Good apples

Beloved Austin cidery opens bustling new tasting room

Oak barrels from popular local spirits brands line one wall of Austin Eastciders' new tasting room.

Photo by Chelsea Weber

Pity the poor Austin drinker who doesn’t like beer. While the rest of their friends are busily bouncing from brewery to brewery discussing the vagaries of yeasts and grains, they are too often left in the corner sulking over a pint of the least beer-y beer. Thankfully help is on the way: Massively popular cidery Austin Eastciders will finally open its public tasting room at 979 Springdale Rd. next week.

A tasting room has always been in the plans for the local brand, but since its founding in 2013, Eastciders has kept busy with a steady stream of releases including a summery pineapple sipper (we call it Piney Cides) and this past April’s addition of a blood orange cider to the line. Demand for a tasting room has reached a fever pitch since their opening, so CEO Johnny Heiselberg and the rest of the team decided to convert their original urban cidery — which has lately been used as a research and development facility for their limited-edition and special release ciders — into a “collaboratory” with room to develop barrel-aging and other experimental cider programs, a bar for tastings, and room to host weekly community events and live music.

The taproom’s interior follows the lead of its industrial setting, adding warm wood accents, carnival-style string lights, simple blue stools, and large garage doors to the mix. Oak barrels from local distillers Dulce Vida Tequila and Treaty Oak serve both a practical and decorative purpose, and a gift shop will sell Eastciders gear. Outside, picnic tables provide community seating for customers and their pooches. And cornhole, darts, and board games keep the crowds entertained while trying unreleased cider varieties like cucumber and ruby red grapefruit.

The addition of the space will make this east side address even more of a weekend destination with event venue Springdale Station, the Austin Bouldering Project, and Friends and Allies Brewing Company (which is sure to solve a lot of arguments between cider versus beer couples) within walking distance. A grand opening celebration has been planned for Thursday, November 16 from 6-9 pm, with details about music and food to be announced soon. In the meantime, impatient drinkers can get a sneak peak this Sunday during a soft opening.

Marc Brenton Smith, an industry pro whose experience includes stints as the sommelier at chef Parind Vora’s Restaurant Jezebel and the general manager at Bess Bistro and Parkside, has joined the team as the tasting room manager. ”I’m driven by my love of delicious beverages,” said Smith in a release.

Same, Marc, same.

drinks

Back to the Plow

Homey Austin jam and bake shop closing and returning to farmers market

Confituras/Instagram

Confituras Little Kitchen is closing its brick-and-mortar store, but feeling optimistic about the future.

A famers market find is returning to its natural environment after six years in a brick-and-mortar location. Confituras Little Kitchen, which specializes in locally sourced preserves, is closing its jam and biscuit shop after service on Sunday, December 22. However, it will continue selling goods at the Barton Creek Farmers Market and via retailers.

Confituras announced the change in a newsletter to its customers in December. The letter called the news "bittersweet."

"Although the brick and mortar will no longer be, the good news is that this will be a fresh new start for us – we are bursting with energy and creativity at the thought of being back out in the community where it all started for confituras," it said.

The kitchen is closing because the lease is up, and the team has decided to "give up the chase." The newsletter emphasized the ups-and-downs of business over the past several years — ones that were chaotic for just about any business, let alone a small, fairly niche food operation.

"So much has happened since we decided to open a brick + mortar – a wonderful kickstarter fundraiser, THE PANDEMIC, the AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC, and an ever growing city," the letter says. "We tried so very hard but never really got our footing. We know we are not alone, many small business are in the same boat. We renewed our lease during the pandemic because we were hopeful we could make it work - the changing times had other ideas."

Finally, it shared how customers could keep enjoying Confituras creations:

The Barton Creek Farmers Market is open at 2901 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
A list on confituras.net compiles retailers including Royal Blue Grocery, Farmhouse Delivery, and Antonelli's Cheese Shop.
Jam share and Table22 subscription customers will have more instructions coming soon about picking up their goods in January at the same space, 2129 Goodrich Ave.
Customers may also reach out to inquire about continuing to order meals directly.

The kitchen also hosted frequent events and workshops, but the letter did not address this aspect of the business.

A shorter message shared on Instagram has inspired 63 comments so far, five days later. Customers eulogized the shop for its community feel and providing a sense of regularity during the height of the pandemic thanks to weekend pick-ups.