Duluth Cider was a gold medal winner in the 2019 U.S. Open Cider Championship // Photo via Duluth Cider and medals via U.S. Open Cider Championship
Three Minnesota cideries took home awards from the sixth annual U.S. Open Cider Championships, with the final round of judging held in Buffalo, New York.
Duluth’s newest craft cideries shined. In the Perry & Pear Cider category, Wild State Cider won bronze with their Pear Cider, while Duluth Cider garnered a gold medal in the Anything Goes category with their Las Lajas Coffee Cider, made with beans from Duluth Coffee Company.
Sapsucker Farms, the organic farm cidery located in Mora, Minnesota, took home two awards with their Yellow Belly Cider line. In the category of Herbal Cider, they scored bronze with their Wildflower Cider, made from wild bergamot found on the farm’s prairie land. In the Wood-Aged Cider and Perry category, Sapsucker took the silver with the Barrel-Aged Cider, their most award-winning cider aged in bourbon barrels.
Stevens Point’s CiderBoys repped Wisconsin with three awards, reaching the podium in the categories of Strawberry, Peach, and Modern Sweet Cider.
Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery from Palmyra, Nebraska was named Grand National Champion for winning three gold medals for their Original Cider, Passion Pineapple Cider, and Hibiscus Ginger Cider.
The competition assessed over 300 ciders in 24 categories, made by cideries, wineries, and breweries from the U.S. to Ireland. The panel included judges from Niagara College Teaching Brewery, Niagara College Teaching Winery, and cideries in the Niagara area.
