Reverend Nat's Cidery and Public Taproom: Natty and Nice

REVEREND NAT'S

It's been a fruitful two years for Reverend Nat's Hard Cider. Launched in the fall of 2011 in a Woodlawn basement and garage, the operation has just moved to much larger digs in the Eliot neighborhood, a 3,500-square-foot warehouse with massive fermentation tanks in the back, empty apple crates stacked against one wall and a very pleasant public taproom in front (1813 NE 2nd Ave., 567-2221, revnats.com). The space is informal and garagelike, with enough wood to construct a ski lodge. Stroll in through the roll-up door and take a seat at a barstool big enough to be an ottoman, or sink into the brown leather sofa beneath the chalkboard, which lists the available ciders. A tasting flight ($8) is the best bet, so sample the surprisingly dry yet floral Hibiscus Hymnal, the Belgian-style Hallelujah Hopricot or a classic dry cider from the spinoff Cascadia Ciderworkers United, a new and less-expensive Reverend Nat's brand. But avoid the Sacrilege Sour Cherry, a cider fermented with Lactobacillus and 168 pounds of sour pie cherries that smells like a basement and tastes like past-expiration yogurt. Unlike Bushwhacker across town, Reverend Nat's does have one beer on tap (on my visit, the Commons Urban Farmhouse Ale), but ordering that foamy quaff at this cider shrine would be the true sacrilege.

WWeek 2015

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