Hello,
Here’s a recap of the best cider news worth sharing:
1) The 6th Annual Czech Craft Cider Tasting will be held in Prague on Wednesday, March 9th. The sold-out event features dozens of ciders from professional and amateur producers. Don’t have a ticket? Enjoy an evening at InCider Bar, the Czech Republic’s only dedicated cider bar. Can’t clear your calendar for last-minute travel? Make plans to attend the inaugural Slavnost Cideru international cider festival on June 17-19.
2) Vermont Cider Week closes this weekend. Reviving Vermont’s Orchard Heritage from The Daily Beet is a great interview with Shacksbury’s Colin Davis.
3) Results from the recent Concours des cidres du Québec are now available. Entrants competed in categories such as still cider, sparkling cider, ice cider, fire cider, and flavored cider.
4) The New York Cider Association is formed and elects its initial Board of Directors. To learn more about the organization and its mission, email Jenn Smith at nyciderassociation@gmail.com. (The brief but well-illustrated New York’s Native Cider Apples by Wassail co-owner Sabine Hrechdakian is worth reading).
5) London loses a cider pub but gains a cider restaurant. The Euston Cider Tap will soon be repurposed as a beer bar. But The Stable—known for its pizza and West Country inspired dishes—will soon open in Whitechapel. Learn more about The Stable in The Story Behind The Stable Pizza and Cider House from the Crafty Nectar blog.
6) Good Beer Hunting’s Michael Kiser posts the provocative Are Craft Brewers Cutting Craft Cider to Its Core? Bill Lyon neatly sums it up: “Brewers that give their beer a lot [of] love crank out cider without the same level of attention. The result is damaging.”
7) Cider Chat interviews Curt Sherrer of Millstone Cellars in Maryland. For a quick overview of Sherrer’s cidermaking philosophy, check out his Current Future of Cider post at OpenSourceCider.
8) Kenneth Clarkson shares his top perry picks for CIDERCRAFT in Pear Paradise: 9 Perrys to Lap Up.
9) Cheese Notes interviews Aiyana Knauer of Union Beer Distributors. Knauer shares her favorite ciders, cider lists around New York City, and cider-and-cheese pairings.
10) Cider Says reviews Newhall Farm Ice Cider and tours the Port Townsend Cider Route to visit Alpenfire, Eaglemount, and Finnriver. Along Came a Cider reviews St. Ives Cider Clodgy. The Cider Journal reviews The Old Fashioned from Angry Orchard and One Night Fruit Stand, Orchard Original, Harvest Apple, Pear Supply, Grizzly Brand, and Somerset from Big B’s. The Milled Apple reviews McKenzie’s Black Cherry, William Tell Cherry, and Far from the Tree Nova. Love Thy Cider reviews Woodchuck Private Reserve Cherry. Traveling Cider Lovers review BlackBird Cider Works Dabinett. And Real Cider Reviews tries Flatbed Cider Crisp Apple.
Have a great weekend!
Eric