Bold Rock Cider Works in Mills River
offers nine hard ciders on tap.
served unpasteurized on tap and in bottles.
A number of annual beer festivals; beer
tours led by a certified beer expert (called a
“cicerone”); a Pubcycle tour; yoga and beer
classes; and a myriad of unusual products
made from beer including ice cream, cakes,
beer-glazed donuts and even shampoo
reveal another fun side to “Beer City, USA.”
(For more info on Asheville’s beer scene go
to ExploreAsheville.com/beer.)
flavors in addition to their two flagship
ciders: Wicked Peel and Blackberry Gold.
Another newcomer to the area, Virginia-based Bold Rock Hard Cider opened its
second location in Mills River, NC, in 2015.
In addition to complimentary daily tours,
their state-of-the-art tasting room with
overhead views of the bottling line offers
nine ciders on tap including Carolina Apple
and Carolina Draft produced exclusively in
Mills River. On weekends visitors can kick
back on the outdoor patio and enjoy music
and local food trucks.
Just a hop, skip and jump from “Beer
Henderson County native Alan Ward
City, USA,” Henderson County is making
opened Appalachian Artisan Ciders Fall of
a name for itself in the hard cider business. 2016 in a renovated 1940s barn. The new
The county is the largest apple-producing
venue is located across the street from
area in North Carolina and the seventh
his Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards which
largest in the nation, making it the perfect
already produces a line of ciders under the
location for the hard cider industry.
name “Wallace” (named after his adorable
Flat Rock Ciderworks began producing
dog!) “You can taste cider in a grocery
hard cider in 2014 from locally grown
store,” Ward says, “but when you taste it
apples and berries. “We take the product all here in the middle of the orchard, it gives
the way from the orchard to the bottle, keg you more of an experience.”
or can,” says Jim Sparks, one of the owners.
Download a brochure and map of
“We want to promote the local agriculture
the Henderson Cheer! Trail (which also
in our community.” Their recently opened
includes five breweries and two wineries)
tasting room in the quaint town of Hender- at http://www.visithendersonvillenc.org/
sonville serves up several interesting cider
cheers-trail.pdf.
The Hard Cider Players
SANDRA CHAMBERS
Appalachian Artisan Ciders
Sandra Chambers
SANDRA CHAMBERS
Sandra has written hundreds of magazine, newspaper and online articles for
20+ national, regional and
local publications. For the
past four years she has been
a regular contributor to
Allegiant Airline’s in-flight
magazine, Sunseeker.
She has also written travel stories for
West Jet Air, Luxe Beat Magazine,Dreamscapes, Lumina News, Wrightsville Beach
Magazine, North Brunswick Magazine, and
South Brunswick Magazine, among others.
Sandra lives in Wilmington,NC, and enjoys
photography, reading, the beach, seafood
and all things Southern. See her travel blog
at Southern-Traveller.com.
IFWTWA author profile here.