Urban Tree Cidery

OK, so obviously everyone who stops here to read my posts knows that wine is my first true love beverage of choice. However, there is a new trend sweeping the nation that has me completely hooked – hard cider.

Since I literally cannot stomach beer (I know – take a deep breath beer lovers), I have often found myself in the awkward position of being THAT girl at a sporting event, party or out at a bar “enjoying” a perfectly terrible $10 glass of some cheap wine while everyone else has their perfectly normal beers. If the wine was good, I wouldn’t mind it so much but it never is. Do you know how hard it is to play flip cup or beer pong with wine? IT’S HARD. Trust me – I’ve done it.

So when I discovered this new world of hard cider, I felt like all my problems were solved! I can now safely attend a local baseball game or head out to a bar and avoid the ridicule with my beer look-a-like beverage. With the craft beer craze taking over Richmond, there have been a few glorious little cideries that have popped up along the way. More to come on that later.

Recently, we took our annual trip down to Atlanta to visit some friends and I was so excited that our itinerary included a trip to a new cidery that opened up near them called Urban Tree Cidery. This place definitely did not disappoint!

They had 2 different flights to choose from so of course my husband and I each got a different one so that we could sample everything. This is just smart economics, right?

The offerings in the flights were delightfully diverse and really had something for everyone. Their original was dry, crisp and classic. For the beer lover, they had the Triple H which was very hop forward (not my favorite but my beer loving husband enjoyed it!) Their seasonal flight included a peach cider which was light and sweet.

Hands down though, my two favorites were the Rum Barrel Aged and the Sweet Heat. The Rum Barrel Aged was smooth and tasted like caramel. It was just everything that I want in a cider. The Sweet Heat was a delicious surprise. This one was a ginger infused cider with hints of habanero. SO. GOOD.

I knew I wanted to take home a bottle of each of these and was so disappointed when I saw that they did not have the Sweet Heat bottled and ready to go. I didn’t know it at the time, but the lady behind the bar helping me out was the owner. I asked her if she had any of the Sweet Heat stashed away that she could sell me. I told her I was from Virginia and needed to take some home with me. She was amazing and ended up bottling some of it right from their tap for me on the spot! This is how you do customer service y’all.

I left an incredibly happy customer who is even happier to spread the word of this lovely little urban cider oasis in downtown Atlanta. Go check them out!