FAQs

Hard Cider is apple juice that has gone through a fermentation process in which its sugars are consumed by yeast to create an alcohol base. Bold Rock specifically uses champagne yeast and fresh pressed apple juice to achieve our trademark taste profile. Just as wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grape juice, hard cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice.

Bold Rock uses primarily local apples sourced from nearby orchards and we press the apples to extract the juice right on site at our Cidery locations in Virginia and North Carolina. From there it’s a quick 21-day process to transform the liquid from apple juice to the finished hard cider product. Following fermentation, filtration and blending, our hard cider is packaged and shipped up and down the East Coast for Bold Rockers to enjoy.

That’s a great question! Many people get it confused but we’re here to set the record straight. In colonial America, people referred to the alcoholic beverage made from fermented apples as just “cider” and most other countries still say “cider” when they are referring to the fermented alcoholic beverage.  However, in an attempt to get Americans to decrease consumption of alcohol around the Prohibition years, the term “cider” began to be used to refer to unprocessed apple juice, which doesn’t have alcohol to start, but which can ferment given time.  The confusion has been there ever since, but here are some definitions that should help:

Hard Cider is apple juice that has gone through a fermentation process in which its sugars have been transformed into alcohol.  Just as wine is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented grape juice, hard cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apple juice.

Sweet Cider is apple juice that has not been processed, stabilized, or filtered, often leaving it cloudy and brownish.  Although it does not have alcohol in it initially, since it is not pasteurized or processed, it could begin to ferment over time.

Apple Juice is a liquid (juice) pressed from apples. Most apple juice found in stores has been filtered and pasteurized.

Cider can refer to either hard cider or sweet cider in the U. S. because there is no standard definition for all states.  Other countries tend to use the term “cider” for the alcoholic beverage and “apple juice” for the non-alcoholic beverage and not use the terms “hard cider” or “sweet cider” at all.

Bold Rock Hard Cider styles are completely and naturally gluten-free with no wheat, spelt, barley, rye, or malts. Our cider varieties do not incorporate animal products or dairy products of any kind.

Bold Rock Hard Lemonade and Hard Tea are NOT gluten-free, but they are vegan (not made with animal products or dairy products of any kind).

Bold Rock Craft Spirits and Canned Cocktails are gluten-free with any traces of wheat, spelt, barley, rye, or malt removed during distillation. Our spirits and canned cocktails do not include animal products or dairy products of any kind.

Although Bold Rock is not certified Kosher, our production equipment is solely dedicated for the purpose of crafting world-class beverages.

The Bold Rock product portfolio consists of a variety of cider styles available year-round such as our flagship Apple, fruit-forward Blackberry, and our supercharged Imperial. We also release a seasonal lineup each quarter with an exciting new style appropriate for the season.Beyond cider, Bold Rock also has a line of Hard Tea and Hard Lemonade styles, as well as Canned Cocktails and Craft Spirits.

Bold Rock believes that in order to BE BOLD, we need to innovate and try new styles, so you can applesolutely count on us to continue crafting new product types in the future. Have an idea for a new style you’d like us to try? Give us a shout.

Occasionally Bold Rock needs to make room for new Seasonal and Core styles to enter the mix which typically means that we must retire an existing style to make room. If you can’t find a product listed on our website, chances are that it is not currently in production. However, never say never to Bold Rocker favorites returning in the future in package or as a taproom only offering.

Children are welcome at all of our taproom locations, and we do provide a non-alcoholic sparkling cider so that the young ones can get in on the Bold Rock fun!

We love when a Bold Pup visits! Well-behaved dogs on leash are welcome at some but not all of our locations, see below for our guidelines per location:

• Nellysford, VA: Dogs are welcome outside at our main taproom and inside our Distillery
• Carter Mountain Orchard, VA: Dogs are not welcome
• Mills River, NC: Dogs are welcome inside and outside
• Downtown Asheville, NC: Dogs are not welcome
• Charlotte, NC: Dogs are welcome outside

When visiting our taprooms you are welcome to give any cider a taste before you buy; but we also have curated and build-your-own flights for an opportunity to have a 5oz pour of 4 different styles!

You can watch our cider makers at work and try all of our cider varieties at our flagship Cider Barn in Nellysford, Virginia, and at our Mills River Cidery in North Carolina. We do offer tours as requested and as staffing allows. Please inquire upon your visit or email info@boldrock.com in advance for larger groups.

We keep our taproom page event calendars updated regularly but the absolute best place to stay in the know about Bold Rock events, adjustments to hours, weekly specials and more is to follow our taproom pages on social media. Take a peek at the links below and give us a follow!

Nellysford:

• Facebook
• Instagram

Carters Mountain:

• Facebook

Mills River:

• Facebook
• Instagram

Asheville:

• Facebook
• Instagram

Charlotte:

• Facebook
• Instagram

We love to host private events of varying sizes! Head to our Visit Us page, select which taproom you’re interested in hosting your event, and scroll down to find the “Book an Event” button. A member of our taproom events team will receive your inquiry and get back to you ASAP!

We book live music at our taproom locations primarily via BeatGig which is an online booking platform for venues. Please register on BeatGig and submit an inquiry to play at one of our taproom locations at your convenience.

Bold Rock Products are currently distributed in 20 states, primarily up and down the East Coast. You can search for your preferred style at a nearby retailer by visiting our Bold Rock Finder. If we’re not at a retailer near you just yet, you can help expand Bold Rock availability by requesting our products from a manager of your favored retailer if it falls within one of our 20 distributed states.

• Current distribution includes Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (Houston), Virginia, Washington D.C., and West Virginia.
• Bold Rock now also offers direct ship options if you live outside of our distribution territory. Visit our SHOP CIDER PLATFORM to purchase.

We’d also love to see you at one of our taprooms! If you’re not already close by, there’s a great excuse for a road trip to visit us at any of our locations:

• Cider Barn & Distillery in Nellysford, Virginia
• Taproom at Cater Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville, Virginia
• Cidery in Mills River, North Carolina
• Taproom in Downtown Asheville, North Carolina

Collaborative Taproom at Brewers at 4001 Yancey in Charlotte, North Carolina

Bold Rock is proud to make and sell premium hard cider, hard tea, hard lemonade, canned cocktails, and craft spirits for adults of legal drinking age to enjoy responsibly. We strictly adhere to all applicable state and federal laws for selling and serving alcoholic beverages with special attention paid to preventing underage drinking and over consumption. Be sure to bring a photo ID for tastings and purchases. We do not direct our advertising to children or underage adults and don’t sponsor school events or youth clubs. The age verification to enter our website serves as a reminder that hard cider, hard tea, hard lemonade, canned cocktails, and craft spirits are alcoholic beverages and that we only serve and sell Bold Rock to people 21 and over (the legal drinking age).

For our younger patrons, and designated drivers, we offer a non-alcoholic sparkling cider to make certain everyone gets a taste of Bold Rock.

The following sites have more information on responsible drinking:  bacchusgamma.org, and gettips.com.

We strive to provide every single consumer with the best possible experience while drinking our products and enjoying our taproom services. If you feel that your experience was less than ideal, we would love to hear about it so we can address the issue as soon as possible. Please consult the below links and select which applies best to your inquiry:

Product Issue

Taproom Issue

We love a curious mind! Please head to our contact form to ask any additional questions you may have. Our team will review your message and we’ll reply as soon as we can.  You are also welcome to visit us at Bold Rock taproom locations and ask one of our friendly staff members for help.