Our ciderWICK™ “Real Cider” Manifesto

PLEASE NOTE: ALL EVENTS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. REGULAR SERVICE IS AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THIS VERY COOL THEMED WEEKEND. YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY A TICKET TO ANYTHING EXCEPT MONDAY’S DINNER (YOU CAN PAY PER EVENT/A LA CARTE AT THE BAR). OR YOU CAN PURCHASE AN ALL-ACCESS PASS IF YOU WANT TO GET YOUR FULL CIDER PUCKER ON!

As a part of this week’s ciderWICK™ Cider Fest, we have been talking with the region’s best cider makers, including Steve Wood of Farnum Hill. Hard cider in America looks a lot like craft beer 30 years ago, with a lot of consumers uncertain of what real hard cider is. In the same way people identify the term “craft beer” as representing a “better beer,” we believe there should be a general term for the type of craft cider that we love to drink: “real cider” perhaps? For our upcoming four-day cider event (June 20-23), ciderWICK™ has put together a The Real Cider Manifesto. Real cider is:

1. About making a quality product that includes cider apples, possibly a bit of sugar depending on the harvest, and yeast.
2. An agricultural product grown from orchards; if additional product is needed, cider apples are purchased from neighboring farms, not as concentrate made in China, for example.
3. A celebration of tradition and diversity; fermented real cider dates back to America’s founding fathers and the famous Johnny Appleseed; real cider wants to reclaim its heritage (for more on this, see the excellent 2011 article in Edible Manhattan).
4. Real cider makers are dedicated to education and sharing, from teaching the next generation of cider makers in classes to propagating cuttings from dedicated cider apple growers to growing more cider apple trees.
5. Consumers would benefit from the addition of a “real cider” label, designed with input from real cider industry leaders such as Steve Wood (Farnum Hill) and Diane Flynt (Foggy Ridge).

ciderWICK™ was inspired by the efforts of Glynwood’s Apple Project, Cider Week NY and English folk festivals as part of the real cider movement. Jimmy’s No. 43 will welcome the best cider makers pouring their latest (2013) batches of real cider at tastings, panels, and dinners, including:

• *Friday, June 20^th—Join Eden Ice Cider for the new release of their Sparkling “Champagne” Cider at our Grand Tasting ciderWICK kick-off party
• *Saturday, June 21^st—Cider Sampler withWhetstone Ciderworks, Slyboro and Rowan Imports, a guided tasting with Orchard Hill, plus a BYOC Homebrew Cider Panel (with tastings) moderated by Aaron Burr’s Andy Brennan
• *Sunday, June 22^nd—Redbyrd Ciders guided tasting and NYC launch party
• *Monday, June 23^rd—ciderWICK™ five-course Hard Cider Pairing Dinner with Farnum Hill and SteamPunk

We hope to see you at ciderWICK™, and enjoy real cider whenever you want to get your apple on!