Blog : Hard Cider

Variety is the Spice of Life!

Variety is the Spice of Life!

Introducing #StarcutCider variety packs with our brand new cider, Magpie!

Magpie (4.3% ABV) is a hard cider made with Michigan apples and cinnamon. Aromas of cinnamon and baked apples are followed by similar sweet apple pie flavors throughout.

Find Magpie with all of your Starcut favorites exclusively in variety packs; the perfect mix of ciders for tailgating, bonfires, or just stocking your fridge!

Now available at Short’s Mart and shelves in the Great Lakes Region. Find a variety pack near you.

Erraticus 21

Erraticus 21

Our Erraticus series returns with a new look and a new berry! Erraticus 21 (6.7% ABV – 5 TA ) is a red wine barrel-aged Wild Cider made with Rhode Island Greening apples from Boals Orchards and local Saskatoon berries. Saskatoon berries are native to Canada and have just recently started to grow in Michigan. Closely related to the apple family, these berries are sweet and nutty. Grab bottles of Erraticus 21 exclusively from Short’s Mart today!

Erraticus 21 is a red wine barrel-aged Wild Cider made with Rhode Island Greening apples  from Boals Orchards with local Saskatoon berries. This light pink cider carries aromas of berry and oak in the nose. Leading woody oak flavors blend with funky apple and nutty Saskatoon. Erraticus 21 finishes dry and with a light tartness. 

The Perfect Blend of Heritage Apples

The Perfect Blend of Heritage Apples

This one is for all of you cult cider fans out there… Pomace Cult is a dry cider made with the perfect blend of heritage apples from Altonen Orchards. It’s crisp, tart, and slightly sweet. Grab bottles of Pomace Cult exclusively at Short’s Mart this weekend!

Pomace Cult (7.7% ABV – 12 TA) is a dry cider made with a blend of heritage apples. Made with Golden Russet, Brown Snout, Jonagold, Spitzenburg, Dabinett, Reine des Pommes, Yarlington Mill, Goldrush, Kingston Black, Reinette Zabergau, Calville Blanc, Roxbury Russet, Bramley’s Seedling, Harry Masters Jersey, Puget Spice, and Macoun apple varieties, this golden colored cider has an inviting aroma of tart fresh apples. Crisp and clean, this cider finishes dry with apple tartness.

Pomace Cult Release

Pomace Cult Release

Pomace Cult is a dry cider made with a blend of heritage apples. Made with Golden Russet, Brown Snout, Jonagold, Spitzenburg, Dabinett, Reine des Pommes, Yarlington Mill, Goldrush, Kingston Black, Reinette Zabergau, Calville Blanc, Roxbury Russet, Bramley’s Seedling, Harry Masters Jersey, Puget Spice, and Macoun apple varieties, this golden colored cider has an inviting aroma of tart fresh apples. Crisp and clean, this cider finishes dry with apple tartness.

7.7% ABV – 12 TA

22 ounce bottles will be released this Friday exclusively at the pub!

Brunch just got a whole lot better!

Brunch just got a whole lot better!

This fall we welcome a new cider to our rotation, Mosa! It’s perfect for brunchin’ on the weekends or sipping while you reminisce about warmer days. Let’s be honest though, when isn’t the perfect time for a cider mimosa in a can?

Mosa (4.3% ABV) is a crisp, refreshing blend of Hard Cider made from Michigan apples and sweet orange juice. This cider is slightly hazy and light orange in color, a true mimosa in cider form. Let the fruity harmony of citrus and bright apple flavors make your tastebuds do a happy dance.

Along with the release of Mosa, we are excited to announce our transition to packaging our ciders exclusively in cans! With the installation of a brand new canning line at Short’s Brewing Company this summer, the quality is better than ever and we’re excited to be able to accompany you on all of your adventures. So paddle through the Chain of Lakes, hike through Glacial Hills, or find your own adventure close to home, and when you’re done reward yourself with a refreshing can of cider.

Look for cans of Octorock, Pulsar, and Mosa now near you.

Introducing our new winter seasonal: Bucket

Introducing our new winter seasonal: Bucket

Once we had a taste of Erraticus 6, we knew something special was happening. The tart black currant and apple flavors blended with the soft oak notes creating a unique beverage we wanted to sip on more than once. As you know (or maybe you don’t but you should), our Erraticus Wild Ciders are a series of one-off ciders allowing for wild, natural fermentation to occur, promising each to be one of a kind. Since we couldn’t recreate the exact magic of Erraticus 6, we decided to do the next best thing; allow this cider to inspire our master cider maker, Tony, to create a new seasonal release reminiscent of Erraticus 6 for those cold winter months. Enter: Bucket.

