Thanks to Governor Cuomo's support of farm cideries, Cider Creek Hard Cider is now available in Taste NY Stores across New York State. The first store to feature our craft hard cider is the Taste NY store in Grand Central Station.

The 2nd stop we made on the Route Du Cidre was Domaine Dupont

The facility and grounds was by far the most impressive. The sprauling estate sits on 74 acres where over 13 different varieties of cider apples are used to produce ciders, pommeau and calvados. The history of the Dupont Family in the Pays d'Auge region in Normandy goes back for more than 3 centuries. The oldest known family member, Pierre Dupont, was born in 1703. The Dupont family prides itself on producing perfect fruit first, which they say is a direct result of their terroir, the nutrient poor clay and marl soil. 

While we can't attest to the terrior, we can say that this was our favorite of all of our stops. Their techniques and passion for quality are both something Cider Creek can appreciate. We purchased:

• Cidre Triple - sparkling cider
• Organic Cider - sparkling cider
• Cidre Bouche - sparkling cider
• Givre - an iced cider
• Calvados Cream - also known as Dream Cream, very much like a Bailey's but the base is Calvados.

First location: Bernard LEBREC'S De La Percee

Our first stop was off the cider route, not far from Normandy. If you are headed to Normandy, you'll drive right by Lebrec's. His cidery is inside an old castle, dating back to the 13th century.

Like Cider Creek, Bernard does everything himself. The caveat, he also has his own orchards that have been in the family for generations. He grows, presses, ferments, bottles and labels about 20,000 bottles per year. He gave us a tour of his facility, we saw the fermentation room with fiberglass tanks, the pressing room, his storage room full of old barrels and what seemed like endless shelves of aged cider, and, we even got a sneak peek inside the old archers tower. 

Cider, cider and more cider:

The staff of Cider Creek Hard Cider just returned from an amazing trip to France. After a short stop in Paris, we spent a week in France's cider region. La Route du Cidre is a 40km route about two hours northwest of Paris and is home to 16 cideries. Cider Creek is often compared to the old world style cider that you can find in France.

So, our mission was to : 

• To find the cider that tasted most like Cider Creek
• To learn new techniques
• Develop new recipes
• Meet new friends and build lasting relationships

Last week Thursday, Cider Creek Hard Cider participated in Brewbound Session's Start-Up Brewery Challenge in Boston, MA. Nine brewers competed to win a trip to Portland, OR to brew with Brady Walen and Jack Beiting at Widmer Brothers Brewing. Breweries in the challenge ranged from very small start-ups, like Cider Creek, to publicly listed companies. Cider Creek was the only cidery in the competition.

Thanks to the generosity of everyone who contributed to our KickStarter Campaign in April, Cider Creek Hard Cider was able to convert a barn on family farmland in NY into a craft cidery. (In case you're wondering, we hadn't quite settled on our name, but about a week after we shot our KickStarter video we settled on Cider Creek Hard Cider.)

In â€Şhonor of Memorial Day and all of the service members that have fought and fallen for our great country, my wife and I will be donating a portion of Cider Creek Hard Cider's proceeds with bottles that have the American Flag Cap and Growlers with blue tops to the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund. 

Cider Creek Hard Cider believes in giving back to the local community. We are teaming up with the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center of Newburyport, MA in memory of Cheryl Watson – a passionate victims advocate for more than 25 years. Cheryl served as the Chief of Victim and Witness Services for the District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts and was a recipient of the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center “Change Maker Award.” The foundation is nationally recognized for supporting victims of domestic violence in the Greater Newburyport, MA area. Domestic violence can be in the form of emotional and physical abuse. The Center helps victims with safety planning, legal assistance, counseling and support. 

Cider Creek is supporting the foundation by donating a portion of the proceeds from each bottle we sell through the end of 2014. Thank you for helping us support this amazing cause.

Thanks to the success of our KickStarter campaign, Cider Creek Hard Cider is now open for business in upstate New York and Massachusetts. We have received all of our permits and licenses and have officially opened our cidery.

Cider Creek Hard Cider is a product of Cunnigham Creek Distributors. We are building a farmhouse cidery on our family farm in Canisteo, NY.