/Charlie Crowley
/Charlie Crowley
When most people think of a nice cool adult beverage in the summer, many will turn to a shandy or a citrus based beer. The mixture of summer fruits such as oranges, lemons, or grapefruit can provide a refreshing feeling after a long day. When most people think of a fruit like an apple, however, they think fall. The Peoples Cider Co. may be that one exception.
Like many microbrewers, The Peoples Cider Co. started from two simple words.
“Obsessive homebrewing,” said Jason Lummen, the brain behind the brew. “I started homebrewing in the early 2000s. I was in a homebrew club, Primetime Brewers. I got going in that and got totally obsessed with ciders. I was so obsessed with ciders that I was buying it everywhere I went – every bar, every liquor store, I was seeking it out.
“A lot of the ciders I found were backsweetened. They were sugary sweet, and the ciders I was making at home were drier, and you know at the same point in time I was obsessed with it I was making a few hundred gallons annually at home… at the same point in time I didn’t love my day job, so I kind of started scheming about it. Took a few years, but we incorporated early on and opened in 2012.”
Lummen said Peoples Cider makes 24 different ciders throughout the year, and like most microbrews, supports local. He said he gets his ingredients from Sparta, and likes to call their ciders “All Kent County Wine.” He also noted that his favorite ciders to make are barrel aged, which happened by chance. A business connection had empty bourbon barrels lying around, and Lummen was in need of more containers for his beer. One thing led to another and he was able to use the barrels to hone a new cider.
The Peoples Cider Co. is based out of Grand Rapids at 600 Maryland Ave. SE, but Lummen can be found with his bright red van right when you get to the market on Saturday mornings. For those who can’t deal with the sugar that many big ciders offer, The Peoples Cider Co. may get you back on the cider train. Maybe next time you need a cool drink after a long day, don’t think citrus – think cider.
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