Where to get the Best Hard Cider in Asheville, NC
Wining & Dining

The 10 Best Cideries in Asheville You Have To Try!

A big part of a trip to Western NC for many visitors is the chance to enjoy a tipple at the best bars in Asheville. From the opportunity for live music to the chance to sample tasty food and drink, Asheville’s bars offer the chance to find a great spot where you can play a game, chat with a friend, or simply relax. 

However, breweries aren’t the only option in Asheville anymore. With the growth of craft beer in areas like the South Slope and River Arts District, there has also been a surge in other kinds of alcoholic beverages being crafted here.

With a thriving set of apple orchards just outside city limits in the mountains around Hendersonville, Asheville’s cideries have experienced quite a boom. No longer just a niche drink, Asheville cideries offer a variety of flavors and combinations of both non-alcoholic and hard ciders.  

Individuals who don’t enjoy the flavor of hops and malt, as well as anyone who cannot consume gluten, which is common in beer, can enjoy a refreshing, gluten-free cider. Not only have the cider makers brought forth delicious drinks, but they’ve also created great atmospheres for having a good time, making this city’s various cider bars also some of the most fun bars in Asheville!

Don’t forget to check out our web story: The 10 Best Cideries in Asheville

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1. Taste the Local Flavor at Noble Cider and Mead

Asheville, North Carolina: Noble Cider

If a brewery or coffee shop offers a cider in Asheville it’s probably a tasty Noble Cider. Their royalty-and-middle-ages-themed ciders are all incredible, from the basic Standard Bearer to the cherry hard cider Village Tart, to other varieties infused with ginger, chai, apple pie seasoning, pineapple, and more. 

Each season has extra flavors, like the peach one in the summer and the fig one in the winter. If you get the chance to try one of their “reserve” ciders, do it. The lemon and elderflower is phenomenal, and flavor combos like lime and hibiscus, orange and jasmine, and even a hoppy grapefruit cider all keep our palates happy. 


2. Sample Award-Winning Cider at Urban Orchard Cider Company 

Best Cideries in Asheville: Urban Orchard
Images courtesy of Stephan Pruitt

Urban Orchard gets a lot of accolades, from Best Place to Drink Cider in America in 2017 to multiple Best of Western NC awards from Mountain Xpress, and there’s a reason for it. Not only are the ciders delicious enough to make no one miss a beer or wine, but the tasting rooms are also just beautiful and fun. 

For people who think that cider can only be sickeningly sweet, they are going to be happy to try a flight at Urban Orchard, where the ciders do include a sweet option, but there are also ciders that have the kinds of complexity and dry flavor of a wine. Do yourself a favor and stop by this excellent cidery in Asheville.


3. Try Barrel-Aged Concoctions at the Botanist and Barrel

Asheville, North Carolina Cideries: Botanist and Barrel
Image courtesy of Botanist and Barrel

You may have heard of a sommelier, but one of the owners at Botanist and Barrel is actually a pommelier, or a cider expert! Right next door to the Bee Charmer of Asheville, you’ll find one of Asheville cideries’ most exciting contributions, the barrel-aged cider and cider cocktail destination of the Botanist and Barrel. 

These aren’t your average ciders and wines, though: they have no additives like sulfites and are raw, wild, unfiltered, and made with sustainable, local fruits. You’ll love ciders like Sunshine Rainbow, a cider made with apricots and apples that is then rested in whiskey barrels to add even more depth of flavor. 

They make natural wine as well as cider and carry over 400 guest wines, ciders, and meads in addition to the large selection of ciders and wines that they produce. Plus they have live music every Friday and monthly pairing dinners – makes for a great night out!


4. Take in the View From Bold Rock Cidery

Best Cideries in Asheville, North Carolina: Bold Rock Cidery
Image courtesy of Bold Rock Cidery

One of the most iconic spots on Lexington Avenue is the bright, open storefront of Bold Rock Cidery. Come by on Sunday for their show-stopping Bluegrass Brunch, where bluegrass music keeps you company while you eat one of the many hearty brunch options. 

My personal favorite is a truly tasty Philly cheesesteak sandwich that I could eat every day. Their standard apple cider is one of the tastiest on the market, but there’s so much more to explore, from their pineapple and pomegranate ciders to ciders famed for the flavor profile of an IPA or a premium dry wine. 


5. Tap Into the Fun at TreeRock Social Cider and Mead House

This beautiful Asheville cidery features a live oak bar and a beautiful enclosed patio and is situated right in Biltmore Village. Bring your dog to TreeRock Social Cider and let them roam outdoors while you sample any of the meads and ciders on tap (there’s craft beer, too, if you want some). 

While they aren’t the producers themselves, they aim to source locally and offer dozens of ciders and meads, allowing you to try a variety of producers all in one spot. They aim for a coffee shop vibe, convivial but relaxed, and of all the cideries in Asheville, this one really feels like your neighborhood bar, except it specializes in ciders and honey wine! 

