just two hours away.

Doug’s family remained in Callicoon, but he left for college and then for law school in New York City, ending up as an international finance lawyer who has traveled the world. But he stayed in touch with his folks back home, visiting at the family farm (that they retained) as often as possible.

On these visits, Doug started “noodling” on ideas to attract connections and interest to the area from New York City and beyond by using the agricultural heritage and tradition of hospitality. Clearly, this could no longer be milking cows! In his wide travels, particularly in France, as well as in Spain and England, he had encountered and enjoyed cider, which he began to think could be a viable alternative for western Sullivan county. His father thought it was a terrible idea, but his grandparents, who had a longer view of things, remembered plenty of orchards in the area in the past, along with some cider making, and were intrigued. The grandparents were right on the money.

After much research on cider and its possibilities for Callicoon, Doug scheduled a family trip to Normandy in 2012 to scope out the French cider scene, staying at a local cider/Calvados house and visiting cideries across the region. This trip clinched things for Doug, proving what was possible using a farm/orchard-based model for a cidery. He decided to move forward.

Enter the late Michael Phillips, holistic orchardist.

Doug hired Michael as a consultant, as their values on the environment and sustainability were in synch, and because such orchard practices made sense economically, too. They started looking at potential sites on the family homestead, taking soil samples and discussing possibilities. Over a several year period, they planned where to put the orchards, which apples to grow, and which companion plants would encourage pollination and ward off harmful insects and critters. They cover-cropped before planting and grafting to improve the soil profiles. The first orchard site was actually established in 2014 at the homestead.

Cooper Graney

6 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

Michael’s second recommendation was a much larger orchard site on a south-facing slope overlooking a former Franciscan seminary, the Delaware River, and the hamlet of Callicoon.

Doug had originally planned a small, almost hobby orchard, but while working on that second site, Michael and another cider consultant from the Finger Lakes, Chris Negronida, had a different view. The second site would be the place to put in a cidery and tasting room, they urged, because it was a once-in-a-lifetime site. It had an amazing view, and would be a phenomenal place to grow apples with its south facing slope and the microclimate of the Delaware River. The name Seminary Hill would come from the seminary just below the

orchard, replete with its Tuscan-style clock tower. “Go big or go home” was their message. Doug went big.

Seminary Hill’s cidery, restaurant, and tasting room are now housed in the first Passive House-certified building for a cidery or winery in the US, built with wood from the former Tappan Zee Bridge – with a killer view. The ciders have won awards, using American and European heirloom varieties. Down the road, Seminary offers lodging in some historic white clapboard

buildings decorated in Shaker style, a throwback to the old boarder days. And the location has become a community jewel and a magnet for events, ranging from the local high school prom and weekly concerts, to the 24 bookings for weddings they already have this summer.

Doug’s initial calling to give something back to Callicoon with cider has grown into something special, exceeding all expectations, sustainably and in style.

COOPER GRANEY | DOC’S DRAFT HARD CIDER

From apprentice to master Sometimes the cider calling comes early in life – and locally.

That was the case for Cooper Graney, the head cider maker at Doc’s Draft Hard Cider, which in 1993 became the first cidery in New York since Prohibition’s repeal, and has evolved into a flagship producer from the Hudson Valley, with its ciders available in 25 states.

Graney started with Doc’s in 2005 as a 16 year-old Warwick, NY, high school student working part-time after school and on weekends, stocking tasting room shelves, working the bottling line and helping in the orchards. At that point in time, Doc’s had grown from a small farm winery tasting room into a regional (and expanding) cider presence, so there was plenty of work to go around during this growth phase of the operation. It was an uphill battle for hard cider back then, said Graney, as many people had no clue about the beverage, with retail shops, bars, and restaurants tending to lump it together with malt beverages and hard lemonade.

Graney, however, was curious, willing, and did a little of everything.

All this hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed

by Doc’s current co-owner (and then head cider maker) Jason Grizzanti, who took Cooper under his wing, and recommended that in college, he should study the science behind cider and wine. This sound advice led Graney to Virginia Tech’s estimable Food Science and Technology program in 2007, where he learned, among other things, the ins-and-outs of fermentation, the imperative of sanitation in such processes, and packaging and distributing methods for food and drink. In addition, he learned to pay attention to the small variables that can have a huge effect in a production process, like the difference between producing cider with just-harvested apples in October, and using cold storage apples for production in July, when the apples have higher

sugar content and less acidity (something he would soon have to master).

In a sense, though, Graney never really left Doc’s—he continued working there during college summer breaks, and would drive 500 miles between Blacksburg and Warwick on long autumn weekends to help out with the harvest.

Though he never mentioned it, he had actually decided he would return to Doc’s after graduation. Soon after his return to Warwick in 2013, which coincided with Grizzanti’s move to the Black Dirt Distillery project, he was named Doc’s head cider maker­—a huge vote of confidence for a freshly minted graduate.

The relationship has been the perfect match. Doc’s has continued to grow under Cooper’s watch, now turning out some 250,000 gallons annually, all made with 100% New York fruit. Doc’s has also significantly expanded its product lineup, including with flavored seasonal ciders, like Peach, Sour Cherry and Cassis, and has seamlessly incorporated cans into the distribution mix. But Cooper’s goal – and successful calling card – has been to keep a consistent, high quality and recognizable base cider style that immediately says “Doc’s” even when flavored with other fruits or botanicals. His learning on the job continues, evidenced by Doc’s Gold Rush Cider, a recent addition to the line that uses the Keeving method of fermentation, one used mainly in French farmhouse ciders (and takes three months to complete).

Cooper also gets inspiration from the smaller cideries in the region and the innovations and new ideas they bring to the table. Both Cooper and Doc’s are big supporters of the Hudson Valley cider sector and cider education, believing that a bigger cider pie means more for everybody.

We’ll drink to that. •

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

7

ANGRY ORCHARD

ABOUT US

Established 2011

THE CIDER MAKERS at Angry Orchard have been experimenting with apple varieties, ingredients, and the aging process to develop hard cider recipes for more than 20 years. The team has traveled the world to find the best apples for cider making and choosing specific varieties with unique flavor profiles in mind.

In fall 2015, Angry Orchard opened the Cider House, which sits on a 60-acre apple orchard and is home for the brand’s cider research and development. Here, the cider makers research and drive experimentation, and drinkers are invited to visit and experience the exclusive ciders made on-site along with some of the wellknown favorite styles. Despite the recent growth of hard cider in the US, and the prevalence of cider in the Hudson Valley, the category is still small and relatively unknown. Angry Orchard is committed to driving cider education and awareness to help grow the category for all craft cider makers.

In 2020, the Cider House underwent renovations to help better accommodate the guest experience. The renovations included building out a large bar area on the top floor of the building where guests can enjoy a variety of ciders while overlooking the pressing room and cellar. Additionally, the team revamped the downstairs taproom which looks out at the Shawangunk Mountain Ridge.

For those who can’t visit the Orchard, you can find their flagship cider, Crisp Apple, at bars and restaurants across the country. And for those looking to have access to Walden exclusive styles, check out their Angry Orchard Cider Club at www.angryorchard.com/cider-club.

For more information about visiting the Cider House, head to www.angryorchard.com. To find where Angry Orchard hard cider is served near you, visit the “cider finder” at www.angryorchard.com/locations.

VISIT OUR TAP ROOM, CIDER GARDEN, AND TREE HOUSE BUILT BY ANIMAL PLANET’S TREE HOUSE MASTERS.

8 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE CIDER MAKER JOSEPH GAYNOR

Born and raised in the Hudson Valley, Joe has always had a deep-rooted passion for fermentation. A member of the team that helped open Angry Orchard’s Cider House in 2015, Joe started as a tour guide and worked his way into the cellar, where he is currently the Cider Maker.

In his role, Joe runs the daily production and Orchard operations, aides as an educational resource for new and current team members, and works closely with a variety of cider and agricultural organizations near and far.

Playing an integral part in new product development and Orchard innovation, Joe draws inspiration from the rich and diverse history and community cider has to offer.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT CRISP APPLE

Angry Orchard Crisp Apple is the #1 hard cider in the country and its blue label with iconic red apple is recognized by drinkers far and wide.

Crisp Apple is refreshing, delicious, and tastes like biting into a fresh apple. The product is well-liked for carrying just the right amount of natural sweetness and is the perfect choice when drinkers are looking for a natural, full-flavored alternative to seltzers, light beer, or flavored malt beverages.

