A pour of Ardennes cider at Saro Cider.
Lincoln's Saro Cider won gold and silver medals at the U.S. Open Cider Championships.
Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery in Palymra won two gold medals at the U.S. Open Cider Championships
Nebraska cider is starting to get a reputation.
Glacial Till Vineyard & Winery of Palmyra, which last year was named grand national champion at the U.S. Open Cider Championships, followed up with two more gold medals this year.
The cidery, which was the youngest ever to be named a grand champion, received gold medals for its Applewine and Honey Lavender ciders. That makes five gold medals in the past two years for Glacial Till, which has only been in the cider business since 2015.
An even newer cidery, Saro Cider in Lincoln, also performed well at the competition, which was held in Oxford, Ohio.
Saro, which opened a little over two years ago at 1746 N St., won a gold medal for its Pearsecco wood-aged cider and a silver medal for its Sanibel grapefruit cider.
Jonathan Henning, one of the owners of Saro Cider, gave partial credit for the Pearsecco gold medal to the supplier of the barrels used to age the wine-like cider brewed with apples and pears.
“This cider would have been impossible to create without the beautiful Chardonnay Oak barrels. In Lincoln, we have an outstanding supplier of quality barrels called Midwest Barrel Company," Henning said in a news release. "Just experiencing the rich smells of their barrel storage area inspires creativity.”
Saro and Glacial Till also won recognition in another national competition, the Cidercraft Awards from Cidercraft Magazine.
Glacial Till won a platinum award, which is the highest honor given, in the stone-fruit category for its Lauretta cider.
Saro's Gold Hills Black Currant cider received a silver award in the fruit category, where Glacial Till's Passion Pineapple was a judge's pick
It's the second straight year Saro has won an award in the Cidercraft competition. Last year it won a double gold award in the wood-aged category with its Marmara cider.
TRY THESE BREWERIES:
White Elm Brewing Co.
The taproom of White Elm Brewing Co. at 720 Van Dorn St. Its website says White Elm was "built around a shared passion for handcrafted ales and a willingness to defy logic and pursue our love."
Code Brewing
Matt Gohring (left) and Adam Holmberg check Code Beer's boil kettle and mash tun. The brewery is located at 200 S. Antelope Valley Parkway.
Backswing Brewing Co.
Backswing Brewing Co., 500 W. South St., opened April 6. The brewery is "the brainchild of three friends whose mediocre golf games gave way to great craft beer," the company's Facebook page boasts.
Boiler Brewing Co.
The details in the taproom's design, including exposed brick, open ceilings, custom tap handles and industrial lighting, lend to the speakeasy atmosphere designer Jessica Lindersmith and Boiler Brewing Company aim for in the basement of the Grand Manse. Boiler Brewing Co. is at 129 N. 10th St.
Zipline brews
Some of the craft brews offered by Zipline, 2100 Magnum Circle.
Empyrean Brewing Co.
Brewing tanks hold a batch of wort ready to ferment into beer at Empyrean Brewing Co. in the Haymarket, 729 Q St., in April 2015.
Cosmic Eye Brewing
Sam Riggins opened Cosmic Eye Brewing at the old Laser Quest location near 70th and O streets.
5168
5168 Head Brewer and Brewery Manager Brian Hoesing presents a flight of 5168 beers:(left to right) Hiro 88, Apricot Lager, New Beginnings IPA and Hawaiian Porter. The brewery is located at 5730 Hidcote Drive (56th and Pine Lake).
Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.
Matt Olberding
Business reporter
Matt Olberding is a Lincoln native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate who has been covering business for the Journal Star since 2005.
