Sun, Jul 20 2014 - Cider Tasting, BBQ & Pool Party (View Original Event Details)
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On Sunday, July 20th, despite the weather not fully cooperating, the enthusiasm was not dampened for 14 of TOC's members who gathered in a Scarborough basement to enjoy a sampling of some of the best ciders that Ontario, Quebec, the US and Europe has to offer. At the end of the day, two Ontario Cideries came out on top - Applewood Farm Winery, located in Stouffville, Ontario, and Hoity Toity Cellars, located in Mildmay, Bruce County, Ontario. Applewood for their Hopped Amber Cider and Hoity Toity for it's 66 pickup. For anyone interested in exploring more on these Cideries, their websites can be found below: http://applewoodfarmwinery.com/ http://www.hoitytoitycellars.ca/ Honourable mention should also be given to Magners and Wood Chuck's Hard Amber Cider, which you'll be pleased to know can be easily found in the LCBO, and Hoity Toity's Sweet Tux perry (pear cider) was also a stand out. Additionally, the applelager cider from the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery located in Caledon, Ontario, was also a favourite. Their website is: http://www.spirittreecider.com/ I'm also including two more links for your interest and reference: one is a blog outlining Ontario's Top 10 Ciders, and the other is a list of Quebec Cideries. http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2013/12/the_top_10_ontario_ciders/ http://www.cidreduquebec.com/DATA/cidreries.pdf A special shout out goes to Caroline for running the tasting and educating those of us present on many facets of tasting, fermentation processes, cider requirements, and different types of ciders available. She also shared some interesting stories of how some of the ciders came to be, as well as some background on some of the cider companies. It was an excellent learning opportunity, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience. And after all that cider, it was time to fill our bellies with food and enjoy some time in the backyard. The weather didn't invite many into the pool, although Colin did take a dip, while others chose to hang their feet from the sides. All in all, despite the weather initially being a bummer, a great time was enjoyed by all. Thank you to everyone who participated, and perhaps we can do it all again next year :-) Wine tasting perhaps? $8 was collected in voluntary donations
Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.