Crisp Apple combines the finest culinary and traditional cider making apples from all over the world, giving you a complex, yet refreshing hard cider. It is naturally gluten-free and comes in at 5% ABV.

THE ESSENTIALS SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

FARM CIDER WOODEN SLEEPER NEWTOWN PIPPIN BALDWIN SUPER NATURAL FRANCENSTEIN EXTRATERROIRESTRIAL ICE CIDER ALBANY POST EDU AND OTHER LIMITED RELEASES

NAME ANGRY ORCHARD ADDRESS 2241 Albany Post Rd. Walden, NY 12586

CLOSED New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas TASTING FEES $10–20

PHONE 845-713-5180

TOURS Tour options vary: $10–30

EMAIL tours@angryorchard.com

FARM ACREAGE 60 acres

WEBSITE angryorchard.com

MANAGER Jamie Corrao

OPEN Year round

CIDER MAKER Joseph Gaynor

EVENTS:

FOLLOW US:

Community Harvest Fest, Wassail Winter Fest, Cider Release Events, Live Music, monthly Trivia.

@angryorchard

Follow on Facebook and Instagram for event updates and news.

@angryorchard walden

@angryorchard

#ExploreTheOrchard

GETTING HERE FROM I-84: Exit 5 to Albany Post Road at the intersection of Route 52.

#BranchOut

Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

9

AWESTRUCK

ABOUT US

Established 2013

AT AWESTRUCK, THEIR NAME is their mission – they craft hard ciders that will leave you, well…awestruck! They have an insatiable thirst for tweaking, testing, and experimenting with apple varietals, yeast species, and botanical ingredients to push the boundaries of what hard cider can be. Their favorite comment from new taste testers? “Wow! This is hard cider?!” (Their second favorite comment is, “Where can I get more?!”).

Awestruck’s four flagships are each unique, yet approachable. Hibiscus Ginger is rose-colored, fizzy, and subtly spicy, like a tropical ginger ale; Apples & Pears is an easy-drinking fusion of fresh apple and juicy, succulent pear; Lavender Hops is crafted by steeping cider with pounds of culinary dried lavender and citrusy hop varietals, at once deeply aromatic and juicy; and Dry Apple + Oak captures the essence of artisanal fermentation – clean, faintly woody, subtly fruity, and deeply evocative of early autumn in Upstate New York.

After years spent working as contractors to fund their voracious appetite for travel and new taste discovery, Casey Vitti and Patti Wilcox returned to their hometown of Walton, NY, to found Awestruck in 2013. Inspired by the abundance of fresh, delicious apples throughout the Hudson Valley, they created Awestruck Ciders to blend their home region’s apple-growing heritage with their favorite flavors from around the world.

From their humble roots in a 2,000 square foot, renovated section of a local lumberyard, Awestruck has grown into an industrious team of 23 employees, collaboratively working on everything from building the bar in the taproom, to composing social media posts, to hand labeling each of their 750ml bottles.

Creating new limited and seasonal offerings, playing with new ingredients, and satisfying their thirst to experiment and produce new tastes and experiences is Awestruck’s true passion. They work with local orchardists and farmers and are proud to make all of their ciders from pure, fresh-pressed New York state apples—never from concentrate, and never watered down.

As part of a recent expansion, Awestruck opened a second taproom in Walton, NY – Awestruck Mill. You can also visit the 8,000 square-foot production facility and taproom in Sidney, NY, which has evolved into a cozy bar-restaurant with seventeen rotating taps of unique and limited offerings along with a variety of local craft beers. At the taprooms you can taste one-off ciders made one keg at a time, or enjoy a tasty cider cocktail. You can sit aboard the 1970s school bus situated adjacent to the bar and compose magnetic poetry on the walls and ceiling! Awestruck partners with rotating local restaurants and food trucks to satisfy hungry customers.

Visit Thursday through Sunday, with tours and tastings available by appointment.

Stay in the loop with everything Awestruck by following them on Facebook and Instagram, and check the website for information on where to find Awestruck in stores and at farmers markets and festivals throughout the year.

10 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE OWNERS CASEY VITTI AND PATTI WILCOX

When Casey and Patti founded Awestruck, they set out to craft complex and captivating ciders. They had been enjoying ciders overseas for many years, and were excited by the new and different hard ciders cropping up throughout the US. From sweet and juicy, to dry and funky, and everywhere in between, they were captivated by the boundless variety of cider available. They saw cider as the perfect base from which to create their own blends and share their passion for unique drinks from around the world by incorporating botanicals like hibiscus, ginger, lavender, and hops.

While Casey and Patti were inspired by the broad variety, they understood how intimidating it could be to new cider drinkers.

They wanted to help people discover this fun and exciting beverage—so they put descriptions and slider bars on every bottle to help each person pick their perfect hard cider right at the shelf.

The best part of being Awestruck? For Casey and Patti, it’s getting to work with a supportive network of people who love their products, and seeing their idea for a unique product sought out and enjoyed by patrons. They appreciate their hardworking team, suppliers, distributors, retailers, community, and the awe-inspiring customers who make what they love to do possible.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT INTRODUCING NEW CANS!

Two of Awestruck’s OG flavors – Dry Apple + Oak and Lavender Hops – have now made it into 16oz cans!

Dry Apple + Oak is fresh, pure New York State apples with a bit of sunshine and a hint of oak.

A supremely sessionable cider, the smooth, subtle flavors build and blend, inviting you to enjoy glass after glass.

Lavender Hops is Awestruck’s most unique cider. For mindblowing taste, they steep Citra, Centennial, and Cascade hops with sweet lavender to create an aromatic, juicy refresher that will make you rethink what hard cider can be.

SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

HIBISCUS GINGER APPLES & PEARS HOMETOWN HOMICIDER PEACH RING WINTER SOLSTICE DRY APPLE + OAK LAVENDER HOPS SUMMER SANGRIA LIMITED RELEASES HONEYCOMB VIKING SUGAR & SPICE BLACKBERRY WITH A HINT OF LIME GETTING HERE

THE ESSENTIALS ADDRESS 8 Winkler Rd. Sidney, NY 13838

CLOSED New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas

Awestruck Mill: 34 Howell St. Walton, NY 13856

TASTING FEE No TOURS $10 tour and guided tasting

PHONE 607-232-1143 EMAIL info@awestruckciders.com WEBSITE awestruckciders.com OPEN Sidney: Thurs–Sat: 3–10pm Sun: 11am–5pm Awestruck Mill: Fri–Sat: 3–10pm

OWNERS Patricia Wilcox, Casey Vitti MANAGER Bryan Birdsall CIDER MAKER Derek Tallman

EVENTS:

FOLLOW US:

(SIDNEY) FROM I-88 NORTH OR SOUTH: Exit 9, then head north on NY-8 for approximately one mile. Turn left onto River Street and then turn right into the Sidney Industrial Park on Winkler Road. Awestruck is the third building on the left as you enter, just 4 minutes off I-88.

JUNE 24–25 Lake George Wine & Food Fest

(WALTON) FROM I-86 NORTH OR SOUTH: Exit 94 on NY-17 to Roscoe. Continue on NY206 W until you reach Walton, then turn right onto Howell Street. Awestruck Mill is located on the corner of Howell Street and Mead Street.

OCT 7

AUG 22–27

Dutchess County Fair

SEPT 9–10 Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest

@awestruckciders

@awestruckmill @awestruckciders

@awestruckmill

OCT 7 Hudson Valley Farm & Flea Little Falls Cheese Festival Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

11

BROOKLYN CIDER HOUSE AT TWIN STAR ORCHARDS

ABOUT US

Established 2015

IT ALL STARTED IN THE FOOTHILLS of Urnieta and Hernani in the Basque Country.

Peter Yi, a wine buyer, took a break from tasting wines to visit a sagardotegi, a traditional Basque cider house. It was a gastronomic experience like no other: cider-braised chorizo, tortilla de bacalao, rib-eye steak, and walnuts, cheese and membrillo, all paired with natural, crisp cider caught straight from the barrel. It was an eye-opening experience and not long after his trip, he told his sister Susan, “We need to open a cider house in Brooklyn.” He was dead serious, and within weeks, Peter walked away from a business he’d built for 25 years, while Susan quit teaching to study apples and hard cider.

That was the spring of 2014. They didn’t know a bushel from a bin of apples.

What they did know was that they wanted to make a wildly natural cider.

