Since starting this blog I got a new job! On top of selling Mary Kay here and there, I got a seasonal job at Ridge Cider Co. and boy, have I drank some cider! Among my favorites are Raspberry, Berries, Worthy, Caramel Apple and Cucumber Melon.
Ridge Cider is produced in Grant, Michigan. They use actual cider apples, not good for much else other than making booze. They cycle through about 30 different flavors over a year, and they are constantly creating something new! They have only produced one "sweetened" cider since I have been there (caramel apple) and it's sweetened with homemade caramel sauce. Yum! That also means that they are all on the dry side of the spectrum, low in sugar - most just have whatever sugar occurs naturally in the fruit.
Speaking of fruit, they use all real fruit and as much of it grown local as possible. The raspberries come from a farm just down the street from the orchard!
While it isn't really possible to get local bananas for the Kong (banana) cider, they still use real, fresh not dried or frozen bananas. And all that real fruit plays with the chemistry of the beverage. The Kong and Sandy Apple (pineapple) tend to have extra foam on top and it holds for longer. The raspberry is many times on the lighter side of carbonation, although this may actually have to do with the amount of co2 added, rather than because of fruit chemistry alone.
As you can tell, I have learned a lot from Ridge in the short time that I have worked here. I love it! I highly recommend checking out the Grant tap room if you are ever in the area. Otherwise you can find me at the satellite tasting room next summer!
