Original Sin Hard Cider Releases "Northern Spy Dry Cider" (Heirloom Series)

One of today’s driest national cider brands, Original Sin® pays tribute to the great pomological tradition in our country with the release of its Northern Spy Single Varietal. Gidon Coll, founder of Original Sin®, is an apple aficionado who has been involved in growing a test orchard of cider, modern day and heirloom apples on his family’s old dairy farm in Upstate New York. He’s dedicated to help increase the diversification of apple varieties in the United States, including heirloom apples such as the Northern Spy.

In the mid-19th century, America was a veritable Garden of Eden of apples, with over 15,000 named varieties. As of the early 21st century, 11 apple varieties made up 90% of chain supermarket sales. With commercial apple growers focusing on a limited number of attractive, easy growing and often, inferior quality varieties, the availability of the Northern Spy has diminished. With the help of the booming American hard cider market though, craft cider companies are increasing demand for the production of heirloom and cider varieties while advocating for an enhanced and varied artisanal agricultural landscape.

The Northern Spy is an iconic heirloom apple high in Vitamin C and greatly valued by apple connoisseurs. Apple expert Fred Lape once dubbed the Northern Spy "the best apple ever grown in the United States." The Northern Spy originated around 1800 on the farm of Herman Chaplin in East Bloomfield, NY near Rochester (a bronze plague commemorates the location of the original tree). The apple’s popularity was confined to the local region until about 1840, when it began to attract greater attention. In 1852, the American Pomological Society listed the Northern Spy as a variety of promise and worthy of general cultivation. By the early 1900’s, the Northern Spy was considered the third most popular apple grown in the United States.

Thursday, February 5, 2015: A Bushel and A Peck @ Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap (41 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL; 6 pm – 8:30 pm) Original Sin® features its full line-up of 6 hard ciders including the new Northern Spy® hard cider on draft. Tickets are $35/$40, which includes a dinner pairing with Original Sin® ciders.

Thursday, February 5, 2015: The Power of the Press CiderCON Event @ Fountainhead (1970 W. Montrose, Chicago, IL; 7 pm) Original Sin® features its full line-up of 6 hard ciders including the new Northern Spy® hard cider on draft.

Saturday, February 7, 2015: Cider Summit @ Navy Pier (Grand Ballroom, Chicago, IL; 11 am – 3 pm/4 pm – 8 pm) Original Sin® features its Apricot®, Cherry Tree®, Apple® and Northern Spy® on draft.