I was invited to attend the 3rd annual Toronto Cider Festival, which took place at Sherbourne Common at Sugar Beach. With over 28 cideries and 70 ciders on tap at the event, I knew I was in for a great night!
Ciders have really blown up over the last few years in Canada, and it’s easy to see why. From crisp and dry, to super sweet varieties, ciders are so much more than “spiked” apple juice 😉
As a media guest, I had early access to the event grounds during the VIP Session. I was given 4 complimentary tokens, each allowing one 4 oz. pour of cider. My guest and I ended up purchasing another 5 tokens each ($10), though I’d suggest doubling up on tokens to truly enjoy all the cidery goodness the festival has to offer!
Cider Festival tokens
My friend Kitty with her first cider of the evening!
Brickworks Ciderhouse (a local favourite!) provided complimentary food pairings during the VIP session with a range of their ciders – we sampled:
Crostini with apple, brie and prosciutto – paired with a basil and apple cider. Unique tasting cider!
Pear and goat cheese salad – paired with a crisp, pear cider
eFresh Meals were also providing these delicious pork tacos!
It was a lot of fun walking around the event grounds and choosing which cider to sample! I’m generally a fan of sweeter ciders, or ones that are mixed with berries/ginger for an added twist. Lonetree, hailing from Okanagan B.C, had a DELICIOUS ginger cider, which won the People’s Choice Award from Session 1 of the Cider Fest. It was the perfect mix of ginger and sweet – I may have gone back for another glass or two 🙂
Cider Festival
Other ciders that I sampled included Ernest Cider, No Boats on Sunday, Duxbury Cider and Steel Town. All the ciders were delicious in their own way – some more tart, complex, or fruity, but they were all very refreshing and easy going down! Note that many of these ciders are NOT available at the LCBO. This made it a unique opportunity to sample ciders that are brewed out of the province.
Ernest Cider-From Newmarket, ON
Duxbury Cider – from Meaford, ON
There were also number of local food trucks at the festival for those who needed a little grub to go along with their beverage.
The party continued into the night with a rockin’ live band and the crowd was loving it! I felt like I was at an intimate backyard party, complete with string lights, a bonfire, and of course, hundreds of my *closest* friends. What’s not to love?
Cider Festival 2017
Overall – I had a great time and hope to attend again next year. Thanks for having us, TO Cider Fest!
*Disclosure: The VIP admission was complimentary for a guest and I, but the opinions in the post are my own.
- [Event] 3rd Annual Toronto Cider Festival at Sherbourne Common - September 7, 2017
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