Unfortunately TreeRock is closing at the end of March. Hopefully they will find a new location – we will keep you posted!


6. Experience Fun for the Whole Family at Jeter Mountain Farms in Hendersonville

Best Cideries in Asheville, North Carolina: Jeter Mountain Farm

Jeter Mountain Farm is a lot of things: a wedding venue that gets rave reviews, a great place to visit during the summer and fall for u-pick berries and apples, and a small batch hard cider destination! From The Granny, a tart Granny Smith-forward cider, to the grape and blackberry-infused ciders, you’ll find local apples and farm-fresh fruits in every batch. 

They press their own cider on-site, making this as farm-to-glass as it gets. Meanwhile, the farm abounds with attractions. The market includes apple butters, salsas, candles, baking mixes, and pickles, all produced locally, making them a great source for souvenirs. 

As a parent of a toddler, I love that they’ve invested in a covered play area that is open rain or shine during peak seasons at the farm, offering a hay mountain, tractor tire trampolines, and a big slide. Coffee, barbecue, and live music are all common finds during the peak season, so even though Jeter Mountain is a trek outside of Asheville proper, it’s well worth every effort you make to get there.


7. Sip Ciders and Meads at Black Mountain Ciderworks and Meadery

Located in an old furniture factory, Black Mountain Ciderworks and Meadery are happy to source local honey and apples to make their signature dry ciders and session meads. Session meads are low gravity and called hydromels, a kind of mead drink that is less thick and lower alcohol than a typical honey wine. 

They’ve used infusions like coffee, nuts like almonds and pistachios, and even root veggies like sweet potatoes and beets to add depth and deliciousness to their ciders and meads. Everyone at the taproom will be happy to pour you a flight so you can learn more about these interesting drinks that are not as common as beer but which have all the interesting complexity in how they are fermented. 

It’s a smidge out of town, but it can hold up compared to any cidery in Asheville proper!


8. Try Apples From Branch to Bottle at Appalachian Ridge Artisan Cidery

On the premises of Saint Paul Mountain Farms, Appalachian Ridge Artisan Cidery really has the claim to fame of being “branch to bottle” since they use their own apples to press cider and ferment it on-site. 

They think of cider as offering the same opportunity for a complex drinking experience as wine, meaning that they age the cider and layer different varieties of apples to make sure that the final product is both highly drinkable and delightfully interesting. 

They host live music on-site and even have Sharewell Coffee Co. in their same space. Plus, being housed in a curved-roof barn makes the tasting room experience extra interesting and special! 


9. Enjoy a Rural Escape to Barn Door Ciderworks in Fletcher

Asheville, North Carolina: Barn Door Ciderworks
Images courtesy of Barn Door Ciderworks

In small-town Fletcher, barely Southeast of Asheville proper, you’ll find Barn Door Ciderworks, a small but mighty operation specializing in barrel-aged, dry ciders. You’ll find that there’s often something going on, from a cheese and cider pairing event to an acoustic music set around the fire pit. 

They’re even leading a tour of Northern Spain! The whole style is very much inspired by the ciders in Northern Spain’s Asturias region. You’ll even find a few Spanish staples like olives and tortilla Española (a Spanish omelet with potatoes) on the small bites menu. 

They aim to have one barrel (or more) per year made with wild apples, apples that are growing on friend’s properties or out in the mountains, which means less regulation of flavor but also the possibility for something totally new and perfect. Their cider is made the old-fashioned way – with no commercial production at all – and you’ll be excited to try it. 


10. Go Cider-Adjacent at Ginger’s Revenge

Top Cideries in Asheville: Ginger’s Revenge
Image courtesy of Ginger’s Revenge

While certainly not a cider bar in Asheville, Ginger’s Revenge ticks a few boxes: people who don’t love hoppy, malty beer can still get on board with flavorful, fruit-infused ginger beer. Ginger beer is naturally gluten-free, making it a great fit if you have some folks who don’t want gluten in their diet.

Their taproom is just across the road from the French Broad River, and they usually have an excellent arepas food truck for those who want something to eat while they drink spicy ginger beer. Their signature flavors include original ginger, cranberry herb, lime agave, and hibiscus lavender. 

They are all delicious in their own ways, and while you can find them bottled and sold at grocery stores and bars around Asheville, they often have special edition drinks and cocktails that are only available on-site at Ginger’s Revenge’s taproom. 

There you have it! The 10 best cideries in Asheville, NC. Where is your favorite place to get hard cider in Asheville? Let us know so we can give it a try!


Laura finally got to move to Asheville in 2021 after a decade of visits and hangouts here. She loves the food, the coffee shops, and the riverfront in Asheville. Laura is always finding something new and wonderful to try.

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