Sunday Cider
It was a few years in the making before three best friends, Patrick Connelly, Clinton McDougall and Dane Brown finally realized their vision of opening up a cidery. Sunday Cider was established in 2015 after Clinton and Dane had already opened another establishment, Bestie currywurst restaurant. The idea to open up a brand new brewery was conceived on one Sunday, where the three best friends would meet up every Sunday when the restaurant was closed to catch up and talk about their love for craft cider. At Besties, the trio would also experiment with different techniques and ingredients, which allowed them to develop recipes and eventually open a craft cidery.
Sunday Cider is the first craft cidery to ever open in Vancouver. As the first business of its kind to open in Vancouver, Sunday Cider was already unique, to begin with; however, the cider that is produced is also very different from the cider that you enjoyed as a young adult. The cider produced by Sunday is not characteristic of many English or French style ciders that are out in the market. Sunday cider is produced entirely out of apples that are grown in the BC area.
Currently, Sunday cider produces its world-class cider from its production facility located in East Vancouver. Since the production space is relatively small, the cidery can be classified as a nano size production facility. The first batch of Sunday Cider was released in 2015, and since then, the quality cider that is produced from here can be also acquired from various establishments on tap.
Sunday cider can also be enjoyed on site at the company’s production space located in 1575 Vernon Drive in East Van. The cider is also regularly found at Bestie and the Alibi Room. Soon, the cider will be available for distribution in bottles and cans of various capacities.
When Sunday Cider opened back in 2015, they produced First Press, which is made from a blend of pure organic cider and dessert apples that were acquired from the Similkameen Valley. The first press has huge citrusy notes and is made from a mixture of wild ferment and champagne yeast, which gives the cider its complex flavor and character. Another cider, called hop is made from a mixture of Cascade and Galaxy hops which give the cider a strong grapefruit flavor with hints of pine. This cider is a little bitter compared to the First Press; however, it is also a little sweet and delicious.