This week’s picture comes from my recent trip to the beach (even I need to explore outside the Triangle now and then). Instead of my usual beer I brought a bottle of Black Mountain Ciderworks “Pomona” hard cider to enjoy while taking in the sun and the surf. Black Mountain is a small batch ciderworks located in western North Carolina where the climate is better suited for apple orchards. They locally source their apples from nearby Hendersonville, NC and chop and press these local apples into the juice that becomes their cider, fermenting it in small batches.
I’ve actually never tried “hard cider” before so it was a nice surprise to discover how refreshing it is. I was expecting it to be overly sweet and flat like a juice, but that was not the case at all. It had a great flavor profile, semi-sweet with apple and vanilla and the perfect amount of carbonation. It reminded me of drinking glass of crisp champagne. I think cider may be my new beverage of choice to enjoy on a hot day at the beach. Here in the Triangle you can find bottles of Black Mountain’s cider for sale at Sam’s Quick Shop in Durham and Carrboro Beverage.
Black Mountain Ciderworks
104 Eastside Drive #307
Black Mountain, NC 28711 (map)
website: http://blackmountainciderworks.com
twitter: @BlackMtnCider
Instagram: @Black_Mtn_Ciderworks
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackMountainCiderworks
The Triangle Explorer 
This makes me want to try ciders…again. I WANT to like them on hot summer days if that counts.