B'Ham Extra CiderHead Release Party
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“EXTRA!! EXTRA!!”
2nd Annual Community Cider is Ready
Just in time for the Holidays!
Honey Moon Mead & Cider is pleased to announce the release of our 2016 Bellingham Extra CiderHead, the delicious result of a community-focused project that captures the essence of Bellingham in a bottle. Now in its second year, this unique and uniquely local hard cider blend is made from apples grown all over our fair city, quite literally in our own backyards.
This year’s vintage contains dozens of different varieties of apples, including Spartan, Snow, Melrose, King, Akane, Gravenstein and Jonagold, as well as many mystery varieties from wild or heirloom trees.
Favorable growing conditions this year produced a bumper crop of tree fruit, and local residents with “extra” apples on their hands have been eager to participate in the project. During the harvest season the folks at Honey Moon collected more than 12,000 pounds of local fruit that would otherwise have gone unused. Contributors received vouchers for a portion of the finished cider.
“We were overwhelmed by the response,” says Murphy Evans, Honey Moon’s owner and the driving force behind the project. “People were dropping off buckets and boxes full of apples at our shop, and the phone was ringing off the hook for our crew to come and harvest trees. It’s been really fantastic.”
Six tons of apples yielded about 1000 gallons of juice, all of it pressed at Honey Moon’s facility in downtown Bellingham, which is bursting at the seams at this time of year. Evans worked with a local machinist to design and build a custom press expressly for the purpose. “The press was designed to be mobile, so we could roll it onto the patio where we have more room to work. The added bonus was that folks could watch the press in action, and even toss a few of their own apples into the hopper if they wanted to. It made the community connection that much stronger.”
The final product has been carefully tended to produce a one-of-a-kind cider that reflects the climate, terroir and spirit of Bellingham in 2016. To celebrate its release, Honey Moon will be throwing a party on Saturday, November 26. There will be tours, tastings and special apple themed treats from 5:00-8:00, with music by Bilongo Quintet starting at 8:30.
Vouchers can be redeemed at Honey Moon any time.
The 2016 Bellingham Extra CiderHead will be available in bottles and on tap at Honey Moon as well as area stores and restaurants while supplies last. As a way of giving back to the community that helped make it possible, Honey Moon will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation.
For more information, visit ciderhead.com or contact Honey Moon at 360-734-0728.
