By: Alix Underwood and Robert Neal | Photos by Justine Ruiz
If I’d forgotten what was so special about Carriage House while tossing and turning on the overnight train from the East Coast, it didn’t take long to jog my memory. As I stepped into the warm embrace of the small operation’s owners, I was instantly rejuvenated by the fresh fall air tinged with apple. I remembered why I came to spend a weekend crushing apples for the third year in a row and why I will come for a fourth.
A cider love story
Carriage House, a European-style hard cider business in Benton Harbor, Michigan, is Paula Camp and Mary Connors. Paula and Mary are the vibrant center of the local operation, which I have seen blossom over the three years I’ve visited. In 2016, they left big-city careers—Paula was a Chicago Tribune restaurant critic and Mary was a journalist and editor—and took a leap of faith into the unknown.
The Carriage House website describes this transition to a life of cider as falling in love. There was, indeed, love in Paula’s voice as she told me about her first time tasting traditional, European-style cider. Jacques Pépin, a famed French chef, had served her an unforgettable meal of smoked trout and home-grown arugula salad (a meal that she and Mary delectably recreated during my visit). He then poured Paula a glass of cider that would alter her life trajectory.
“That taste was revelatory,” Paula says. “It was similar to fine champagne, but different, more interesting, the epitome of earthiness and sophistication combined. Then I discovered Southwest Michigan sports more than 200 varieties of apples, most of which I had never heard of. I was hooked. I had to try to recreate the experience I had with Pépin. Been working on it ever since.”
Where the magic happens
The business is named after the 137-year-old carriage house on Paula and Mary’s property, where the magic happens. It is nestled amongst forest and housing divisions (and a three-minute drive from Lake Michigan). The first thing you see when pulling into Carriage House is Paula and Mary’s beautiful old home. The inside of the house is equally nostalgic and inviting, with a hearth to warm your feet and a wooden staircase leading to a collection of cozy rooms. Of course, the dining room is the main attraction.
The nearby carriage house shelters 60-gallon barrels containing the only ingredients in Paula and Mary’s ciders: apple juice, wild yeast from the apples’ skins and some sugar to help with fermentation. A tasting patio, which opened this year, sits next to the carriage house. It has a rustic chic feel, complete with a sparkling chandelier that a Carriage House intern proudly told me was her idea.
A weekend crushing apples
If you visit during the crushing season, you will find a large canopy tent sheltering the equipment used for apple crushing. You may even find a crew of folks sorting, washing, “scratting” and pressing apples, happily chatting as they work.
My partner and I, along with four friends, arrived at Carriage House on a Friday afternoon. With an air of good-humored competition—we wanted to fill three barrels by the end of the weekend—we immediately set about crushing.
The straightforward process is as follows:
- Sort out apples with dark or soft spots and cut out those spots.
- Deposit the apples in a sink full of water and rinse them thoroughly.
- Grind the apples in a machine called a “scratter”—essentially, a giant Ninja blender.
- Transfer the ground-up apples (using 5-gallon buckets) to a hydraulic press.
- Once the press is full, pump water into the bladder at the center of the press.
In this last step, the expanding bladder crushes the apple pulp against the press’s, which are full of little holes. This sends waterfalls of pristine apple juice cascading down the outside of the press: nirvana for the pollinators (and workers) who gather for a sip. The juice is funneled into a bucket and poured into one of the wooden barrels waiting in the carriage house.
The nuts and bolts of cider fermentation
Once in the barrels, the cider is in the hands of one special microorganism that links all alcoholic beverages: yeast. Yeasts are single-celled fungi, yet they perform complex chemical functions. In addition to converting sugar to ethanol, some yeasts produce myriad aromatic and flavorful compounds that cider drinkers find desirable.
Industrial alcohol producers use cultured yeast for consistency. However, many traditional producers, such as Paula and Mary, swear by the tried-and-true technique of letting wild yeast do its thing. Wild yeast often produces unique flavors. There’s also a certain charm in sourcing yeast from the local environment, which results in cider varieties that can be made in only one place.
Barrels are ideal for cider fermentation, with the downside that it’s difficult to control their temperature. When it’s hot, yeast ferments more quickly and produces lots of compounds besides ethanol. Preferring the “cleaner” flavor profile from slow-and-steady fermentation, Paula and Mary press apples in late fall and ferment their ciders over the winter.
Come springtime, fermentation is complete. Some ciders are best if you drink them fresh. Many attain peak flavor after aging in a cool cellar for years or even decades.
Enjoying the finished product
The result of all this intentionally orchestrated apple crushing and fermentation is a diverse selection of Carriage House ciders. For example, Black Sheep is a light and refreshing blend of Arkansas Black, Sheep’s Snout and Golden Russet apples, perfect for a hot summer day. Cherry Bomb is a complex combination of Carriage House’s heritage cider and the fermented juice of Michigan tart cherries, hand-picked at a nearby orchard. Each cider variety has a story and is special to the hands that made it.
There are many ways to enjoy these ciders. Carriage House offers apple-crushing experiences for friends, families and corporations. You can even book an apple crush with your betrothed or wedding party and make a cider for your special day. If you’d like to enjoy the fruits without the labor, Carriage House also offers cidery tours and tasting room reservations. You can inquire about all of these experiences on the website. Inquire early about apple crushing, as the season is limited (September–November).
If you’d simply like to drink some delicious cider, Carriage House’s tasting patio is open on weekends April through November (check their hours before going). You can also find Carriage House at local farmers markets from May through November. Finally, you can order ciders online and even join a Cider Club!
Cider, camaraderie, community
At a bountiful table ringing with laughter, Paula told us she had read something about the culture associated with different alcoholic beverages. Cider drinkers, she said, tend to value camaraderie and community.
I mulled this over throughout the weekend, as friends, neighbors, employees, interns and customers came and went from Carriage House. They came to lend or receive a helping hand. They came to enjoy a slow drink of cider and a warm conversation. And they went always with the intention of returning soon.
As someone who works from a computer and lives in a big city, this vibrant community—coupled with a dose of fresh air and physical work—was a tonic for my body, mind and spirit. Until next year, Carriage House!
Carriage House
920 N. Shore Dr.
Benton Harbor, MI
312.961.0363
