By Russ Lawrence
Pamela Kaye has, in her own words, “a history of taking old buildings and making them into something.”
A case in point is Hamilton’s brand-new cider-sippin’ site, Backroad Cidery, located at 98 Marcus Street. Kaye has poured her heart – and a significant investment – into Hamilton’s former railroad depot, to create both a production facility and a cozy tasting room. From its vantage point adjacent to the tracks, the building has watched over much of Hamilton’s history, and even a bit of Kaye’s.
She worked for the nearby Bitter Root Brewery shortly after it opened, in 1999, but left to create the Blacksmith Brewery in Stevensville. Still not satisfied that she had enough on her plate, she opened The Wild Mare Restaurant in Corvallis, and continues to run that business.
After deciding that a valley with a history steeped in the aroma of apples needed a cidery, and she and her son, Val Phillips, shipped themselves off to Portland and Seattle to learn the business. They studied under Peter Mitchell, an internationally-known expert on the production of cider and perry – beverages made from apples and pears, respectively.
Kaye was impressed not only by what she learned from Mitchell, but also by the popularity of cideries in Portland and Seattle. Energized and educated, the mother-son duo set to work. They hand-pressed two tons of hand-picked local apples last year, in order to come up with the four ciders that they currently have on tap (expanding soon to six). Their signature cider, the “406,” is pressed from a combination of local apple varieties, including the Macintosh and Spartan.
All of their products are made from ingredients sourced locally to the greatest extent possible, with a strong preference for organic. Many of the ciders are flavored with other fruits, including a huckleberry cider that sold out quickly. A grapefruit cider subtly hints at the tanginess of the complementary fruit, while the ginger cider leaves no doubt about its herbal origins.
“I just picked forty pounds of organic raspberries,” Kaye chimed in, hinting at a future batch of flavored cider. Cherries are also candidates for a new brew.
Phillips enjoys experimenting with small batches, recently brewing a 15-gallon batch of crabapple cider, and eyeing single-variety ciders, such as a pure Macintosh or Wickson cider.
The Kerr crabapple cider was particularly dry. Phillips explained that “I ferment everything to ‘dry,’ then back-sweeten” with apple concentrate as needed. When the Kerr had matured, he liked it “as is.”
All the production takes place on-site, with fermentation requiring 2-3 weeks, and another 1-6 months of maturation.
Why did Kaye become fascinated with apple cider?
“The product is abundant,” she pointed out, and the popularity of cider is increasing, as witnessed by the enthusiastic turnout at last year’s “Liquid Apple Night” cider fest, hosted by the Ravalli County Museum.
In addition, their “406” cider received second place in voting at the recent Bitter Root Brewfest in Hamilton.
Neither Kaye nor Phillips lacks for new ideas.
“We have to do a perry,” she mused, then went on to describe an “ice cider,” so-called because it is made from apples that have been left to freeze on the trees, intensifying the sugars within.
The ciders vary in alcohol content, with the current offerings ranging from 6.5% to 9.2%. Because Montana law licenses cideries as wineries, the tasting room can remain open later than a microbrewery tasting room. For now, Backroad Cider will be open Wednesday through Saturday, from 3 to 9 p.m.
“Next year we’ll look at Sundays, but for now we’re just trying to build the product, and getting the recipes down,” Kaye said. They got a later start than planned this year, due to licensing issues, some of which revolved around their plan to produce totally natural ciders, using no sulfites or preservatives.
With those issues now resolved, Kaye plans to offer some cheese and cider tastings, and can use the resources at The Wild Mare to produce “ciderboards” of fruits, veggies, crackers, cheese, salamis, bread, and small-plate finger foods. “Light fare,” she characterized, all foods that complement the flavor of a cider or perry.
Future plans also include finding ways to use their by-products to make apple butter, apple chutney, and apple cider vinegar.
Later this year they plan to host a “harvest party” barbecue, when they begin pressing the 12,000 pounds of apples they expect to process this autumn. People will have the opportunity to taste the fresh juice, and compare the flavors of differing varieties.
Kaye’s enthusiasm is obvious, as she discusses the various varieties. “Kerr crabapple makes the most beautiful juice,” she observed. “It’s fun to educate people; if they want to plant trees, cider apple orchards are a good business to get into. Michael Billingsley just planted Wicksons, Golden Russets, and Baldwins. We took 100% of his cider apples,” she said, noting that cider apples bloom later, so there are fewer frost problems.
The trees are naturally hardy, she added, noting “There are apple trees in this valley that are 100 years old.”
The tasting room accommodates 25-30 people, but customers are also welcome to stop by and fill a growler to go. She chose the location for its “walkability,” and for its historic roots.
Backroad Cidery is located at 98 Marcus Street, just west of the tracks in downtown Hamilton. Kaye can be reached at (406) 381-6552, and their website is www.406cider.com.