ELLSWORTH — In-person and virtual Cider + Cheese Tastings and a Festival Market will return to the fifth annual Downeast Cider + Cheese Festival, November 11 + 12, 2022 in downtown Ellsworth.
The event is hosted by Heart of Ellsworth with sponsorship from Maine Office of Tourism, Machias Savings Bank, Down East Magazine, Darling’s Chevrolet, Downeast Area Regional Tourism, Fogtown Brewing Company, and The Crocker House.
Author Claude Jolicoeur will kick off the festival on Friday evening at 6 p.m. with a talk on his book “The New Cider Maker’s Handbook” which has been acclaimed worldwide as a major reference on the topic of cider making. The talk will be held at Flexit Cafe, 142 Main Street. Registration is required with suggested donation.
The Festival’s signature experiences are guided tastings. Both in-person and virtual tastings will be offered this year. In-person tastings will be held at 86 This! in two separate sittings on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. and a special add-on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. The virtual tasting will be pre-recorded and available to enjoy with purchase of a Cider + Cheese Tasting Bag. All tickets go on sale the first week of November at heartofellsworth.org.
The Festival Market will be held on Saturday, Nov. 12 in Merrill Park on Franklin Street. The Market will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature Maine purveyors, including cheese makers, local cider makers, and food vendors. New this year is a Cider Bazaar with several cideries offering tastes and direct purchase of cider to take home.
Fogtown Brewing Company will also host several festival activities on Saturday in their Beer Garden. Cider pressing starts at 2 p.m., an apple tasting with Todd Little-Siebold at 2:30 p.m. and live music with Electric Bonfire from Lincolnville will start at 3:30 p.m.
Celebrating a revival of two traditional foods, hard cider and cheese, the Downeast Cider+Cheese Festival honors the rich tradition of Maine’s historic apple industry, the first and only event of its kind in the state. Jon Stein, Heart of Ellsworth vice president and owner of Fogtown Brewing Company, said, “It is so exciting to be in the center of the food & drink renaissance happening throughout New England – Maine has seen an explosion of cideries over the past few years and is beginning to develop (or rediscover) its own unique style, utilizing heritage apples that were once widely cultivated for home and community cider production. This new wave of cider compliments the growth of slow foods and restaurants dedicated to serving locally-sourced fare, as well as a cheese industry that’s vying to be one of the highest quality cheese production regions in the country.”
For more information about free and ticketed festival activities, visit the Heart of Ellsworth website at heartofellsworth.org.
Additional statewide information can be found at visitmaine.com.
The mission of Heart of Ellsworth is to promote economic, artistic, cultural, educational, historical and environmental activities in the “Downtown” area to provide a vibrant community for all residents, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and local government.
