In 2012, David and I had the chance to visit B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill in Connecticut, but unfortunately it was late in the season and there was minimal cider to be purchased. It was always in the back of our minds that we would visit again, and we were finally able to a few weeks ago.

The cider mill is steam powered (operating since 1881), and they have cider pressing demonstrations on the weekends. We tried to go the weekend after Columbus Day but the line was to the street! A couple of weeks went by and thankfully this day was far less crowded (still crowded, as their season is pretty short).

We went to the earliest demonstration, and we were able to watch them press all of the juice out of the apples. You can imagine that it smelled heavenly.

After watching that for about 15 minutes, we went on a search for some hard cider. David tried a few samples and purchased some of their original and a few flavored ciders. I enjoyed a cup of mulled cider and a cider doughnut. They also had a few vendors there selling jerky, maple syrup, and kettle corn. It was a lovely afternoon, one that I am so glad we were able to experience right in the middle of their season.

Have you ever been to a cider mill? Ever gone somewhere that was so busy you just drove right on past it?

B.F. Clyde’s Cider Mill
129 N. Stonington Rd.
Old Mystic, CT 06355