In early 2015, the Yi siblings purchased an orchard in New Paltz, Twin Star Orchards, and planted 50 acres of heirloom dessert and cider apple trees. That fall, they opened the farm to the public for cider tastings, apple-picking, and wood-fired pizzas and burgers. Shortly after, the siblings opened their flagship Brooklyn location, which housed a full-scale cidery, restaurant, bar, and tasting room. Though the cider house enjoyed a short, exhilarating stint in Bushwick, the Yi siblings woefully shut down the 12,000-square-foot cider destination due to the COVID pandemic.

Despite the setback, the siblings are grateful that their business not only survived, but is thriving at the farm. Moreover, they believe that the experience forced them to revise and improve the project’s vision and direction. They are now able to focus all of their energy into the farm and producing cider onsite, giving the team more time to hone in on the most important aspect of cider making, the apples. Their heirloom-variety trees, planted in 2016, just started producing fruit a couple of years ago. Now, with over 25 heirloom and wild varieties of apples, Peter is enthralled with the possibilities. This year, they are excited to release a series of small-batch ciders, from pet-nats to wine and cider blends and méthode champenoise cider.

At Brooklyn Cider House, one simple ingredient is used to make ciders – apples – so the structure, aromas, mouthfeel, and any residual sugar are definitively tied to the quality of their apples. All ciders are made from freshly harvested apples and are fermented in stainless steel tanks with wild or wine yeast, with minimal intervention.

They strive for balance, depth of structure, and drinkability.

The Tasting Room and Pavilion at Twin Star Orchards are open from April through the first weekend of November, serving wood-fired pizza, burgers, and barbecue.

They offer cider tastings, live music, U-pick strawberries in the summer, and u-pick “ugly apples” in the fall. New this year, the Tasting Room will remain open for cider tastings and light snacks in winter.

PHOTOS: MST Creative PR (left, opposite page); Young Kim (middle, right)

12 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE FOUNDERS PETER YI

Peter was the owner of PJ Wine, a leading wine retailer in NYC, before he started Brooklyn Cider House. He is known for his fearless honesty about wines, creative pairings, and marathon-like ability to taste hundreds of wines and still pick out the winners. Peter is the visionary, cider maker and chef at Brooklyn Cider House.

SUSAN YI

Susan is a former English-teacher-turned entrepreneur who translates story and teaching into marketing and management. Her love for climbing is what brought Brooklyn Cider House to New Paltz, with the Gunks as their playground. She is passionate about food, fermented things, nature, and a good story.

Susan is currently living in Gran Canaria, working digitally behind the scenes.

OLIVIA YI

Olivia is a recent Carnegie Mellon graduate with an insatiable thirst to learn everything she can about business management, cider-making and farming. You can find Olivia making cider, stretching pizza dough, fixing the draught system, building counters, forklifting pallets of cider or apples, and everything in between!

IN THE SPOTLIGHT POMME ROUGE

Pomme Rouge is an apple-grape wine made from 51% heirloom apples (Northern Spy, Dabinett, and Rhode Island Greening) and 49% Marquette grapes. With a touch of natural effervescence and tangy red fruit notes, Pomme Rouge is a light, sessionable wine that is incredibly versatile with food.

(2021 harvest, 100 cases) TERRENE

Terrene is a full-bodied, intense cider with structured tannins and tropical and floral aromas. It’s a naturally sparkling cider that shows the purity of fruit. Terrene is made from Rhode Island Greening, Chisel Jersey, Ellis Bitter, Harry Masters Jersey, and Manchurian Crab, and is fermented and aged in stainless steel and in the bottle.

(2022 harvest, 100 cases)

SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

BONE DRY HALF SOUR KINDA DRY

LITTLE WILD RAW ROSÉ

LIMITED RELEASE POMME ROUGE TERRENE

THE ESSENTIALS ADDRESS Twin Star Orchards 155 N. Ohioville Rd. New Paltz, NY 12561 PHONE 845-633-8657

TASTING FEES $6–$8 (cider flights) TOURS No FARM ACREAGE 200 acres

EMAIL info@brooklynciderhouse.com

PRODUCTION 40,000 gallons

WEBSITE twinstarorchards.com

OWNER Susan Yi

OPEN Apr–June, Sept–Nov Fri: 12–7pm Sat–Sun: 11am–7pm July–Aug Fri: 12–8pm Sat: 11am–8pm Sun: 11am–7pm

CIDER MAKER Peter Yi

Check website for new winter hours

EVENTS:

GETTING HERE FROM I-87: Exit 18 (New Paltz/Poughkeepsie), then merge right onto NY-299 E. Drive about 1/8 mile, and at the intersection of Ohioville Rd., turn left onto North Ohioville Rd. Continue for 1.2 miles. The orchard/tasting room will be on the left side.

JUNE 2

Start of Strawberry Picking

JUNE 17

Fermentation Festival and Market

AUG 12 Hudson Valley Craft Beverage Festival and Market APR–NOV 5 Pig Roasts, Paella & Sangria Parties, Live Music SEPT 1–4 Start of Apple-picking Celebration OCT 7–9 NOV 4

Oktoberfest Season Finale Pig Roast

Scan to visit the website

FOLLOW US:

@ brooklynciderhouse @twinstarorchards @brooklynciderhouse

@twinstarorchards Order online for pickup.

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

13

DOC’S DRAFT HARD CIDER

ABOUT US

Established 1993

AS THE FIRST CIDERY IN NEW YORK STATE since Prohibition, Doc’s has had over 20 years experience in fine tuning and perfecting the craft. The staff at Doc’s is proud to use only 100% New York fruit, and the success of Doc’s Cider is due to this insistence on using the finest fruit available. When it’s not sourced from the onsite orchard, Doc’s purchases fresh market fruit from local growers that the staff knows personally.

The Doc’s Draft Hard Cider story began in 1989, when two doctors purchased an orchard in Warwick, NY, and began to learn how to cultivate fruit. Local apple growers and extension agents taught them the basics and contributed to the early success. As a result of an abundant apple crop they began to experiment with hard cider. Soon they were hooked. They applied for and received a farm winery license and cider producer license in 1993—and Doc’s was born. Doors opened to the public in the fall of 1994.

In the early days, they had three wines and one cider, all of which were, frankly, a bit unrefined. Their inexperience was as evident as their enthusiasm, but they persevered to create higher quality wines and cider. Every vintage improved as they honed their skills and continued to learn the art and science of wine and cider making. Eventually, hard work paid off, leading to the development of the criticallyacclaimed Doc’s Draft Hard Apple Cider.

In 2002, current owners Jeremy Kidde and Jason Grizzanti set out to build the Doc’s Cider brand. After purchasing a used bottling line and three head keg filler, they increased production enough to expand beyond the farm winery tasting room and local farm markets. Every week, they would load up the truck and sell the cider door to door in New York City. Soon, Doc’s Draft started to be known for its fresh, natural taste, and they quickly added distribution to nearby states. Today, Doc’s Hard Cider is available in 25 states and three countries, with more growth on the horizon. Proclaims owner Jeremy Kidde, “We did it first and we do it best.”

Doc’s Draft Hard Apple Cider is now available in four year-round varieties (Original Apple, Pear, Raspberry, and Hopped ), as well as six seasonal offerings (Cassis, Sour Cherry, Peach, Pumpkin, Cranberry, and Gold Rush).

TODAY, DOC’S HARD CIDER IS AVAILABLE IN 25 STATES AND THREE COUNTRIES, WITH MORE GROWTH ON THE HORIZON.

14 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE CIDER MAKER COOPER GRANEY

Cooper Graney, head cider maker, started with Doc’s Cider in 2005, when he was still in high school. He worked weekends and eventually after school on the bottling line and stocking the tasting room shelves. He learned from owner (and then cider maker) Jason Grizzanti that you could go to school to learn the science behind cider and wine.

In 2007, Cooper headed off to the Virginia Tech Food Science and Technology program, while continuing to work at Doc’s in the summers. His return home in 2013 coincided with Jason’s shift of focus to the Black Dirt Distillery Project, and a Head Cider Maker was born.

It took Cooper years of studying to realize that cider making is an art, not a science.

Although the science certainly comes in handy, it can’t teach you how to make the same cider in July as you do in December. Good thing there’s a lot of tasting involved.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT DOC’S GOLD RUSH CIDER

While the rest of the Doc’s line relies on a base of Doc’s Original, the Gold Rush Hard Cider is dry and distinctive. Doc’s uses 100% organic Gold Rush apples and the Keeving fermentation method that takes over three months, resulting in a dry, crisp, apple-forward product reminiscent of a French farmhouse cider. Enjoy it on hot days, over ice. Get it when you see it because it doesn’t last long!

