colonel ricketts hard cider

We love hard cider and have made our own. We have only stopped at one other cidery and that was in Pittsburgh so we were quite interested in visiting this one. We were very pleased with the personal tour by the owner, Bob. Once he knew that we have made our own and that we really understood the process, he was even more thrilled to tell us all of the details. I think we were on the "tour" for nearly an hour and then started tasting everything he had to offer. We bought a trio to take home and enjoy later. What makes theirs different is that they are aged in whiskey barrels so there is quite a kick to the cider that you don't get from Angry Orchard or Woodchuck ciders. Definitely worth the trip.

We happened to win a gift certificate to Colonel Ricketts so went looking for the place in Benton, PA. They have a barn on the main road through Benton but it wasn't open the couple of times we tried. After a call we found the headquarters on a Benton side street. What a pleasant surprise! Deb and Bob gave us a tour of the apple pressing facility and the wine storage area and led us through a tasting of seven different varieties of hard cider. The Delicious Red was my favorite and my wife liked the one made only from Fuji apples. We can't wait to to have more with our upcoming Thanksgiving Feast. We'll definitely go back!

We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon after hiking at Ricketts Glen. The couple running the tastings were very sweet and friendly. Told us about the process of cider making, the history of business, and about the different apples used and varieties of cider.Got to try about 7 different varieties, all very nice. Must try the Fuji Apple- its very tart, like no other wine/cider I have ever had. We left with 2 bottles to bring home! The tasting was free and the bottles reasonable priced. Also the barn setting is a lot of fun!Fun stop and a nice way to spend about a half hour.

They have 3 varieties - the "Original" (the dryest and aged in Oak barrels), the Semi-Sweet and "Apple Taste" (the sweetest). This cider is fairly strong and uncarbonated - so rightly called an "apple wine" rather a beer equivalent. I prefer the "Original" which is quite dry and comparable to a white wine in terms of its sweetness. Apparently you can contact them through the website and tour where they make it but I bought it in the Benton Farmer's Market, open during the summer. They give samples to taste.I find the "Original" surprisingly good and a refreshingly "grown-up" version of an apple wine compared to many. Best served chilled like a Retsina.