Press Day In the Cider Barn

Monday mornings are when we fire up the press in the barn, and it always smells delicious.

This week we pressed two of our favorite heritage apples, Kingston Black and Golden Russet. Each becomes a single-varietal cider that shows off what South Mountain fruit can do.

Cider apples on their way to juicing.

Kingston Black is an old English cider apple known for its balance of tannin, acidity, and sugar. It is small, dark-skinned, and full of character. The juice it gives is sharp and complex, the kind that ages into a cider with structure and spice. Many cider makers consider it the benchmark for traditional cider apples.

Golden Russet looks different from most apples you see in stores. Its skin is golden and rough, sometimes speckled, sometimes bronzed by the sun. The flavor leans rich and honeyed, with a depth that makes it perfect for fermenting. The cider it produces is rounder and smoother than Kingston Black, but still carries the freshness of our Pennsylvania fruit.

We press them separately because each deserves its own spotlight. They’ll ferment slowly over the next several months, tucked away until the flavors deepen and settle into themselves.

It is a good reminder that not everything worth sharing is ready right away. Some things need time to turn into what they are meant to be.

Meanwhile, over at the Taphouse we have the season meeting this moment. Firepits are going, the mulled cider is warm, and weekends in the orchard are a chance to slow down. Come visit us in Gardners, Pennsylvania.