I was in the area on a beautiful day and decided to pop into a new-to-me local spot for a drink…read more That's how I ended up at New England Cider Company. It's tucked inside an old industrial park. If you're not looking closely, you'll drive right past it. Outside, there's a casual setup with a tent, whiskey barrel tables, and some umbrellas, which sounds nice in theory, but the grass really needed a cut. It kind of took away from the whole outdoor vibe. I was planning to sit out there, so that was a bit of a letdown. Inside was a pleasant surprise. It's much bigger than it looks from the outside. The bar is right at the entrance, which made it feel like a high-traffic zone, so not ideal for lingering. There was a private party in the main room, so I headed back outside to enjoy the sun. Now to the cider: I asked for 2 samples and ended up with the cider that I didn't actually choose, but hey, I'm not one to make a fuss so I went with it. The cider I wanted was actually pretty tasty, so I might return just to give the menu another try. You know how some ciders are sweet and yummy? The one I got was the kind that tastes sour but has a higher ABV. Still good, but my goal was sweet and yummy. Service was fine but not overly warm. Nothing bad, just not memorable. Would I go back? Sure, on a really nice day. If they had live music, I'd absolutely give it another shot. There's potential here, especially for cider fans, but it's not quite my go-to yet. They did have a very cool bathroom sink. Points for that!

Awesome cider at this establishment! Always serving new flavors of the season. Definitely worth to…read morecheck this place out if you enjoy a good cup of hard cider.

This place is stunning! Bring your own snack or don't …read more They have food trucks and also offer snacks for purchase. Variety of delicious ciders.. my favorite is the Honey one. Plenty of outdoor seating with fire pits available ( reservations required ) they build the fire for you .

I reviewed the other Long View Cider page, but will add to this page as well…read more We took our friend from Florida here on an October Saturday afternoon. It was peak foliage season and the orchards still had a ton of apples. The parking lots were completely full and people were parking everywhere, even in the orchards; it was insane. The last time I came, it was earlier in the day and in the summer. There were no lines at the Orchard Truck. There were seats open everywhere from the Adirondack chairs, the picnic tables on the field, and under the huge tent. A food truck was there. There was a viewing platform; the place had priceless views of the hills. I can understand why it was packed the second time we went; the foliage here is amazing. The customer service was good and the ciders were even better. I had a flight of ciders and they all tasted great. There were plenty of porta potties too. Overall, a beautiful place! Just don't go when it's peak season because parking was atrocious.

I've been here once before for a painting class and it was amazing…read more Since then, there have been many updates to the menu, including wine mixers, and different ciders. We got a flight of ciders this time, and tried to 8 different flavors. This has to be one of my favorite places for cider as there are about 20 different flavors ranging from sweet, sour, and even spicy!! There is an outdoor seating area and a bunch of seating inside. There are a ton of games to choose from. What's even better as this place this dog friendly!

I came to Valor Wines for an event, and trust your GPS! I thought I was being directed to a random…read moreconstruction company, but Valor Wines has a door in the "elbow" of another building. There are signs and arrows. There is parking, but not a huge amount. The inside is indescribable in a few words. Elvis is on a balcony, theres a carousel horse, and the lights on what may be barrels are changing periodically. They also have their own merchandise. The seating includes plush velvet couches, a really long table, and outdoors with lights. There are two restrooms. The drinks themselves were fun. For non-drinkers, they are a Coke spot. I had a blueberry lemonade sangria, and could feel the antioxidants. It was something I actually enjoyed, and it's rare for me to say. The star was the adorable puppy. I hope she was tipped well.

Amazing cider and donuts! Clyde's is a favorite local institution that is open and fully operating…read moreafter all these years! We look forward every year to their opening at the end of August/beginning of September and are always sad when they close their doors for the season on New Years Eve

One of the last steam powered Apple cider presses in the country. Cider pressing demonstrations on…read morethe weekends. Also on the weekends they have free Apple wine tastings with a ton of small batch local Apple wines to choose from. Big country store with great gifts like pancake mixes, jellies and jams, hot sauces, apple wines, etc. Hot cider (can get caramel added to the cup if you want) and hot apple cider donuts for sale. Not sure if they have it all the time but sometimes at the counter they have a tray of sample donuts ( basically the reject ones. But who cares. Still taste amazing). Tons of bees and wasps here so take notice if you have a a fear or allergy.

Stopped in with friends, and was so glad I did, this place is so cute! They have everything a…read morefalling loving gal (like myself) could enjoy. Sat upstairs and sipped a wicked watermelon hard cider which was so yummy and sour in a pleasant way! Staff were so friendly upstairs and downstairs, after our drinks, we went back downstairs to their store, and walked around and checked out their abundance of goodies, staff offered us samples to try of the hard ciders, I tried the pumpkin spice and came home with a bottle after sampling! Their apple cider donuts are a must get too! They're a pretty decent size. Also left with a new pint glass. The weather wasn't the best today so we spent our time inside, however I will definitely have to come back in the fall time to truly get the Hogan's Experience!

My time at Hogan's was honestly just ok. I had such high expectations from everything you see…read moreonline, but the whole experience just felt lackluster. I will start by saying the donuts ARE amazing! but that is about it. The cider and the slushies were pretty generic, and even with the "Summerween" theme, I just was expecting more. There weren't any other real food options, even popcorn or something would have been cool. The service was slow for such a well known and busy place, and the staff all moved like it was their first day. The mini golf was essentially 18 renditions of the same hole with no theme, excitement or variation. Thankfully we went on Friday when it's free which is a nice thing they do. It felt like a CT must do, but I don't think I need to go back.

Excellent spot , close to Gillette Castle, with a wonderful backyard…read more Honey Crisp and the Blueberry were SUPER delicious. About $9 a cider. Totally fair. Will definitely come back.

Located on a dark road. Parking is across the street. We couldn't choose which cider to pick so we…read moredid all 12 for $36! Tip the bartenders via venmo. ALL the ciders were delicious from dry ti sweet.

Spoke + Spy Ciderworks is a craft cidery that opened in Middletown, Connecticut in March 2018. It…read morewas founded by husband and wife Ronald and Kimberly Sansone. Ronald lived in London, England for a time and worked as a graphic designer. While in London, he saw how popular hard ciders were and it sparked his interest in the beverage. After returning to the states, he began making his own cider at home and enrolled in programs at Cornell and Oregan State Universities. He won numerous accolades over the years from his homemade ciders. Eventually, the Sansones decided to open their own cidery that featured hard ciders made from locally sourced apples. The cidery officially opened to the public in 2016 inside Middletown's old Remington Rand building. The historic building complex opened in 1896 as the Keating Bicycle Factory. Throughout the decades, motorcycles, automobiles, typewriters and even military missile parts were manufactured there. The building closed its doors in the early 1970s and fell into disrepair. The city later took it over and by 2009 it had been refurbished with several new tenants renting space inside. Sansone named the cidery 'Spoke & Spy' as a reference to the building's history as a bicycle factory as well as the Northern Spy Apple (one of Sansone's favorite varieties). I first visited Spoke + Spy in August 2019. I was training for the upcoming Closer To Free ride, so I decided to cycle from my home in North Haven all the way to Middletown (21 miles). By the time I made it to the cidery, I was very thirsty. The taproom is decorated with all sorts of bicycle memorabilia. I decided to order a sampler flight that consisted of six ciders ranging in flavors from pear to grape. I liked them all, but my favorite was a tart, semi-dry strawberry-rhubarb cider called "Love Shouldn't Hurt". I ended up purchasing a growler of it to bring back home. If you plan on visiting the cidery in Middletown, I must recommend making it a craft beer afternoon because the Remington Rand building is also home to Stubborn Beauty Brewing and Forest City Brewing.

Cool place. I guess new thing in CT is touring breweries…read more We did 3 brewery tour while we were visiting CT. This place is located right next to Forest City Brewery. I never tasted cider as beer, but liked them a lot. We tried a flight with 8 different ciders. Some tasted like apple juice with bubbles, but pretty good. It was 20F below out side, in side of this old factory converted brewery was not much warmer, but extremely good ambience. Definitely we will visit here again whenever we are in CT.

Owner is a raving bitch. Came on 3rd of July with our Service Animal and owner was nasty and cold…read more Refused to swap out one wine from a wine flight because of an allergy and only offered one flight of wine. Place was not busy so no reason to be so non-service oriented. Wine was just OK never coming back where they treat customers so bad.

Jones Winery is one of my new favorites in CT! I went for the first time the other day, and…read moreinitially went to the wrong place! Keep in mind that there is a "Jones Family Farm Pumpkinseed Hill" at 120 Beardsley Rd., and then the "Jones Valley Farm/Jones Winery" at 606 Walnut Tree Rd. My GPS accidentally took me to the Pumpkinseed Farm at first, but it wasn't a big deal because the winery is just a few minutes away. Once I was in the right place, a staff member greeted me and gave me the wine/food menu. They have a lot of different areas to sit, including a patio with tables/umbrellas (where they had live music playing), a pavilion with tables underneath, an upper patio that was covered by a pergola with leaves/vines on top, and an inside bar area with seating. The inside bar area has garage doors that were open, leading out to the upper patio. Even though it was a hot day, I sat under the pergola and it was surprisingly cool underneath! After sitting down, a staff member quickly came over and took my drink/food order. I tried a glass of the Sunshine White, which was delicious! It was on the sweeter side though. Keep in mind that they only sell wine by the glass on the menu, but they do have a store where you can buy bottles to go. I also ordered the Simply Cheese Plate, which came with sharp cheddar cheese, Jones Berry Chutney, and sea salt crackers. This was excellent! They also do have a "Light Fare" menu with things like a hummus plate, cheesecake, popcorn, etc. The service was fast and the staff were friendly. They had a "Bouquet Bar" set up where you could buy fresh cut flowers, as well as a small gift shop. Overall a very cool winery in Shelton, I would definitely recommend!

Park Lane is so cute! It's been in New Milford for what feels like forever, and is check or cash…read moreonly. But the pumpkins and apples outside and so cute! Inside had a fair amount of New England honey and maple like products, as well as coffee, donuts, and apple fritters. The fritters have a lot of apple inside. Parking doesn't seem to have designated spots so much as pick your own adventure, but there's a lot of room. The apple fritter was a great driving snack but in the bag to keep the apple from spilling all over.

Classic Fall go to for locals for decades. Sweet cider is the best around. Donuts, local honey,…read morejelly and jam. A Fall classic in Litchfield County for decades. Try it.