Backyard apples turned into cider through community brewing partnership

EDMONTON -

Local businesses partnered together to craft a unique community cider made from donated backyard apples.

Blindman Brewing and Highlands Liquor partnered with Fresh BC Fruits for the second year to collect apples from Edmontonians backyards to create their community apple cider.

A trailer was ready to take apples people brought to the Highlands liquor store and for every bag or box of fruit donated people received 15 per cent off their purchase and the ability to buy the cider at cost next year once it’s brewed.

Charles Elves, manager of Highlands Liquor, says the event marked a unique and fun way to make use of backyard apples that otherwise might go unwanted.

“The idea was to use up a lot of local neighbourhood fruit,” Elves said. “You can only make so much apple sauce.

“A lot of people don’t know what to do with all their fruit and it either goes to waste or they just give it away,” he added. “This is kind of something different that we can do that’s connected to us as a liquor store.”

Elves described the community cider as being dry, simple, and having a “funky” character.

“It’s a great cider,” he said. “It’s all-natural.”

In 2020, the collaboration produced 100 cases of 12 pack ciders.

Apples will be accepted at Highlands Liquor at 11173 65 St. N.W. until 4 p.m. Sunday.