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WV Hard Cider Industry

Smile. Enjoy a glass of 'Almost Heaven.'

a woman pouring a glass of hard cider from a bottle

While it is delicious however you like it, cider is best when sipped together with friends. This is true for most things; going to the movies, eating at a restaurant, or, you guessed it, going to a cidery. Sharing the rich cider tradition of West Virginia, by sharing it with a community, is where smiles come from.

The most recent studies found that there are over 900 active commercial cideries operating in the United States. Two of those cideries are Hawk Knob of Lewisburg, WV and Swilled Dog of Upper Tract, WV. They are at the forefront of reestablishing the Mountain State as the heart of American apple cider.

Both cideries strive to conduct their respective businesses using as many West Virginian resources as possible; using apples from local farms, to partnering with local packagers and distributors, to using local tradespeople to maintain facilities. Because both cideries are so dedicated to doing business with their greater communities, the success they enjoy is enjoyed by the whole community.

a woman pouring hard cider from a tap

When you support West Virginian cideries, you are supporting West Virginia as a whole. All manner of businesses and industries benefit from you supporting local cideries, but your support also goes beyond that. You are supporting a culture and tradition that has been carried on by the people of this state since its inception. When you visit a West Virginia cidery, pick up one of their products at a store, tell a friend about them, or even just take the time to learn about them, you are taking part in a tradition as strong as the mountains and as sweet as apples.