It looks like Covid is subsiding for real this time, and there’s no better way for Team Gregula to celebrate than to have a drink…or two…or three. After a 2-year absence, Cider Summit returned to Chicago for their 9th annual festival on Saturday February 4th and we had a tasty time sampling some crisp ciders and other luscious libations.
Taking place at Navy Pier’s AON Grand Ballroom, Cider Summit Chicago featured over 150 ciders including regional favorites and international classics. Da Count and I chose to partake in the 1st session (12PM-3PM), which we highly recommend as supplies sometimes run low during second session (5PM-8PM) which can disappoint if you’re looking forward to trying something that’s run out earlier.
It was a crowded day at the fest, lines for some popular ciders were super long but waits were pretty quick.
To absorb all the alcohol there were snacks provided, such as deviled eggs and cupcakes. There was also cake provided by Women Employed who also just happened to be the beneficiary this year for their 50th anniversary.
The main sponsor Binny’s Beverage Depot provided samples of apple and pear brandy. I had a taste of the apple and it was quite strong…definitely one for sipping!
Now here’s what you all are waiting for – the cider reviews!
Our first stop was at Wyder’s Cider where we sampled their Raspberry. Made with fresh raspberries it was clear with a pleasant pink color and tasted very refreshing.
Magner’s Pear cider was a light straw colored beverage with a mild pear taste and a mild cider finish made from 100% pears. Yum!
St. Ambrose Cellars offered several tasty choices. I just had to try their X.R. Cyser, as it promised to taste like apple pie in a glass. It was definitely true! It was not too sweet but just enough to amplify the apple flavor with a touch of cinnamon.
We tried two selections from B Nektar, the Lime Cream Delight and the Peach Zombie Killer, which had a very tart Peach flavor and was kind of strong but tasty. The Lime Cream Delight promised lime and vanilla flavors but the lime overpowered the vanilla which kind of disappointed me but it was still a good refreshing drink.
It was getting late and we didn’t want to miss out on one of our old reliable standby favorites, Angry Orchard, and boy did they have the tasty stuff! First we tried their original Crisp Apple which had a very strong but not too sweet flavor and I commented that I wanted to go to Jewel tonight and buy some haha. Then we also tried the new flavor Hardcore, which is a cherry flavored cider. When I smelled it, the cherry scent was hex-cellent and boy when I tasted it I thought I was in heaven.
Oh, I also didn’t want to forget to mention that we finally had a chance to sample the infamous Malört and both of us agreed it wasn’t something we wanted to try ever again haha. I don’t think I had “Malört face” though, which may have disappointed the peeps excited to see our first taste reaction.
We had a fun and productive day sampling cider and other goodies and managed to stay reasonably sober. Cider Summit Chicago was definitely a success and we highly advise all hard cider fans to check this fest out when it comes back in 2024!
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