A lost post about places we are losing

Sometimes, it's the place.

This is not a post about Cider as much as it is a post about the local small town pub.  They are not hard to find in England and Ireland, but they are getting harder to find as time goes on.

I stay in AirBnB places a lot.  When I was in England recently, a savvy pub owner friend told me that he was listing his upstairs rooms on AirBnB, because he had to.  No one was even trying to look for local rooms offered as B&B's.

So when I needed to go to the small town of Nenagh Ireland on business, I decided to find a pub to stay at that was not on AirBnB.  I am currently at the bar in Andy's pub.  Joe just showed me around and poured me a pint of Bulmers.


The atmosphere here is so comfortable and homey, it is already a home away from home for me.  Joe bustles around taking care of customers, yet making it feel comfortable and taking time to chat with an armful of dishes he just bused from a table.

Take the chance on a small place this year.  Use a telephone and call a human, make a reservation and stay there.  It will be different,  and maybe a little odd.  But I can tell you that I will remember this, and it is worth more than the Hilton points I would have earned, or the convenience AirBnB would give me.

It may also not be available for much longer.

Note - I wrote this about two years ago.  Just getting back...

North Carolina Cider

So I have this wife, and she has a traveling bear.  Think 'garden gnome' that makes its way around the world only it is a stuffed bear that drinks hard cider.

The bear ('Snuffles') gets his picture taken in most, if not all cider places my wife goes to with me.  Case in point...

Bull City Cider in Lexington

Appalachian Mountains Brewery in Boone

I guess it is pretty clear that the bear digs his cider.

If you get the chance to go to either one of these pubs, take it!

Appalachian takes some looking to find, and you might have to work for your parking.  It is a pretty open layout with space for dogs, kids and pet bears.  The cider is a first rate citizen at this brewery, but those that crave a beer can find one here.  The peach is great as is the Roots.  They have enough of a selection that I did not get a chance to try them all.  (I had to drive out of there and I am a good boy when it comes to being a responsible cider consumer).

Bull City is pretty cool too.  I went with the 5 flight, then did it again to try most the others.  I had favorites, and walked out with two 32 ounce howlers...one of Compassion, and one of Off Main.  Bull City in Lexington is currently only open 1-5 on Saturdays, but the lovely girl behind the counter said plans are in the works to add air conditioning and more open hours.

Whew.  Ok, I did the first real post, so now I can work on making them better.  I know this one was short on details, so the future ones will be a little more in depth.


Cider is here, and it is getting more popular.  Step outside the Angry Orchard and find a local cidery close to you - it is worth it!

The seeds of a blog

A few years back I was in England, and I tried some cider.  Well I liked it, a lot.

So I spent the next year and a half spending as much time as I could (work got in the way a little) seeking out tiny farm house ciders in the Southwest of England.

Come the end of 2014, I had the choice to leave England or overstay my visa.  I wanted to be able to come back, so I opted to return to the USA, reluctantly.  My appetite for cider did not leave me though, and I found that cider was becoming more interesting in the USA...yay!

I am going to post some history of places I have found in the USA, and will put down info on the places I go now that I have finally started this.

As I write this, I am in North Carolina, where I have found at least a few outstanding cideries.  I will try to be accurate with my description of the places I go, both with regard to the cider and the atmosphere, but do not expect much negative vibes...when I get to have cider I am a cheerful guy.

Some stuff I might reference:

• Eric West has a map.  He mentions that it is a little out of date, but I have found it useful.  His entire site is great
• https://ciderguide.com/cider-maps/
• https://ciderguide.com/
• Another map that is pretty darn good
• https://www.cydermarket.com/usa-hard-cider-map.html

I won't be making another map, but I will try to help these folks update theirs if I can help them.  I will also be referencing these maps to find new places to try their cider!

Cheers, and will talk to you soon.