Apple Juice with a Bite: Celebrate Virginia Cider Week

In honor of this growing industry, the state is celebrating Virginia Cider Week from Nov. 14-23. Richmond will be toasting the 10 days with cider dinners, tastings, workshops and a festival.

A mainstay during the early days of our country, hard apple cider suffered the fate of other alcoholic beverages during Prohibition. Though mass-produced cider has been on the shelves for many years now, the new crop of craft ciders offers consumers a wider range of fine, nuanced tastes.

When Courtney Mailey first started Blue Bee Cider in Richmond in 2010, there were only two cideries in Virginia. Now there are 11. “Craft cider is definitely growing quickly,” Mailey said. She pointed out that from planting an apple tree to the first harvest can take up to seven years, so added, “I expect there may be a brief leveling of growth before the orchards catch up.”

Mailey attributes the growth to a number of forces. First, she said, “There is an authenticity movement within the food and beverage world, with people going back to our roots.” Another factor is increased interest in gluten-free options – in addition to its tasty appeal, hard apple cider has the added benefit of being naturally gluten-free. Mailey also credits Richmond’s booming craft beer scene, as people open up their palates to a variety of different tastes.

Contemporary ciders are made using traditional or new methods, old English or American. Some are made with carefully chosen blends of apples while others highlight single varieties. Other artisanal ciders have unexpected ingredients such as fruits and hops or are barrel aged.

Like its cousins, wine and beer, cider is a food-friendly beverage, pairing well with a variety of dishes. Don’t believe me? During Virginia Cider Week, you can see for yourself, trying many of Virginia’s craft ciders with appetizers, entrées, cheeses, sausages and desserts.

Though the schedule of events may be difficult to pare down, you’ll be able to taste Virginia ciders including Blue Bee Cider, Foggy Ridge Cider, Bold Rock Hard Cider, Albemarle CiderWorks, Old Hill Cider, Potter’s Craft Cider and Castle Hill Cidery.

Blue Bee Cider. Richmond is home to the state’s only urban cidery, with a tasting room in Manchester but using apples from trees on its own leased land in Nelson County. Blue Bee ciders are never chapitalized or diluted (a cost-saving measure that uses sugar to raise the alcohol level, then dilutes it with water, thus reducing fruit costs – typical with mass-produced ciders). Instead, they’re made from apples only, pressed and fermented.

However, Blue Bee owner and cidermaker Courtney Mailey does exercise creativity by adding other tasty ingredients: the Hopsap Shandy is infused with hops, the Mill Race Bramble with blackberries and raspberries, and the Fanfare with wild mulberries, while the Rocky Ridge Reserve is aged in fruit brandy barrels.

Foggy Ridge Cider. At 10 years of age, Foggy Ridge Cider from Southwest Virginia is the matriarch of Virginia craft cideries and the South’s first farm winery to focus full-time on growing heirloom cider apples, making traditional, artisanal hard cider on their 200-acre farm.

“What interests me most about cidermaking is taking the slow approach – growing real cider apples full of tannin and complex flavor, picking them when they are most flavorful, fermenting slowly, blending carefully and waiting to bottle until the cider is the best it can be,” said Foggy Ridge cidermaker Diane Flynt.

Noteworthy ciders from Foggy Ridge include Serious Cider, dry, crisp and champagne-like; lightly sweet Sweet Stayman Cider; Handmade, of 100 percent Newtown Pippin apples; and Pippin Gold, a dessert apple port made with fermented cider and apple brandy.

Old Hill Cider north of Harrisonburg is built upon a heritage of nurturing orchards and crafting cider. The established roots are first apparent in driving through the orchard, passing gnarly old trees. More importantly, though, the family knowledge and attention to detail is obvious in each taste of Old Hill’s handcrafted, old-style hard ciders, such as Yesteryear and Heritage. Also of note are the Cidermaker’s Barrel and the Season’s Finish ice-style dessert cider.

Bold Rock Hard Cider in Nelson County offers a clean, crisp Virginia Apple cider; a darker, richer Virginia Draft; and the sparkling Crimson Ridge.

Albemarle CiderWorks, a family-run orchard and cidery near Charlottesville, features heritage apples as the foundation for many of its hard ciders.

Potter’s Craft Cider in Albemarle County began selling their beverage in 2011 and planted their first apple trees the following year. Their Farmhouse Dry is crisp, tart and exceptionally dry. Oak Barrel Reserve has bright fruit flavors, which give way to butterscotch and toffee with complex tannins in the finish.

Castle Hill Cidery, also near Charlottesville, ages some of its ciders a very ancient way: in terra cotta kvevri, the world’s oldest fermentation vessels.

Look for these and other ciders around Richmond during Virginia Cider Week at the special events listed below. You’ll find more information at the websites and Facebook pages of the cideries and restaurants as well as at CiderWeekVA.com. Some events require reservations, so call ahead to ensure your spot.

All Week

Cider Specials at Palani Drive. Draft cider specials all week and $4 cider mimosas featuring the Farmhouse Dry from Potter’s Craft Cider.

Cider Crawl at various locations. Local restaurants will offer a Virginia cider cocktail all week. Tag your cocktail photos with #ciderselfie on Twitter and Facebook. Participating restaurants are Acadia, Belmont Food Shop, Comfort, Heritage, Metzger Bar and Butchery, Pasture, The Magpie, The Roosevelt and Secco.

