Working in this industry has filled me with an appreciation for the work and dedication that goes into every wine, beer, mead, and spirit that I come across. It has made me a self-proclaimed explorer that feeds off new flavors, new styles, and new types of alcohol. All producers are fueled by similar aspirations. A brewer and distiller walk into a bar and bond over each other’s creations. There is respect between a cidermaker and winemaker, there is admiration and a wealth of knowledge that each person holds. As a consumer over the years, I’ve realized that trying different beers is not enough. Making and drinking cider is not enough. There is too much variation in the world of alcohol to appreciate only a single approach.
There are wines of all regions and varietals created with different vessels, various blends, and innovative techniques. Wines with and without sulfites, wines so complex that one bottle isn’t enough to carefully unravel its mysteries. There are beers made with carefully selected grains, unique ingredients, and temperamental yeast that need special nurturing. Extinct beers are being resurrected, well-established styles are reinvented for the modern world, and new creations are springing from brewers’ minds. There are spirits that reflect a country’s history and ingredients, encompassing thousands of years in a single bottle. There is the distillation of fermented fruit, spirits that are aged for a lifetime, and other spirits that never touch a barrel. Other beverages are rooted in such heavy folklore that recipes are passed between family members and techniques are learned in childhood observance.
Alcohol is many things, a beverage that has been tightly knitted with civilization, ebbing and flowing with society’s needs and wants. There is casual and heavy consumption; there are beers at parties, champagne at celebrations, spirits in cocktails or straight in a glass among friends. Limitless in creation and reflecting more than just fermentation, alcohol morphs, it comes and goes, becoming what you make of it and representing different things to different people.
A single varietal cider we fermented with a Trappist yeast strain reflected our appreciation of Belgian Tripels. In 2014, we smoked Winesaps with applewood, hickory, and cedar and created something that many customers compared to the characteristics of Scotch whisky and a German Rauchbier. Our raspberry and blackberry infused cider, Mill Race Bramble, is a subtle homage to rosés. Our dessert ciders are inspired by Calvados and Pommeau.
We are connoisseurs of aromas, sensations, and tastes on our palates. We admire the patience, passion, and dedicate care that producers take with each product they create. Breathing in the world of alcohol, we take in all of its nuances, expressions, histories, traditions, folklores and translate what we discover into our own world of cider.
– Manuel Garcia
