If you are a true Michigander, you know how much fun it is to go “up north”. With the excitement of a road trip, I started out from Saginaw with two main locations in mind; the first being Petoskey and then south to the Traverse City area for a day of cider and friendship. This trip would include stops at five different spots. When up in Petoskey, I wanted to visit with MCA board member Chaz Judy at Petoskey Farms Winery as well as Eeva and Trace Redmond at Elder Piper Beer and Cider. Then down to Traverse City to hit Left Foot Charley, newly opened Heartwood Cider, Two K Farms, and finishing up at the Tandem Cider Summer Wassail party. The day would be long, but being on the precipice of the Summer Solstice was going to keep it light out well into the evening.
I set out on a beautiful summer morning with a long stretch of highway between me and my first destination. Petoskey Farms Winery Vineyard Coffee and Lavender Farm is a picturesque spot on top of a hill. It overlooks the property which includes the vineyard, the growing orchard, and the lavender field. I was warmly greeted by many people as I walked up, looking for Chaz. The first person to greet me was Andy Rouch, one of the founders! He was helping get the brick oven pizza oven going for the day. He helped me find Chaz. A few minutes later, I was on a side by side with Chaz and his son taking a tour with an iced tea from the coffee shop in hand. The orchard is pretty young, but the apples varietals were selected with care. Once they start producing well, the estate cider will be something to behold! There was also an apple tree on the property that had to be at least 100 years old! After that, we checked out the production area. At this time of year, most everything was empty, unfortunately for me. Next, we moved upstairs to the tasting room. I started out with the ciders but wanted to try their wines as well. Chicken King made me laugh as a cider name, but the barrel aged cider came out great. There were notes of oak but the apples were the star. One of my favorite fruit ciders is blueberry, so I tried some of that as well. It was sweet but not cloyingly so. It is another cider that was well balanced. The Hard Carmel Apple was pretty good as well! As for the wines, they grow all cold weather grape varietals like Marquette. I was quite impressed with the wines but I won’t dig into that part. Definitely worth a trip to Petoskey!
Next, I drove a few miles over to Elder Piper Beer and Cider. The Redmonds, Trace and Eeva, have a cool place with many nods to the location’s history. They did their homework and built their business home in a neighborhood that was just expanding with new housing. The building itself was once a Michigan Bell switchboard building! It had also been a few other things including a shop for a painting crew. There are photos and objects from the building’s history on the walls. In their production area, they had to cut out part of the second floor so the tanks would fit. They repurposed the beams and flooring into their main bar and another piece into a cool narrow wall shelf/table. This spot really puts intentionality into all they do and has sound reasoning behind their moves. They manage a local orchard and are learning the ropes on how to get the best outcomes that Mother Nature will allow. I got to ask about some of the fun things i’ve seen on their social media, like sticking a red hot poker into their stout beer! I tried some of their delicious cider and beer. Wanted to buy some swag, but the shipment was arriving on Monday, unfortunately for me. There is always next time!
After finishing in Petoskey, it was time to head south to Traverse City. I had been wanting to see the production facility for Left Foot Charley and my buddy Bird made it happen for me. It was quite an impressive facility! Most people who have been to a production facility don’t need to see every one of them, but I enjoy looking at the differences between them and the equipment used. It is the cider nerd in me showing up in me I suppose! After our quick tour, we headed over to the main Left Foot Charley facility at the former state hospital laundry facility. We went up front and I got my growler filled. This is the one spot I still get growler fills for two main reasons. First, my Left Foot Charley growler from their old cider club is absolutely beautiful. Second, they allow you to fill your glass from the growler *IF* it’s that one from the cider club. I had it filled with Porter’s Perfection. It’s a beautiful expression of the tannic cider apple done in such a way that it accentuates the tannins while still being balanced. That is something I’ve come to expect from LFC ciders. After a quick bite to eat from Spanglish next door, I bid adieu to my buddies Bird and Max Peterson and headed to Heartwood Cider!
One of the big reasons I wanted to get up to Traverse City was to visit the newly opened Heartwood Ciders. I was surprised how close to the city limits it is! It was like a five mile drive or so from Left Foot Charley to Heartwood. The tasting room was all shiny and new! I was able to talk to a few of the co-owners who happened to be in the tasting room when I arrived. Much of their cider is currently made with Mac and Northern Spy. There is an orchard planted on the grounds and you get to drive through it to get to the tap room. The trees are pretty small and still coming online. Once they do, it looked like a nice selection of apples. The Cherry Bite is a fruit cider that I really enjoyed. The ciders are balanced and delicious. I was telling Rachel that they need to make a “cider nerd” cider…one that appeals to the nerds like me who are always chasing interesting blends and apples. This spot is definitely on my radar now and I will be making a return visit!
Originally, Two K wasn’t on my agenda. I had ordered some cider for a work event i’m doing at my other job and was just going to grab it and go. Then I found out Max Koskela was at the farm so I decided to get my cider, see another MCA board member, and try a few new things. Max and I met in the crowded tasting room and grabbed my aforementioned order. When he offered me a taste, I couldn’t refuse! Especially when I saw their newly released brandy! It was delicious, by the way. Sometimes, they are a little “hot” and I thought this was pretty smooth. The new Hopp’d cider was well balanced between the bitterness of hops and the acidity of the apples. The PGKB, a blend of Pino Gris grapes and Kingston Black apples was another highlight. With the afternoon slipping away, I had one more spot to visit. The last time I had been in TC was for Tandem Cider’s Wassail, so it was only right that I hit their Summer Wassail party!
A few miles up the road from Two K Farms is one of the old school Leelenau Peninsula cideries, Tandem Cider. They have been slinging cider since 2008. Although I got there late in the day, some of the festivities were still going on. Music was still playing and the kids games were still out. They had bubbles, bobbing for apples, hula hoops, cornhole, and cider, of course. When I walked in, I saw long time employee Bert standing by the bar, so I went up to talk with him. As we were talking, Danielle (whom I took and passed the Pommelier exam with!) came around the corner. As we started to talk, I noticed a tall figure in their back room and immediately realized that Mike and Dede Beck were there! As I walked into the back, I saw Nikki Rothwell also. She was serving brats, pasta salad, and cole slaw with strawberry shortcake for dessert as part of the festivities. Dan Young was also back there talking so I sat down with the four of them at an outdoor picnic table and we talked. Mike and I got to touch base about the plans for the annual noncommercial cider makers meetup at Uncle John’s bulk cider sale in November. I was able to drink this great red currant cider and some standards like Smackintosh and Greenman. It is always fun to go to Tandem.
This was another EPIC trip to Traverse City and a wonderful opportunity for me to meet with our Michigan Cider Association members and promote their businesses. Across this Great Cider State of ours, the people are the real stars. Yes, they make delicious cider from apples grown right here in the mitten, but it’s nothing compared to the quality of the people in our industry. They are willing to help each other, brag about what others are doing, and work together whenever possible. The people is what make Michigan cider special.
