Cider Week Virginia 2018

Find your favorite hard cider at Cider Week Virginia. It’s a week of cider events across Virginia. Mark your calendar for November 9-18, 2018.

It is a week full of unique events across the Commonwealth. From Cider Festivals in Richmond and Alexandria, VA to special tastings at cidery locations, Cider Week Virginia has the atmosphere for every cider lover.

To learn more about the week, DW&S contacted Kevin Clay of Cider Week Virginia. Kevin is a wealth of information about cider production in Virginia and put us in touch with some of the region’s cider masters. We asked one question of each. The responses are as varied as the styles of Virginia cider. Keep reading for the reactions and stay tuned to the DW&S Facebook page for additional insights from VA Cider Masters.

DW&S Asks…

Virginia hard cider styles are as unique as the variety of apples grown. To spotlight the diverse brands, DW&S asked cider makers one question…

DW&S: Virginia cider lovers can enjoy a wide variety of both cider styles and a tap room experience. Tell us about your unique style. When we visit during Cider Week Virginia, what can we expect?

Albemarle Ciderworks Responds…

“Albemarle CiderWorks focuses on the apple. We currently make fifteen different ciders. Seven of those are dry, single-varietal ciders that showcase the uniqueness of each apple variety. Our tasting room is set in southern Albemarle County and features orchard views and music on the weekends.”

 

Bold Rock Hard Cider Responds…

 

“We take great pride in both educating and extending unmatched hospitality at our Cidery & Tap Room in Nellysford, VA. Guests can expect a warm greeting as soon as they enter followed by instruction on where to find tours, tastings, pints, flights, food, seating, and other important items during the visit. The “Chapel of Apple” as we refer to our Cidery is perched on a ridge overlooking a beautiful meadow and the Rockfish River. It is agritourism at its finest, and we invite all to ‘drink in the scenery’ while they enjoy a cold and refreshing Bold

 

Rock or tasty sandwich or platter from our Feed Room. The area is second to none in natural beauty during late October/early November, and our tap room is open daily. We also feature remote locations at Carter Mountain Orchard (Charlottesville, VA) and Chiles Peach Orchard (Crozet, VA) where you can both pick fresh fruit and enjoy all of our cider selections on tap. The visits will not be duplicative, and each location presents a unique and enjoyable experience, so we invite you to visit all three of our Central VA tap rooms when passing through the area! More information at https://boldrock.com/visit/.”

Potter’s Craft Cider Responds…

“Potter’s Craft Cider is in the heart of apple country at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. All of our ciders start with locally-grown fruit, cultivated with care and harvested at peak flavor from nearby orchards and family farms. We press fresh heirloom and traditional cider apples such as the Albemarle Pippin and Virginia Winesap, as well as modern cider apples like the Gold Rush, to create a cider that would make our forbearers proud. After the apples are pressed, we carefully ferment the fresh juice at cold temperatures. Our cider is crisp, tart, and refreshing with a pronounced fruit aroma and a dry finish.

Although our production cidery is only open to the public on special occasions, our cider can be enjoyed every weekend at the Potter’s Cider Garden, which is located inside The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative in the Belmont neighborhood of Charlottesville. Our shared space in The Bridge transforms monthly, allowing patrons to enjoy a wide range of arts and events when they visit. Outside of the gallery are tropical plants and a relaxing patio fit for indulging in the most delicious of ciders. There are always eight different ciders on tap, guaranteeing a wide variety of flavors. We offer fruit, hopped, and sour ciders, along with our newest releases and small batch experiments. Flights, glasses, bottles, cans, and growlers of cider can be purchased at the Cider Garden. There are restaurants nearby, along with the occasional food truck, making for a perfect afternoon in Charlottesville VA. For more information about events happening at the Cider Garden during Virginia Cider Week, follow our Facebook and Instagram pages!”

Buskey Cider Responds…

Buskey Cider offers a full range of clean fermentation ciders, from drier and classic styles to modern and creative. Buskey boasts using 100% Virginia apples and having no added sugars to their ciders. Located in an architecturally-unique, old Richmond train car-loading building in Richmond’s own craft alcohol neighborhood of Scott’s Addition, Buskey Cider’s industrial building provides an urban environment for their fans to try out 16 rotating offerings in pints and flights.

Castle Hill Hard Cider Responds…

Tradition and technology work hand in hand as we produce our array of award-winning ciders. Castle Hill Cider endeavors to be a self-sustaining orchard and have planted thousands of cider apple trees on its property, following both traditional and modern growing techniques. Our cider makers are invested in identifying the apple varieties that are best suited to the local climate and terroir so that Castle Hill continues to create a cider that brings out the finest qualities of the land. We press apples on an American-made press and ferment apple juice in modern tanks from Germany and in buried traditional terra-cotta vessels crafted in the Republic of Georgia.

