Getting Friendly with Ficklewood Ciderworks
Once upon a time, a friend with Celiac’s and a friend with diabetes found one drink they could agree on - dry cider. With few options, they decided to go all in on this dry cider. At first there were a few flops, and then they started to get a hang of it. They eventually met a third friend, who was in the culinary field and looking for a new opportunity. This new friend took on the cider making and the original two became the co-owners. In a brief, and mystical, paragraph, that’s how Ficklewood Ciderworks came to be.
Today, Ficklewood Ciderworks is the one and only cidery in Long Beach, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Walking into the cidery, the space greets you with nostalgic pinball games, beautiful wood accents rejuvenated from trees swept up in forest fires, an iconic air balloon mural, and a grand view of the production space. The head cidermaker, Eric, was on shift during my experience. He was super friendly and took the “dealer’s choice” for the first cider flight in stride.
Bottled award winners
Without going into too much detail on all of their ciders, I must highlight their salted embers cider. It was easily my favorite. Not normally one for a smoky flavor, this one was done fantastically. Aged on charcoal and mesquite wood, this dry cider had a lovely mesquite flavor carried throughout and finished with a delightful tanginess typically desired in meat (or alt. meat). Not surprisingly, their ciders had a slew of awards from both the Great Lakes Internation Cider & Perry Competition (GLINTCAP) and the New York International Cider Competition.
Primary fermentation tanks
After the first round of ciders, it was time for a tour. Ficklewood prides themselves on the visibility of the fermentation process from the taproom, so the walk was a very short one. Their process begins with their signature blend, goes onto fermentation in one of their primary tanks, then moved to a secondary tank for additional flavors and fermentation. Some of their more “high-maintenance” ciders had dedicated, long term tanks ever-so-slightly separate from the “mainstream” ciders. Being home-fermenters themselves, Eric happily shared some of the small upgrades I could make when I decide to grow beyond 8 gallons of juice per year.
Alexsis ready to try the ciders. Look at that air balloon.
Overall, I had such a positive experience with the Ficklewood Ciderworks team. I only knew I could swing by two days before arriving, and they made it all come together. I want to thank Joe for diligently keeping in contact and Eric for the tour. I really appreciated the space they created, inviting drinkers into the mind-space of the maker.
Cheers!
