For locals in-the-know, harvest time usually means a visit to BelleWood Acres. From apple-picking to pumpkin smashing, it’s the perfect place to celebrate the best of the season. In addition to the bountiful orchards and corn mazes, BelleWood’s Country Café and Farm Market features light breakfast, lunch and dinner menus to eat in their dining room, plus locally made gifts for just about any occasion.
BelleWood also boasts that they were Washington’s first true “Farm to Glass” distillery, producing spirits on-site from their own orchard and neighboring berry farms. Try their Northwest style gin or their delectable Eau de Vie apple brandy.
You can purchase CiderHead at BelleWood and other area stores and bars, or you can sample it and many other regionally produced ciders at Ciderfest at BelleWood Acres, Saturday, November 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. With all the fun activities for families and adults, it’s sure to be a fun, delicious afternoon.
Hard Cider Tasting & Brat Bar, 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Craft cider has enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years, but it’s popularity in America spans decades.
“Up until Prohibition, an apple grown in America was far less likely to be eaten than to wind up in a barrel of cider,” writes Michael Pollan in The Botany of Desire. “In rural areas cider took the place of not only wine and beer but of coffee and tea, juice, and even water.”
Johnny Appleseed’s famous orchards dotting the American frontier weren’t meant to provide fruit for eating but for cider making. The apples he planted had very high sugar content – perfect for fermenting into cider, which, as it happens, was safer to drink than water. But when Prohibition’s stringent laws restricted the production of hard and non-alcoholic cider, many orchards stopped growing apples altogether.
Luckily for us ciders are making a comeback, and Ciderfest’s Hard Cider Tasting is the perfect opportunity to sample the wide variety of ciders produced in the region.
“The cider world is so diverse,” shared BelleWood Acres’ Event Specialist, Pam Felke. “If you’re not familiar with the range – from hopped to elderberry to basil – that diversity can be surprising.”
Cider Tasting attendees will get tasting tickets with admission, good for tastes of ciders from many local producers including Honey Moon’s CiderHead made with BelleWood apples, Finn River, Schilling, Tieton Cider Works, and Neigel Vintners Cider.
“It’s a nice end cap to fall, entering into winter,” shared Felke. “We always do a Brat Bar, so there’s a wide selection of brats to go with your tasty cider. It usually gets pretty busy, so it’s a good day to be out here. Even if it’s just mucky outside, it’s still fun in here.”
The Hard Cider Tasting is happening from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., with Disco DJ Pumpkin Smash from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Admission is $24, and online registration is recommended.
Home Cider Brewing Competition, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
If you’re a home cider brewing aficionado, you might want to enter the 3rd Annual Home Cider Brewing Competition, with judging starting at 1:00 p.m. during Ciderfest. Competition entry costs $10, and your homecrafted elixir will be assessed by a panel of cider professionals. Plus the winner takes the pot of money! Don’t forget to register to enter.
Not ready to enter a contest but love to brew cider at home? You can still take advantage of the Community Carboy Fill from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Bring your own carboy to Ciderfest, have it filled with non-alcoholic cider made from BelleWood’s own apples, and then take it home to work your own homebrew magic.
Cider Brewing Basics Workshop with Richard Arzoo, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Have you always wanted to brew cider at home, but just weren’t quite sure where to start? Sign-up for the the Cider Brewing Basics Workshop with Richard Arzoo of North Corner Brewing Supply, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. during Ciderfest. Learn the basics and gain confidence to try your hand at homebrewing cider at home. The workshop fee is $15, and you can secure your spot with easy online registration.
Ciderfest at BelleWood Acres
Saturday, November 5 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
6140 Guide Meridian in Lynden
360-318-7720
Sponsored
