Black Twig Cider House, the premiere cider house in the Southeast helmed by cider expert and co-owner Mattie Beason with co-owner/chef John Eisensmith, will host their inaugural TxotxFest September 10th, 2016 from noon to 4 pm. This event is the first of its kind in the Southeast to celebrate cider the fastest growing segment in the beverage industry by bringing regional and national cider producers and chefs together.
In addition to ciders, cider cocktails and live music, the top cider houses on the east coast will offer a tasting Anxo, from Washington DC, and Wassail from NYC alongside Durham restaurants, including: Bona Fide, Durham Catering, Mateo, Oval Park Grille, PICNIC and Rise. Eisensmith will serve a whole deboned, sausage-stuffed local pig from Firsthand Foods.
“It is our hope to showcase our local cider makers and restaurants as well as offer guests tastes of cider from all over the country and the world”, states cider expert Beason.
At the center of the celebration is the Txotx, a Spanish cider barrel filled Isastegi, generously donated by De Maison Selections. After traveling through the Basque region of Spain, Beason and Eisensmith fell in love with the Spanish tradition of the txotx (pronounced choach) and wanted to share this experience with their Durham community.
Cider producers for the event include:
Bold Rock, Nellysford, VA and Mills River, NC
Bull City Ciderworks, Durham, NC
Citizen Cider, Burlington, Vermont
Eden Specialty Ciders, Northern New England
Foggy Ridge Cider, Dugspur, VA
McRitchie Winery and Ciderworks, Thurmond, NC
Noble Cider, Asheville, NC
Red Clay Cider, Charlotte, NC
Urban Orchard Cider Co. and Bar, Asheville, NC
De Maison Selections, an importing company specializing in unique, high-quality, boutique wines, ciders and spirits from Europe, will also participate, pouring 5-10 ciders from
Spain and France.
The event, which takes place in the green space next to Black Twig, begins at noon for VIP ticketholders ($75) and 1 pm for general admission ($50). Tickets can be purchased here or at www.blacktwigciderhouse.com. The event will raise money and awareness for The Inspire Media Network, founded by Chris Rosati after learning he had ALS.
Don’t miss Beason’s upcoming cider classes July 23rd and August 27th or Beason as he travels with the txotx, serving cider at the euphoria Food, Wine + Music Festival in Greenville, SC September 24th and Terra Vita Food & Drink Festival, September 29th. Mark your calendars for Eisensmith’s cider cooking class at Southern Season, October 5th in Chapel Hill.
