Farmhouse Cider

Reach for a bottle of local craft cider and embrace the flavors of autumn with this dish, which pairs well with sides such as butternut squash, sweet potatoes, or roasted turnips.

Christine Walter, owner and head cidermaker at Bauman’s Cider in Gervais, Oregon, makes both traditional and modern ciders using apples and other fruits sourced as locally as possible. Here, she shares her process for transforming red-fleshed, acid-forward Mountain Rose apples into complex yet balanced heritage ciders.

As with farmhouse ales, not every farmhouse cider is made on the farm. Yet the evocative word tends to accompany certain traits—and there’s plenty that should appeal to drinkers looking for old-fashioned flavors with a sense of place.

Want to get into some great cider but don’t know where to start? Beth Demmon, author of The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cider, names five who could be the faces of American cider’s future, from innovative newcomers to groundbreaking icons of the craft.