Great idea!

Branch Out Cider Releases First Cider

Branch Out Cider welcomed the release of their first cider, Perennial 2012, with an Orchard Party to celebrate the new product and the apple tree owners that contributed their apples to the making of the product.

Five years ago, Matt Fater and Aaron Fodge started making cider by hand-pressing apples. As they began sourcing apples though, they could help notice the amount of apple trees in and nearby the Fort Collins (CO) area – where they are located. As a result, they came up with the idea of a “community orchard.” The concept is easy – people with apple trees that have a surplus of apples or find their apples are beginning to turn can register their trees with Branch Out Cider and someone from the cider company (perhaps Fater or Fodge themselves since it’s a small operation) will come and harvest the apples. After, the apples are pressed and the juice is fermented. Excess pulp is fed to chickens.

Fater told InnovatioNews, “From August through October [2012], we collected fruit from 40 different properties.” Fater and Fodge estimate that there may be more than 600 trees in the Fort Collins vicinity though so the company is hoping even more owners will register their trees with Branch Out Cider.

“The beauty of this business is that we don’t have to invest in an orchard,” said Fodge to InnovatioNews. “Instead, we’re investing in relationships with our neighbors and utilizing a resource that would otherwise go to waste.”

The “community orchard” apples used for Perennial 2012 produced a dry, sparkling cider blended from Empire, Portland, Winesaps, McIntosh, Red Delicious and a number of heirloom apple varieties. With an 8.5% alcohol content, the cider can be found in 750ml bottles in select locations in the Fort Collins (CO) area. There were a little over 170 cases produced (2,000 bottles) though so get it as soon as you can!

For more information or to register your tree to participate in the 2013 apple harvest, please visit BranchOutCider.com or contact Aaron Fodge at Aaron@BranchOutCider.com.

Ouch, Remind me to never let this happen!

Square Mile Cider Co. Announces Voluntary Recall of Hard Cider Products

Earlier this month, Square Mile Cider Company (SMCC) announced the voluntary recall of 2,500 cases of Square Mile Original Hard Apple Cider and Square Mile Spur & Vine Hopped Apple Cider.

The recalled product was sold in retail locations in California, Oregon and Washington. It is limited to the following to products packaged on or before May 15, 2013:

• 22-ounce bottles of Square Mile Original Hard Apple Cider with the markings “hand-picked” and “hand-pressed” on either side of the logo
  
• 22-ounce bottles of Square Mile Spur & Vine Hopped Apple Cider with the markings “hand-picked” and “hand-pressed” on either side of the logo
  

SMCC has recalled these products due to concerns that cider from the company’s first production run may be refermenting in the bottle, which may cause the bottles to burst under certain circumstances and can lead to potential flavor inconsistencies. Consumers who may have purchased the affected product should dispose of it immediately in an outdoor trash receptacle.

“As a handcrafted, small batch cider maker, we take all packaging and product quality concerns very seriously. We are working with our wholesalers and retail partners to remove all affected product from store shelves as quickly as possible. We are also confident that we have identified the problem and want to reassure our consumers that we stand by the quality of our products,” said Lorin Gelfand, Brand Manager for SMCC.

To date, no consumer illnesses or injuries have been reported.

Consumers with questions about the quality of their SMCC products may call the company toll-free at 1-855-371-0895 (8am-4pm PST), visit SquareMileCider.com/contact, or write to 929 N. Russell Street, Portland, OR 97215.