244: Traveling the Cider Trail | Part 2

Franklin County CiderDays now has a "Cider Trail" with 16 stops covering western Massachusetts and the Berkshires! This is part 2 of the series on traveling the Cider Trail and we will look at 10 stops along the trail. Episode 243 is part 1 of this series and details a 5 stop loop and day trip.

View from West County Cider - picnic area looking out to Vermont and New Hampshire[/caption]

This episodes brings us west of the Connecticut River and into the rolling hills of west county.

We begin with:

Bear Swamp Orchard - Distillery and Cidery

• 1209 B Hawley Road, Ashfield MA 01330Bottle Shop Saturday and Sunday 1-5 on November 7th & 8th Bear Swamp Orchard WebsiteTelephone (413) 625-2849

The apple brandy/hard cider bottle shop and tasting room is open  November 7th & 8th (traditional cider days weekend) 1-5 PM all dates. Besides that we will still offer Saturday afternoon in person pick up for orders through our online store until the end of November.

Bear Swamp is at the top of the hills on the east side of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, with views that reach out to Vermont and New Hampshire. The farm borders the Trustees of Reservations Bear Swamp Reservation, which offers miles of scenic hiking trails and views of its own.Look for:

• Hard Cider, brandy and liqueurs.
• Vinegar (raw, unpasteurized, untreated)
• Jams and Jellies
• Maple syrup

Headwater Cider

• 112 Forget Road, Hawley, MA 01339
• Open weekends, Oct. 10-November 8; 10-5 Saturdays and Sundays
• Headwater Cider Website
• (413) 695-6099

Grow What You Press. Press What You Grow.Estate Cider from Franklin County. Crisp and Dry. Grown, Pressed, and Bottled here at the orchard. Sample and purchase a range of alcoholic ciders at the source!

$12 / 750ml bottle

Pine Hill Orchards

• 248 Greenfield Road, Colrain, MA 01340
• Store open daily 9am-6 pm, year-round. Food trailer operates Thursday-Sunday 9 am-4 pm, seasonally
• Pine Hill Orchard website
• Pine Hill Orchards on Facebook
• (413) 624-3325

Orchard selling apples, cider and locally made foods.

Special Blend Cider Sale for Cider Days Weekend: Bring your carboys and barrels to fill up with fresh-pressed specialty blends for bulk sale! Four different blends with multiple cider varieties used. 4000+ gallons will be available on November 7th and 8th from 9am to 5pm ONLY!! First come first served!

Bob DeLisle and Charlie Olchowski will be available all Saturday morning at the juice room to answer cider making questions and to give guidance. The Farm Store is open year-round from 9 am to 6 pm daily. The New Food Trailer is open seasonally Thursday through Sunday serving over-the -top burgers, poutine, irresistible fried dough, and more! Make sure to grab a bag of Cider Donuts!

Ryan & Casey Liquors

• 55 Main St., Greenfield, MA 01302
• Hours of operation: Mon-Sat, 8 am-11 pm; Sun 10 am-9 pm
• Ryan & Casey Website
• (413) 775-6585

Bottle shop featuring ciders from Western MA producers, as well as other national and international brands, plus wines, beers, and spirits. There will be samples and discounts on cider and all things apple from mid-October through Franklin County CiderDays weekend (Nov. 7-8).

Shelburne Falls Cork

• 1 Deerfield Avenue, #2, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370
• Wednesday- Saturday 11am - 6pm; Sunday 2pm - 5pm
• Shelburne Falls Cork Website
• Shelburne Falls Cork on Facebook
• (413) 362-0265

Hard cider, artisanal wine, craft beer, local cheese, charcuterie, chocolate, and preserves. It is my desire to sell local hard ciders, craft beer, and wine from family-owned wineries, where I think the best values are found. We also carry local cheese and charcuterie from Massachusetts and Vermont. And of course, we have case discount of 10% for mixed or not mixed cases of hard cider and wine.

West County Cider

• 208 Peckville Rd. Shelburne MA 01370
• Thurs. 2-5, Fri. 3-6, Sat 11-6, Sun 11-6
• West County Cider Website
• (413) 768-9318

Come visit the oldest running cider house in the country. Our tap room and bottle shop at 208 Peckville Road in Shelburne will be open Thursday through Sunday this fall. Come for our legendary ciders while enjoying our hiking trails and picnic grounds with a glorious three state view.

