Weekday Suds: You mean that Erie has a craft scene?

Up until recently, there wasn’t a lot of beer drinking to be done in Erie.  There were a few pubs and restaurants but no one was doing their own thing.  And then along came a brewery, a cidery, and barrel house is on the way!  I wasn’t feeling great so I thought stopping at the Cidery would be ok.  I knew there were only a few choices on tap so I wasn’t going to get a big tray of things to try.  And cider is like apple juice, right?  That’s good for you when you don’t feel well…

I brought my crew of trusty taste testers and we got started at this brand new stop, The Old Mine Cidery and Brewpub.  One the Super tap was the original, the the Citra Hopped version, and two limited releases (a chocolate bourbon barrel imperial cider rings a bell).  I can’t wait to go back and check out the craft collection and maybe I can even get a peak to see all of the beers that are cellaring at 500 Briggs St!

For those of you out there who don’t do gluten, this is your place!  Due to the nature of the process, the cider is gluten free and so are some of their pizzas and snacks.  If you are on your way back to the patio, you can see the entire process on the way.  It’s a small 5 barrel system but the product they put out is fresh, crisp, and refreshing.  (BTW, this is the last picture of me was the last one before I was down for the count with the flu!)

While I had tasted some of the beers at the New Brew Fest, what I was most impressed with were the fusions.  Because cider isn’t everyone’s thing, Old Mine carries other local craft beer.  When you combine beer with cider, you get some interesting combos.  I had already tried the regular cider so it was time to try a fusion.  I went for the peach, part IPA and part cider.  Everyone was fooled and I was in love.  I will definitely be back to try some other fusions.  I really like that they aren’t tied to a brand with the fusion, just a style of beer and cider.

I don’t think I can replace all of my beer drinking with cider (too much sweet for me) I will definitely be back for another glass and a gluten free pizza!

Odd fact for the history buffs: the Old Mine is a building that is 120 years old!

Check them out on Facebook here!