Cider farm/brand recommendations?

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tegan

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Want to try fermenting some cider but not ready to commit to getting a cider press yet. Farms that aren't big tourist destinations aren't usually good about having any info online; anybody gotten good fresh cider/apple juice direct from a farm or know of a good local brand available in stores?
 
I personally think the best is available direct from farms. Check out local pick-your-own spots to see if they press / sell their own cider. If you can get unpasteurized, that is best, but you certainly want to make sure there are no sulfites added.
Other than that, it's hard to really screw up cider.
 
South of Seattle, outside of Olympia, Lattin's Country Cider Mill has some excellent unpasteurized Cider. Last time I bought it I had to sign a waiver stating I want consuming it raw. Hopefully they have done away with that...
 
South of Seattle, outside of Olympia, Lattin's Country Cider Mill has some excellent unpasteurized Cider. Last time I bought it I had to sign a waiver stating I want consuming it raw. Hopefully they have done away with that...

I agree, Lattin's does make some really good ciders. If you go there on a weekend they usually make apple fritters that are awesome!
 
I'll try going to Lattin's this fall. Washington produces over half the apples in the US, there have to be more farms with apple presses somewhere in the state, right? Maybe I can find a friend who wants to go out and randomly drive around the Yakima area looking for farm stands?
 
Lattins will no longer sell unpasteurized cider, even with a waiver, without a special permit. However, they did say if you let them know how much you want, and you come on a day they are pressing, they week seek it to you. They press on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays IIRC. $6 a gallon
 
I work at a farm that presses fresh unpasteurized juice. We have our own equipment. You can also rent equipment if that's more your style.

Sound homebrew supply rents equipment
 
Want to try fermenting some cider but not ready to commit to getting a cider press yet. Farms that aren't big tourist destinations aren't usually good about having any info online;

Check with local homebrew stores/clubs, if they don't have any they'll probably know where you can find some.
Here's a source for online orchard information:
https://www.orangepippin.com/orchards/united-states/washington

Also check craigslist for cider or apples. Here's someone with heirloom apples, maybe ask if he has a press?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/grd/5836461326.html

If you look on you tube, there's several videos of people making cider with a 4x4 and a bucket to mash them up and another bucket and a car jack to press them out. So if you don't want to commit too much money you can make cider for maybe $20-30.
 
Check with local homebrew stores/clubs, if they don't have any they'll probably know where you can find some.
Here's a source for online orchard information:
https://www.orangepippin.com/orchards/united-states/washington

My LHBS does sell cider, and if I can't find my own source I may have to resort to that. It's only available once as far as I know, by pre-order, $7 a gallon.

I was hoping to get more specific info from other locals in the know about farms that press specifically for hard cider. Every thread in the cider forum will refer you to the orange pippin site, which only has 20 orchards listed for Washington state. As opposed to, say, Wisconsin, which has 1/60th the apple production but 125 listed orchards. So I'm hoping that there are better local resources out there.
 
My LHBS does sell cider, and if I can't find my own source I may have to resort to that. It's only available once as far as I know, by pre-order, $7 a gallon.

I was hoping to get more specific info from other locals in the know about farms that press specifically for hard cider.

If your LHBS is selling a hard cider blend for $7, that's a pretty good deal.
I have to drive for several hours to get a hard cider blend for $10-13.
The Bittersweet/Bittersharp apples are pretty much not available at the retail level (around here anyway). Any orchards that grow Cider apples can sell everything to hard cider producers at a decent price. I've come to the conclusion if I want decent cider apples, I need to plant some trees.
 
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