Blue Toad Hard Cider, Henrietta, NY

Tucked away in the Genesee Regional Market complex in Henrietta, NY, is one of our favorite local haunts. It is hard to pass up the opportunity to visit Blue Toad Hard Cider where we can spend some time playing card games over a couple pints of locally sourced hard cider. After a few years of watching Blue Toad grow, we felt it was time to include their story for the blog. Stopping in one Sunday afternoon, we spent some quality time with bartender extraordinaire, Adam Washbon, trying out the different ciders and getting the inside scoop on all the work being done at Blue Toad.

Bluestone Brewing Company, South Waverly, PA

While on a recent trip to the Southern Tier region of New York, we made a small hop over the state line to check out one of the area’s newest breweries, Bluestone Brewing Company. Having been open for almost a year at the time of our visit, we wanted to see what kind of interesting concoctions Bluestone was brewing for its customers.

Bad Seed Cider Company, Highland, NY

New York State is the second largest grower of apples in the country yet oddly enough, hard cider makers are still few and far between. Luckily for us, we discovered Bad Seed Hard Cider Company while visiting family down in the Hudson Valley. This cider maker definitely knows what it is doing, and produces some of the most impressive ciders I have ever tasted.

A Taste of Long Island, Farmingdale, NY

We have visited many different breweries during our travels. Some are large organizations that distribute beer throughout the country while others contract brew and design or craft beer based upon customer requests. Then there is A Taste of Long Island in Farmingdale, NY which has a slightly different model. The brewery shares its facility and equipment with tenant brewers, allowing these startups to craft beer on professional equipment without the upfront cost of opening their own brewery. We decided to check out this interesting concept while visiting Long Island on a recent trip.

Beak & Skiff / 1911 Spirits, Lafayette, NY

Located about half an hour’s drive south of Syracuse, NY and situated near the eastern edge of the Finger Lakes region, is Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards. The orchards have been around since 1911 producing apples to sell at local markets,expanding into cider production and pick-your-own apples in the 1970s. In 2001 they expanded yet again to start producing hard ciders and wines. Let’s explore the various concoctions that Beak & Skiff, in conjunction with its distillery 1911 Spirits, is producing.

Bellwether Hard Cider and Wine Cellars, Trumansburg, NY

Considering New York State’s long history in apple farming and cider production, one would expect to find many hard cider makers. This is not the case though, and those skilled hard cider makers are few and far between. However, within the Finger Lakes, one can visit Bellwether Hard Cider and taste some authentic ciders as well as their new collection of wines.