Starcut Ciders - Unique and traditional ciders from Northern Michigan

Starcut Ciders, brought to you by Short’s Brewing Company, was founded in 2014 and born out of a desire to make unique and traditional ciders from the orchards that surround us in Northern Michigan. Made from apples sourced from our own backyard and throughout the state of Michigan, we make cider not only because we love it, but because we have a strong desire to make a beverage we believe in. We are committed to crafting ciders that showcase the beauty of our home.

Locate our cider near you!

LOCAL APPLES

We craft our ciders from apples grown by Michigan farmers, including local farmers whose orchards are close to our home in Antrim county. We use apples from the trees that we see on a daily basis at home and at orchards throughout our state. We transform and capture the local beauty of Michigan orchards into a form we can share with our friends.

BEING CREATIVE

We see the world through crafty eyes. What may look like just an apple orchard to some, is the catalyst to endless amounts of flavors, images, names and good times to us. We have just begun what promises to be a very exciting cider making adventure.

ULTIMATE VARIETY

We are encouraging our local farmers to grow an enormous range of apples to use in our ciders. Our aim is to create ciders that will reflect the complexity and variety of our local orchards, and promote Northern Michigan as a cider destination.

Featured, On Tap, and Cider Vault

Our Ciders

Pulsar is a semi-dry cider with soft fruit and white wine-like aromas. A mild acidity offers a tangy sweetness that dries the palate.

Octorock is a semi-sweet cider with delicate fruit and yeast aromas, candied apple flavors, and a generous amount of sweetness before a clean finish.

Phuzz is a semi-sweet cider fermented with Michigan apples and peaches. The cider is a brilliantly clear amber-straw color and has aromas of fresh apple and peach.

*Now Available* Squishy is a semi-sweet cider fermented with Michigan cherries.

*Now Available* Immortal Jelly is a semi-dry hard cider inspired by Short’s Brewing Company’s Soft Parade. Immortal Jelly is fermented with Michigan apples and a blend of raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

At Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, Michigan

A repository for all of our ciders not currently in production

Wild cider series

Exciting Starcut Cider related news

Blog

Starcut Releases

We Shall Call It Squishy

What is this red, jellyfish adorned cider you ask? In the fall of 2014 we first conjured this freakishly delicious Michigan apple and cherry cider and we decided then, without any hesitation that we shall call it Squishy and it…

June 26, 2017

Starcut Releases

Walk on the Wild Side with Erraticus 10

Chances are if you dig Starcut Ciders, you’ve heard of Erraticus. Our series of rare, wild ciders fermented with local, Northern Michigan apples. Sometimes barrel aged and always delicious, Erraticus ciders are always crafted in small batches and to date,…

June 1, 2017

Starcut Releases

Erraticus 9 Is Oh so Fine!

Have you ever had a gooseberry? Native to parts of Europe, northwestern Africa, and Asia, the gooseberry is a part of the genus Ribes and related to more common berries like currants. Always looking for the next frontier in fermentable…

May 25, 2017

Starcut News

Starcut Ciders Announces Erraticus in the Wild

Elk Rapids, Mich. – Starcut Ciders, a division of Short’s Brewing Company dedicated to fermenting Northern Michigan hard ciders announces Erraticus in the Wild; a series of on and off premise events showcasing the company’s rare, barrel aged and wild…

May 4, 2017

Starcut News

Now Hiring: Starcut Ciders Field Representative

Attention all handcrafted cider emancipators looking to blow people’s minds while freeing Starcut Ciders into the hearts of the good humans of Planet Earth and onto the shelves of taprooms and bottle shops everywhere: Starcut Ciders is now hiring for a…

April 17, 2017

Starcut Releases

Immortal Jelly is Here to Join The Parade!

Last year, we introduced you to the incomparable Immortal Jelly. With flavors rooted in a tried and true Short’s Brewing Co. flagship beer, we had a hunch that this cider would be a hit. Fermented with Michigan apples and not…

March 23, 2017

Where we source our apples

Our Farmers

Boals Orchards

Boals Orchards is a second generation farm located in Kewadin, MI. Originally a dairy farm started in 1945, the Boals family has been farming this land for the past 69 years. Ron Boals purchased the farm from his parents and transitioned from raising beef cattle and cherries to apples. The Boals family now grows seven different varieties of delicious apples.

Altonen Orchards

Altonen Orchards boasts a huge variety of Northern Michigan produce grown just outside of both Elk Rapids and Eastport, MI. As a third generation farm they now raise asparagus, strawberries, raspberries, peaches, pears, plums, apricots, sweet corn, a variety of other vegetables, and 20 + varieties of apples. Brian Altonen, his brother Jason, and his father John keep busy throughout the year in the orchard and running the fruit press for cider.

King Orchards

King Orchards is a first generation orchard and farm with their roots in Central Lake, MI. Pioneered by Jim and John King, this is a family owned and operated farm (pictured right, Jack and Courtney King). Multiple orchards and two farm market locations offer u-pick opportunities for a variety of fruit including cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, apples, and many berries. The Balaton and Montmorency cherries that we use to make Squishy are grown at King Orchards.

MAKING DELICIOUS CIDERS FROM

Northern Michigan