Berkshire Cider Project, which operates out of Greylock WORKS, makes hard ciders that are ‘more like fine wine’
Esopus Spitzenburg sounds like a made-up name, but no — it’s actually a variety of heirloom apple, grown at Hancock Shaker Village in the Berkshires. Married couple Kat Hand and Matt Brogan use old-school apple varieties like these, and even foraged fruit from forgotten roadside orchards, to create dry, sparkling craft cider. Their business, Berkshire Cider Project, operates out of Greylock WORKS, a former textile mill-turned-mixed-use space in North Adams. Why is their cider “more like fine wine” than a jug of sweet cider left out on the porch too long? And why is it the perfect holiday beverage in these politically charged times? Read on.
You’ve both worked in other fields — in architecture (Matt) and sustainability strategy (Kat). Why hard cider?
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Matt: It started off as a hobby. I was interested in applejack, a Colonial-style brandy, and starting making cider base. What we made didn’t taste like any of the sweetened hard ciders we’ve had. It was so much more like white wine, with these amazing complex flavors. So I became a little obsessed with getting it right.
Kat: People seemed to like it, so we started thinking about making this a real business. Then we connected with Greylock WORKS, and they were totally supportive and excited for us to be part their community. We opened for retail sales on July Fourth weekend.
What varieties of apples do you use, and why?
Matt: This is apple country. [Our local partners] Hilltop Orchard and Windy Hill Orchard supply the bulk of our juice and are growing some fantastic fruit. Our main ciders feature Golden Russet.
Very few orchards grow true cider-specific apples — apples that have higher levels of tannins and acid, which help to bring balance and interesting flavors to the finished products. Cider apples are sometimes referred to as “spitters” — they may not taste great fresh, off the tree. But give them a few months to ferment, and you get a great product.
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After Prohibition, many of these varieties were pulled up. So most orchards grow just a few varieties of dessert and culinary apples. But if you look on the side of the road, in an old hedgerow in a pasture field or in the woods, you can find “forgotten orchards.” We do some foraging and use these apples, but it’s a challenge to find them, identify them, and collect them safely. We would love to see more orchards cultivating cider apples on a larger scale.
How are you involved with Hancock Shaker Village?
Matt: We started a great partnership with them, collecting about 700 pounds of apples from their heirloom orchard. Mixed native yeast fermentation then adds another layer — a little spicy, a little funky, but still clean and dry. We’re donating a portion of those sales back to the village to help maintain the trees and support their agricultural programs. We’re also working with orchard experts to help protect their beautiful old trees, and resurrect cider making at the village.
You say you treat cider like wine . . . what does that mean?
Matt: On one hand, making cider is very easy: Leave a jug of sweet cider out a little too long and you’ll have some hard cider in a few weeks. The craft of fine cider is controlling that process without trying to restrain it.
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We get fresh-pressed juice, in season. That goes into 600-gallon, stainless steel tanks for fermentation, which takes about three to six weeks. We then age our ciders for at least six months. Then, we blend different batches of cider. Each batch may use different yeasts or different apple blends — something is always different. We gently filter most of our ciders for a clean pour, naturally sparkling or with forced carbonation. We don’t pasteurize. We’re also focused on a champagne-style cider, aged for another six to eight months and then using all the steps of making champagne, like riddling and disgorging, to create a cider with all the notes and natural carbonation of a fine sparkling wine.
Kat: We believe that cider should be at the same level as wine. In a place like Berkshire County, it is local wine — we don’t grow huge quantities of grapes here, but we do grow apples. It’s part of the larger story of eating local and shopping local, so why not drink local?
And you’re making a special cider with everybody’s random apples? Tell us more.
Matt: Everyone in this area has an apple tree in the backyard, and many people are making hard cider at home. We want to tap into that community and invite people to be part of our process. This fall, we’re asking folks from Berkshire County and beyond to bring us their apples — from backyard trees, or wild trees — and we’ll press them into a community blend. We’ll then ferment and release this special Berkshire Blend next year. Anyone who contributes apples will get a discount on a bottle, when it is released.
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How many products do you offer now?
Kat: Currently, we offer our Dry, Rosé, and Hancock Shaker Village ciders. Later this fall, we’ll release a Barrel-Aged Cider, made in partnership with Windy Hill Orchard. It’s aged in oak wine barrels, and it’s really lovely and elegant. We’ll also be releasing an English pub-style Bittersweet Cider, and a Sour Quince, made with fruit from my parents' backyard trees. Next year, we’ll add some other special small batches. We’ll also have our champagne-style cider, and probably a pet nat (Petillant Naturel, a naturally carbonated cider) in the spring.
What’s the best way to drink your cider? Or pair it?
Matt: Chilled like white wine. We like to serve about 8 ounces in a stem-less wine glass. Ciders pair well with food. Our ‘Dry’ is great alongside some of the cheeses made by our neighbors at Cricket Creek. Rosé would be great with the bouillabaisse that’s on Mezze’s menu right now, and our English Pub Style Cider will be a perfect cider to pair with The Break Room’s lamb Ragu.
Kat: We are huge fans of cider cocktails — anywhere you would use a sparkling wine, you can use our Dry Cider. A French 75, mimosa, summer spritz, champagne punch — swap in Dry Cider for a bright, lower-alcohol version. When it comes to food pairings, I think there’s a cider for every dish. They all tell a seasonal story.
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Which brings us to . . . Thanksgiving.
Kat: The sparkling aspect [of our cider] is great for Thanksgiving — it’s a celebratory drink. Our ciders pair well with family gatherings. At about half the alcohol of wine (6.6 to 6.9 percent alcohol by volume), the political debates at Thanksgiving won’t get too out of control!
Where are your products available?
Kat: Right now, we are self-distributing. A few stores and restaurants in the Berkshires carry our products. And we plan to start shipping within the state.
Over the winter, we’ll launch a Cider Club, shipping to folks within Massachusetts. For now, we are offering retail sales from a take-out window at the back of our production space. We offer limited tastings — just so folks can know what they’re getting when they buy a bottle. I can’t wait until we can serve full glasses of cider in real glasses, so folks can sit and enjoy at their leisure!
Starting a small business at any time has its challenges, and starting this business in the midst of the pandemic has certainly thrown some curveballs. But we feel incredibly fortunate to be here in the Berkshires with such a supportive and welcoming business and customer community.
Berkshire Cider Works, at Greylock WORKS, 508 State Road, North Adams. 413-409-6058, www.berkshire-cider.com
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at bairwright@gmail.com
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