St. Louis has seen an explosion of craft breweries in recent years, and soon it will welcome its first dedicated cidery.
Owner Russ John is in the process of opening Brick River Cider Co. downtown at 2000 Washington Ave., in a former firehouse. The name of the company is a nod to St. Louis’ position as a leading national supplier of bricks in years past. John said he hopes to have construction and permitting completed in August, then start production and have cider ready to drink just in time for bonfire season.
“My heart is hoping to make Halloween weekend, but I’m optimistic, probably, to hope it’ll be that soon,” he said. “It’s probably realistically sometime in November.”
John has a background as cider homebrewer. His family has owned apple orchards in the area since the late 1860s and has made cider on a small scale almost as long.
“The family legend is that the two bottles of cider I have on my desk were made by my grandfather during Prohibition,” John said.
John is currently putting together a group of a half-dozen different suppliers within a day’s drive of the cidery in an effort to support local agriculture. He plans to work exclusively with fresh-pressed Midwest apple juice.
The Brick City space will not only house a production facility, but it will also boast a tasting room. The space will have a 30-to 40-seat bar area on the first floor, along with the cider production facility, and a larger dining room on the second floor with a full kitchen.
Matt Sorrell is a staff writer at Sauce Magazine.
This article appears in April 2017.