Townline Ciderworks
Have you tried cider? Not the amber-colored, super-sweet, fall staple cider—but craft cider with an alcohol kick. Cider, the hard kind, is definitely trending, with some even calling it the “new craft beer.”
Townline Ciderworks, just south of Elk Rapids, is happy to hear this.
“We see cider really getting hot,” says Matt Frollo, cider maker. “Cider is gluten-free and mostly has a lower alcohol content than wine. You can have a glass or two and it is refreshing, not heavy.”
All cider starts with apples. Wine is fermented grapes and beer is fermented grains. It’s what you add to it that makes each batch unique. And apples are how Townline got started. The tasting room is located in the middle of 120 acres of farm fields at Altonen Orchards. The Altonen family (including original matriarch Julia Kroupa of Old Mission Peninsula farming fame) are pioneers in Michigan fruit cider.” history. They purchased the Elk Rapids farm in 1956 and later expanded to two additional farms, totaling around 600 acres and two farm markets. And while they grow a large diversity of crops, apples are certainly a focus.
“We used to sell pressed apple juice on the wholesale market,” says Kristie Altonen, one of the co-owners of the farm and ciderworks and manager of the tasting room. “Then, when the regulations changed, that didn’t work for us and we had a lot of extra juice.”
They were approached by several individuals interested in that fresh-pressed juice. Short’s Brewery decided to try their hand at hard cider and purchased the apple juice. Many others in the industry and home cider brewers followed suit. One of them was Matt, who entered into a conversation with Brian Altonen one day.
Matt is no stranger to beverage making. With a degree in horticulture and viticulture from Michigan State University, he made wine on Old Mission for years. Then he did a stint at St. Ambrose Cellars, helping them open the tasting room and introduce mead to the locals. When he moved to Bellaire, he decided to look for something a little closer to home.
He reminisces, “I was picking up some juice to make cider and I told Brian ‘If you ever want to do something special, I have an idea.’ Brian pointed to a field and said ‘Someday, over on that hill, we would like to do just that.’”
It took a few years, but in February 2017 Townline Ciderworks opened its doors. Yes, a new business in Northern Michigan in the dead of winter.
“We had promised that we would open the doors whenever all the approvals came through,” says Kristie. “We really didn’t know what to expect. That’s not the best timing, but I think the locals were curious enough to keep us in business that first winter. They stopped in to see what was going on in here first, and then we kept them coming back for our cider.”
The cider does indeed keep people coming back. At this point, drinking craft cider is still a new experience for many. They expect it to be really sweet and are surprised by the range of flavors available.
“The first question we ask a new cider customer is what they usually drink. If they are a beer drinker we suggest a cider with hops, like Jay Bird (our green apple blend infused with Cascade hops) or our oakaged blend of Jonathan, Jonagold and Gala apples—Big John. If they like dry wines we steer then towards the South Farm Select (a dry heritage blend of Kingston Black and Dabinett apples) or Smart Alec (a dry blend of Ida Red, Greening and Cortland apples). For those that like fruity or sweet the Queen Ann (an apple blend with fresh strawberries, blueberries, sweet and tart cherries) is always a hit. We like to say we make cider for people who don’t think they like cider.”
Matt makes the cider with up to 30 different varieties of apples grown on the Altonen farms. The strawberries, raspberries, cherries and blueberries also grow on Altonen soil. In 2015, the epic storm that hit Northern Michigan completely knocked out one of their orchards. The trees were trellised—which works great for supporting limbs, but worked more like dominoes in the huge windstorm. The trellises all went over, taking the trees with them. Turning lemons into lemonade—or in this case, apples into cider—the Altonens replanted the orchard to a special heritage type of cider apple.
“The original Michigan cider apples are hard to find anymore,” Matt says. “They aren’t the best eating apple. They tend to either be ugly or can be bitter. During Prohibition, when hard ciders were banned, there was no reason for farmers to keep these trees and many were destroyed. The focus then turned to eating, or some call them dessert, apples. We are bringing back some of the original varieties for cider, like the Dabinett, and are very happy with the results.”
They aren’t the only ones pleased by the “new” heritage cider. At the recent Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) in Grand Rapids, Townline brought home some serious hardware. Their cider entries garnered a gold, two silvers and three bronzes from a field of over 1,300 entries. This competition is billed as the world’s largest cider judging event with cider categories such as Modern, Heritage, Traditional, Hopped, Spiced, Wood-Aged and more. And they weren’t alone in the honor locally—Suttons Bay Ciders, Tandem Ciders and others from the region were also winners.
“Having so many great cider makers in the area really brings attention to our region,” says Kristie. “When we were first interested in cider we would buy any that we could find—and there wasn’t much. You could find a good variety in Chicago, but not much up here. Now there are starting to be so many great options.”
So many that Townline has joined with several other local beverage makers to form the Torch Lake Tour, which promotes “visiting the craft breweries, fresh-from-the-farm cideries, grain-to-glass distilleries, buzz-worthy meaderies and boutique wineries that surround the breathtaking waters of Torch Lake.”
Currently, the tasting room has eight ciders on tap and four available in cans. They will soon be adding four additional canned ciders and are planning on introducing a canned wine. “People either love the idea of canned wine or think it is really weird. We found it’s very travel friendly, though. If you are on a picnic or camping, a whole glass bottle isn’t very convenient. We already have some of our canned cider at local Elk Rapids stores and will be increasing options throughout the summer,” says Kristie.
The wine they are bottling (and canning) is from a vineyard they are leasing. It is named Julie Jennie in honor of the great-grandmother who helped start it all. “She wasn’t a drinker, so we had to ask everyone in the family if this was OK,” says Kristie. “But they all agreed: She would have loved that we found another way to use the abundance of fruit the land produces.”
So what will you find when you visit Townline Ciderworks? Kristie, who has a background in advertising and teaching, did most of the design work herself. “I’d say our vibe is vacation-friendly and the décor was need-based! We had a ton of cherry lugs in the barn and used those to craft the front of the bar and the tasting flights. The tables and accent walls are apple boxes and we even have some apple branches to provide texture.” The bar top features cherry lugs from Altonen and the neighboring farms. It reads like a “who’s who” of Northern Michigan agriculture.
On any given day you might find millennials stopping in for a taste, or locals on their favorite stool after work. And it’s quite common to find three generations of family enjoying the cider, Northwoods Soda and board games.
Whether you are sitting in the bright, airy tasting room or outside on the patio, every view encompasses the trees, fruits, flowers and fields that make up the farm. If terroir is the characteristic flavor imparted by the environment, it doesn’t get any more local than this.
IF YOU GO:
Townline Ciderworks
11595 US-31 S., Williamsburg • 231-883-5330
Monday–Saturday 1–8 PM, Sunday 1–6 PM
Friday nights live music and food
