KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For 28 years, Boulevard has bottled up things like the wildly popular unfiltered wheat and the sought-after smokestack series. This fall, though, they’ve been working on a new treat.
The brewery said its first ever cider, City Market Cider (6.2% ABV, 0 IBUs), will start off on draft and in four-packs in Kansas City, but it will also be on draft in St. Louis and for college students to enjoy in Lawrence and Columbia.
“We've been playing around the last two years,” said Boulevard brewer Tim Farrell.
The company has had some test batches for the dry apple cider at their beer hall. Farrell says the whole project has been a labor of love.
City Market Cider, after all, is named after a local destination and is made with homegrown fruit.
“My family originally runs the orchard, so that's how I'm connected to the cider-making process of it,” said Farrell.
Sourced from an orchard and cider mill in Sibley, Missouri, the crisp fall beverage features juices from Jonathon and Fuji apples. It takes 40 minutes to drive the Sibley Orchard apples from theirs trees to the brewing tank. After about ten days of fermenting, it's ready for bottling.
“It's fun to work with people that are local, and you get to talk to them, and they get to see the finished product," said Farrell.
So how does City Market Cider taste?
“It has the apple back sweetening flavor because we back-sweeten it with juice, but it also has a kind of tartness to it, so that's what the cider kind of tastes like post fermentation,:" said Farrell.
The seasonal drink will be sold at places that regularly carry Boulevard beer. City Market Cider goes on sale Tuesday.
Flavor Profile - Boulevard
- Aroma – Crisp, sweet apple with a touch of tartness
- Balance – Bright apple, slight acidity
- Body – Light, spritzy
Food Pairings - Boulevard
- Washed Rind Cheeses
- Mushroom Risotto
- Asian Glazed Pork Belly
- Sushi
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