The pizzas at the Pane Café at the Warwick Valley Winery Tasting Room are a Hudson Valley favorite. A wood-fired pizza oven is set up next to the outdoor grill, so get ready for some new pies.

WE CAN DO IT!

Doc’s Cider is now available in cans for all of your cider-ing needs.

THE ESSENTIALS SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

ADDRESS 114 Little York Rd. Warwick, NY 10990

CLOSED New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas

PHONE 845-258-6020

TASTING FEE $8

EMAIL wvwinery@warwick.net

TOURS $15 (distillery tour)

DOC’S DRAFT RASPBERRY HARD CIDER

WEBSITE docscider.com

FARM ACREAGE 100 acres

DOC’S DRAFT DRY HOPPED HARD CIDER

OPEN Year round Mon–Fri: 11am–6pm Sat–Sun: 11am–6pm

PRODUCTION 75,000 cases

DOC’S DRAFT HARD APPLE CIDER DOC’S DRAFT PEAR HARD CIDER

DOC’S DRAFT PUMPKIN HARD CIDER

MANAGER Jeremy Kidde, Jason Grizzanti, Joseph Grizzanti CIDER MAKER Cooper Graney

DOC’S DRAFT SOUR CHERRY HARD CIDER EVENTS: YEAR-ROUND

GETTING HERE FROM NYC & NJ: Take Rt.17 north into New York State toward Albany (I-87) to Exit 15A, Sloatsburg. Make a left off exit onto Rt. 17.

Continue on Rt.17 north for 7 miles, then turn left onto Rt. 17A. Stay on Rt. 17A for approximately 17 miles into Warwick. At the intersection of Rt.17A and Rt. 94 turn left onto Rt. 94. Proceed on Rt. 94 for 1/4 of a mile, then make a right onto Little York Rd. The tasting room is 1 mile on the right.

FOLLOW US: Live music every weekend

SUMMER Dylan-Fest, Cash & Country, Dead-Fest FALL

@docshardcider @docsdraftcider

Apple-picking season

See the calendar at wvwinery.com FARM MARKETS: Warwick, Nyack, Goshen, Cold Spring, Tarrytown

Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

15

HARDSCRABBLE CIDER

ABOUT US

Established 2015

WHEN THEIR FAMILY ACQUIRED a 60-acre apple orchard eight years ago, the Covino brothers—Alex, Kevin, and Ben—immediately began tinkering with the idea of putting their apple crop to good use. And with the recent upswing in the popularity of hard cider, it seemed only logical to try their hand at the craft.

Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard, formerly Outhouse Orchard, was purchased by local nursery owner Rob Covino in 2010. The orchard was home to 60 acres of culinary apple trees and a variety of other stone fruit and vegetables. Culinary apples aren’t as sought after as traditional cider fruit, but the Covino brothers were driven by Teddy Roosevelt’s quote: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

The brothers, each with a degree in horticulture and years of experience working on their family’s nursery, had the background knowledge needed to keep the orchard flourishing to ensure a healthy crop. Utilizing the apple varieties at their disposal, their goal was to ultimately craft a light, crisp hard cider that embodied drinkability.

After years of experimentation, they created a cider which truly reflected the crop: an off-dry cider with strong apple flavor and aroma. No extra sugar is added; freshpressed sweet cider is introduced post-fermentation to enhance the taste and to ensure the final product isn’t overly dry. You won’t find preservatives or additives either. The brothers choose to batch pasteurize each and every bottle to ensure a clean and natural product. “It was our goal to make a truly craft beverage. We press the apples that go into the cider. We fill, pasteurize, and label every bottle.”

Success with their Dry and Standard recipes led the brothers to get creative with other varieties, such as Cranberry—a semi-dry tart cider that incorporates fresh cranberries—and Fruit of the Farm, a sweeter variety that incorporates peaches, nectarines, and blueberries into the blend. Their Citra cider, one of the most popular to date, involves fermenting their cider over citra hops. It’s a hit with cider and beer lovers alike. Newer varieties, such as Ginger Lemon, Beet, and Jalapeno Cucumber will be available this spring. The recent planting of over 1,000 cider-variety apple trees will lead to even more experimentation down the road.

A nod to cider’s history in this country, Hardscrabble Cider features an Americana theme – and the tasting room attempts to embody the same feel. The walls are lined with reclaimed barnwood, emblems of American history hang on display, and quality hand-crafted beverages are readily available. In addition to their cider (sold by the bottle, pint, and flight), the tasting room features New York craft beer (on tap and by the bottle), liquor, cordials, and wine. With a newly renovated and expanded outdoor patio and a new wood-fired pizza oven, expect bigger and better events throughout the spring, summer, and fall, with a continuation of their weekend live music pizza parties.

16 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE CIDER MAKERS ALEX COVINO KEVIN COVINO BEN COVINO ANTHONY SEPE

“Mixing business and pleasure is such a difficult thing to do, but our foray into the cider business has allowed us to do just that,” says owner and cider maker Kevin Covino. Brothers Alex, Kevin, and Ben, horticulturists by trade with degrees in plant science, had dabbled with beer and wine making as a hobby with little success. It was as if fate, and a bit of good fortune, brought them an apple orchard right down the road from their family’s nursery. “The orchard had always been U-pick for the fall, but we wanted to do more with the apples,” says oldest brother, Alex.

“Cider seemed like the obvious choice.”

The Covino brothers grew up in Brewster, NY, and began working on their family’s nursery in their early teens. They each studied horticulture at Rhode Island University. After graduating, they helped their father run the business, with Kevin soon taking over as manager of the newly-acquired orchard.

Family friend and fellow craft beverage enthusiast, Anthony Sepe, joined the team in 2017 to focus on management and production.

Anthony’s thirst for creativity has come in handy as a cider maker, as he is constantly experimenting with fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to craft unique and exciting ciders.

All members of the team have the same goal in mind: to bring the public a delicious craft beverage that embodies the terroir. You can often find members of the team on site enjoying a hard cider in the tasting room.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT CIDER IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Customers can enjoy their food and beverages on the outdoor patio, open all week during the spring, summer, and fall. Hardscrabble Cider is available by the bottle and pint. In addition to the hard cider, there is a great selection of New York State craft beer on tap. Burgers, sandwiches, salads, and other delicious menu items are available through the Harvest Moon kitchen. The patio remains open until 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights with wood-fired pizza, live music, and cider.

Hardscrabble Cider is planning multiple cider-related events this spring, summer, and fall, in addition to the annual fall festival every weekend throughout September and October.

Check the website and social media for updates on hours and events.

NEW SMALL-BATCH CIDERS

Expect a variety of new small batches and experimental ciders in the tasting room throughout the season. Small batches will utilize the recently planted cider-apple varieties, as well as many of the other fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown on the orchard.

THE ESSENTIALS ADDRESS 130 Hardscrabble Rd. North Salem, NY 10560

CLOSED New Year’s Day, Easter, Christmas

PHONE 914-485-1210

TASTING FEES Tasting Flight: $12 (not offered during events or Pizza Nights)

EMAIL hardscrabblecider@gmail.com

TOURS No

BLACK DIRT BEET

WEBSITE hardscrabbleciderny.com

FARM ACREAGE 60+ acres

CITRA

OPEN Jan–Mar Thurs–Sun: 10am–5pm Apr–Dec Daily: 10am–6pm (see hours for Pizza Nights below)

OWNERS Alex, Kevin, and Ben Covino

SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

CRANBERRY DRY FRUIT OF THE FARM

GENERAL MANAGER AND CIDER MAKER Anthony Sepe OPERATIONS MANAGER Alex Pokorne

THE STANDARD EVENTS: MAY–SEPT

FOLLOW US: Pizza Nights (weather permitting)

@hardscrabblecider

Fridays and Saturdays, 6–9pm *Friday nights only in Sept

GETTING HERE FROM 684 [NORTH OR SOUTH]: Exit 8, Hardscrabble Road. Make a right off the exit and continue approximately ¾ of a mile down Hardscrabble Road. The orchard (Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard) will be on the left-hand side. The tasting room is attached to the main building. You can enter through the main building or through the patio.

SEPT–OCT

Fall Festival at Harvest Moon, Saturdays and Sundays

FARM MARKET: Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard (on premise)

Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

17

HELDERBERG MEADWORKS

ABOUT US

Established 2011

HELDERBERG MEADWORKS began in 2012 producing a single mead with a mission: to bring truly handcrafted mead to the people. That mead was called Heritage and the people welcomed it with open arms. It quickly became clear that Helderberg could spread their creative wings and introduce more varieties to the market. Apple Mead was born!

