Blog : Erraticus

Starcut Ciders Erraticus 9 Release

Starcut Ciders Erraticus 9 Release

Mongoose? Wild goose? Goosebumps? Gooseberries! Erraticus 9, a wild cider fermented with gooseberries, is headed to bottles this month. Packaged in 750 mL bottles ($11.00 each), this unique cider will be released at the Short’s Brewing Company pub on May 25th, 2017. Make your way to the pub to grab a bottle of our newest Erraticus cider.

Erraticus Elita has arrived

Erraticus Elita has arrived

In the summer of 2014, our Head Cider Maker Tony & co. set out to launch Starcut Ciders. From name (anybody ever hear of “Zeus’s Juices”?) to logo and apple blends, we knew we had something good on our hands. Something that if carefully crafted would serve to afford our crew a new avenue for creativity in fermentation and to showcase the beauty of our home in Northern Michigan.

Fast forward 2+ years and you’ll see, a lot has changed. From a growth in distribution, to cans (hello Octorock at the beach) and the introduction of three seasonal ciders (Phuzz, Immortal Jelly, and Squishy), we’ve transformed into the Starla driving, Erraticus lovin’, space creature digging company you see today.

Which brings us to the inspiration behind our latest release, Elita. Inspired by a blend of five unique barrel aged ciders and the notion that our beloved Starla would make a fantastic Transformer, Erraticus Elita is a sparkling, bottle conditioned blend of barrel aged ciders. Bright and rose-colored with plentiful effervescence, this sparkling cider has a complex aroma of oak, apple, and farmhouse funk with just a hint of currant. Upon first sip, a rush of carbonation cleanses the pallet. Meticulously blended flavors of apple, tart currant, oak, and funk work together harmoniously. Like any sparkling wine, Erraticus Elita is best served chilled.  

Like juice transforms into cider, Starcut Ciders has transformed from a fledgling brand to the third largest cider maker in the mitten state. So today, we’re taking time to celebrate our accomplishments and look forward to years of cider making in Northern Michigan to come. Join us at the Short’s Brewing Company pub today (February 25th) from 11:00 am – 11:59 pm as we raise a glass of bubbly cider to the future of Starcut! We’ll have 10 Starcut Ciders on tap, bottles of Erraticus Elita ($18.00 per bottle, no bottle limit), new Starcut Ciders merch, and live music by Turbo Pup at 8:30 pm. We hope to see you here!

Erraticus 8: Zesty, Funky, And Just A Little Bit Feisty

Erraticus 8: Zesty, Funky, And Just A Little Bit Feisty

January in Northern Michigan has us dreaming of warmer days. So much so, that we timed the release of our next wild cider with this dark and gloomy Friday. Fermented with Northern Michigan apples and aged on lemon zest, our first Erraticus release of 2017 has us feeling feisty, funky, and just a little bit zesty!

 

Erraticus 8 is a wild cider aged on lemon zest. Straw-colored and slightly hazy, the eighth cider in our Erraticus series has scents and flavors reminiscent of a Farmhouse-Style cider. Scents of funk, apple, and lemon are complemented by a flavors that are tart, zesty, and funky. Erraticus 8 is very refreshing and finishes both dry and crisp.

 

On sale now at Short’s Brewing Company and Short’s Mart in Bellaire, MI, you can take home 750 mL of the good stuff for only $11.00. Try it on tap for a limited time only or pop a selection of available Erraticus bottles at your table (Erraticus 1, Erraticus 5, Erraticus 6, and Erraticus 7). No matter how you choose to imbibe, we guarantee Erraticus 8 will have you feeling warm, sunny, and mighty fine.

Erraticus 8 Release

Erraticus 8 Release

We’re flowing into 2017 with a brand new bottle of Wild Cider, Erraticus 8! To be released on Friday, January 20th, Erraticus 8 is a Wild Cider aged on lemon zest. Packaged in 750 mL bottles, Erraticus 8 is a member of our rare, wild cider series, Erraticus. Erraticus 8 will ONLY be available at the Short’s Brewing Company pub and Short’s Mart in downtown Bellaire, MI. $11.00 per bottle, no limit.

2nd Annual Starcut Ciders Celebration

2nd Annual Starcut Ciders Celebration

We’re celebrating another year of cider making in Northern Michigan with our 2nd Annual Starcut Ciders Celebration! Taking place at the Short’s Brewing Company pub in Bellaire, MI on February 25th, 2017, we’ll be taking over 10 taps and pouring a variety of our ciders. Cider taps will start flowing at 11:00 am with music by Turbo Pup beginning at 8:30 pm.

To commemorate the occasion, we’ll be releasing the 9th cider in our Erraticus series, Erraticus Elita. Erraticus Elita is a bottle conditioned sparkling blend of barrel aged wild ciders. Additional bottles of previous Erraticus releases and Starcut Ciders merchandise will be available for purchase at the pub and Short’s Mart.

In true Starcut fashion, we encourage you to don your favorite plaid shirt for your trip to the pub. Mark your calendar and be sure to join us for a night of Starcut fun!

Tap list: 

  1. Octorock
  2. Pulsar
  3. Phuzz
  4. Erraticus 5
  5. Reign of Bowser
  6. Erraticus 7
  7. Erraticus 8
  8. Erraticus Elita
  9. Cidre-Colada
  10. Flamingo Juice
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.

Erraticus 5 Release

Erraticus 5 Release

Join us at the Short’s Brewing Company Pub and Short’s Mart for the release of the 5th wild cider in the Series. Erraticus 5 is a wild cider aged in tequila barrels and will be for sale in 750 mL bottles at $18 each.

Erraticus is a series of rare, wild ciders fermented with apples sourced from fine, Northern Michigan orchards. Each cider in the Erraticus series has been allowed to ferment very slowly, before being transferred into barrels or onto fruit for a secondary fermentation. Due to the rarity of these ciders, the Erraticus series will only be available at the Short’s Brewing Company pub and at select events.

The name “Erraticus” refers to the spontaneous fermentation that takes place when wild yeast, present on apples, is allowed to ferment the cider. With a range of unknown variables associated with this process, it is very hard to predict the flavor of the finished cider. And so, each cider in the Erraticus series promises to be unique.

When asked about the inspiration behind the Erraticus series, Tony Hansen, Starcut’s head cider maker explained “I wanted to offer a series of ciders that could truly be considered “regional” ciders. Meaning they will taste very unique to our location, as well as unique to the growing conditions or season that we experience each year. Every Erraticus cider will be made with local apples and indigenous yeast, giving us an individual snapshot of what our region has to offer each year.”