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Have you tried a really good cider? I love craft breweries – but I do have friends who are gluten intolerant, or don’t like beer (I know! I find it hard to believe too!). So where do you go in Durham or the Triangle if you want something different? Try Bull City Ciderworks!
After a one-year hiatus, Bull City Ciderworks re-opened on March 25, 2017. This place is sure to become a favorite Durham hangout. Please remember that these ciders may taste like juice but they are alcoholic and not appropriate for minors.
Bull City Ciderworks combines some of the best flavors into a tasty beverage. I ordered a flight so that I could get a four-ounce glass of four different ciders. Enjoying sweet and also hot foods, I tried Sweet Carolina, Cherry Tart, Cardinal Cin, and Holy Shishito. The baked apple pie flavor sounded delicious but I found the cinnamon flavor overwhelming compared to the other flavors. If you like passion fruit, try Compassion Fruit. You can ask to taste one of the ciders before committing to a full pint. The variety is large enough, with plans to keep adding more options, that you are sure to find something you will like.
I was torn between getting a pint of the Holy Shishito or Compassion Fruit. A bartender suggested we mix both ciders in a pint. The result was delicious – a sip of sweet in which you feel the heat in your mouth afterwards. Every flavor can be combined with any other flavor – and in whatever unique ratio or combination you would like to try. This makes for a never-ending menu!
If cider is not your thing, don’t fret! This cidery offers at least four guest taps of beer. The beer options are from local craft breweries. When we visited, they had Gizmo’s Beekeeper (my usual favorite), Ponysaurus’ Biere de Garde, and Fullsteam’s Rocket Science IPA. The fourth tap featured a collaboration between Bull City Ciderworks and Durty Bull Brewing called Brett’s Apple Ale.
The atmosphere is the same as you’ll find at most craft breweries. The large inside space features picnic tables and string lights. A few additional tables outside provide some outdoor seating. The large garage doors connect the outdoors and indoors. This place is very child friendly. Board games are at your disposal to entertain children and adults. Dogs are welcomed inside. An employee brought a bowl of water and placed it near a table where several dog owners were seated. A fire pit creates a point of interest outside but there was no seating by it yet.
The only food sold here are apple chips, which fits nicely into the theme. Like a lot of other breweries, Bull City Ciderworks depends on food trucks to feed its guests. Check out the list of upcoming food trucks on their online calendar.
When they had to leave their original Durham location last year, Bull City Ciderworks relocated their production facility over an hour away in Lexington, NC. Production of cider in Durham will start in the upcoming months.
Both due to its location in the industrial part of downtown Durham and its attempt at being varied enough to please a wide variety of customers, I am really looking forward to Bull City Ciderworks and the role it will play in the downtown social life.
Visit their website for updates.
My favorite cider: combo of Holy Shishido and Compassion Fruit.
And if you’d like some of the local craft beer scene, walk up the street and visit Ponysaurus Brewing. Or check out the entire line up of craft beverages made in Durham!
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Cheers!
Annick, The Common Traveler
Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. As an empty-nester, Annick enjoys sharing her tips for traveling for those with champagne taste and beer budgets.