Halcyon Days Cider Company is a unique addition to Rockbridge’s locavore/craft beverage scene. Halcyon Days makes small batches of hard cider using over 50 varieties of apples from the 2000 trees on the property 7 miles south of Lexington on Rt. 11.
The family owners grow, pick, and press the apples for juice, ferment and then mature the cider for two to six months. They then carbonate, bottle and label each batch by hand.
The many varieties of apples allows Krietemeyer to create a variety of flavors and to control the sweetness of the final product. Typically, the cidery will have up to a dozen varieties of their ciders for tasting and purchase, ranging from semi-sweet to dry. Their focus is primarily to use heirloom cider apple varieties in their blends. The alcohol content varies, but is similar to that of craft beers.
The cidery is the first in Rockbridge County, but part of a chain of Virginia cideries in an informal ‘Cider Trail.”
While the cidermaking is accomplished in a new state-of-the-art production building, the rest of the facility is refurbished from historic Rockbridge County structures. An existing 1940s milk barn that was used in dairy farming in an earlier use of the property has been renovated into seating space and a large family game room. A covered breezeway connects the milk barn building to the tasting room, which is in a reconstructed 19th century log cabin moved to the site from North Mountain.
If making hand-crafted ciders in a unique setting wasn’t enough, the grove of dwarf apple trees on the knoll above the cidery is a story in itself. The trees grow along wires, much like those at vineyards, and the grove itself is laid out in the design of a labyrinth. The labyrinth, which is a larger version of the same design the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France, and leads one on a continuous path to the center at the top of the hill. Historically, the 13th century labyrinth at Chartres is representative of a pilgrim’s quest for the holy land, and the design has been duplicated in many places.
Call or check their website at halcyondayscider.com for days and hours of operation. The address is 4135 S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578. Phone (540) 291-1340.
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