While creating the local sourced cyser, Helderberg was creating an amazing hard cider as part of the process. So with the same passion and vigor, mead maker Peter Voelker set forth perfecting his hard cider craft by applying the knowledge and experience he gained while developing Helderberg Meadworks’ many varieties of mead.

Over the past couple of years, Helderberg’s hard cider was introduced on a limited basis while Peter was building the new tasting room where his ciders are now exclusively available. Helderberg’s philosophy of using all-natural ingredients as much as possible extends to their ciders which are handcrafted to suit the maker’s personal tastes. This natural approach brings out the best fresh-apple flavors possible, resulting in ciders that stand out remarkably well in the crowded marketplace.

Helderberg’s Classic Semi-Dry hard cider is distinct. It is aged for a minimum of six months using an aging process that provides micro-oxidation similar to that of a neutral cask. This allows the cider to develop its natural profile slowly. Each harvest is unique, therefore the cider is not blended from year to year. Much like the view from the tasting room, there are slight variations that are embraced each year to create a hard cider that is a truly a celebration of the apples!

VISIT THE HELDERBERG MEADHALL AND ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL VIEW OF THREE COUNTIES AND THE ROLLING HILLSIDE— BEST WHILE SIPPING A GLASS OF HARD CIDER AT SUNSET ON THE PORCH.

18 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE CIDER/MEAD MAKER PETER VOELKER

Peter Voelker is an Engineer with a creative flair. His love for creating something personal and unique, combined with a passion for history, drove him to begin experimenting with and studying about mead. He was born in New York City and has lived his life in the Hudson Valley and Capital regions. He got his start making homebrew beer as soon as he graduated college, then quickly branched out into other fermented beverages. He began making mead over 20 years ago and has been perfecting it ever since.

Having discovered through genealogical research that he is a descendant of the first King of Norway, Harald Fairhair, Peter developed a traditional mead that he would feel honored to raise in a toast with his ancestor. In honor of that link, the label for Heritage was designed to include the “Swords in Mountain” monument of three bronze swords standing 30 feet tall. That monument was erected in Stavanger, Norway, to commemorate King Harald’s historic final battle of Hafrsfjord.

Peter manages every aspect of the business.

With a dedicated staff of 20 and growing (including a Troy Manager and an Event Planner), he continues to focus on keeping up with demand—all while maintaining his fulltime job and raising two active young boys.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT TROY MEADHALL IS OPEN!

Having cemented the success of the Esperance Meadhall, the Voelkers set their sights on a second Meadhall location. With Kirsten having grown up in Troy, and Peter graduating from both HVCC and RPI, and with five of their staff already living in, or near, Troy, the location was obvious. An extensive search led to them setting a flag in the ground at 45 3rd Street. This location is readily accessible in the heart of downtown Troy. The Meadhall is fully integrated with Helderberg Meadworks and has a similar theme. The team is excited for customers to experience Helderberg’s latest chapter!

THE ESSENTIALS

At the Meadhalls, customers can enjoy Helderberg ciders by the glass or growler, indoors or out. In addition to the Classic Semidry Cider and the popular Cassis Cider, there will be new products, as well as small batch experimentals to choose from, such as Sweet Maple, Pumpkin, Ginger, Traditional Dry, and NY Cherry Ciders.

SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

BLACK CURRANT MEAD HARD CIDER

ADDRESS 6144 State Highway 30 Esperance, NY 12066

CLOSED New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas

Troy Tasting Room: 45 3rd Street Troy, NY 12180

TASTING FEES $5 for 7; $20 for all with glass

PHONE 518-795-8964 EMAIL info@helderbergmeadworks.com WEBSITE helderbergmeadworks.com OPEN Year round Thurs–Fri: 5–9pm Sat: 12–9pm Sun: 12–5pm

TOURS No FARM ACREAGE 8.4 acres PRODUCTION 800–1,000 cases OWNERS Peter and Kirsten Voelker MANAGER Peter Voelker CIDER/MEAD MAKER Peter Voelker

HERITAGE MEAD PEPPER MEAD STAGHORN MEAD

EVENTS:

SWEET FERAL MEAD

Visit the website or Facebook page for updates on events.

FARM MARKETS:

GETTING HERE FROM NYS THRUWAY I-90: Exit 25A, I-88.

Take I-88 to Exit 24, then Route 20 West for nine miles. Turn right onto State Hwy 30 North for two miles. Meadhall is on the right.

Jay Street Sundays, Schenectady

FOLLOW US:

@ Helderberg Meadworks @Meadworks @meadworks

Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

19

HUDSON VALLEY FARMHOUSE CIDER

ABOUT US

Established 1996

HUDSON VALLEY FARMHOUSE CIDER was founded in 1996 by award-winning cider farmer, master, and “Grand Dame of Hudson Valley Cider” Elizabeth Ryan at her original orchard, Breezy Hill, near Rhinebeck, NY.

MEET THE OWNER/ CIDER MAKER

In 2014, Ryan saved the beloved, 200-year-old Stone Ridge Orchard in Ulster County from the threat of development by purchasing it and adding it to the Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider family. All together, she now has over 145 acres of fruit-bearing trees with more than 100 varieties of apples including a dedicated hard cider orchard housing many traditional and heirloom cider apples such as Dabinett, Binet Rouge, and Kingston Black. On the culinary side, her apples turn up everywhere from the Gramercy Tavern and the Studio Cafe at the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan to public school cafeterias in New York City and farmer’s markets throughout the state. Many of the varieties she grows are almost impossible to find anywhere else in the country.

ELIZABETH RYAN

With a degree in pomology from Cornell University and intensive study of cider making in Somerset and Hereford, England, Ryan has been making and perfecting her cider techniques since the early 1980s. The result is an impressive collection of highly drinkable ciders in the traditional style featuring a robust New World flavor profile.

Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider produces a line of exceptional farm-based ciders with style and character. The cidery is based at two beloved Hudson Valley farms, Breezy Hill Orchard near Rhinebeck and Stone Ridge Orchard near New Paltz, both known for their commitment to ecological growing and the production of highly flavored fruit.

THE CIDERY IS BASED AT TWO BELOVED HUDSON VALLEY FARMS, BREEZY HILL ORCHARD NEAR RHINEBECK AND STONE RIDGE ORCHARD NEAR NEW PALTZ.

20 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

Elizabeth Ryan is the producer of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider. She is a renowned fruit grower and cider maker who studied cider making in Somerset and Hereford in England. Ryan made her first barrel of cider in 1980, while obtaining her Pomology degree at Cornell University. In 1984, she bought Breezy Hill Orchard in Dutchess County and her operation has been ever-expanding leading up to the launch of Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider in 1996, and the addition of several farms and orchards including Stone Ridge Orchard near New Paltz.

As one of the founding GrowNYC Greenmarket farmers, bringing fantastic farm-based products to the greater public has always been her mission. She also opened a café in Harlem in order to bring fresh, healthy food to a neighborhood that was known, at the time, as a food desert. For these efforts, she received the Cornucopia award from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, was inducted into Cornell’s Hall of Fame for alumna, and was a Smithsonian Fellow.

She was a keynote speaker at the New York State Governor’s Alcohol Summit where she advocated for policy to support small-scale hard cider production. She also helped to create a line of home brewing kits for the WilliamsSonoma Agrarian collection, including hard cider, mead, wine and sparkling wine.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT THE FARM BAR IS OPEN!

The Stone Ridge Orchard plays host to the Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider’s Farm Bar, which is open Friday through Sunday, May through December, so you can sample this classic beverage crafted by Elizabeth Ryan herself.

The Farm Bar always has a variety of the Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider’s bottleconditioned ciders available for tasting, in addition to a wood-fired pizza oven and live music performances.

THE ESSENTIALS ADDRESS 3012 Route 213 Stone Ridge, NY 12484

SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

MAEVE’S TRADITIONAL THE LAST BLACKSMITH GODSPEED THE PLOUGH BOURBON BARREL AGED CIDER SCRUMPY

PHONE 845-687-2587 EMAIL elizabethsetonryan@gmail.com WEBSITE hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider.com stoneridgeorchard.com

CLOSED Thanksgiving, January 1–April 15 FARM ACREAGE 200 acres OWNER Elizabeth Ryan CIDER MAKER Elizabeth Ryan

OPEN Farm Stand Apr 15–Nov 30 Daily: 10am–6pm Dec 1–Dec 31 Limited hours, check website

MONTMORENCY CHERRY EVENTS:

GETTING HERE FROM I-87: Exit 18 to NY-299. Make a left onto Main Street, then a right onto N Putt Corners Road. Make a left onto Horsehendon Road.

