A trip to a sagardotegi (cider house) in the Basque region is what inspired the conception of Brooklyn Cider House to blossom in New York. Already involved in the industry as a wine buyer and shop owner, Peter Yi was less engaged in cider culture and expressions before this visit to Spain. When an opportunity arose to attend a cider focused event in one of the most infamous places in the world for cider production, Peter took it. His experience at the sagardotegi was described as “a gastronomic epiphany like no other: simple, farm-fresh food, paired with natural cider caught straight from the barrel. Tantalizing ciders, delectable foods and the sounds of laughter and contentment filled the cidery with pure magic.” What he saw inspired him enough to kickstart a cider operation upon his return to Brooklyn in Spring 2014, sourcing apples from an orchard in New Paltz that he acquired and revitalized, Twin Star Orchards. After the pandemic, the heart and guts of the operation was refocused in New Paltz. The cidery has transitioned from outsourcing stages of production to doing pretty much everything in-house from growing/harvesting the fruit, pressing, fermenting and bottling the juice, manufacturing cans for the beloved 12 oz-ers, and collaborating with artists for label design - not to mention their farm market and tasting room plus food pavilion situated scenically at the base of the orchard. Stuart Young currently manages the production on sight, and kindly shared his responses to the following prompts:
What is one thing you'd like people to know when consuming your product?
"It is all about the apple. We cultivate our orchard to get the most flavorful fruit possible and are constantly adding new varieties to explore newer and deeper apple knowledge and, subsequently, more intriguing ciders."
What is one thing that you are looking forward to?
"I am personally looking forward to having ALL of the cider making components within our orchard. We are almost there, but it is still quite daunting."
