With less than a year under its belt, SLO Cider is feeling the love: in addition to a loyal local following, they’ve also received national recognition and accolades. The team earned a silver medal for their Hopped Cider just before Christmas, and recently was published in the Top 10 List of Dry Ciders in the country, a CiderCraft Magazine article with an international audience. As both the youngest and only Californian cidery on the list, SLO Cider is proud to represent the Central Coast on a national level. CCM states,
“Dry and biting with tartness and crunchy acidity from Granny Smith apples (among others), this California producer cans its flagship cider with sleek black and gold accents, and apple imagery front and center to showcase what matters most. Floral, crisp and clean, this 100% dry cider certainly wets your whistle.” – CiderCraft Magazine
“Our Dry Cider is our baby. You can’t hide your mistakes with a dry cider. It’s only the apples and the cider maker’s technique on display and Jeremy hit it out of the park” explains Nate Adamski, Tasting Room Manager.
In February of 2020, their Tropical Cider also won Best Drink at the 2020 Craft Beer Festival. It would be both the first and last beer fest that SLO Cider could attend due to the pandemic. “It was pretty surreal to win an award, as it was our first public offering of our cider, even to our close friends and family. And you can’t go wrong with our Tropical; we always thought we had something special, and SLO Town really loved it too.” states Pete Ayer, Marketing Director. SLO Cider opened its tasting room doors on March 13th, 2020, before having to temporarily shut down on the 15th due to the pandemic.
Currently SLO Cider’s tasting rooms (San Luis Obispo & Paso Robles) offer outdoor patio seating, however their SLO location is pick-up / to-go only for the time being. Hours are 4-7pm daily (closed Monday) in SLO and 12-4pm Thursday-Sunday in the Paso Market Walk. Please check their social media feeds for updates on open times and dates. They’re constantly stocking the shelves of local retailers and restaurants along the Central Coast and SLO County. Their website now has a location finder for the closest retailer near you. Check out SLOCiderCo.com or @slocider for more details, new products and updates. Cheers!