Make a right onto NY-32.Turn left onto Main Street (NY-213). In 5 miles, (about 1 mile past High Falls Food Coop), Stone Ridge Orchard is on the right.

FOLLOW US:

JULY 22

Pollinator Masquerade

SEPT 8–10

Meadowlark

OCT 20

Wool & Folk

FARM MARKETS:

@ hudsonvalleyfarm housecider @StoneRidgeOrchard @ hudsonvalleyfarm housecider @stoneridgeorchard

John Jay Homestead, Cold Spring, Rhinebeck, Millerton, Union Square Every Sunday from May 7–Dec 17: Stone Ridge Farmers & Makers Market

Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

21

STANDARD CIDER CO.

ABOUT US

Brotherhood, America’s Oldest Winery – Established 1839

BROTHERHOOD WINERY is the oldest, continuously operating winery in the United States. For 183 years, Brotherhood has been producing wines in New York. Located one hour north of New York City in the Hudson Valley, Brotherhood Winery has also been exposed to apple growing and cider making for many years. There are records of cider production at Brotherhood Winery dating back to earlier times, but since the 1980s cider making has been a constant part of its production.

Having an abundance of orchards in the state of New York to choose from, Brotherhood Winery has partnered with a top grower to source the apples used for its line of cider, including the True Honey Cider infused with natural honey from the Hudson Valley.

Rebel Reserve barrel-aged cider is a product of a partnership with Roe Orchards, a local orchard in Chester that has been family-owned for almost 190 years. The fresh juice sourced from Roe Orchards is made from a blend of dessert and cider apples, which produces an amazingly delicious and complex juice which transforms into the barrel-aged Rebel Reserve Cider.

After carefully selecting our apple growing partners, the fresh juice is fermented at Brotherhood Winery using carefully selected yeasts and top of the line filtering and bottling equipment, ensuring that all of the flavors and aromas of the apples are captured into each bottle.

Cider market trends, as well as different styles of ciders produced in other regions around the world, are regularly evaluated so Brotherhood can offer consumers ciders made in various styles using different techniques. However, its products have a unique identity created by its talented team of cider makers.

Brotherhood Winery’s focus is to continue producing premium hard apple cider here in the Hudson Valley and bring its craft-made ciders to enthusiasts around the United States. Brotherhood will continue to promote its hard cider products at the winery during this year’s season. Please check the website or follow on Facebook to learn more about upcoming events.

FRESH JUICE IS FERMENTED USING CAREFULLY SELECTED YEASTS AND TOP OF THE LINE EQUIPMENT, ENSURING THAT ALL OF THE FLAVORS AND AROMAS OF THE APPLES ARE CAPTURED INTO EACH BOTTLE.

22 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE CIDER MAKERS BOB BARROW

Bob Barrow is winemaker and head cider maker for Brotherhood. Bob graduated from Virginia Tech in 1998 with a B.S. in Biology and a Chemistry Minor. He worked both in the vineyard and the winery at Williamsburg Winery in Virginia before starting at Brotherhood in 1999. A native of Dutchess County, Bob spends his time in the lab and the cellars creating Brotherhood’s blends and sparkling wines, as well as its line of ciders.

KELLY ONG

Laboratory Manager Kelly Ong graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry from Marist College in 2010. She joined the Brotherhood team immediately after graduating. Kelly works closely with Bob and Haley on formulating and analyzing wines and ciders, formula approvals, and monitoring the fermentation and quality of all products. Her expertise also includes creating quality control plans and monitoring inventory and production lines.

HALEY SILVERMAN

Haley Silverman has been working at Brotherhood Winery since 2016. She graduated from Stony Brook University in 2015 with a B.S. in Chemistry and Environmental Studies. Haley divides her time at Brotherhood between the laboratory and the production line as a Quality Control Manager. Her main responsibility includes assisting Bob and Kelly making sure each cider and wine produced is up to par with the company’s formulation, taste, and production standards.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT TRUE HONEY CIDER

A unique blend of fresh apple juice infused with natural honey from the Hudson Valley, True Honey Cider is perfect for any season or occasion.

THE ESSENTIALS

SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

TRUE BELIEVER TRUE COMPANION TRUE COUPLE TRUE THIRST TRUE HONEY REBEL RESERVE

ADDRESS 100 Brotherhood Plaza Dr. Washingtonville, NY 10992

CLOSED New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

PHONE 845-496-3661

TASTING FEES Check website

EMAIL contact@brotherhoodwinery.net

TOURS Check website

WEBSITE brotherhood-winery.com

PRODUCTION 2,000 cases

OPEN Jan–Mar Wed–Sun: 11am–5pm April–Dec Tues–Thurs, Sun: 11am–5pm Fri: 11am–6pm Sat: 11am–7pm

OWNERS Chadwick and Castro families

EVENTS: Check the website for upcoming events: brotherhood-winery.com

MANAGER Hernan Donoso CIDERMAKERS Bob Barrow, Kelly Ong, Haley Silverman

FOLLOW US:

@BrotherhoodWinery @brotherhoodwine

GETTING HERE FROM I-87: Exit 16 (Harriman) to NY-17 W to Exit 130. Take NY-208 N to NY-94 in Washingtonville. Make a right at the light onto NY-94 and proceed to the next light. Make a left onto Brotherhood Plaza Drive. Brotherhood is at the end of the road on the left.

@brotherhoodwinery

Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

23

TREASURY CIDER

ABOUT US

Established 2016; Fishkill Farms Established 1913

TREASURY CIDER IS A TREE-TO-BOTTLE hard cider produced by Fishkill Farms at their century-old family orchard. They use a mix of heirloom, bittersweet and dessert apples that are cultivated, pressed and wild-fermented with care to produce each batch of hard cider. Every ingredient is grown or wild-foraged on the farm and fermented traditionally to produce delicate ciders akin to dry and sparkling white wines.

In 2015, after over 100 years of growing apples, family-owned Fishkill Farms began producing hard cider called Treasury to invoke the spirit of the farm’s founder, Henry Morgenthau Jr., who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under Roosevelt. It is also a nod to the historic American cider cellars which, like treasuries, served as year-round sources of comfort and vitality for the families and communities in their area.

Today, Henry’s grandson, Josh Morgenthau, carries on this tradition as a thirdgeneration orchardist and the cidermaker behind Treasury Cider. Starting with the belief that outstanding cider is made in the orchard, the apples used in Treasury Cider are chosen for the character they add to cider, grown with minimal intervention, eco-certified, and harvested at peak ripeness. The Hudson Valley climate and rich glacial soils yield unique, site-specific flavors to their cider. After pressing through a rack-and-cloth press, the apples are fermented slowly at cool temperatures and aged for 6-10 months before bottling, yielding a dryer and less carbonated cider that pairs wonderfully with a variety of foods.

Treasury’s newest releases were made with the 2021 crops. They are a mix of eco-certified apples like Jonamac and Golden Delicious which grow on 60-year old trees, and newer plantings of heirloom and cider varieties, including Roxbury Russet, Esopus Spitzenberg, Ashmead’s Kernel, Northern Spy and Goldrush, all eco-certified and some certified organic. Each variety showcases a unique blend of fruit and a particular cider-making process.

Treasury’s ciders can be enjoyed on their cider bar porch in the late spring, summer, and fall months, and in the indoor tasting room in the winter and early spring months, both offering scenic views of the farm, orchards and Catskill mountains beyond. Cider is available in tasting flights and by the glass, as well as in specially crafted cider cocktails! Check the website for current hours, live music, workshops, and food offerings.

24 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

MEET THE OWNER/ CIDER MAKER JOSH MORGENTHAU

Josh Morgenthau moved back to his family’s farm in 2006 and set about pruning, renovating and replanting the historic family orchard. In 2008, he partnered with Farm Manager Mark Doyle, and together, they put 100 acres of fallow land back into production.

By embracing sustainable farming, planting diverse crops, and focusing on marketing their produce to the local community through CSA, a farm store, and pick-your-own, Fishkill Farms grew to be one of the Hudson Valley’s premier destinations for sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables.

Josh has been fermenting hard cider using the farm’s apples for as long as he can remember.

