On January 14, Virtue Cider is hosting their 4th Annual Stone Fence Competition & Mitten Drive at The Violet Hour. The Stone Fence Cocktail Competition brings together 10 of Chicago’s top bartenders to compete with their take on a traditional American cider-based cocktail, the Stone Fence – which is traditionally a blend of bourbon or rum and hard cider. Last year we had a great time sampling …
Happy New Year! One of the things we always look forward in the cold Chicago winters is the annual return of Cider Summit Chicago. The 6th Anniversary Cider Summit Chicago is scheduled for Saturday, February 17, 2017, in two sessions – 11am-3pm & 4pm-8pm, at the at the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier. The strictly 21 & over event, co-founded …
For those looking for variety during the holiday season, cider is a unique and amazing choice. While almost all ciders have some slight carbonation, a few cider makers are producing ciders using the charmat or méthode champenoise processes used for wine. For 2017 we rounded up some interesting sparkling ciders from around the country, so hopefully, you can find a bottle (or two) to …
It’s getting cold in Chicago and it has made me look back fondly on the 4 trips we’ve taken to Southern California this Summer and Fall. Between Disneyland and Business trips we had the opportunity to visit some amazing cideries and sample great ciders in the LA & San Diego area. The Honest Abe Cider House & Meadery The cidery …
As part of our cider maker series, we highlight some of the smaller or more unique US cider makers. Right Bee Cider has been a labor of love for wife and husband team Katie Morgan and Charlie Davis. The company launched in November 2014 and has steadily grown in the Chicago area with just one cider in their line. While still holding down …
As part of our cider maker series, we highlight some of the smaller or more unique US cider makers. Whenever we go on any trip we always try to find local cider makers to visit. And during a post-cruise stay in Fort Lauderdale, we visited Broski Cider Works. Broski was founded in 2015 by brothers David and Daniel Verdugo. The …
As part of our cider maker series, we highlight some of the smaller or more unique US cider makers. 2 Fools Cider opened the doors to their Naperville, IL (a western Chicago suburb) tasting room in December 2016 (the 1st Northern IL craft cidery w/ taproom). The 2 Fools founders, Monte Summers and Jeremy Smith, met in college a couple decades ago. Jeremy …
Around Memorial Day, Sean and I traveled to Denver for The 2nd Annual Cider Week Colorado and The Pressed Conference. Denver is a relatively short plane trip (~2.5 hrs) from Chicago, but the mountains make it feel like it is the world away. While we didn’t get the chance to explore the wilderness we did get the opportunity to try several …
Women in Cider is a multi-part series highlighting female cider industry leaders. Eden Ciders, a reference to the Garden of Eden, have consistently won Best in Show awards at prestigious cider competitions including GLINTCAP. This is due in large part to Eleanor Léger’s clear vision and direction, enabling Eden to become synonymous with ice and lux sparkling ciders. After graduating from …
As part of our cider maker series, we highlight some of the smaller or more unique US cider makers. We are always excited when we find out about unique local cider options. So a few Sundays ago, we packed up the boys and went North to visit North Shore Cider Company (est. 2017) in Evanston, IL (across the street from Chicago). Chris …