 

 

Blue Toad Hard Cider Responds…

Blue Toad Hard Cider is nestled in at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Wintergreen Resort. Blue Toad is a multi-international award-winning local hard cider company that emphasizes the ability to create an amazing beverage from a variety of “dessert” apples, apples you would find in your grocery store. Our property sits on the South Fork of the Rockfish River which creates a beautiful setting here in the Rockfish Valley. A sprawling 27 acres allow guests to roam, play on the playgrounds, have a picnic, enjoy a private setting, and, relax while soaking in the 360* mountain views while the river rushes by. The tap room is made from a historic 1880’s apple packing shed, and usually boasts nine ciders on tap stretching from semi-dry to semi-sweet ciders. We like to think we have something for everyone to enjoy, from children to grandparents.

Winchester Ciderworks Responds…

Located on our fifth-generation family apple orchard, Winchester Ciderworks crafts English style, off-dry ciders. Produced traditionally with an emphasis on aging, we find it takes a minimum of nine months to produce the proper balance and complexity of flavors. Certain ciders undergo further barrel aging to add even more depth. We invite you to explore our tasting room, in a converted apple cold storage building dating back to 1900. Relax at our bar, or enjoy one of our many distinct ciders while perusing the photos and artifacts that chronicle the history of apple growing in Frederick County.

Wild Hare Cider Responds…

At Wild Hare Cider, we subscribe to the “less is more” philosophy of cider. Most of our ciders are dry to very dry; only a few are in the off-dry range. When we craft a flavored cider, it is first and foremost a cider, and the apple comes through. We offer simple, dry ciders that are only about the apple, others that are infused with hops or ginger or spices, and yet others that are definitely in the fruit cider category, with cherries, berries, peaches, etc. Some of the fruit ciders are off-dry, but not sweet. Most folks enjoy our ciders at our Log Cabin Cider House (circa 1840) in Historic Leesburg, where we offer flights, glasses, and bottled ciders, along with our own barbeque and entertainment on most weekends. We usually offer 3-4 of our popular / flagship ciders and another 2-3 seasonal or single batch ciders on any given day. During cider week, we plan to mix things up even more, as our cider master will have a few other goodies to try, including some wild ferments that he’s been working on. We will also come up with a special BBQ offering (maybe a pork belly street taco or pulled pork slider or smoked orange wings) and entertainment on our porch.

Old Hill Cider Responds…

What makes Old Hill Cider exceptional is our diligent care for the apples and liquid from the moment it begins as a blossom until it is bottled and placed on the shelf for consumers. Our portfolio of ciders is broad and aimed to offer a cider for anyone’s palate, without artificially creating a product. Our ciders are made with flavor profiles established by the apples Shannon Showalter grows and chooses, thoughtfully.

 

Bryant’s Cider Responds…

Bryant’s Cider is dedicated to creating modern dry ciders with traditional methods. We want to let people experience all-natural ciders paired with creative flavor profiles that will encourage everyone to rethink what cider is to them. We feel the tasting room captures the same spirit. We’ve converted an 1800’s sheep barn into the tasting room, keeping the barn as original as possible. We feel many people come to the country but never get to experience what it’s like being on an old working farm. We want to offer the rustic feel of our farm with some modern flair.

Courthouse Creek Cider Responds…  

We are the only cidery in Virginia that adheres to natural production techniques (what we call the rustic method). We ferment and/or age everything in barrels and foeders. We don’t sulfite our ciders. We don’t filter or fine them. We don’t add chemicals to manipulate acid levels, color, or flavor. Our methods, we feel, results in complex and nuanced ciders that pair exquisitely with food. Our over-arching philosophy is one we describe as cul-terra or cul-terros. At its core, it embodies the philosophy that understanding, interacting, and interpreting one’s community, and the landit inhabits, enriches the foundation of both. From our relationships and partnerships with area nonprofits, membership in the Richmond West Beverage Trail, personal belief system, and dedication to family (a term we use in the broadest sense)—we believe that the overall health of a community is inextricably tied to the land, and vice-versa.

We have two locations in the greater Richmond area. Come out to our farm and cidery facility for a taste of the country! Our 10-acre orchard is a nice setting for a relaxing tasting experience. Head to our downtown tasting room in Scott’s Addition, and enjoy proximity to stellar restaurants and other craft beverage businesses. Each location is unique, yet both express our dedication to the rustic method and cul-terra.

Where to find Cider Week Virginia Events

There’s an event, every day of Cider Week Virginia. Start with the Richmond Cider Celebration on November 10th and end with the Alexandria Cider Festival on November 17th. How does a Virginia Cider Lover track all of the details of this action-packed week? Visit www.CiderWeekVA.com to find the entire schedule and buy tickets to individual events. Because Virginia is for CIDER lovers!

Special thanks to Cider Week Virginia and Keven Clay for their assistance with this article. DW&S is looking forward to Cider Week Virginia 2018!