The 6th Annual Cider Summit Chicago

This year's 6th annual Chicago Cider Summit at Navy Pier boasted nearly 200 ciders from around the world, with 10 new cider producers, and approximately 70 offerings not previously served. Whether your taste buds crave sweet, dry, fruity, hoppy, bubbly – there was definitely something for everyone. An expansive setting in the AON Grand Ballroom offered plenty of space and few lines to wander around the main floor of cider, snacks and vendors. The balcony level was once again home to the Cider Cocktail Lounge featuring spirits, liqueurs, and mixed cocktails from a variety of vendors.

Cider Trend Observations:
- Rosé ciders were definitely on trend this year, with a range of interpretations on the wine style. Ciders that featured red/pink fleshed apples maintained the most crisp and authentic flavors. 
- We found many US ciders to still be a bit high on ABV, but that is starting to change with the addition of some canned session ciders. 
- "Ciders that drink like beers" (featuring adjunct flavors, spices, fruits, hops) continue to increase in mainstream popularity, while a decrease in funky, unfiltered, euro-inspired ciders seem to be happening on bottle shop shelves.

The Perfect Pairings:
Cypress Grove had a selection of 3 goat's milk cheeses that really rocked our world (especially with some of the funky European ciders). We highly recommend searching out Truffle Tremor, Midnight Moon and Humboldt Fog (Marianos, Whole Foods, Binny's, Pastoral). Smoking Goose Meatery out of Indianapolis also had an amazing plate, featuring 3 house made salames, including their South Cider Salame (goose & pork, persimmons, cider), Salame Cotto (course pork, red wine and fenugreek seeds, and Dodge City Salame (pork, fennel pollen and pink peppercorn). These guys aren't available in Chicago (yet) but you can order from their website. Their sausages worked really well with some of the dry and hopped ciders. 

Below is a recap of our "Best of" selections from the event. All of the ciders listed are available in Chicago, with the exception of Stormalong Cider (Massachusetts). Keep an eye out for Schilling Hard Cider (Seattle) who is new to the Chicago market.

Best Dry Cider

Stormalong Cider (MA)
Lengendary Dry (6.9%)
A unique blend of heirloom and bittersweet apples, traditionally fermented – resulting in an exceptionally crisp, effervecent and layered drinking experience.

Best Sessionable Cider

Vander Mill (MI)
Vandy* (4%)
Semi-sweet, crisp and super crushable for any occasion. 
*NEW!! On draft in select locations, watch for cans this Spring!

Best Semi-Sweet Cider

Angry Orchard (NY)

Rosé Cider (5.5%)

Definitely worth a taste! Fermented from French blush apples, with a hint of hibiscus flower. It is bright, floral and dry - just like your favorite glass of rosé wine.

Best Sparkling Cider

Worley's (UK)
Special Reserve Keeved (5.4%)
Naturally sweet, sparkling and rounded. Apple notes were more dessert like - caramel, spice, citrus, slight barnyard funk. A perfect cider for pairing with rich foods like cheeses and desserts.

Best European/Import Cider

Viuda de Angelon Sidra (Spain)
1947 (6%)
Light and funky/acetic, a perfect pairing with the cheese plate.

Best Barrel-Aged/Oaked Cider

Farmhaus Cider Co. (MI)
Oaked Sweater Weather Chai Cider
Light toasted oak character, earthy spice notes, with a nice balance of sharp and sweet apple flavors. 

Best Fruited Cider

Eris Brewery & Cider House (Chicago)
Van Van Mojo - Blueberry Mosaic Hopped (6.2%)

Bright, tart and balanced, with beautiful purple hues. Hop character was perfect – aromatic and citrusy without overpowering the fruit.

runner up:

Schilling – Passport: Pineapple Passionfruit Cider (6.7%)

This cider is an explosion of fruit flavors - like a vacation cocktail in a can. The combinations of fruit offer a nice balance of sweetness and acidity. 

Best Alternative Fruit – Pluot
Mission Trail Cider Co. (CA)
Hipster Hills Pluot & Malvasia (10%)
A blend of rare and aromatic Malvasia Bianca grapes fermented with tart and fruit forward pluots. Very aromatic layers of honey, flowers, stone fruit, must/tannins with a dry, wine-like finish.

Best Cider Spirit

Journeyman O.C.G. Old Country Goodness, Apple Cider Liqueur (10%)

A glass growler full of "fall in a glass" – delicious hot or cold. Michigan organic apple juice, Michigan organic cider, spices and W.R White Whiskey.

