Member Spotlight: Tallgrass Cider

Tell us your name, your cidery name, and a brief introduction. 

Tallgrass Cider is owned and operated by John and Brooke Knisley.  Our cidery is located in the tallgrass prairie biome of Minnesota and we stive to incorporate this landscape into the essence and story of our ciders.  Tallgrass officially became a “Farm Winery” in August of 2020 and has released three ciders to date (with more to come this summer).  The organic fruit is grown and harvested at our farm, Alternative Roots Farm, with orchards near Madelia and Lake Crystal, Minnesota. 

The cidery is part of the Knisley’s full-circle farming system, which includes pigs, chickens, winter greens and various perennial fresh fruit.  All of the orchards that are managed by the Knisleys are certified organic.

 What do you find to be the most interesting thing about cider? 

We believe that the apples that we grow and the landscapes they are grown on are diverse and complex, which is reflected in the cider.  With over 50 apple varieties, pears, apricots, plums, raspberries, blackberries and elderberries grown on the farm there is ample opportunity to explore flavors and fruit pairings. 

“With over 50 apple varieties, pears, apricots, plums, raspberries, blackberries and elderberries grown on the farm there is ample opportunity to explore flavors and fruit pairings.”

— John Knisley, Tallgrass Cider

There is a certain terroir evident, and distinctive, between the apples from the two different orchards.

What is something you wish everyone in Minnesota knew about cider?  

We come at this philosophy as we have for our farming local produce over the last decade - everyone should know where their cider comes from, where the apples are grown and who is making it. Like grapes for wine, the region the fruit is grown in and the practices used to grow the fruit all add to the cider.

 Tell us a bit about your cidery’s history. When were you founded? What prompted you to make cider?  

John and Brooke started Alternative Roots Farm in 2011 with a focus on vegetables and a random opportunity to manage an orchard.  This first orchard experience grew John’s passion for growing perennial fruit crops. Four years ago we decided to focus 100% on our orchard operation, on perennial fruit. In a twist of fate, at that same time, John met another orchardist looking to retire and for someone to manage 10 acres of apple trees. The first trees were planted at the older orchard site the year John was born, in 1984. This orchard is full of life – native prairie wildflowers, fox snakes, skinks and many different plant species. This expanded our production beyond the 4.5 acres home orchard.  When it comes to cider, we had been homebrewing with friends since 2013, refining our process.  In 2019 we decided to pursue our Farm Winery license, becoming fully licensed in August 2020.

Spread the love … What cider would you recommend from another MN cidery?  

We were just at Number 12 and I (John) would highly recommend Syndicate! Brooke loves the Raspberry Hibiscus cider from Wild State Cider.  

Not going to lie, I enjoy drinking cider and knowing the people behind making them – there really is not a cidery in Minnesota that I do not enjoy or appreciate!

How can folks find you online? 

Instagram: @tallgrasscider, Facebook: Tallgrass Cider, Website: www.tallgrasscider.com

Member Spotlight: Urban Forage

Tell us your name, your cidery name, and a brief introduction.

Photo by Angela Knox

We are Jeff and Gita Zeitler. We started Urban Forage Winery and Cider House in 2015 on a shoestring budget. We live in St. Paul and have two teenage kids.

What do you find to be the most interesting thing about cider?

What's interesting is that there's still so many unexplored possibilities with cider! With beer, you have a category that has ossified into a number of strictly defined styles that all have BJCP descriptions. Wine is much the same. But cider is wide open, it's a smaller category overall, and there's a lot of experimentation going on. It's exciting because people are trying new things all the time, and a lot of them work!

What is something you wish everyone in Minnesota knew about cider

That it's naturally gluten-free. There's no gluten in apples and cideries that operate under a wine license aren't supposed to even have grain on the premises of their winery! People with gluten allergies and celiac can find a safe alternative to a brewery taproom at their local cidery.

Tell us a bit about your cidery’s history. When were you founded? What prompted you to make cider?

We started out shortly after I was laid off from my 'real' job as a landscape architect by a company I had worked at for 8 years. I had been a cidermaker and winemaker as a hobby for over 20 years at that point, and had some recipes that I thought were pretty good, and had also learned some production techniques that didn't use preservatives as I was really into organic gardening. When I brought my homemade booze to parties people enjoyed it- so when I suddenly didn't have a job, I decided to take the leap to making cider and wine professionally.

“I found that people with residential fruit trees rarely used all the fruit they produced - if any. When I offered to pick it to make cider - I was almost always overwhelmed with gratitude”

— Jeff Zeitler

We opened the basement winery in 2015, then the taproom in 2017. The foraging part of the business grew out of my earlier job - where I found that people with residential fruit trees rarely used all the fruit they produced - if any. When I offered to pick it to make cider- I was almost always overwhelmed with gratitude, and phone calls from their friends with fruit trees who wanted me to take their fruit too. I started to see that this wasn't an isolated thing - people all over the place had fruit they didn't want - and I was able to do something with it!

Spread the love … What cider would you recommend from another MN cidery.

I really love Keepsake's heritage apple ciders, particularly the Normandy style ones. They're on a level with some of the best European ciders. I think Nate is creating amazing things with apples grown in the Upper Midwest. Keepsake is one of the ciders that when I drink it, I think "I wish I had made that!"

How can folks find you online?

We're on Facebook and Instagram with the handle @urbanforagewinery. Our website is urbanforagewinery.com.

Photo by Angela Knox

Member Spotlight: Milk & Honey Ciders

Tell us your name, your cidery name, and a brief introduction. 

Peter Gillitzer, Milk and Honey Ciders. We focus on celebrating this important cultural and historical beverage. We use unique cider and heirloom apples with expressive aroma, body, mouthfeel, acid and tannins that elevate the beverage. Our St Joseph cidery focuses on the experience- walk the orchards, sample the ciders, see the pressing and cellaring operations.

What do you find to be the most interesting thing about cider? 

We love that it is an agricultural beverage with a tie to the land, the orchards, the seasons. It is endlessly complex and pairs well with food. The interaction of the orchard and pressing/fermenting/cellaring creates a lifetime of challenging and engaging work.

“We love that it is an agricultural beverage with a tie to the land, the orchards, the seasons. It is endlessly complex and pairs well with food.”

— Peter Gillitzer

What is something you wish everyone in Minnesota knew about cider? 

Minnesota has a long history of apples and interaction with this agrarian beverage. We are heartened to see people rediscover it and enjoy it across a range of environments from high end dining to backyard BBQs.

Tell us a bit about your cidery’s history. When were you founded? What prompted you to make cider? 

We incorporated in 2011 completed two years of R and D and sold commercially first in 2014. We are interested in craft beverages, good food and agriculture. Cider was the natural confluence.

Spread the love … What cider would you recommend from another MN cidery? 

Keepsake’s Chestnut Crab and Number 12’s La Route.

How can people find you on social media?

Facebook: @milkandhoneyciders Instagram: @milkandhoneyciders