Bucket (6% ABV) is a Semi-Dry Fruit Cider fermented with black currants and aged on oak chips. Deep crimson red in color with a shimmering light pink head, this cider carries aromas of tart fruit and vanilla. Apple and black currant flavors blend well and balance the acidity and sweetness for a clean and dry finish.

This seasonal cider will be making its way to stores and taps near you throughout our distribution footprint (MI, IL, IN, OH, WI, CO) over the next couple of weeks. Find some Bucket in your neck of the woods, and #PickCider to keep you warm this winter.

It’s Mojito O’Clock Somewhere!

It’s Mojito O’Clock Somewhere!

It’s no secret that some of our favorite beers and ciders possesses a distinctive cocktail flair. From the Gin & Tonic mimicking Melt My Brain from Short’s Brewing Company, to the tequila barrel aged Erraticus 5, our desire for spirit inspired ferments is only growing!

To quench your thirst this month, we’re introducing the next cider in our Erraticus Series. Erraticus 12 is a Mojito inspired wild cider fermented with lime, wild mint, and Jonagold apples from Altonen Orchards. Light straw in color with a slight haze, Erraticus 12 smells sweet and tangy with notes of citrus and mint. Tart flavors of tangy apple and lime are followed by notes of mint. Erraticus 12 is crisp, refreshing, and has a very dry finish.

It’s Mojito O’Clock somewhere, and that somewhere is in Bellaire! Erraticus 12 bottles are now available at the Short’s Brewing Company pub and Short’s Mart. You can take a bottle of this highball cider on your next adventure for only $11.00, no bottle limit.

We Shall Call It Squishy

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 will be ours and it will be our favorite cherry cider! Fermented with only the brightest crimson orbs from our friends at King Orchards, Squishy is now available to you just in time for cherry season.

Squishy (6.3% ABV) is a semi-sweet cider made with Michigan cherries. Ruby red in color with appealing sweet and sugary aromatics, this cider’s initial flavors of dark fruit shift toward a bold tartness that dries the palate between tastes.

As natives of cherry country, we’re proud to bring you the ONLY cherry cider worth sippin’ this summer. With the National Cherry Festival just around the corner (another fantastic reason to pay us a visit in the Northwest corner of the mitten), we’re stoked to say that Squishy is now headed to taps and coolers in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Colorado.

Taste the fruit of the season this week with a pint of Squishy!

Starcut Ciders Announces Erraticus in the Wild

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 ciders, Erraticus.

Taking place on June 1st, 2017, Erraticus in the Wild events will be hosted throughout Short’s and Starcut’s mid-west distribution footprint.  It will be the first time Erraticus ciders will be available for sale in bottles outside the Short’s Brewing Company pub in Bellaire, MI.  

All Erraticus in the Wild events will feature Erraticus 10. Released in honor of Erraticus in the Wild day, Erraticus 10 is a wild cider fermented with peach and cranberry and aged in red wine barrels. Additional Starcut Ciders, including flagships Pulsar and Octorock, as well as current seasonal, Immortal Jelly, will be available at many event locations.

Erraticus in the Wild events will be held at Horrock’s Farm Market, Lansing, MI; Soup Spoon Cafe, Lansing, MI; The Beverage Company, Traverse City, MI; Taproot Cider House, Traverse City, MI; White’s Party Store, Marquette, MI; Stucko’s Pub and Grill, Marquette, MI; Oliver T’s Market, Grand Blanc, MI; HopCat, Kalamazoo, MI; 8 Degrees Plato, Ferndale, MI; 8 Degrees Plato, Detroit MI; Beer Grotto, Ann Arbor, MI; The Michigan Taproom at Stardust Lanes, Saginaw, MI; The Open Bottle, Tinley Park, IL; Trixie’s Liquor, Madison, WI; The Koelschip, Indianapolis, IN; and Banter, Cleveland, OH

Immortal Jelly is Here to Join The Parade!

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 one, not two, but FOUR different berries, this fruit-forward cider knocks it out of the park and while it hasn’t been long since we’ve brewed ‘er up, we couldn’t imagine going any longer without this tart, refreshing, fresh from the farmstand cider back on store shelves.

Immortal Jelly (5.2% 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.

Immortal Jelly is now available alongside flagship ciders Pulsar (semi-dry), Octorock (semi-sweet), and our outgoing seasonal, Phuzz. Find this naturally gluten free cider in bottles and pouring from taps in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Looking for Starcut Ciders near you? Check out our Starcut Ciders locator.