To find these ciders, check out beermenus.com and visit some of our favorite cider selling bottle shops in the city: Bottles & Cans, The Beer Temple, West Lakeview Liquors, and the suburbs: Standard Market, Binny's, Whole Foods.

The Best of Chicago Cider Summit 2017

The 5th annual Chicago Cider Summit at Navy Pier was another great success for cider makers and lovers alike. Once again blessed with a sunny, winter day – the view of Lake Michigan from the Grand Ballroom couldn't have been more beautiful for sipping cider.

In addition to 150 cider makers and the second floor cider cocktail lounge, there was a new feature this year – the "Northwest Cider Pavilion," which featured 8 cider makers from Washington and Oregon. Doughnut Vault was in attendance, sampling their Apple Cider Old Fashioned (yum!!), which paired perfectly with a tart cider, to balance the sweetness of the glazed doughnut. Once again this was one of our favorite festivals to attend, with very few lines for cider, food, or restrooms, and ample opportunity to talk with the cider makers themselves.

Below is a recap of our "Best of" selections from the event. All of the ciders listed are available in Chicago, with the exception of Mission Trail Cider Co., who is hoping to enter the market over the next year. Farmhaus has limited distribution to The Wine Goddess (Evanston, IL). Nashi Orchards is currently available at The Northman in bottles.

Best Dry Cider

Wandering Aengus (OR)
Wickson Crab Apple Cider (8.2%)
Dry, very tart, citrus notes.

Best Semi-Sweet Cider

Farmhaus Cider Co. (MI)
Brunch (Limited Release) (6.9%)
Semi-sweet cider with cinnamon and maple syrup, like apple pie in a glass.

Best Farmhouse/Wild Fermented Cider

Shacksbury (VT)
2015 Lost & Found (Limited Release) (6.7%)
A blend of foraged and cultivated apples from the Champlain Valley of Vermont. 
Very dry, unfiltered yeast character, tart green apple finish.

Best European/Import Cider

Craigie's (IRE)
Ballyhook Flyer Irish Cider (5.8%)
Dry and tart with light peat and brine character.

Best Barrel-Aged Cider

Nashi Orchards (WA)
Barrel Fermented Cider (6.9%)
Heirloom apples fermented in French oak barrels. Tart, clean and rounded.

runner up:

Starcut Cider, Erraticus 6 (6.4%)

Oak aged wild cider with Michigan apples and black currants. Dark fruit and rustic, wine-like character with a dry finish.

Best Fruited Cider

Stem Ciders Raspberry Apple Cider (6.7%)

Tart apple and raspberry flavor, with intense aroma and ruby hues.

runner up:

Cider Brothers, Pacific Coast Blueberry Zinfandel (6%)

Blueberries blended with California Zinfandel – tart, bright, dry and beautiful in color.

Best Alternative Fruit – Jerkum
Mission Trail Cider Co. (CA)
Plum Jerkum (6.5%)
A blend of 14 California Plum varietals, fermented with wine yeast.
An English-native beverage, Mission Trail is the only producer in the world currently making it. Tastes like eating a whole plum – incredibly juicy with light tannins and a dry finish. 


Best Perry
Vander Mill (MI)
Bon Chretein (6.8%)
Produced from Michigan Bartlett pears, semi-dry and juicy with a crisp finish.

Best Cider Cocktail

Woodford Reserve Spiced Cider Cocktail

Woodford Reserve Bourbon, apple cider, Seattle Cider Semi-Sweet.

To find these ciders, check out beermenus.com and visit some of our favorite cider selling bottle shops in the city: Bottles & Cans, The Beer Temple, West Lakeview Liquors, and the suburbs: Standard Market, Binnys.

The Best of Cider Summit Chicago 2016

This year's annual Cider Summit at Navy Pier was bigger and better than ever, expanding to the second floor balcony with a selection of cider cocktails from The Northman, Woodford Reserve and Uncle John's. This year boasted 140 ciders with approximately 10 new Producers since last year's event. We found this year to be supremely enjoyable with very few lines for cider, food or restrooms and ample opportunity to talk with the cider makers themselves. Below is a recap of our "Best of" winners of the event.

