CIDER SAMPLING
Community comes together to kick off culmination of Beer Week
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The Spa City community kicked off the summation of Beer Week with Cider Night at the City Center.
More than 30 cideries had samples on hand for guests to taste, handed out by volunteers. The main room of the City Center was filled during the whole three-hour event, with hundreds of people coming out to enjoy an evening of cider sampling.
Many of the cideries represented were from New York. A few were from Vermont, and two were imported from Sweden. Most are available locally, sold at various businesses in Saratoga.
The event was largely run by volunteers, both from charity organizations and from individuals wanting to get involved. Members of the Albany Patroons and the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Capital Area were at the entrance to greet people and hand out souvenir tasting glasses.
The Saratoga-Wilton Kiwanis were running a coat check, raising funds through tips to benefit scholarships for the Saratoga Springs High School and the Culinary Arts program at the BOCES CTE.
“It’s wonderful!” exclaimed volunteer Cindy Schmehl, with To Love A Child, who was helping at Cider Night for the first time. “It’s a great way for the community to come together and have a good time, and sample the multitude of beverages that the state - and beyond - has to offer.”
Also experiencing Cider Night for the first time were Holly Sather and Becky Farinacci, enjoying an evening out with a group of friends.
“Becky got group tickets, so we’re all here ‘cause cider is awesome!,” Sather said. “It’s a lot of fun, there’s a lot of stuff here I’ve never seen before. But holy ( beep), there’s a lot of people!”
“It’s not too crowded, but it seems like a lot of people,” agreed Farinacci.
Despite the crowd, the group was having a good time trying many different ciders. The consensus was that the hibiscus ginger cider offered by Awestruck was the favorite.
In addition to the cider sampling stations, there were several vendors selling food and souvenirs. One of the most popular snacks for sale was the pretzel necklaces from Phygit Foods. Many people walked through the event sporting a necklace, noshing in between cider samples.
Live music was provided by the threeman band aCoustiK, consisting of twin brothers Cody and Kyle Chamberlin and Andrew Wahrlich. The band played several sets of popular music over the course of the three-hour event.
“It’s been awesome, this is a lot of fun,” said Cody. “I like the atmosphere - so many great people here.”
Cider Night was hosted by America On Tap, a division of Town Square Media. Their largest corporate sponsor of the event was Citizen Cider, based in Burlington, VT. Citizen was founded in 2011 and proudly produces ciders that are never made from concentrate and never have added sugars. The apples for their ciders are grown in both Vermont and New York, including orchards in Peru, Kinderhook, and Schuylerville.
Their products are distributed by Saratoga Eagle and are available throughout the capital district in Price Choppers, Hannafords, and beverage centers.
“We have six core ciders that we make, as well as some limited releases each year,” explained Tyson Gajda, Citizen’s brand manager for upstate New York. “This year’s limited releases are a maple flavor, a lavender, and a citrus.”
The cidery was recently featured on a Jan. episode of the hit Food Network show “Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.” Host Guy Fieri tried some of their ciders paired with wings, and liked what he saw (and tasted).
Gajda was thrilled to be part of Cider Night for his second year in a row. “This is awesome,” he said. “The crowd is amazing. It’s a unique experience for this area. We’re really proud to sponsor it, and to have people enjoy our ciders while we’re here.”
Saratoga Beer Week concluded on Saturday with the Beer Summit, which drew even larger crowds throughout downtown Saratoga.