The market for craft ciders is growing in Northeast Ohio.
The folks behind Platform Beer Co. plan to open Urban Apple cider house in the Flats.
Cider man Richard Read of Griffin Cider Works is opening Last Voyage cider house in Lakewood.
Here is an article that I wrote a while back about Read and his craft ciders for Currents newspaper.

U.S. demand for Griffin’s English-style cider is growing

                Forget everything you have ever known about cider.

                When you taste the cider produced by Richard Read and Griffin Cider Works, you will realize that it is unlike anything you have ever had.

                Read has been making cider since he was 14 years old, growing up in the Herefordshire/Gloucestershire countryside of England. “I’m a country boy and that is what country boys drink in England,” he said. Read pointed out that cider was once what country boys drank in the United States, as well. “George Washington rationed hard cider to his troops. John Adams drank cider, as did Benjamin Franklin. Our ciders are close to the colonial ciders of old,” he noted.

                A scientist by trade, Read worked at the Cleveland Clinic before becoming cider master at Griffin Cider Works LLC in Westlake. When he first came to the U.S., he realized that the light ciders available here were nothing like the fuller flavored English ciders.

                “I arrived to these shores in 2005 and started a family with my wife Rose. It was not long before I realized I could not find my cider of choice, or any cider for that matter that quite hit the spot,” he said. “To alleviate the drawback of not having an acceptable cider close by, I started to experiment with making my own cider that would be similar to those that I drank when I was still living in the U.K.”

                “Real cider is made from 100 percent fully fermented apple juice,” he said. “A rule of thumb is that, if the fermented cider smells of fresh apples, it is probably alcoholic water with concentrate added at the end. Cider is an apple version of wine. When you drink good wine, it doesn’t smell like fresh grape juice.”

                “Many of the apple concentrates are from China,” he added. “Griffin uses Ohio apples because they are the best. I’m buying local, baby. If you dig a little bit, you’ll discover the best things right here. We use eight to 15 different varieties of apples and four varieties of honey in our ciders.”

                Read said he shops ethnic markets to discover spices that he can incorporate into his ciders. “I’m always looking for new flavors that I blend with the very best apples I can find. I’m a scientist who is also a cider maker,” he explained.

                After being absent from the U.S. market for so many years, the heartier ciders are making a resurgence in this country, according to Read. “It’s the brand new kid on the block. Lately, there has been a big emphasis on craft beer. Cider goes hand in hand with that,” he said. In fact, the demand for cider is skyrocketing, Read noted. “Public education is critical. Melt Bar and Grilled has been carrying our cider since 2010. Our first batch of cider was only 60 gallons. Then, we went to 2,600 gallons, then 4,500, then 7,000 gallons,” he said. This year, Griffin expects to make about 12,000 gallons of cider. They are looking for a new location to expand, because they cannot meet the demand in their present facility.

                There are several reasons for cider’s growing U.S. popularity, according to Read. “Americans love to try the new flavor. Cider is it. They’re wowed by it,” he said. “Americans like to watch their diets. Cider is lighter than wine in alcohol and naturally gluten-free. It’s not heavy on the stomach like a lot of beers. And, cider is gender neutral, while a large percentage of beer drinkers are men.”

                Griffin hard ciders include the Griffin Original, a clear and crisp medium English cider, and Burley Man, which is a robust, unfiltered, English farmhouse-style cider. Honey Oak is an oak-aged cider made with four varieties of Ohio honey and nitro-carbonated. Lemon Blues is a lemon shandy cider infused with fresh lemons and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Lolo Romy is a medium-sweet specialty cider made with Phillipine mangoes. Strong Woman is a medium cider finished with cherry flavor. It is a charity cider, produced in small batches in March and October. Proceeds from Strong Woman are donated to support the fight against breast cancer. In addition to the Melt restaurants, other local businesses that carry Griffin Cider Works products are Tremont Tap House, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Bier Markt, Edison’s Pub, Earth Fare and Heinen’s.

                Read said they hope to eventually add a different seasonal cider each month. A tribute to the Irish, Connaught Ranger cider will be available by St. Patrick’s Day. “One of my fancies is to build a cider house,” Read noted. “Right now, I can give you 17 different ciders that should be on tap.”

                Read is passing on the heritage of making proper English-style cider to his two sons. “My eldest tells me that he wants to be the next Cider Man,” he said. “We have a lot of fun. I’m working on what I like to taste, and I guess a lot of other people like what I like to taste.”