Continuing to produce a new batch each year, he began to incorporate some of the unique varieties of heirloom and cider apples he was growing. Over time, the importance of orchard site, variety, and harvest timing in producing quality cider became central to his cider-making philosophy.

In 2015, Treasury Cider was born. The ciders produced each vintage, like each season of farming, have their own unique story to tell. Josh is accompanied by Chris Jackson (Head Cidermaker), Matia Hayden (Assistant Cidermaker), and Rohan Chamberlain (Orchard Production Lead and Cider Pressing Specialist) along with the farm and production crew who aid in the harvesting and pressing of the apples.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Fishkill Farms grows much more than just apples for hard cider. In addition to their 60 acres of apple and pear orchards, they grow eco-certified peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums as well as organic berries (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries to name a few), vegetables, flowers and pumpkins, all of which are available seasonally for pick-your-own. Fishkill Farms’ mission is to produce fresh, healthy and sustainably grown food for local customers. They are committed to good stewardship of the land, and much of their produce is grown organically, without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Fishkill Farms was permanently protected as farmland with support from New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund in 2009, and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013. Many of the more than 80 varieties of apples they grow are heritage strains passed down by generations of orchardists. The preservation of traditional cidermaking apples, many of which have been lost over time, is central to Fishkill Farm’s mission.

Currently underway are plans for a brand new cidery building that will house fermentation and bottling equipment as well as a tasting room with a full bar and small bites. Their pursuit to grow the cider-making aspect of the farm is very much underway between their newly established cidervariety trees reaching maturity and plans to create an elevated tasting experience.

SIGNATURE PRODUCTS

HOMESTEAD (SEMI-DRY) WICCOPEE (CLASSIC DRY) WILD AT HEART (ROSÉ)

THE ESSENTIALS ADDRESS 9 Fishkill Farm Rd. Hopewell Junction, NY 12533

CLOSED New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas

PHONE 845-897-4377

TASTING FEES Visit the website for details

EMAIL treasury@fishkillfarms.com

TOURS No

WEBSITE treasurycider.com fishkillfarms.com

FARM ACREAGE 270 acres

OPEN Year-round Please check Google and website for seasonal hours.

BURR KNOT (BARREL-AGED)

OWNER Josh Morgenthau MANAGER Mark Doyle CIDERMAKERS Josh Morgenthau, Chris Jackson, Rohan Chamberlain, Matia Hayden

CENTENNIAL (TART, DRY) DUET (CAB FRANC CO-FERMENT)

GETTING HERE

BY CAR: Fishkill Farms is located in Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley, just over an hour north of New York City. Take the Taconic Parkway to I-84 East and get off at Exit 50.

BY TRAIN: Take the Metro-North Hudson Line to Beacon Train Station. Local cab companies and ride share services are commonly used to reach the farm, about 15 minutes away.

EVENTS:

FOLLOW US:

MAY–SEPT

Open Mic Nights (every 2nd Fri)

@fishkillfarms

JUNE 1, JUL 6, AUG 3, SEPT 7, OCT 5

Sip & Stretch Yoga with live music

@fishkillfarms

SEPT 9–OCT 29

Fall Harvest Festival Weekends (Sat/Sun)

@treasurycider

@fishkillfarms

OCT 9 (Mon)

Fall Harvest Festival

OCT 6–15

New York Cider Week

FARM MARKETS: TASH Market, Carroll Gardens Greenmarket

Scan to visit the website

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

25

SEMINARY HILL ORCHARD & CIDERY

ABOUT US

Established 2020

PROUDLY LOCAL and intently sustainable, Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery in Callicoon, NY, is all about Catskills heritage. Founded by Chicagoans Doug Doetsch (descended from a Callicoon family) and Susan Manning, Seminary Hill features the world’s first Passive House-certified cidery: an expansive 4,000-square-foot space clad with larch wood reclaimed from the underwater pilings of the original Tappan Zee Bridge. A cathedral-style ceiling frames floor-to-ceiling windows, and a wrap-around patio and balcony offer a perfect vantage point for the spectacular views of the orchard below and Delaware River Valley in the distance.

Designed by James Hartford of River Architects, the cidery is a modern take on a classic bank barn built into the side of a hill. Certified by the Passive House Institute U.S., the building’s insulated thermal envelope prevents heat loss or gain, while its triple pane windows help warm the room during winter while also providing peaceful orchard views. The eco-consciousness doesn’t stop at the cidery’s design but continues throughout stages of cider production.

Seminary Hill grows more than 60 American heirloom, English, and French varieties of cider apples and perry pears in rocky clay on a south-facing slope overlooking the Delaware River. They holistically manage their orchards in cooperation with nature. The fruit they grow (and the fruit they buy from area grower partners) has the complex aromatics, sharp acids, and tactile tannins needed to ferment and blend ciders with depth and nuance.

Seminary Hill’s orchard-driven cider reveals the distinct qualities of each year’s fruit. They never add other flavors or colors, and the ciders tend toward the dry end of the spectrum. Hence, all the flavors and textures shine through without the obscuring veil of excess sugar.

“For our grandparents and great-grandparents, making cider was simply part of living off the land. They took in summer boarders to make ends meet, and some became lifelong friends,” says owner Doug Doetsch. “Their example inspires us as we craft distinctive ciders, welcome guests to our tasting room and boarding house, and share our appreciation for the bounty and beauty of the land.”

PRODUCTS

MEET THE CIDER MAKER STUART MADANY

Trained as an architect, Stuart Madany’s passion for cider making evolved out of a feasibility study and ensuing design work for an orchard and cidery. Long oriented toward sustainability, he naturally grew the apples organically as an orchardist and cider maker at Virginia’s third licensed cidery. He also created a wide range of award-winning ciders while pioneering unique techniques.

Upon reading about Seminary Hill’s sustainable and orchard-based approach, he felt an immediate resonance and wanted to bring his experience and inspiration to the team. He is fascinated by the differences in apple expression and which varieties truly shine in the Western Catskills compared to his previous experience.

VISIT SEMINARY HILL TO EXPERIENCE, IN THE WORDS OF CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER, A SETTING THAT EVOKES “JAMES FENIMORE COOPER’S AMERICA WITH A DASH OF TUSCANY.” THE ESSENTIALS

DELAWARE DRY 2020

ADDRESS 43 Wagner Lane, Callicoon, NY 12723

CACKLING HEN 2021

EMAIL info@seminaryhill.co

HEN’S TEETH 2021

WEBSITE seminaryhill.co PRODUCTION 1,950 cases OWNERS Doug Doetsch, Susan Manning CIDERMAKER Stuart Madany FARMERS MARKET Callicoon Farmers’ Market

PHOTOS: Daniel Schwartz

26 CIDER GUIDE • 2023

2023

UPCOMING EVENTS

JUNE 10- Modern Makers Market 11 St. Mary’s Church | Cold Spring hopsonthehudson.com JULY 6 Sip & Stretch Yoga Treasury Cider | Hopewell Jct. treasurycider.com (visit website for other dates) 22 Pollinator Masquerade Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider Stone Ridge Orchard hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider.com AUGUST 5-6 Putnam County Wine & Food Fest Wells Park | Brewster putnamcountywinefest.com 12 H udson Valley Craft Beverage Festival & Market Brooklyn Cider House Twin Star Orchards | New Paltz twinstarorchards.com

9- Hudson Valley Wine & 10 Food Festival Dutchess County Fairgrounds Rhinebeck HudsonValleyWineFest.com OCTOBER 6 New York Cider Week (through Oct 15) Various locations CiderWeekNewYork.com 7 Hudson Valley Farm & Flea 1010 SR 17M | Monroe hudsonvalleyfarmandflea.com 7-9 Oktoberfest Brooklyn Cider House Twin Star Orchards | New Paltz twinstarorchards.com 9 Fall Harvest Festival Treasury Cider | Hopewell Jct. treasurycider.com 14- Modern Makers Market 15 St. Mary’s Church | Cold Spring hopsonthehudson.com

12- Modern Makers Market 13 St. Mary’s Church | Cold Spring hopsonthehudson.com

20 Wool & Folk Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider Stone Ridge Orchard hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider.com

SEPTEMBER 9 Fall Harvest Festival Weekends (through Oct 29) Treasury Cider | Hopewell Jct. treasurycider.com

NOVEMBER 4 Season Finale Pig Roast Brooklyn Cider House Twin Star Orchards | New Paltz twinstarorchards.com

CIDER TASTINGS • GUIDED TOURS • EVENTS AND MORE

Head to the Cider House and taste through an exclusive line-up of craft ciders, sign up for a guided tour, and experience all that our 60-acre Orchard has to offer.

