Quench your thirst adult style in the mountains!
There are many ways you can quench your thirst on a hot summer afternoon. Nathan Fitts & Team’s newest favorite way to cool off is with a nice refreshing glass of hard cider. Hard cider is an adult beverage created by the fermented juice of apples and other natural fruits. Extremely popular across the pond in England, cideries are rapidly growing in popularity across the United States. Georgia is proud to be home to four cideries, but our favorite by far is Mercier Orchard located right here in Blue Ridge.
Mercier Orchards is a family-owned apple orchard operating since the 1940’s. Through the last 70 years the orchard has grown to include multiple fruit orchards featuring u-pick opportunities, along with a bakery, deli, and market store. We are most excited about their newest additions of a farm winery and cidery! Mercier’s offers three different wines: apple, blackberry, and peach. They are also proud to serve eight hard ciders: five different flavors with an apple base, one with pears and blackberries, one with peach, and the last a blend of apples and strawberries. Yum! This summer Mercier’s is hosting their first ever Hard Cider & Beer Festival on August 25th from 12pm-6pm on their 32 acre farm! There will be tastings, live music, games, and food. Early bird tickets are available for $30 through August 3rd then prices become $44.28. Ticket prices include a 12 oz. souvenir event cup, a wristband and two drink tokens. The wristband allows you to sample 5 breweries: Burnt Hickory Brewery, Creature Comforts Brewing Company, Grumpy Old Men Brewing, Fannin Brewing, and Three Taverns Craft Beers. You will also get to sample six hard cider vendors: Ace Premium Craft Ciders, Mercier’s Hard Cider, Urbantree Cidery, Treehorn Cider, Jack’s Hard Cider, and Noble Hard Cider. Your drink tokens allow you to get a cup of your favorites and more tokens will be available to purchase. Three food trucks will be on site for your dining pleasure while you throw some bags in a cornhole game, try your hand at a gigantic beer pong table, or see how long you can ride the electric bull!
