From the AHA:
(Denver, Colorado) – On May 17 from 1- 4 PM, Colorado Cider Company
will host a membership rally for the Boulder, Colorado-based American
Homebrewers Association (AHA).
“With the growing popularity of cider making in the homebrewing community,”
says AHA Director Gary Glass, “the American Homebrewers Association is
excited to have Colorado Cider host the first AHA membership rally ever held at
a cidery.”
“In a survey we conducted of homebrewers last year,” Glass reports, “we found
that 38% of our members have made cider. That percentage is up from 33%
reported by members in a 2010 survey.”
That’s good news to brewer-turned-cider-maker Brad Page, the founder of
Colorado Cider.
“We want to help more homebrewers add cider to their list of fermented
creations,” Page says. “If we can get more people using the apple in their
homebrewing, that’s good for beer makers and cider culture.”
The event will feature tours of the Colorado Cider facility, samplings of the
company’s creations, educational info on cider making, local food trucks and
cider-minded fellowship.
Admission to the event is free for current members of the AHA. AHA members
can RSVP and get more details on the event at
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/events/colorado-cider-co-aha-rally/
Non AHA members can attend this event by joining the AHA at ">http:// www.homebrewersassociation.org/membership/join-or-renew/
the AHA at the event and sign up at a discounted rate for rally attendees.
Homebrewing and home cider making have had a close relationship for many
years. “Homebrewers,” Glass says, “seem to have a natural affinity for cider.
More so than wine makers, even though cider is technically a wine.”
Page attributes some of his industry’s success to homebrewers and craft beer
fans. “Cider is being embraced by craft beer consumers,” Page says, “and that’s
a big reason for the rise of the cider industry. Craft drinks consumers are open
minded and willing to add another craft beverage to their mix.”
Page says cider making provides new adventures for homebrewers. “Home-
brewers like fermenting different stuff,” he says. “While it’s more closely tied to
wine making, cider is often a brewer’s first foray into fermenting fruit.”
Page is one of a small number of US brewers who’ve made the jump to the cider
side. He was one of the first brewers for Wynkoop Brewing Company when it
opened in 1988. In 1989 he became the brewmaster and a founding partner of
CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Brad and his wife Kathe Page then pioneered craft brewing outside of the US
when they opened a brewpub in Buenos Aries, Argentina in the late Nineties. A
few years later they returned to the US and began planning Colorado Cider.
The state’s second commercial cidery and the first in the Denver area, Colorado
Cider opened its tasting room doors on November 11, 2011. The Pages have
worked to enlighten Colorado consumers about hard cider and have paved the
way for future cider makers in the state.
The company’s modern take on its historic beverage includes a mix of traditional
creations and inventive, boundary pushing ciders. Colorado Cider’s creations
include Glider Cider, Glider Dry, Grasshop-Ah, Pome Mel and others. They
are distributed in Colorado by Elite Brands.
A recent expansion at Colorado Cider has enabled the cidery to triple its annual
production capacity from 25,000 gallons to 75,000 gallons. The company’s 2013
sales were up 150% over 2012.
Kelly Reitan is Colorado Cider’s head cider maker. She is a Colorado native and
one of very few female cider makers in the US.
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