West County Cider was started by the Maloney family in 1984 with a commitment to making small-batch ciders with impeccable apples from local orchards. Thirty-five years later, our family has grown but the tradition continues. We use fine-winemaking techniques and focus on freshness of flavor and total respect for each individual apple variety. Every harvest year represents a new a foray into the possibility of the apple.

Artifact Cider Project

• 34 N. Maple Street, Suite 15, Florence MA 01062
• Fridays, 3 - 9 pm; Saturdays, 1 - 9 pm; Sundays, 1 - 7 pm
• Artifact Cider Project Website
• Artifact Cider Project on Facebook
• (508) 308-7361

We make cider for the new Northeast. We produce craft cider in a variety of styles by respecting tradition, but refusing to let it limit us. Using local apples and innovative cidermaking practices, we create ciders that are as authentic, eclectic, and forward-looking as the region they come from. Artifact was founded in 2014 by Jake Mazar and Soham Bhatt and is based in Florence, Massachusetts.

Carr’s Ciderhouse

•  295 River Drive, Hadley, MA 01035
• Farm Store open Thursday-Friday, 3-6 pm; Saturday 12-6 pm; and Sunday 12-3 pm.
• Also open by appointment: call (413) 336-7363
• Carr's Ciderhouse Website

Farm shop featuring Carr’s wild-fermented hard ciders, vinegars, cider syrup, fruit shrubs, and more.

We produce ciders from locally grown apples and are the authors of The Ciderhouse Cookbook, available for sale at the farm store, which shares how we make everything and contains 127 recipes for cooking with cider.

On CiderDays weekend we will be holding a tasting at our press barn at Preservation Orchard, located at 12 Mt. Warner Road in Hadley, MA. Tastings open on Saturday, Nov. 7 and Sunday Nov. 8 from 12-5. Please see our website for directions, details about parking, and important updates.

Carr’s ciders are $12-$15/750 ml bottle

Clarkdale Fruit Farms

• 303 Upper Road, DeerfieldRetail store open 9am-5pm every day of the week, August-December. Open weekends only in the winter months. Clarkdale Fruit Farms Website(413) 772-6797

Fourth-generation family orchard growing high-quality tree fruit since 1915. We farm 45 acres and grow over 50 varieties of apples, including several heirlooms. Our diverse plantings also include pears, peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, and grapes. We produce our own sweet cider in season, and offer several special blends for holidays in the Fall. Bulk cider for fermenting is available upon request. Find us on fb and Instagram as well.

Artisan Beverage Cooperative

• 324 Wells St. Greenfield, MASaturdays 12-2pm Artisan Beverage Cooperative Website Artisan Beverage Cooperative on Facebook(413) 335-0576

Artisan Beverage Cooperative—makers of many gluten-free, high-quality beverages. For Cider Days we offer our famous Valley and Whiskey cyzers. Apple-honey wine made with cider from Clarkdale Fruit Farm and honey from Western Mass.

Cyzers are a variation of mead, a traditional fermented honey wine, but instead of water, cider is used. Both our cyzers are made with local raw honey and cider from Clarkdale Fruit Farm.

The Whiskey Cyzer gets its name because it was aged in Bully Boy whiskey barrels before bottling, giving it a slightly smokier and oak-ier flavor profile than the Valley Cyzer.

Both variations have been aging to perfection and supplies are limited. 14% ABV Gluten-free.

Valley Cyzer - $15/ 500ml bottleWhiskey Cyzer - $20/ 500ml bottle

Mentions in this Chat

Additional stops:

• Perkarski's Sausage - on Route 116
• Elmer's - food stop in center of Ashfield

3 Cider Features in the press;

• • It’s Time to Get Obsessed With Hard Cider, The Next Frontier in American Drinking - Inside Hook 10/14/20
  •  Matt Kaminsky - Climbing Apples Trees with a Man Called Gnarly Pippins - Boston Globe article 10/20/20
  • YouTube presentation with John Bunker from Maine Historical Society

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