Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 51 Today the apple is reclaiming its glory in the Bitterroot Valley through a few individuals BACKROAD CIDER Mother and son, Pamela Kaye and Val Phillips, are co-owners of Backroad Cider. e cidery was Mom's idea and her son went to classes in the northwest to learn the trade. "I learned what not to do," says Phillips, which is to add sulfites. Sulfites make every batch uniform; and the thrill of experimentation is what keeps Phillips motivated. His need to experiment is satisfied through Backroad's welcom- ing Hamilton taproom. One recent evening cider lovers settled in to sample six different varieties, many of which change weekly depending on Phillips' whim. On tap was their mainstay, 406, a refreshing easy-to-drink blend with soft apple notes. At the other end of the spectrum was a pepper cider Phillips concocted using four different types of peppers yielding a spicy sweet sensation on the tongue. Currently they get their apples from valley orchards and a few from Washington but their hope is to lease their own local orchard soon. Phillips relishes the interactions he has through the family's cider. "I don't think I will ever bottle," he says. "I like to get to know the names of people drinking my cider and have those relationships." e community of Hamilton seems to embrace this relationship, too, and hope to keep the cider flowing. Evidence of this was dis- played last year when Phillips found 100 plastic bags full of apples sitting on his doorstep. "I'm still not sure where they came from." betterRoot CIDER After brewing beer and wine at home, Jesse Spaulding and Hannah Weinert were ready to try their hand at making cider. "We started learning about the history of the apple in the valley and thought 'How cool,'" says Hannah. betterRoot sits on 60 acres in Florence in the shadow of the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountains. Hannah and Jesse have planted 500 apple trees in the last few years but it is too early for these trees to yield viable fruit. In the meantime they have gathered apples from local orchards. "Our ultimate goal is to use our own apples," says Hannah. "We'll see though. We still want to support other local orchards." e joy of creativity also attracted them to making cider; they revel in using different flavorings, fruits and herbs. Hints of laven- der and rosemary are in the background of Sexy Tractor Rosemary Lavender, a delightful semi-sweet blend. Shiver Me Timbers is aged in rum barrels and the punch it packs forces a slow savor. Hannah and Jesse recently closed their taproom to concentrate on both bottling and taking the apple to new heights. Jesse de- signed and built a still to make apple brandy, applejack, and apple gin but they will keep the cider flowing. "Beer people get creative and wine people want to stick to a specific grape. With cider you can do both. ere's unlimited creativity," he says. Apples are thriving once again in the Bitterroot Valley and these cideries have a plan to thwart any impending bust. at plan begins with cooperation. A big part of today's plan is Budwood, a co-op started by McAlpine, whose goal is to "revitalize and grow Montana's apple industry." Members meet regularly to strategize and plan events such as the annual Montana Cider Week. All three of these producers share information and work together to put cider on par with the craft beer industry. "We want to expand the apple industry in Montana back to where it was at the turn of the century," says McAlpine. All cider lovers have to do is sit back and raise a glass to the approaching boom. Lee McAlpine sets up an intimate tasting at Montana Ciderworks. Lee McAlpine overlooks her orchard Flight of cider

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