Saint Archer, a brewer located in Miramar, a San Diego suburb, is about to branch out with a new product.
Currently, the Miramar-based company is waiting for approval of its license to make wine, and once that is received, it plans to be San Diego's first company to commercially make hard cider.
The company has earmarked a portion of its new 10,000 square foot facility for cider making. The wine making license is necessary because cider and beer are not made the same way. Cider does not need to be heated, but beer needs heat as part of the brewing process.
Saint Archer's head brewer, Kim Brisson-Lutz - who spent two years as a vintner, and has a degree in oenology - says she has always been interested in cider, which she views as a sort of midpoint between wine and beer. Brisson-Lutz conducted research in Seattle and Portland, where the consumption of hard cider has been increasing, and learned about the types of ciders available.
Their wine making license will let the brewer experiment with various varieties of cider, as well as making 'cyser' - a blend of cider and mead. For now, though, the brewer intends to concentrate on a semisweet, clean hard cider, forming a drier brew that will appeal to those who currently drink their beers.
The brewery could work with brochure printers in the San Diego area to produce a booklet to explain their plans to customers.
