2026 Cider Buy!
Another year has passed, and the official end of summer (MN State Fair) has just finished. Congrats to all of the medal winners that entered the homebrew competition!
We now turn our attention to Autumn which means Apple Cider and the many options it offers for fermentation.
Event date:
October 24th
12:00pm – 5:00pm
Location:
14541 Wellington Rd.
Minnetonka, MN 55391-2414
Park on the street at the south end of the property on Stone Road by the fenced garden. Please park only on the north side of the street to keep traffic moving.
This event is open to all homebrew clubs in the area, along with your families and friends.
All purchases must be made in advance, no refunds after purchase. Our cider will again be “Orchard Blend” provided by Pine Tree Orchard. This has usually included Haralson, SweeTango and Honeycrisp with other varieties included depending on timing. Purchases of the Orchard Blend will be in 5G increments at $35/5G ($7/G).
Payment deadline for the Orchard Blend is Monday October 19th at 3:00pm.
Purchase link will be provided here when it’s available.
Please bring samples of your own beverages to share (with a personal tasting cup), and any food or snacks you care to share.
We will also have the club apple grinder available, and my bladder press will be ready to go for anyone who would like to bring their own apples to press into cider.
You MUST bring your own containers and plastic buckets are recommended. ABSOLUTELY NO GLASS!
The club will have Starsan and Potassium MetaBiSulfite available at the event.
As part of my planning this year, I’ve requested some Dolgo Crabapple and Chestnut Crabapple juice in addition to our customary Pine Tree Orchard Blend. At this moment availability is questionable, but if it’s available we will be permitted to bring buckets to the orchard and fill from a Tote.
Price is currently unknown but will likely be around $10/G. If you are interested in this possibility, please contact [email protected] to be added to a contact list.
Dolgo crab has a gorgeous pink color, is tart and has enough tannin to add some structure to your cider. Best used in small quantities in your main batch.
Chestnut crab is sweet, and has a mild nutty flavor that can add some interesting counterpoint in a traditional cider.
ASSUMING that the crabapple juice is available, we will be able to purchase it in any quantity (1G minimum) we wish (up to 200G total). Each variety will be sold separately.
All juice will be unpasteurized.
If you want to blend juices it would be a 5G purchase for the orchard blend plus whatever quantity/combination of crabapple juice you choose. You may decide to purchase only crabapple, but there is no guarantee it will be available.
I’ve tasted Chestnut previously but can’t offer fermentation guidance, so you should plan to experiment to find your ideal combination.