The Lehigh Valley's numerous breweries and distilleries are joined by cideries young and old, some offering modern, trendy takes, while others are steeped in the history and heritage of this delicious drink. Set aside Angry Orchard's saccharine omnipresence and sample ciders crafted with love using apples from Pennsylvania's abundant orchards.
Frecon
The Frecon Orchards were established in 1944, and the founders spent 65 years cultivating new world, old world and heirloom apple varieties before starting the area's first cidery in 2009. With three generations venerating the family legacy and the fruit of their trees, these are ciders carefully crafted in a variety of styles. Crabby Granny is a mead-cider hybrid, or cyser. Gingembre is a light mix of Winesap and Granny Smith with a touch of ginger, and a motley mishmash of about a dozen varieties is barrel-aged to make Scrumpy.
With Frecon's farmers' market, a bakery supplied by seasonal, local ingredients and apple-picking action with live music and picnic potential, a foray down to Boyertown will make autumn awesome.
501 S. Reading Ave., Boyertown | 610.367.6200 | freconfarms.com
R.A.W.
The joint creation of a wine-loving husband-and-wife team, R.A.W. Urban Winery & Hard Cidery offers award-winning wines at two tasting rooms in Stroudsburg as well as hard ciders that draw on local herbs to create unique flavors. Whether it's hopped with lemonade, infused with organic chamomile or jazzed up with ginger and lime, R.A.W.'s ciders are fun, refreshing and sustainably sourced.
Though it's termed an “urban” winery, don't expect a hip, cool reception. Misty and Matt Stallard are happy to share enthusiasm for the craft they love and the cozy community of a family-run business in a rustic space, hosting paint and sips, art workshops and other events constantly.
103 Gypsum Rd., Stroudsburg | 616 Main St., Stroudsburg | 570.350.2697 | rowanasherwinery.com
Hardball
Sourced from several local orchards, including the owner's parents' farm in Upper Mount Bethel, Hardball Cider has grown in the past five years. Not only can one take a trip to tour the cidery and orchard, Hardball's gastropub and craft bar in Bethlehem has tastings and ciders on tap to accompany an extraordinary menu from their executive chef.
From a mac and cheese burger, rib-eye cheese-steak and loaded poutine to warm cobbler and apple-cider doughnut holes, there's plenty to wash down with a cold cider, and a wide variety of cider to choose from. Along with seasonal specialties bursting with the flavor of local peaches and pears, their classic roster of traditional, hopped, blueberry, cranberry and more is always available.
553 Main St., Bethlehem | 610.625.3744 | hardballcider.com
Snicklefritz
Pappy's Orchard shares its bakery and farmers' market premises with son-of-the-owners David Urffer's relatively new, small-batch hard cider operation.
Studying abroad in Wales showed Urffer a scene where cider and beer have more equal footing, and he came home with a view to transform his family's crops into some stellar cider. Some are made with a blend, while others, like Golden Rush, give one apple center stage. Best-selling Perfectly Peach is wine made from sweet summer peaches.
A new orchard planted with 12 varieties of hard cider apples will further what Snicklefritz can create. Urffer invites visitors to talk and taste around the picnic table in nice weather.
2576 Cassel Rd., Coopersburg | 215.679.3981 | pappysorchard.com
Blackledge
Since 2014, in the privately funded research winery tucked away in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in Center Valley, Damian Siekonic has been collaborating with historians to resurrect ciders as they were enjoyed hundreds of years ago. Following old recipes like those from William Penn's wife, Gulielma, and cookbook author Eliza Smith (“The Betty Crocker of her day,” says Siekonic), Blackledge's sulfite-free ciders and meads are made with the area's heirloom apples and natural, native yeast, even using 250-year-old ivory hydrometers in the process.
Blackledge's tasting room is only accessible by private appointment, but the ciders are sold at The Tavern at Sun Inn, McCoole's Historic Red Lion Inn and, now, The Great Barn Brewery Tap Room in New Hope. This fall, Blackledge debuts Eliza Smith's 1727 mead, aged in a French oak barrel and spiced with ginger, lemon, cloves, rosemary and sweet briar.
2822 Stonesthrow Rd., Center Valley | 484.226.8263 | blackledgewinery.com
Banter's
After much earnest trial and error, the inspiration gleaned from an Ontario cidery he visited on vacation finally bore fruit in Steve Brancato's home-brew experiments. Now, Banter's Hard Cider is available from its tasting room in Stroudsburg as well as two spots in the Lehigh Valley. At the Colony Meadery in Allentown, one can sample the honey-based beverage and flights of Banter's, which is made in part on the premises. Easton Public Market's Scratch also serves the cider.
Not too sweet but plenty flavorful, Banter's brews with fruit, such as apricot, blueberry, grapes, peaches, pears and, for fall 2018's returning favorite, Red Rite, the juice of sour cherries. This season, they're launching small-batch Warpaint Wines, including a merlot and seyval blanc from California and a concord and niagara from the Finger Lakes.
35 N. 7th St., Stroudsburg | 570.399.1080 | bantershardcider.com
