Blog : Starcut Releases

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is by Sharing Spruce Cider with Friends Far and Near

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is by Sharing Spruce Cider with Friends Far and Near

This past summer, our head cider maker, Tony “T$” Hansen, sat down to make his Christmas list (what can we say? He likes to send his letter to the big guy at the North Pole early, he’s pretty sure it increases the odds of getting everything on his list). He sat downstairs at the Short’s Brewing Company Production Facility and barricaded himself at his desk in the brewer’s office. No one, not even Tyler (Director of Quality), was going to interrupt his holiday preparations. Hemming and hawing, he asked aloud, “What do I want for Christmas this year?”

Aside from a new pair of Dickies work pants and this statue of a super zen Garden Gnome, T$ was stumped! What could jolly old St. Nick slide into his stocking to make it a December to remember?

Stumped. Tony cracked open a fresh bottle of Spruce Pilsner, (a favorite of the Short’s-i-verse), took a sip, and closed his eyes. As the delectable brew hit his taste buds visions of spruce dongers and fresh pressed apples danced in his head.

“Eureka!” Yelled Tony.

Turning to Kyle (who was visibly startled by Tony’s exclamation) T$ explained “The best way to celebrate this holiday won’t be singing loud for all to hear or waiting for jolly old St. Nick . . . The best way to spread Christmas cheer will be sharing spruce cider with friends far and near!”

Shaking his head, Kyle closed his computer and headed off for his long drive to ‘Kasky. He had cows to check on and for God’s sake, it was only August anyway. Why was Tony worried about Christmas? Why was Tony speaking in rhymes?

Jumping into the Tony mobile, T$ set a course for Beer Camp, our top-secret barrel aging facility, and set to work. The spirit of Christmas had filled him and he no longer cared what Santa brought him. He had only one mission in mind. He juiced and he steeped and he sprinkled Christmas cheer. For added effect, he even strung garland, wrapped lights, and hung hand cut snow flakes from the ceiling. The finished product? The final 2016 installment of our Erraticus Series, Erraticus 7, AKA the world’s tastiest, wild fermented spruce cider and a very festive looking beer camp. 

Erraticus 7 is a wild cider fermented with Michigan apples and aged on Northern Michigan Blue Spruce tips. Light straw in color with a slight haze, Erraticus 7 smells of bright apple, farmhouse funk, and crisp spruce. Farmhouse and apple flavors up front lead into complementary pine flavors before a dry and slightly tart finish. Overall, Erraticus 7 is well balanced and very drinkable.

Released today (a full 8 sleeps before the most wonderful day of the year). Erraticus 7 is ready for your holiday celebrations! Forget the sable (what is a sable anyway?) and slip a bottle of Christmas tree cider under the tree. Each 750 mL bottle will only set you back $11.00, so you can pick one up for Aunt Sue and Cindy Lou Who, too.  Bottles are only available in Bellaire, MI at the Short’s Brewing Company pub and Short’s Mart, so you’ll have to make a trip up to good ‘ol Antrim county to score your stash. It’s been snowing for days, so pop your skis in the car and drive carefully. We’ll see you at the pub!

Party like the Pilgrims with Erraticus 6

Party like the Pilgrims with Erraticus 6

In case you’ve never taken an American history course, we’re here to fill you in. Despite their puritanical beliefs, it’s widely assumed that our friends the Pilgrims knew how to throw a party. Between a lack of potable drinking water and the difficulty found in storing the fresh stuff, hard cider was not only the tastiest, but one of the safest beverages for the first colonizers to consume. With mugs of home brew and wild fermented, hard apple cider in hand, they gave thanks for friends, family, and dry land in November 1621.

So in keeping with tradition, we’re thrilled to be releasing the sixth cider in our Erraticus series just in time for your Thanksgiving feast. Erraticus 6 (6.4% ABV) is an oak aged wild cider fermented with Michigan apples and Black Currants. This wild cider has a light purple hue and an aroma reminiscent of Pinot Noir with notes of fig, currant, apple, and oak. Erraticus 6 erupts with a burst of oak and tart currant flavors that lead into a finish that is well balanced and dry.

Available only at the Short’s Brewing Company pub and Short’s Mart, you can take a bottle of this historical nectar home for only $18.00. Party like the pilgrims this turkey day, bring Erraticus to the table!

P.S. Looking for more cider-filled Thanksgiving inspiration? Check out our list of cider spiked holiday recipes.

¡AY, CARAMBA! Tequila Cider!

¡AY, CARAMBA! Tequila Cider!

