Revolutionaries

I recently met a revolutionary of sorts. No, he doesn't have plans to take down any governments straight away, but his ideas are revolutionary nonetheless. Bruce Nissen is president of Fox Barrel Cider Company, a brand new micro-cidery in Colfax, California. Bruce and partner Sean Deorsey, the "Cidermaster," have created a product of the highest quality in their ciders. These English-style dry ciders are made using freshly pressed juice from apples and pears.

Bruce brought me some samples of their hard apple and pear ciders with the hope that I might convince someone higher up on the BevMo food chain to carry it in our Greater Sacramento area stores. I have sampled both the apple and the pear, and I am absolutely astounded at the complexity and roundness of these ciders. A few descriptors: fresh, natural, crisp, refreshing, and most importantly, real apples and pears. Other ciders I've tasted just don't hold a candle to these.

And that's where the revolution comes in. These guys make world-class ciders from real ingredients without any fillers, sweeteners, or other junk. And they're small. Smaller than small. They don't have the budget to advertise much. They're getting the word out the old-fashioned way: word-of-mouth. That's revolutionary. And I'm going to do everything in my power to get these ciders in my store. That's for sure.