Big news for cider in Philly! We’re extremely excited to learn that our very own Kerry McKenzie and his wife Risa, have signed a lease on a space for their upcoming cidery and tasting room in Philly’s Bella Vista neighborhood. The cidery — dubbed Hale & True — will be located at 613 S. 7th Street (between South and Bainbridge Streets), with plans open its doors by the end of 2017.

“We’re beyond thrilled to be opening up a cidery in Philly, our home for the last six years,” said Risa Zeller McKenzie, Hale & True co-founder and business lead. “Ever since we started making cider, it’s been our dream to share it, and now we get that chance at a fantastic location in Bella Vista. Philly’s a city with an incredibly diverse and enthusiastic food and beverage scene.”

“We want to make better cider the standard,” said Kerry McKenzie, Hale & True co-founder and cider production lead. “Along with other craft cider makers, we’re setting out to change cider’s reputation as a drink that’s too sweet or tastes like apple juice. We’ll make a few different varieties of cider, from traditional to dry hopped and fresh fruit infusions, with all of them tasting very dry to off dry. The range of possibilities with cider is endless, and that’s what makes it so much fun.”

We’re excited to taste what Kerry and Risa are working on. The co-founders are both trained cider makers, earning certifications from the Cider and Perry Academy in 2016. We’re happy to be cheering them on as they work toward their dream of opening Hale & True.

Be sure to follow their progress by connecting with @haleandtrue on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

• Photos: Hale & True

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12th Annual Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition
Best in Class Awards

Modern Cider – Dry

Modern Cider – Sweet

Heritage Cider – Dry

Heritage Cider – Sweet

Traditional Cider – Dry

Traditional Cider – Sweet

Sour Cider

Modern Perry

Traditional Perry

Fruit Cider

Hopped Cider

Spiced Cider

Wood Aged Cider

Specialty Cider and Perry

Unlimited Cider and Perry

Ice Cider

Fortified Cider

Spirits

Noncommercial Division — Standard Styles

Noncommercial Division — Specialty Styles

• Photos: Ron Sansone

The post 2017 GLINTCAP Best in Class Award Winners Announced appeared first on Cider Culture.

At the 2017 CiderCon the USACM expanded their awards program, honoring outstanding cider makers, distributors and events from each region of the country. Watching the winners (listed below) accept these well-deserved awards was a great crescendo to this amazing celebration of the cider industry!

Check out photos from the 2017 CiderCon awards ceremony winners and attendees!

Check out photos from the 2017 CiderCon awards ceremony winners and attendees!

The post Congratulations to CiderCon 2017 Award Winners! appeared first on Cider Culture.

2017 CiderCon saw people from all over the cider industry coming together to learn and share knowledge. We had a great time talking cider with you!

Were you at the conference? Did we get your photo? We’d love to hear your conference stories. Share in the comments below!

Check out our photos from the 2017 CiderCon workshops and exhibition on Facebook!

The post Photos from CiderCon 2017 Workshops and Exhibition appeared first on Cider Culture.

The holidays are special, so you better stop what you’re doing and get your hands on a bottle of something special—like Dogfish Head’s Esprit Malade.

This blend of apple brandy, house-made cider and raw apple cider is a tart and full-bodied spirit that is perfect for the holiday season. French for “Sick Spirit,” Esprit Malade is a nod to Dogfish Head’s Sick Cider and rings in with a 34% ABV/68 proof.

We’re sipping our way into the holidays with our Espirt Malade – a tart blend of apple brandy, Sick Cider and raw apple cider. Available to go at our Milton brewery and to imbibe at #ChesapeakeAndMaine! ? #exploregoodness

A photo posted by dogfishhead (@dogfishhead) on Dec 23, 2016 at 8:31am PST

Deemed “an apple brandy like no other,” the elixir is made with a blend of local Fifer Orchard apples, including Fuji, Roman, Stayman, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. The process begins by distilling a young apple brandy made from this blend of apples, which is then blended with Dogfish Head’s Sick Cider, an unfiltered, extra dry cider that’s 100% barrel-fermented with a wild Brettanomyces yeast.

The spirit is aged in new charred American Oak barrels and is proofed down to 34% using raw apple cider before being bottled.

This rarity is only available a few times a year at Dogfish Head’s Milton Brewery and Rehoboth restaurants. Recommended glassware is a large red wine glass, and preferred serving is neat.

Fortunate sippers will get prominent green apple and white chocolate on the nose with notes of honey and almonds. Dogfish Head’s website notes that “the flavor evolves quickly, showcasing each individual ingredient complemented by toasted oak. It all starts with the baked apple warmth of the apple brandy, which is then cut by the sour tang of the Sick Cider and then the sweet, crispness of fresh pressed cider wraps it all up.” Sounds pretty perfect to us, just like a holiday gift that keeps on giving.

The post Limited Release Alert: Dogfish Head’s Esprit Malade appeared first on Cider Culture.