We’ve shared our gin barrel aged and white wine barrel aged beauties, but now it’s time to get just a little funkier. For the 5th installment in our Erraticus Series, we took our inspiration from south of the border to bring you an extra special treat. ¡AY, CARAMBA! It’s a tequila cider!

Erraticus 5 is a wild cider aged in tequila barrels. Bright with a straw-colored hue, Erraticus 5 has aromas and flavors of bright apple, oak, tequila, and funk. An ample amount of carbonation allows the complex flavors of this cider to dance on the drinker’s taste buds. This cider is surprisingly easy drinking and very approachable.

Packaged in 750 mL bottles, Erraticus 5 can be yours for just $18.00. Erraticus 5, is only available at the Short’s Brewing Company pub and Short’s Mart in Bellaire, MI beginning RIGHT NOW. Get all the deets on the Erraticus Series by visiting starcut.co/erraticusseries.

Here Comes the Phuzz

Here Comes the Phuzz

It’s officially fall here in Northern Michigan and it’s only fitting that we celebrate with a new bottled cider. Inspired by the sweet and juicy peaches of a late summer harvest, we’ve concocted a tantalizing cider fermented with apples and peaches we’re affectionately calling “Phuzz.”

Phuzz (6.9% ABV) 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. Phuzz is mildly tart and subtly sweet with flavors of bold apple and pleasant lingering peach.

So here comes the Phuzz! Find ‘er pouring from taps and packaged in 12oz bottle six-packs. Phuzz is now available throughout the mitten state. Distribution to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Colorado will begin soon.

Introducing Immortal Jelly

Introducing Immortal Jelly

Many of you may know our sister brand, Short’s Brewing Company, brews and bottles one of the most delectable beers out there: Soft Parade. Well, we hoped that maybe those juicy berries would be just as tasty in a cider too. We brewed, and (taste) tested and determined this to be absolutely correct. And thus, Immortal Jelly was born! Today, we’re happy to introduce the long-awaited, berry filled, semi-dry Immortal Jelly to cider lovers in Michigan and beyond.

Immortal Jelly (5.1 % ABV) 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. This cider is rose in color and has scents of tart fruit. Immortal Jelly’s complex blend of berry fruit flavors provides a big tart acidity up front before a semi-dry finish.

Evoking only the most treasured of summertime memories, Immortal Jelly is the perfect cider to sip post swimming, sunbathing, snoozing, or snacking. Just in time for the holiday weekend, our newest bottled cider is now available in Michigan. Out of state fans, look for Immortal Jelly in Colorado, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio very soon.

Flamingo Juice and Otterson Apples

Flamingo Juice and Otterson Apples

Ok, before you ask, the name of this cider may be a teeny tiny bit misleading. No, no flamingos were harmed in the making of our newest cider, Flamingo Juice. That being said, we totally pulverized the sh*t out of some special apples for the base of this cider, and we think you’ll know why as soon as you get a glimpse of its awesome color. World, we give you Flamingo Juice.

So, let’s start at the beginning. Flamingo Juice is one of our newest cider varieties made from a combination of Otterson and crab apples. If the variety “Otterson” is not familiar to you, it’s no surprise! Otterson apples are a variety of red juiced apples that have been rediscovered and cultivated at Michigan State University (can I get a “GO GREEN”), by plant geneticist, Dr. Steve van Nocker and botanist Chris Gottschalk. Why cultivate this variety? To put it simply, Dr. van Nocker and Mr. Gottschalk have been seeking to find an apple with a high concentration of anthocyanins in the fruit’s flesh. Without getting too sciency, anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid. Beside making things red, anthocyanins are thought to have a positive impact on human health and in turn, many applications in the food and supplement industry. You can read more about the sciency stuff here.

So to make a long story even shorter, late last summer we were contacted by Dr. van Nocker and Mr. Gottschalk about pressing Otterson apples to use in an experimental cider. With the promise of an awesome color and fantastic flavor, we charged forward with pressing the apples and fermenting the cider. And thus, Flamingo Juice was born.

While we hope you’ve already had a chance to try Squishy, a dark red, semi-sweet hard cider we make from local, Northern Michigan cherries. We doubt you’ve seen a cider of this color made strictly from apples. Otterson apples are bred for the purpose of extracting the juice, priming them for cider making. They are acidic and have a tannin content that is beneficial for the production of cider. In addition to Otterson apples, Dr. van Nocker and team are working to develop new varieties of red juiced apples.

Flamingo Juice is a semi-dry hard cider made with red fleshed Otterson and crab apples. Try it on tap at our Starcut Ciders Celebration tomorrow, Saturday February 20th, at Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, MI.