A Year In The Life of A Cidery
December: Looking Back
As we close out the year at the Angry Orchard Cider House in Walden, New York, we’re taking a look back at all we’ve accomplished and all the fun we and our visitors have had.
As the Orchard slept through the January snow, we kept our apples from the previous harvest stowed away in our cold storage building at the front of the property as they awaited pressing. In anticipation of good growth for the season ahead and a bountiful harvest at the end of the year, we celebrated an age old tradition of Wassailing. The ceremony is meant to scare away evil spirits and offer gifts to the tree spirits by showing the literal fruits of labor of the previous year. It was an honor to carry on the tradition of song, mulled cider, and a walk through the Orchard, that’s been celebrated for centuries in England.
Winter turned to Spring and the cider house began to wake. Production carried on in full swing and the process of cider making unfolded through the journey of pressing, fermenting, barrel aging and blending.
The smell of the cider house slowly filled with the scent of apples pressing.
After the juice was pushed into our stainless steel tanks, some of it was transferred to barrels to age in our stone barn.
Since then the number of barrels in the stone barn has tripled!
One of the most meaningful projects we took on at the Angry Orchard Innovation Cider House this year was our first planting of cider apple trees. We’re happy to say the the trees took to the Earth beautifully and are growing strong.
It was an exciting day for everyone as we watched tree after tree enter the ground.
While we were busying bottling and blending, cider drinkers from near and far descended upon the Angry Orchard Innovation Cider House to taste samples, pick up their favorite Angry Orchard ciders, and enjoy the views and events. The cider house in the summer was the place to be!
With Fall quickly approaching, we watched our apples ripen on the branches. As the harvesting commenced, it was hard not to feel like proud parents.
“I love watching the orchard trees transform throughout the year,” says head cider maker Ryan Burk. “From completely bare limbs, to the budding of the white blossoms and then seeing the branches heavy with ripe red apples…suddenly it’s time to harvest, and before we know it the cycle starts all over again.”
And just like that, we found ourselves coming full circle. With the apples heading back to the presses and into cold storage to wait their turn, our head cider maker Ryan Burk shared just what we’ve been up to this past year.
Some of the highlights were the kick off party for New York Cider Week and the James Beard House dinner.
It was fun to get out there with our new line-up of Angry Orchard Ciders made exclusively at the Angry Orchard Innovation Cider House in Walden and share them with you.
You can learn about the full collection here.
As the snow returned last week, we can hardly wait to do it all again.