PUTNAM COUNTY

WINE & FOOD FEST AUGUST 5 & 6, 2023 Saturday, 11am-6pm | Sunday, 11am-5pm

Tasting Tickets: $25 in Advance | $30 at Gate Designated Driver: $10 Children under 15 are free

Fun for the Whole Family! Live Music, Great Food, Vendors, Kids Zone, Cooking & Mixology Demonstrations, Lawn Games, Wine, Cider, Spirits and Beer Tent

Wells Park 98 Oak Street, Brewster, New York

putnamcountywinefest.com

For Vendors/Volunteers/Sponsors call 845-842-0575 info@putnamcountywinefest.com

LEARN MORE AT ANGRYORCHARD.COM @ANGRYORCHARDWALDEN 2241 ALBANY POST RD, WALDEN, NY 12586 ©2023 ANGRY ORCHARD CIDER COMPANY, LLC, ANGRYORCHARD.COM.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

HVCiderGuide.com • 2023

27

Celebrate

NEW YORK CIDER MAY 5 - MAY 14 OCT 6 - OCT 15 With more cideries than any other state, New York truly is a State of Cider. For a full list of where and how to enjoy Cider Week New York 2023, visit ciderweeknewyork.com and our YouTube channel at NewYorkCiderAssociationTV.

IN THIS GUIDE 1 Angry Orchard see page 8 2241 Albany Post Road | Walden angryorchard.com 2 Awestruck see page 10 8 Winkler Road | Sidney 34 Howell Street | Walton awestruckciders.com 3 Brooklyn Cider House see page 12 155 N. Ohioville Road | New Paltz twinstarorchards.com 4 Doc’s Draft Hard Cider see page 14 114 Little York Road | Warwick docscider.com

5 Hardscrabble Cider see page 16

130 Hardscrabble Road North Salem hardscrabbleciderny.com

8 Seminary Hill Orchard & Cidery see page 26 43 Wagner Lane | Callicoon seminaryhill.co

6 Helderberg Meadworks see page 18 6144 State Highway 30 | Esperance 45 3rd Street | Troy helderbergmeadworks.com

9

7 Hudson Valley Farmhouse Cider see page 20 3012 Route 213 | Stone Ridge hudsonvalleyfarmhousecider.com stoneridgeorchard.com

10 Treasury Cider see page 24 9 Fishkill Farm Road Hopewell Junction treasurycider.com fishkillfarms.com

REGISTER AT CIDERWEEKNEWYORK.COM

Standard Cider Co. see page 22 100 Brotherhood Plaza Drive Washingtonville brotherhood-winery.com

40

5

OTHER CIDER MAKERS IN THE REGION

6

N

67

26 32 50 5

90

30A

7

9 87

SCHENECTADY

162

890 88 20

TROY

32

20

90

15

24

ALBANY

2

6

Albany International Airport

DUANESBURG

4 66

88

ALBANY 30

145

38 9

443

30

RENS SELAER

9J

90

143 30

9

GREENVILLE

DURHAM

81

PRATTSVILLE

35

9

23A

42

GHENT

B 18

PHILMONT HUDSON 9

71

23B

20

CATSKILL 23

82

SAUGERTIES

9

212

11

87

11

32

29

C

KINGSTON

OLIVEBRIDGE

209

9G

7

37

299

55

16

115 44

SULLIVAN

1

209

9W

84

CORNWALL

9

32

17

23

22

202

STONYPOINT

5

87

45

ES PA

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HILLBURN SUFFERN

684

7 123

PLEASANTVILLE

9W

NYACK TARRYTOWN PIERMONT

TAPPAN

287

6

RYE 95

NEW ROCHELLE MOUNT VERNON

Westchester County Airport

95

684

WHITE PLAINS

YONKERS

80

22

NEW CITY

28 304

35

SLEEPY HOLLOW

CONGERS

59 287

5

WESTCHESTER

SPR

A Boutique Wine, Spirits & Ciders | boutiquewsc.com B Buy in Greene | Invest in Greene investingreene.com C Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest hudsonvalleywinefest.com D Putnam County Wine & Food Fest putnamcountywinefest.com

34

ROCKLAND

GREENWOOD LAKE

BREWSTER

35

PEEKSKILL HAVERSTRAW

D 202

6

6

WARWICK

27

IC ST ATE P ARKWA Y

9

BEAR MOUNTAIN

MONROE

6

TAC ON

GARRISON

R K WA Y

13

WEST POINT

WA Y

1A

SUGAR LOAF

CARMEL

PUTNAM

WASHINGTONVILLE

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94

52

301

BR

4

10

RIV ER PAR K

CHESTER

1

PAWLING

COLD SPRING

ORANGE

22

84

SAW MILL

25

GOSHEN

52

9

HAMPTONBURGH

6

82

AIN

PORT JERVIS

55

WAPPINGERS FALLS

BEACON

NEWBURGH

Stewart International Airport

55

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MONTGOMERY

17K

7 22

376

9D

87

343

DOVER PLAINS

82

44

POUGHKEEPSIE

12 21 36 MARLBORO

52

MILLBROOK

3

NEW PALTZ

44

44

DUTCHESS

HYDE PARK 41

32

ELLENVILLE

17

17

82

9

KERHONKSON 55

MIDDLETOWN

199

9W

PALENTOWN

31

41

MILLERTON

RHINEBECK

213

52

PINE PLAINS

199

DENNING

13

COPAKE FALLS

RED HOOK

28 28A

55

22

STAT E PA RKWA Y

CLERMONT

TACONI C

PHOENICIA

COLUMBIA

9G

32

ULSTER

90

203

385

TANNERSVILLE

55A

295

CHATHAM

66

23

HUNTER

19

9W

CAIRO

GREENE

296

33

14

9H

WINDHAM

23 23A

9J

COXSACKIE

145

66

KINDERHOOK

87

NEW LEBANON

203

32

23

8

43

20

SCHOHARIE

2

22

90

9W

AD PALIS

11 Abandoned Hard Cider 1802 NY-28 | Woodstock & 229 Pitcher Lane | Red Hook 12 Bad Seed Cider Co. 43 Baileys Gap Road | Highland 13 Forthright Cyder & Mead 4052 State Route 52 | Youngsville Graft Cider | graftcidery.com 14 The Greenhouse Cidery 2309 Route 203 | Chatham Greenpoint Cidery | Insta: @greenpointcidery Hudson North Cider Co. | hudsonnorthcider.com 15 Indian Ladder Farms Cidery & Brewery 342 Altamont Road | Altamont 16 Kettleborough Cider House 277 State Route 208 | New Paltz 17 Kings Highway Fine Cider 5409 NY-22 | Millerton 18 Left Bank Ciders 150 Water Street | Catskill 19 Lindner’s Cider 7968 County Rd 26 | Hamden 20 Little Apple Cidery 178 Orchard Lane | Hillsdale 21 Locust Grove Brewing Co. 199 North Road | Milton 22 Merchant’s Daughter Ciderworks 8 Main Street | Purdys Metal House Cider | metalhousecider.com 23 Naked Flock Hard Cider 82 Four Corners Road | Warwick 24 Nine Pin Ciderworks 929 Broadway | Albany 25 Orchard Hill Cider Mill 29 Soons Circle | New Hampton 26 Patriot’s Heritage Cider 60 E. Schaghticoke Road | Schaghticoke 27 Pennings Farm Cidery 4 Warwick Turnpike | Warwick 28 Rockland Cider Works 68 Sickletown Road | Orangeburg 29 Rose Hill Farm and Ferments 19 Rose Hill Farm | Red Hook 30 Scrumpy Ewe 1431 Sawyer Hollow Road | Richmondville 31 Shrewd Fox Brewery 552 State Route 55 | Eldred 32 Slyboro Cider House 18 Hicks Road | Granville 33 Sundog Cider 343B Route 295 | Chatham Sundstrom Cider | sundstromcider.com 34 Thompson’s Cider Mill 335 Blinn Road | Croton-On-Hudson 35 Wayside Cider 55 Redden Lane | Andes 36 Weed Orchards & Winery 43 Mount Zion Road | Marlboro 37 Westwind Orchards 215 Lower Whitfield Road | Accord 38 Windy Hill Orchard 1297 Brookview Station Road | Castleton

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©2023 Hudson Valley Wine Magazine.

Map may not be reproduced or used in any form without express written permission. Illustration: emster.com

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