Fall Cider Harvest and 4th West Oktoberfest
Fall harvest decorations, hay rides, apple picking, and pumpkin spice. Yes fall is here, folks. With the crisper, cooler air, comes the exciting season of the crisp and cool apple harvest! Apples are a true fall staple, and we are happy to help you bring a sense of fall into your home. With hard cider, of course!
Now, cider is known to be weaved into the stories of a young America, with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin being the stars. Many early settlers would have tankards of cider available and flowing, daily. Some even say that George Washington may not have become our first president, if it weren’t for that delicious hard beverage. If you’ve got the cider, you’ve got the votes, they would say. Even young children were said to have a less potent variety, mostly due to sanitation concerns over water in those early days.
What Happened?
Somewhere along the lines, we lost sight of our early cider drinking tradition. Some say that prohibition killed cider, however you still hear stories of rum, wine and beer surviving through the 20’s. Researchers whose interests are peaked by our loss of such a popular drink, have noted several factors that may have been involved. One of which includes the cider fermentation process. Basically, that as the country grew older, the English-Style ways of making a good cider began to decline. Industry came, Irish and German beer drinkers immigrated, and cider just got lost in the mix.
Fast forward to today’s yearning for farm-fresh lifestyles, urban gardening, and organic, minimally processed foods. It’s no wonder that cider is getting a new boost. Apples are sweet, tart, refreshing, and new varietals are emerging each year. The opportunity for creativity and craft fermentation is now enormous. What was once a stronghold in just the East Coast, or the Northwest — cider makers all over the United States are pushing people to think about cider as a beverage of choice.
Mountain West Cider is no different, and we think that as Utah’s first cidery, the people of Utah and the mountain west region deserve to have a taste of this historically rich, and refreshing beverage!
How Can I Taste Mountain West Cider?
We thought you’d never ask! In just over a week, Mountain West Cider is partnering up with Red Rock Brewing to put on the 2nd annual 4th West Oktoberfest! This is the perfect opportunity to try all of our ciders — Ruby, Cottonwood Dry Hopped, 7-Mile Session Cider, and our latest Desolation Prickly Pear Hard Cider. During the 2-day festival, you can listen to a great line-up of live music, eat from local food trucks (including ice cream!), play games (including giant Jenga!), and visit local vendor booths. It is fun for the whole family, including your canine friends, and we’ll even have some activities for the little ones. Along with Red Rock beers, we’ll also have Utah locals — RoHa Brewing Project, and Salt City Vodka for drinks to try the whole day and night long!
Tickets will be available at the door, although why not just get them today and mark your calendar? Can’t wait to see you there. Cheers!