Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery lights up on Opening Day
While Spartanburg is still a year out from the opening of the downtown Minor League baseball stadium, one spot in the city already has its own longstanding Opening Day tradition.
Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery held its annual Opening Day beer release March 28. The downtown brewery has been celebrating the start of baseball season with its special brew Phoenix Ryesing, the beer made with baseball bats, since 2016.
The brewery welcomed baseball fans in starting at 12:30 to watch games, albeit a historical one due to rainouts, enjoy a special menu of popcorn, brats, and hotdogs, and test their knowledge of baseball history during trivia.
Bob Harding, decked out in Phillies gear for the occasion, has celebrated Opening Day at Ciclops for the last several years. He even volunteers with the beer making for the event.
"It's just a blast," Harding said of the event. "I've been baseball fan for about 58 years. So I always look forward to Opening Day because your team's in first place on Opening Day. Hope springs eternal."
Zed Heydenburg comes back every year for the Phoenix Ryesing re-release.
"This is probably my favorite batch so far," Heydenburg said. He described its flavor as "mellow, sweet and a little smoky."
There was plenty of excitement about the new team coming to Spartanburg this Opening Day as well.
"I can't wait. Having baseball here in town will be fantastic," Harding said.
Beer from baseball bats
How did this tradition start? With a dare from a customer, of course.
"What happened is a guy came in, and basically said 'I bet you can't make beer out of baseball bats'," said Pub Manager Holden McGinnis. "And Kolby (Garrison), the original owner, said 'Hold my beer' and came up with Phoenix Ryesing."
Phoenix Ryesing is an ESB, a darker beer with caramel and smoky flavors to it.
"You can taste all of the char from the baseball bats without it being overpowering," McGinnis said.
That's right — charred baseball bats. To make Phoneix Ryesing, Ciclops Cyderi & Brewery teams up with local pizzeria Venus Pie to bake baseball bats, which they then take a blowtorch to in the brewery's parking lot. The bats are then added to the beer, which would have been fermenting for about a week at that point.
The bats sit in the beer for two weeks before they are removed and the beer is carbonated. The entire process takes about a month, McGinnis said.
"We did 100 gallon batch," McGinnis said. "It's first come first serve on it, but realistically, we should have it for about the next month."
One year to Opening Day at Fifth Third Park
The event was also the perfect way to welcome Spartanburg Professional Baseball Club to town, said McGinnis. Team representatives were presented with a mounted refinished bat used in this year's brewing at the start of the event.
Director of Ticket Sales Estee Hemphill said fans can currently make deposits for suite ownership and Milliken Club Seats. Lower-level season ticket memberships will release in the next few weeks, and interested fans can join a waitlist.
"We're taking deposits; those deposits really kind of serve as the start of your tenure with us," Hemphill said. "And in a couple of weeks and months, we'll start the seat selection where fans will be able to actually know their seating location."
The team has an office on West Main Street, next to the Spice & Tea Exchange. Once they're able to move into offices at the stadium, it will be converted into a team store.
Hemphill said the community will learn more about the team in the coming weeks and to keep an eye on Spartanburg Professional Baseball Club's website and social media for updates on future events.
"We are thrilled to have community members involved and excited for the return of baseball," Hemphill said.
Plans for Fifth Third Park were approved by the city's Design Review Board on March 5 and crews are working full steam ahead to have the stadium ready for the start of the 2025 season.
Fifth Third Park will feature a 3,500seat Single A stadium costing an estimated $58.6 million. The total development project is estimated to cost $425 million and will include 375 apartments, a 150-room hotel, office and commercial space, a public plaza, and parking for at least 1,500 vehicles.
Samantha Swann covers city news, development and culture in Spartanburg. She is a University of South Carolina Upstate and Greenville Technical College alumna. Contact her at sswann@shj.com or on Instagram at @sam_on_spartanburg.