Carolyn Fath
So much as utter the words “Angry Orchard” around these local hard cider producers and risk being charged a blasphemer. The big brands — like Angry Orchard, Woodchuck, REDD’s — may be largely responsible for hard cider’s rapid growth in the beverage market share. But consumers with a preference for craft beer have learned to look for small-batch, authentic, fresh product, and they want that in hard cider, too. As with craft breweries, small cideries are springing up. Southern Wisconsin has four hard cider producers with exciting new ventures.
Lead Shot Hard Cider
Vines and Rushes Winery began producing Lead Shot under the name Wiley Cider two years ago, when owner Ryan Prellwitz partnered with friends and cidermakers Tim and Lynsey Scottberg. The Scottbergs recently scaled back their involvement, and the winery, less than a mile from its namesake Rush Lake outside Ripon, rebranded the cider as Lead Shot — an homage to Rush Lake’s duck-hunting past.
All fruit and other ingredients found in the cider are “100% Wisconsin-grown,” Prellwitz says. The winery maintains a four-acre apple orchard (with Cortland, Golden Delicious, Lodi and other varieties) and works with at least seven other local growers to produce its cider and wines.
All four varieties of Wiley Cider — semi-sweet, raspberry, strawberry and dry — should be on shelves at the winery by the end of the month.
Vines and Rushes increased production of its cider from 300 gallons in the first year to about 1,500 gallons this past year, Prellwitz says. The increase in product — and marketing — will improve visibility and awareness, “and that helps every other cidery in the state,” Prellwitz notes.
Madison vendors won’t be carrying the cider in the immediate future, but bottles can be ordered online at vinesandrushes.com; the winery ships to addresses in Wisconsin and 20 other states, as well as Washington, D.C. Or visit the winery’s tasting room at 410 County Rd. E in Ripon, Sunday through Thursday noon-5 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Call 920-748-3296 for more information.
Cider House of Wisconsin
Jim and Barb Lindemann’s orchard, 20 minutes south of Madison near McFarland, boasts 220 trees known as “antique cider cultivars,” which bear unpalatable fruit you wouldn’t want as part of your lunch. But bitter, European-style cider apples possess natural tannins and acids ideal for hard ciders both sweet and dry, and can be blended with sweeter apples for a more accessible taste.
Two varieties from their Cider House of Wisconsin are currently on shelves: Pooch, a semi-sweet cider, and Black Dragon, a spiced, dry cider. The apples are pressed, the cider brewed and bottled in-house. They also make a brandy and a cyser (cider blended with honey) from their crop.
The Lindemanns say they hope to have their new variety of cider, Meoweewowee — a sweet hard cider with notes of ginger — on the market by the end of the month.
Despite the steadily growing presence of local cider producers for the better part of the last decade, the Lindemanns say Wisconsin’s cider market still lags behind the coasts and neighboring Michigan. After all, this is beer country, but Jim is optimistic that with the right push, Wisconsin consumers may yet flock to cider. “The challenge is to get in front of people and redirect tastes to something that we think is a lot more authentic,” he says.
Pooch and Black Dragon can be purchased at the Willy Street Co-op Middleton, Star Liquor and other locations on a seasonal basis. The Lindemanns say they aim to distribute their ciders to more area retailers and restaurants in the coming months. For more information and a full list of retailers, see ciderwis.com.
The Cider Farm
Deirdre Birmingham and John Biondi’s hard cider has been a long time in the making — 12 years, to be exact. After planting an orchard full of English cider apple varieties, they harvested their first commercial crop in 2011. Birmingham and Biondi partnered with Yahara Bay Distillers to produce small annual batches of apple brandy; this year’s batch, out Oct. 15, is already 65 % reserved. The long-awaited cider debuts this year, though test batches have already been sampled and served at several restaurants.
Produced by Fox Valley Winery in Oswego, Ill., the cider allocated for the Madison market will be released later this month. Birmingham says they plan to increase this year’s production of 1,600 gallons to approximately 9,000 next year. The winery exclusively uses the Cider Farm’s certified organic, true cider apples, to produce a naturally effervescent drink that strays far from the often sickly-sweet taste of mass-produced cider varieties.
Three new cider blends, titled simply with the numerals IV, VII and IX, will be available in kegs for restaurants, while individuals can purchase the ciders in 750 mL bottles through theciderfarm.com. IV (6.7% ABV) is a dry cider featuring a blend of three English bittersweet apples — Chisel Jersey, Brown’s Apple and Ellis Bitter — balanced with an American tart apple variety. VII (5.7% ABV) features a selection of four English cider apple varieties blended with American tart apples for a crisp, rich taste. And IX (5% ABV) is a dry style blending such apples as Somerset Redstreak, Major and Tremlett’s Bitter.
Madison restaurants including Graze, Harvest, the Coopers Tavern and the Old Fashioned will carry the Cider Farm’s ciders on draft. If any cider is remaining, Birmingham says, they’ll look into distributing it to area retailers as well.
Birmingham recalls conducting a market survey for cider back in 2004 and was daunted by how little Wisconsinites knew about the beverage. In the time it took to build her orchard, awareness has caught up. But, she says, the work isn’t over: “Ten years later, you don’t really need to introduce cider to many people anymore. Now, it’s introducing them to a finer cider.”
Mershon’s Artisan Cider
Joseph Baird’s cidery will celebrate its first anniversary in October. Mershon’s Artisan Cider is already a staple at area brew festivals.
In the fall, Baird partners with an orchard in Stoughton, using fresh-pressed apple juice and local Verona honey, with no other ingredients. He also orders apples from Michigan farms to keep his supply stocked year-round. Mershon’s labels each bottle of cider with which varieties make up that particular blend.
Mershon’s current blend includes Fuji, Gala and McIntosh apples. These change frequently depending on availability and Baird’s inclination towards experimentation. He plans to release a dry cider with a higher alcohol content within the next month, to be called Mershon’s Death Valley Dry Cider, as well as a small batch made with all-Wisconsin maple syrup instead of honey.
“I think it’s underestimated how many people enjoy cider; it appeals to a broad range of people,” Baird says. “Even the beer drinkers can appreciate a good cider. It’s a good change of pace.”
Mershon’s is on tap at locations in and around Madison, including Mr. Brews Taphouse locations, the Side Door Grill and Tap and the new HopCat. Mershon’s plans to expand into Festival Foods locations later this year, and ordering can be done through mershonscider.com.