Friday, Nov. 14

Burger Bach Cider Dinner. 4-6 p.m., Carytown location. Three courses and four Blue Bee ciders. New Zealand is the natural food theme: in the cheese plate; the trio of fresh oysters, two from Virginia and one from New Zealand, shrimp, and New Zealand mussels; and a New Zealand grass-fed beef and lamb burger duo with fries.

Virginia Cider Tasting at Once Upon a Vine South. 5-8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 15

Virginia Cider Tasting at Kroger, Willow Lawn.

The Richmond Cider Celebration. 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., 17th Street Farmers Market. Sip Virginia cider and take in educational workshops about cider apples, cidermaking, blending, apple juice pressing and apple tasting. Also available for all ages are apples and apple juice. The $20 adult ticket includes 10 cider tastings. Food, apple juice, and full servings and bottles of cider are available for purchase separately. Virginia cideries include Albemarle CiderWorks, Blue Bee Cider, Castle Hill Cider, Cobbler Mountain Cellars, Corcoran Vineyards, Foggy Ridge Cider, Old Hill Cider, Potter’s Craft Cider and Winchester CiderWorks.

Cider Celebration After Party at Blue Bee. 3-6 p.m. Food, music and cidery tours.

Cider Dinner at Acacia. 6 p.m. An intimate, three-course dinner of seasonal specialties by head chef Dale Reitzer paired with cider from Potter’s Craft Cider and cheeses from Twenty Paces Farm.

Sunday, Nov. 16

Virginia Cider Tasting at Whole Foods. Noon-3 p.m. Featured cider includes Potter’s Craft Cider, cranberry cider, Hop Cider and Farmhouse Dry. Special growler prices and a chance to meet some cidermakers.

Virginia Cider Tasting at Ellwood Thompson’s. Free tasting and a chance to meet the cidermakers.

Hard Pressed with Hill & Holler Dinner at Libby Hill Park. 3-6 p.m. Hill & Holler’s roving farm dinner event presents an RVA-based dinner with Travis Milton of Comfort, Lee Gregory of The Roosevelt, Joe Sparatta of Heritage, Caleb Shriver and Phillip Perrow of Dutch & Co., and Brittanny Anderson of Metzger Bar and Butchery. Each dish will be paired with cider from Blue Bee, Foggy Ridge, Albemarle, Potter’s Craft Cider and more. Tickets are $65 and support Enrichmond Foundation.

Monday, Nov. 17

Metzger Apfelwein Dinner. 6:30 p.m. Five courses of rustic, seasonal, German-inspired food paired with Foggy Ridge Cider at Metzger Bar and Butchery in Church Hill. Dishes include Wellfleet oysters with apple mint gelée, sweet onion soup, caraway brioche and quark, speck-wrapped halibut, cauliflower, sage and rye plus sausage stuffed rabbit loin with kasespaetzle and green peppercorn, spice cake with pumpkin and pear for dessert paired with Foggy Ridge Cider apple port.

Cider Salon Trade Tasting, Lemaire at The Jefferson. 4-6:30 p.m. First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe and Virginia cidermakers host a Cider Salon Trade Tasting. Join fellow food and beverage professionals to sample cider, snack on Lemaire’s autumnal hors d’oeuvres and talk with the artisans pioneering the craft cider revival.

Virginia Tap Takeover at The Answer Brewpub. Offering $5 draft of Virginia craft ciders and live music from the Mekong Express and the Get Fresh Horns.

Tuesday, Nov. 18

Dessert Cider Pairings at Shyndigs. 7:30 p.m. The pastry chefs at Shyndigz will do their sweet magic in this four-course dessert pairing with Old Hill Season’s Finish, Foggy Ridge Pippin Gold, Blue Bee Firecracker and Harvest Ration.

Wednesday, Nov. 19

Camden’s + Blue Bee Cider Pairing Dinner at Camden’s Dogtown Market. 6:30 p.m. Chef Andy Howell prepares a five-course meal to pair with five Blue Bee ciders, from the house-smoked salmon paired with Hopsap Shandy and roasted butternut soup with the Aragon 1904 on to the pumpkin cheesecake with gorgonzola whipped cream paired with Harvest Ration.

Thursday, Nov. 20

Cider Happy Hour at Blue Bee. 5-7 p.m. The tasting room at Richmond’s cidery will be offering six ciders in bottles and one or two more on tap.

Cider and Cheese Pairings at Southern Season. 5-8 p.m. Free Virginia cider tasting with cheese pairings picked by the Southern Season cheesemonger, Dany Schutte.

Friday, Nov. 21

Potter’s Craft Cider Tap Takeover at The Cask Café. 4-8 p.m. Free tasting of some limited, funky, and seasonal cider releases paired with cheeses and sausages from Sausage Craft.

Saturday, Nov. 22

Blue Bee Cidermaking Workshop. 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Blue Bee Cider is partnering with Original Gravity Homebrew Supplies to host a home cidermaking workshop. Learn about evaluating juice, making additions before fermentation, monitoring progress during fermentation, and options for customizing your cider before bottling. The workshop fee includes one gallon of raw juice, carboy with airlock, yeast, yeast nutrient, lab flask, funnel and the latest edition of Ben Watson’s “Cider, Hard & Sweet: History, Traditions & Making Your Own.”