Across the country, industrious entrepreneurs are creating unique craft beer, cider, and spirits with amazing stories. These beverages are really agricultural products and the source of their raw ingredients (apples, barley, wheat, or hops) is critical to the flavor profile. Producers of these craft beverages have discovered what farmers have long known. Like grapes that make great wine, these raw ingredients have a terroir – a unique set of characteristics related to climate, soil conditions, and farming practices that translate to unique characteristics and flavor profiles of beverages. This is true for apples too.

The owners of Aaron Burr Cider in rural New York State have proven that the source of their fruit is paramount to the uniqueness of their product. This husband and wife team collect cider apples by gleaning wild apple trees. It’s a labor of love that creates premium cider.

Watch Aaron Burr Cider’s Hard Cider the Hard Way story: