How do you like them apples? Neighborhood Spotlight on Downeast Cider

Cider is the new beer.

Did that get your attention? Good.

I don’t make the rules, so I can’t declare that statement with total certainty. However, I did get a complete tour of the Downeast Cider House in a hard hat and goggles while “We Didn’t Start The Fire” blasted from a little stereo on a stool. So, I think I have some credibility to my name.

Long before the #1 Craft Cider in New England earned that title, it was just an idea born in a dorm room at Bates. The goal? To make an unfiltered, delicious cider.

How Do You Like Them Apples?

The cider idea eventually graduated from college and entered the real world. In 2011, the original blend was released and the company has only grown from there.

With over 100 released flavors over the years and a variety of cider lines, one thing has stayed the same. No matter what the flavor, be it Peach Mango or Blueberry, each drink is made from a blend of apples sourced from farms all over New England. Because each blend is different, the same kind of cider might taste different if you buy them a few months apart.

That’s the real, authentic, unfiltered ingredients coming through.

From Dorm Room to Taproom

Although it carries a big name, Downeast itself is relatively small. There are a few cider makers, a handful of packaging people, one robot and around a dozen office staff onsite creating and distributing 500,000 cans of cider each week. Yes, you read that number right, but go read it over again.

Just about everything is done in (ware)house in East Boston. The creating, lab-testing, tasting, labeling, packing, distributing and of course, drinking, all take place there.

On Thursday through Sunday all year-round, cider fans and first timers get thrown into the mix as they come and enjoy a flight of their choosing.

Reservations aren’t accepted, but pups are welcome, samples are given while you wait and you are encouraged to bring your own food! If anything, it’s a BYO(P)B experience – pizza box, that’s what the P stands for.

As you look around from your stool, you’ll see massive towers of different colored cider cans waiting to be filled, eight 16,000-gallon tanks that hold the sweet juice or hard apple base, colorful Christmas lights that adorn the office space upstairs and tons of machinery.

“This is not your typical bar experience,” Owned Premise Manager Róisín Gilligan said. “You come to the cider house and you get to really be a part of the cider innovation process, whether you know it or not.” 

The People Drinkin’ Have Spoken

Downeast genuinely cares what their consumers think. From the QR codes on each table to what flavors you choose for your flight, everything is useful data. Plus, with taproom exclusive flavors, you can help decide if they go to market or not! Add that to your resume.

But, consumers are engaged in more ways than just tasting. In fact, Associate Brand Manager Abby Howes has never seen any other beverage fanbase interact with their social media the way the Downeast fans do. Maybe it’s the relatable, not-so-serious captions or the blunt expressionless replies. Who knows, but it works.

“That’s part of our brand identity as a company, we’re really not that serious,” Howes said. “When you think of the brand, we want it to be like your friend. We’re not trying to be elite, we’re just here to have a good time.” 

Whatever it may be, the fans have gotten very comfortable in the comment section. Maybe too comfortable.

Howes and Gilligan joke that the followers “won” because they basically harassed the company into bringing the limited release Aloha Friday flavor back through commenting, direct messaging and even emailing.

You can’t say the passion isn’t there, that’s for sure.

Apple of Your Eye

Downeast is the #1 Craft Cider in New England for a reason.

On top of their classics and one-off flavors, they have a Beyond Cider line of nostalgic non-cider flavors with a fermented sugar base like Blue Slushie, Orange Creamsicle and Lemon Italian Ice.

The newest addition to the lineup is the Overboard series of 8% ABV ciders which come in Original, Tropical and Mixed Berry.

Available in 18 states, some drive across the country just to visit the taproom. One man even reached out to let them know he is coming in…wait for it…November and wants to make sure the flavors he wants will be there.

“Our people love us, and we love them back,” Gilligan, who added November Man to her Google Calendar, said.

Some mark the level of celebrity by the arrival of fanmail. The new marker? Wedding invitations. And Downeast gets a lot of them. Some have notes on the back saying things like, I met my husband at a bar while drinking Downeast.

Gilligan warns that Downeast is not the company to do that to, because the whole crew might just show up one of these days. So be advised, set an entire table aside at the party. The Downeast Wedding Crash of 2024 is upon us.

Pour One Out For The Beer Lovers

The Downeast Cider House has one thing on the menu: cider. For most who go there, that’s great news. For others, not so much.

“We definitely get a wide range of people,” Gilligan said. “You can kind of tell who got dragged here and they’re like, “what do you got for beer?” And we’re like, “we don’t.”” To her, those are the most fun customers because they get to be introduced to the product for the first time. 

But, for those who love beer, no need to fear.

Dorchester Brewing and Downeast are coming together to create a Dorchester Downeast shandy, a half cider half beer beverage, that will be a taproom pop-up exclusive.

Did you hear that beer girlies and boys? It’s happening!

But Wait, There’s More

If you’re looking for taproom vibes, the great outdoors and full pours of cider, you’ll want to check out the pop-ups around Boston.

At the Eastie Pop-Up right outside the taproom you can still enjoy taproom exclusives and the best view of the city. Join in on the fun at their Eastie Summer Kick Off Pop-Up Party on June 1st (rain date June 8th).

You can also find locations in Assembly Row and at the Seaport Summer Market. And you didn’t hear it from me, but be on the lookout during your next sunset stroll along the esplanade…

Lastly, in the fall for the first time ever, Downeast is heading back to its roots (literally) and will be popping up at not one, but two farms in New England just in time for apple picking season.

For any and all information regarding new flavors, taste testing, pop-ups and more, be sure to follow Downeast on Instagram. To order cider for delivery or pickup at the taproom, click here.

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away…so what are you waiting for?