Best Dry Cider

Farnum Hill Extra Dry Cider (7.5%)

Best Semi-Dry Cider

EZ Orchards Semi Dry Cider (6.4%)

Best Farmhouse/Wild Fermented Cider

Shacksbury Arlo (6.2%)

Best European/Import Cider

Manoir de Grandouet Cambremer Cidre de Tradition AOP Pays d’Auge (4.5%)

Best Barrel-Aged Cider

Vander Mill Green Mill Barrel-Aged Cyser (6.8%)

Best Fruited Cider

Starcut Ciders Squishy (7.5%)

Seasonal Hard Cider made with Northern Michigan Cherries, tart and dry finish

runner up:

Cider Brothers, Pacific Coast Apple with Wild Cherry

Semi-dry, stone fruit and spice, tastes like cherry pie

Best Newcomer to Chicago

Starcut Ciders (by Shorts Brewing), Elk Rapids, MI

Now available throughout the Chicagoland market

Best Cider Cocktail

The Northman "Ginger Snap"

Few Bourbon Whiskey, Vander Mill Ginger Peach cider, ginger syrup, soda water

Cider Summit view from the balcony

Kim (Hail to the Ale), David (Shacksbury Cider), Craig aka "John Apple" (ABV Chicago)

left: Uncle John's Old Fashion cider cocktail. right: The traditional Spanish long pour.

For more on tasting cider, check out our latest podcast appearance on ABV Chicago, Episode 109 "Cider House Rulez" where we taste 6 ciders from across the US, talk about the cider making process, and share a whole lot of laughs in the process.

Curious about the cider making process or learning more about apple varieties? Take a look at our Amazon book list devoted to Apples & Cider.

Check out your local bottle shops, as the selections of cider continues to grow. Don't see what you're looking for? See if they can request it or email the cideries for availability. The more demand, the better!

Guest Podcast Appearance on ABV Chicago: Episode 109

In preparation for the upcoming Chicago Cider Summit at Navy Pier (February 27th), we join Craig and Ryan of ABV Chicago Podcast series to talk all things cider making and tasting, along with some crazy banter and a lot of laughs. We hope you enjoy it!

Episode 109 – Cider House Rulez

 abvchicagoFebruary 24, 2016Audio

We enter unfamiliar territory on this one by doing our first-ever cider show. Kim Leshinski of Hail to the Ale and MC Johnsen of Worth 1000 Beers join us to educate us on these fermented apple beverages. You’ll learn a lot about how ciders are made, apple varieties, local cider sources (including Broken Nose Cider), heirloom apples, and “the long pour.” We go from “cider stupid” to just plain stupid at times, as the diversions here are frequent and give Craig a good core workout. And Ryan is made to feel stupid by being the only one familiar with Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader. Listen and let us be the apple of your…ears?

Click to listen: ABV Chicago Episode 109 – Cider House Rulez

Ciders reviewed:

Farnum Hill Dooryard Cider
Shacksbury Farmhouse
Bantam The Americain
Uncle John’s Apple Hard Cider
Vander Mill Chapman’s Blend 2014
Wandering Aegnus Wanderlust

Fourth Annual Cider Summit Returns to Chicago

SBS Imports and the Seattle Beer Collective are pleased to announce the return of their successful Cider Summit festival to Chicago, IL. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, February 27, 2015 in two sessions - 11am-3pm and 4pm-8pm in the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier.
 
Cider Summit will feature 140 ciders including regional favorites and international classics from countries such as England, Scotland, France, and Spain with owners and cidermakers will be on hand to inform and guide guests through the samplings.

NEW this year: 

• Cider Cocktail Lounge, hosted by The Northman and Woodford Reserve. 

• The Fruit Cider Challenge where consumers vote for their favorite pilot batch made exclusively for the event.

Tickets are $35 and will be sold online only via CiderSummit.com. Admission includes a souvenir tasting glass, 8 tasting tickets and a $1 donation to Heartland Alliance. Additional tasting tickets will be available for sale onsite at $2 per ticket. Designated driver tickets are available for $5, and include a bottle of water. A separate ticket is required for each session.
THIS EVENT IS STRICTLY 21 & OVER
 
The Chicago Brew Bus will provide shuttle service starting at 10:30am between the Blue Line Grand stop, Red Line Grand-State stop, and Navy Pier throughout the day. CTA buses also run directly to Navy Pier. Onsite parking is available in the Navy Pier garages.

Chicago's Cider Con Events

The 2014 Cider Conference is bringing some of the world's top cider makers to our own backyard during the first week of February. While the conference itself is industry only, there are a number of events throughout the city to meet the cider makers and taste some unique offerings, hitting Chicago for a limited time.

