Our Ciders

We are dedicated to the culture of apple growing and their use in premium apple ciders. Our handcrafted ciders always contain 100% fresh squeezed juice and are never blended from concentrates. We use a combination of table apples that include, but are not limited to, Jonathan, Gala, Cortland, and Macintosh. The apples we use come from many local orchards, including our own small orchard on the estate where we are growing many varieties of traditional cider apples. We use an old style rack and cloth press because we believe this method allows our ciders to have exceptional taste and freshness.

Our Sutliff Hard Cider has garnered local and worldwide recognition. In March 2010 we were selected by readers of Edible Iowa River Valley as a Local Food Hero. In 2008, the Cider Company was profiled in Edible Iowa River Valley's Summer Issue which can be found here (pdf) and was paired with world-class prosciutto from La Quercia (Norwalk, IA) at the Slow Food Festival in San Francisco, CA.

Currently, our hard cider is one of the 30 best ciders in the world and only one of four American ciders to make RateBeer.com's Best Cider in the World rankings. That list can be found here.

Hard Cider
We are proud to present our handmade sparkling Hard Apple Cider. Our hard cider has 6% alcohol, is fairly dry, with lively carbonation. This champagne-style cider is barrel fermented in used french oak which gives just a hint of oak on the finish. It is a very versatile drink as a wine alternative during a light meal, or as an aperitif much like a fine Riesling. The cider is crisp and clean, and can be served on those occasions where a cold beer is appropriate. The refreshing flavors leaves you wanting more. We package in 750 ml champagne bottles with a traditional bottle cap. We offer a 10% case discount.

Soft Cider
This beverage is nonalcoholic and blended from our juices before fermentation. It is filtered and carbonated and served fresh after bottling. We don't use a lot of preservatives on this product so we recommend refrigeration before and after opening. Soft Cider is packaged in 750 ml champagne bottles. We offer a 10% case discount.

Pure Cider
All cider producers must offer their raw apple cider. We call it Pure Cider. Our apple juice is only available for a couple days after pressing and pressing is usually done once or twice a month from October - April. The Pure Cider is a straight blend right from the press. Nothing is added and nothing is taken away. There are no preservatives used and it is pasteurized. We chill and bottle it immediately upon pressing.

We are open Saturdays and Sundays between 11am-6pm until November for tastings and tours. If you cannot make it during those times and want a personal tour or tasting please contact us at scott@sutliffcider.com.