Born in a Chicago Pub of the same name, Northman Pub Cider was originally created as a welcome drink for our guests. This is the ethos in which we now craft all of our ciders, as an expression of ourselves and meant to be enjoyed by all. Our ciders are unapologetically dry, letting the carefully sourced fruit shine, creating a naturally refreshing draft for all occasions. With this thought we raise our glass to you, our cider guests.
Cheers,
Aaron + Ambrosia
The Northman Pub was founded in 2016 as Chicago’s first Cider centric bar and restaurant. With the help of Mike Beck (from Uncle John’s Cider Mill – love ya Mike and would NOT be here without you!), we started to make a cider that was intended as the welcome drink and a litmus test of sorts for our guests to judge their cider journey for the evening. Different blends were produced and we always specified they be more on the dry side. As we realized that most of our clientele enjoyed and even preferred the Northman welcome cider, we decided to showcase it a little more in the neighborhood, especially at festivals.
The Northman location soon evolved into a large venue on Chicago’s Riverwalk, showcasing ciders to a global audience and that’s when we got serious about getting Northman Cider Co. up and running. Ambrosia Borowski, pommelier and general manager of The Northman, was first on board as our Director of Cider Operations and as a partner. After one seriously good batch, we decided to stick with that blend and thought that the fruit would shine on it’s own, therefore we left the cider quite dry. This is the Pub Cider that’s available today. Born in a pub for patrons of the pub, meant to be delicious on it’s own and be the perfect pairing drink for a wide array of cheeses and various cuisines.
The Rosé came naturally as our production partner is also a winemaker, and as Aaron (co-founder) and Ambrosia love Provencal Rosés, we decided to run with a cider that drank much the same but with the pronounced apple fruit and lower alcohol only apparent in cider. After much blending and experimentation Northman Rosé Cider was born, being the 2nd expression available in our portfolio. Ambrosia has others in the mix, but that History is not yet written. The Northman currently resides on the Chicago Riverwalk and we welcome you to have a pint with us!
We believe that cider comes from apples first, and the only way to have a delicious product is to start with quality. From Michigan orchards, we bring refreshingly dry and bright ciders that we like to drink and share with friends.