Feb 3rd, Anthem Cider at Luxbar 7pm: Kick off CiderCon week with Wandering Aengus Ciderworks/ANTHEM Cider owners James Kohn & Nick Gunn. They'll be tapping a special barrel of Blind Tiger Ransom, a bourbon barrel aged cider.

Feb 4th, Globe Pub Aspall Event 7pm: World premiere tapping of Aspall John Barrington Still cider. Meet Henry Chevallier Guild, 8th generation of the Chevallier cider making family. Taste a wide range of Aspall ciders from both draft and tap.

Feb 4th, Virtue Cider Tap Takeover at Jake Melnick's 8:30pm: As the kick-off event to Cider Con, Virtue will be featuring The Mitten, Cidre and Percheron, as well as the company of industry experts joining the party from around the world.

Feb 5th, Sonoma Cidermaster Dinner at Sun Wah BBQ 6pm: An evening featuring hard ciders hand-crafted by veteran Cidermaster, David Cordtz. Tickets available through Sun Wah.

Feb 5th, How Do You Like Them Apples? at Fountainhead 6pm: Join the cider makers for a tap takeover including E. Dupont, Tieton Cider Works, Vander Mill, Uncle John's, Original Sin, Ace, Farnum Hill and Wandering Aengus Ciderworks.

Feb 5th, Cider tasting dinner menu at tap take over at Longman & Eagle with Virtue Cider. Seatings between 3pm and 8pm.

Feb 5th, Cider Dinner at Publican 7pm: A special menu featuring pairings from Aspall, Farnum Hill and EZ orchards. Cider makers on hand to discuss. Rare draft ciders on draft and bottle.

The folks behind Farmhouse are set to open Nordcider, a nano-cidery and restaurant this fall. They are offering a preview of Nordcider in a series of pop-up dinners on February 6th-7th. Tickets available through City Eats.

Feb 6th, Meet Zeffer Cider Maker Josh Townsend at Binny's South Loop and taste their fine New Zealand offerings - Apple, Pear, Slack Ma Girdle. 6-8pm. No RSVP required.

Feb 6th, Vander Mill Cider Firkin Launch, Jake Melnicks 6pm: Join the Vander Mill Cider crew as they launch their firkin program with 3 offerings: Perry Chretien, Totally Roasted and Chapman's Blend. Puff the Magic Cyser and Ginger Peach will also be on tap.

Feb 6th, Revel Room Tap Takeover 7pm: Meet some of the top cider makers in the world. Aspall, Farnum Hill, EZ Orchards and Virtue Cider. Enjoy catering by Bangers & Lace, 4 rare and exclusive cider drafts including super rare Farnum Hill draft, a custom cider cocktail, and sample special bottles from each cider maker in an intimate environment.

Feb 6th, Cider Karaoke! at Emporium Arcade 9pm: featuring a tap take over of all cider makers that distribute in Chicago.

Feb 7th, Jake Melnicks Tap Takeover 7pm: Meet and greet with the cider makers of Aspall, Farnum Hill and EZ Orchards. Enjoy special draft ciders including the all new Aspall John Barrington Still Cider, a world premier tapping for Chicago Cider week! Special bottles from each cider maker will be available. A pair of tickets to Cider Summit will be raffled.

Feb 7th, Meet Virtue Cider Maker Ryan Burk for a mini tap take over at the Red Star Bar, Whole Foods Lincoln Park, 8pm.

Feb 7th, Cider Makers Meet & Greet at Sheffields 7pm: Join cider makers from Ace, Original Sin and Vander Mill while drinking the delicious offerings they have on tap.

Feb 8th, Cider Summit Chicago 11am and 4pm sessions in the Lakeview Terrance Room at Navy Pier: SBS Imports and Seattle Beer Collective return for a second year to produce Chicago's largest cider tasting event. Cider Summit will feature sampling of over 90 ciders from around the world, with cider makers on hand. Advanced TICKETS recommended. Chicago Brew Bus will provide shuttle service starting at 10:30am between the Blue Line Grand stop, Red Line Grand-State stop, and Navy Pier throughout the day. CTA buses also run directly to Navy Pier. Onsite parking is available in the Navy Pier garages.

River North Beer is giving away two pairs of tickets to Cider Summit. One winner will get two tickets to the first session, and one winner will get tickets to the second. To enter, follow @RiverNorthBeer on Twitter and fill out this form: http://bit.ly/1eNWcGf


Feb 9th, Farmhouse's Post Cider Con Brunch with Vander Mill Cider. No tickets required. Contact Farmhouse for more details.