Holyrood Meadery & Youghiogheny Cider House @ Weber’s Crossing

We're near Deep Creek Lake and Oakland, Maryland, in the Appalachian Mountains. For private tastings, events and beverage caterings, please contact us at: harrison@weberscrossing.com; through our website: www.weberscrossing.com; or via text or a telephone call to: 240-429-6084.

We make gluten-free cider and cyser* in small, artisanally crafted batches. We use wild yeast fermentations without adding sulfites, with few and small exceptions. Our estate grown apples are organically raised, as are our honey bees.

Most apple varieties we use can’t be found in grocery stores or at farm stands because most varieties there, especially modern ones, were developed for different qualities and purposes than those we want and need. As with table and wine grapes, many cider apples advisedly are not interchangeable with non-cider varieties, with some exceptions. Appearance and industrial cold storage ability often are more important in commercial varieties than the flavor profiles and complexities we require, including relative amounts of acid (tartness), tannins, and sugars. This is for many historical and corporate reasons: from the demographic transition that began in the late 19th century when most of the US population left rural areas for industrial centers; through US Prohibition (1919/20-1932); into the present in which smaller farmsteads and human-scaled agriculture continues to be lost to internationally owned corporate farms.

Presently, we have 4 variants of Saint Nicholas of Myra Cider and one cyser, Ephphatha Cyser, available for purchase. The Saint Nicholas variants are Perpetua, Felicity and Tabitha, with Tabitha in a still and sparkling version for those interested in comparing them. Alcohol by volume for the ciders runs from 8.08% to 9.72% with the cyser at 12.29%. All have been crafted from pressings of more than 28 different apple varieties, almost all of which are North American or European heirlooms and/or cider varieties. Our cyser is made with organic** honey from our own bees.

Please see our website (www.weberscrossing.com) for detailed information about our products and recommended food pairings.

* Cyser is a type of mead made with apple juice.

** "Organic” honey is a problematic term since it depends on knowing where a honey bee forages for nectar, pollen, and other food and hive products, and she may forage several miles from her home. But it is true that honey bees are very efficient feeders and will always gather food closer to their colonies than further away, as long as there is good food near their homes. We do our best to make sure, throughout our woodlands, orchards and elsewhere, that there is.