Cider is something that Dan and I love but generally when we go out, we find the same common brands - Ace, Angry Orchard, etc. In San Franicsco, we frequented the cider bar (UpCider) on Polk Street but there hasn't really been anything like in San Diego. So on a trip to the dog park, we were really intrigued when we saw a sign for a local cidery called Poochie's Hooch that was giving proceeds to help rescue dogs. This seemed to combine two things we love - cider and dogs - so I decided to look them up.
At first, I didn't get many hits, but eventually I stumbled upon the Facebook page and I saw that they were just trying to raise capital to open a cidery next year. I decided to send a message to see if there was a way we could buy some before then and the cider maker, Mary Paulson, invited Dan and I over to try some of her ciders.
We were instantly impressed from the start - Mary had several different ciders for us to taste through and for such a new cider maker, it was amazing how many varieties she offered. This was still just a small sampling of everything she's made as her batches are so small, she works through them quickly and many flavors don't last long.
Dan's favorite cider was the Pumpkin Spice which was no surprise. Not only is pumpkin his usual favorite, but it's also Mary's most popular cider. Many of her fans so far have requested that it be featured year round at the future cider house.
My favorite was the Nutter-Nilla cider. Peanut butter and vanilla seems like weird combos for an apple cider but the flavors came together really nicely in a fun new combo. Because many of Mary's other popular flavors weren't available when we went (I'm looking at you Apple Bacon).
And then we moved onto the really fun and unique creations.
The first was Mary's Sparkling Strawberry Wine. This was probably my favorite drink of the day (but technically not a cider so the Nutter-Nilla still wins there). It was a very light and low alcohol sparkling wine that already tasted like a strawberry mimosa. Mary plans to offer Sunday brunch at her cidery with Sparkling Strawberry Mimosas (she swears it's even better with orange juice added) and breakfast food trucks. It sounds like a great way to brunch.
The most fun beverage of the night was her cider mojito. She used her Apple Mojito flavor and then added a lime, and a sugar rim to make a lovely cider cocktail - which is an idea I'd never heard of before and where I think her creativity will really shine. Not only will she have a vast collection of ciders to try but her cider based cocktails are what will really make her business stand out from the rest.
After we were done trying Mary's ciders, she invited us inside for some of her homemade brandy and some snacks. Her cider is dryer and higher alcohol than normal ciders so we were definitely feeling a little buzz by the end of the evening. Her hospitality definitely extended far past a normal tasting and we had a great evening learning about her ciders.
If you'd like to learn more about Poochie's Hooch, definitely visit their Facebook page. Mary is currently fundraising to open an actual cider location where she will be able to ramp up production and have a tasting room. If you'd like to donate, she has an Indie Go-Go page and a GoFundMe site where people can donate to help get her business off the ground. Future profits from the cidery will go to help rescue dogs as well.
Such an inspiring wine post! I'm not a wine drinker, but this has made me want to start. Way to go and thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDelete