This May, University of Minnesota researchers, in collaboration with a collection of local cider producers and apple growers, were awarded a $100,000 grant to explore the production of cider and cider apples in Minnesota. The Speciality Crop Block Grant, which enables state agricultural agencies to administer federal funds for specialty crop research, will provide funding … [ Read more]
Essay: Old World Lessons on Spontaneous Fermentation and ‘Wild’ Cider
June 5, 2019 by
Nate Watters is the co-founder and cidermaker at Keepsake Cidery, Minnesota’s only 100 percent spontaneously fermented cidery. All opinions expressed are his own. Life is full of moments that change us. Sometimes they are little nudges, gently changing our course—maybe a lyric in a song heard at First Avenue. Sometimes they are hard shoves, changing … [ Read more]
Keepsakes of a Season: The homegrown ciders of Nate Watters and Tracy Jonkman
August 28, 2018 by
See? Not every apple is created equal,” Nate Watters says before launching into a story about the “spitter” apples he just had me try. I quickly grasp his point—their flavor is horrible for eating, and I promptly and predictably eject from my mouth the small bite I’d taken, just as Nate knew I would. “The … [ Read more]
The Ultimate Guide to Cider Week 2018
June 1, 2018 by
Celebrating all-things cider, the annual Minnesota Cider Week is back and ready for sipping action. Running June 2–9, this week-long celebration, organized by the Minnesota Cider Guild, highlights our state’s locally crafted cider, as well as many of the establishments that embrace and support the fast-growing industry. The week is full of events, from special … [ Read more]
Trailblazers 2017: Nate Watters & Tracy Jonkman of Keepsake Cidery
December 26, 2017 by
In spring of 2014, Nate Watters and Tracy Jonkman planted 2,400 apple tree saplings on their property in Dundas, Minnesota, with a singular goal in mind: make top quality cider from Minnesota-grown apples. Spanning 30 varieties of dessert and cider apples, the founders of Keepsake Cidery knew they were taking a big chance on the … [ Read more]
What We’re Drinking: August 2017
July 25, 2017 by
Welcome back to What We’re Drinking, wherein The Growler editorial staff look back on a recent remarkable beverage. What are you drinking, Growler Nation? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Bang Brewing Gold Blonde Ale – Joseph Alton, Editor-in-Chief The best thing about craft beer is ingenuity. Simple ingredients used in varying fashions produce vastly different flavors and styles … [ Read more]
Apple blossoms mean Minnesota’s cider season is here
May 8, 2017 by
Apple orchards are beginning to bloom and that can only mean one thing: cider season is here. Starting Friday, May 5, Number 12 Cider House’s taproom, located at Deer Lake Orchard in Buffalo, will be open for business on the weekends. Started by four couples, one of which owns Deer Lake Orchard, Number 12 is the maker … [ Read more]
Minnesota’s guilded age of cider
October 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Jim Morrison of Sapsucker Farms could barely keep up with the nearly 1,000 people who attended the Minnesota Cider Guild’s first-ever Cider Fair on Sunday in Jordan. He was surprised by the sheer number of people looking for a sip of his Yellow Belly Hard Cider, but also at how many times he heard someone … [ Read more]
The State of Cider 2016: Updates from cideries during Minnesota Cider Week
June 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
For at least one week in the year, cider reigns supreme in Minnesota. Town Hall Brewery’s sixth annual weeklong cider celebration runs through June 11, and this year the event was rebranded Minnesota Cider Week to reflect the growing community of cidermakers and cider drinkers across the state. Cider is an essentially simple beverage—take apple juice, ferment … [ Read more]
DIY Fermentation: Beet Kvass
September 5, 2015 by Leave a Comment
We’re in the tail end of beet season at the farmers markets. And perhaps the dipping temperatures have you thinking about ways to prolong the harvest. Fermenting vegetables at home might seem like a daunting task, but the barriers to entry are lower than you might think. Take beet kvass for example (above, left). It’s … [ Read more]
Rooted in Tradition, Keepsake Cidery Looks to the Future
June 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Photos by Brian Kaufenberg “This is really out there,” my fiancée remarks as we turn onto another winding country road taking us deeper into farmland on our way to Keepsake Cidery in Dundas, Minnesota. She’s right—the roar of I-35 has completely faded away by this point, replaced by the sound of rustling trees in the … [ Read more]
