Cider fans across the US can now enjoy New York State’s Brooklyn Cider House award-winning natural hard ciders via the newly-launched Brooklyn Cider House Small Batch Cider Club delivering limited release ciders directly to the front door (or pick up at the cidery located at Twin Star Orchards in New Paltz, NY). Following the philosophy that “ugly apples taste better,” Brooklyn Cider House ciders showcase estate-grown heirloom cider apples, with a focus on dry, mineral-driven and aromatic bottlings – especially the small batch ciders, which are often Basque-style, pet-nats, co-ferments or blends. Until now, most of their small batch ciders have only been available at the cidery.
Crafted by two generations — head cidermaker/co-founder Peter Yi and his son cidermaker Richard Yi — Brooklyn Cider House is known for its award-winning natural hard ciders that are made with heirloom apples grown in their own 210-acre Twin Star Orchards. Four times a year, club members will receive three or six (two collections of three) new small batch releases starting from $84 for three 750ml bottles with unique labels created by artists, plus benefits such as cidery tours, free tastings, discounts on bottle purchases, and a free gift with each shipment like a tote bag. (Members also receive an exclusive complimentary invitation to a Harvest Party Dinner with the Cidermakers on August 31 at the cidery.) Ciders shipping in September 2024 are:
- Lurra2023: A dry, tannic, complex cider with excellent minerality and fruity aromatic notes of apricot, umeboshi, fresh and dried apple.
- Rustica2023: A crisp and refreshing Golden Russet and Roxbury Russet blend that is dry and acid-driven with light tannins and subtle citrus and herbal notes.
- Txangurro2023: Meaning “crab” in the Basque language, this cider is a tart, earthy blend of Manchurian crab apples and Brown Snout cider apples with medium tannins.
Brooklyn Cider House constantly experiments with different apple varieties, blends and co-ferments to produce delicious limited-edition small batch ciders. Other new releases available now include:
- Red Skies, an apple-grape pét-nat cider made with Northern Spy and Rhode Island Greening apples blended with Marquette grapes from nearby Whitecliff Vineyard. It’s an unfined, unfiltered, dusky rouge sparkling cider with minimal added sulfur with wild tart cherry and herbal notes, great minerality and earthiness.
- Dance, Dance, Dance, a co-ferment of 85% Northern Spy, Dabinett, Porter’s Perfection and Newtown Pippin apples and 15% estate grown strawberries. Triple fermented, this cider has fragrant strawberry notes on the nose and a dry minerality on the palate.
About Brooklyn Cider House and Twin Star Orchards
Produced at Twin Star Orchards in New Paltz, NY, Brooklyn Cider House’s award-winning line of natural hard ciders was launched in 2015 and includes Raw, Half Sour, Bone Dry, Kinda Dry, Little Wild and Rose, as well as limited small batch releases and co-ferments. Made from cider apples grown on the 210-acre orchard grounds in a newly built cidery on site, the ciders have been awarded numerous double gold, gold, silver and bronze medals at the Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition (GLINTCAP), Brewing Awards, Cider Craft Magazine, and USA TODAY 10 BEST (the Rose was voted #4 in 2023); the cidery was also recognized by Chronogram Magazine with a 2024 Chronogrammies First Place Cidery. The ciders are available at retailers, restaurants and bars in multiple states and can be shipped to 40 states (where allowed by law). The Brooklyn Cider House Small Batch Cider Club launched in the summer of 2024.
