When we went: June 6th, 2020
Where: 180 Johnson Street, Middletown, CT 06457
Spoke + Spy Ciderworks opened in Middletown in 2018 but the idea was hatched when owners Ron and Kim were living in England drinking cider in pubs and bars. They decided to start brewing at home and it eventually led them to open up their very own taproom in the R.M. Keating Historical Enterprise Park. This is the same building where Forest City Brewing and Stubborn Beauty Brewing Company are located. You can stop by all three without having to go outside, talk about convenient. Spoke + Spy’s name comes from a combination of the building, which was an old wheel factory, and the northern spy apple which is a favorite of the owners. The taproom itself is quite small but well decorated with thick wooden tables. Plus, no cidery is complete without plenty of apple inspired artwork.
Chris: I first came across Spoke + Spy when I went to Forest City and Stubborn Beauty and saw a cidery sandwiched between them. I have always been a big fan of hard cider so I made sure to check this place out, and let me say, their cider is GREAT! Spoke + Spy is a place that knows what they are doing with not only their cider but also their non-alcoholic brews. The first time I went they had an amazing root beer on tap, and yeah I know root beer doesn’t have any alcohol in it, but if you have never had root beer on tap you are missing out. They seem to have expanded their variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic brews since they are currently rocking 8 ciders and 2 Kombuchas on tap. Last time I went, I had their Middle of the Blueberry which was semi-sweet with a nice refreshing blueberry flavor that did not overpower the drink. I would go here all the time, but unfortunately their hours are pretty limited so make sure to plan out your trip.
Shannon: To me, Spoke + Spy is the definition of a hidden gem. You might have to throw an elbow or two to find a seat since their taproom is pretty small, but with a little luck, you’ll manage to find a space to sit and sip. Whenever I’m at the taproom, I often opt for the flight, that way I get to try everything they have. It’s just so hard to pass up. I’ve come to love every single one of their ciders (with the exception of an 11.1% cider aged in a malt rye barrel for 20 months.) My all time favorite cider made by them is their Pomme L’Orange. This 5.1% sweet, orange and vanilla cider will 100% make you think you’re crushing a bottle of orange Fanta. Go get it. You know you want it.
Other cool things:
- They brew their own root beer and kombucha
- Currently filling growlers of cider-to-go from their take-out window!
- Cider infused chocolates and Kettle Corn!
- They often have some pretty cool events in the taproom
- Flights of 6! Yum!
- Grab an embroidered baseball hat with their logo on it
What we drank:
Chris: Middle of the Blueberry (Semi-sweet) 5.1% – 4.5 out of 5
Chris: Pomme L’Orange (Sweet) 5.1% – 4 out of 5
Shannon: Pomme L’Orange (Sweet) 5.1% – 5 out of 5
Shannon: Tepache Mode (Semi-sweet) 5.4% – 3 out of 5
Brewing Persuasion: 4.5 out of 5
Feeling persuaded yet?
Brewing Persuasions 