The GOODS from Sunday Cider
Vancouver, BC | The friendly folks who brought you Vancouver’s first cidery are back with delicious new craft cider available now at some of BC’s finest and far out establishments.
Sunday Cider has been on an adventure to take their cider making to wild new places. What began each Sunday in the basement of Chinatown’s Bestie restaurant grew into making cider in a shared facility in East Van. While filling growlers and hosting epic Summer Sizzlers in the parking lot created many good times, the team decided to make the paddle over to the Sunshine Coast in order to grow their business and grow their own apples apples. They landed on a 20+ acre property just 2 minutes from Gibsons, BC. The property is home to a handful of heritage apple trees, kiwis and huckleberry bushes as well as acres of beautiful Coastal forest.
Cidermaker Clinton McDougall and co-founder Patrick Connelly recently planted 427 cider apple trees. Their planting was focused on cider and heirloom apple varietals such as Kingston Black, Dabinett, and Michelin. These are not exactly the type of apples that you’ll find in the grocery store or in your lunch box. Some folks in the cider industry call these apples “spitters” – too bitter and tannic to eat, but when milled, pressed and fermented, these apples add complexity and tannin final cider.
Sunday Cider has just released their first few batches of cider from their new Sunshine Coast facility. Their flagship Sunday Sesh is back, along with a series of wild fermented ciders available in kegs. Bottles and cans are set to release in the spring. Sunday Cider’s bottle program will be focused on wild fermentation and natural cider production techniques.
When working with cider fruit, they let the natural yeast found on the skins of the apples drive the fermentation, adding unique aromatics and textures to the cider. A collaboration is underway with natural wine brand A Sunday in August. Co-fermenting cider apples with Cabernet Sauvignon skins gives this cider a vibrant colour and a unique depth of flavour.
The team plans to open Sunday Cider to the public in the spring of 2020 with an outdoor picnic area featuring flights of cider, growler fills and bottles to go. Sunday Cider is part of a growing craft beverage scene on the Sunshine Coast. They have joined Persephone, Gibsons Tapworks, 101 Brewhouse, Bruinwood Distillery and Brickers Cider. Sunday Cider is one more delicious reason to visit to the Sunshine Coast next summer.
Right now, you can find Sunday Cider on tap a handful of establishments in Metro Vancouver and on the Sunshine Coast.