Hey there, Lesley Salman here! If you’re new, I’m your host here at Going Gainesville and when I’m not galavanting through places to visit and things to do in Haymarket/Gainesville, I run Salman Home Realty, a local real estate agency. Today I’m joined by Steph Vieau who runs the Aktivate Podcast – that’s “activate” with a “K” (which I was on last week!).
🐇 This week’s featured video takes us to Old Town Warrenton at the Wild Hare Cider Pub! Jim Madaj, owner of this quaint pub, sat down with us to “pour” out his passion for locally sourced cider.
Haven’t heard of Wild Hare Warrenton? There’s a good reason – they’ve only been open for 10ish weeks in Warrenton, meaning there’s still time to make this pub, “your” pub. (They also have a Cider House in Leesburg).
The first Friday of each month in Warrenton is almost a parade of businesses where you’ll find Wild Hare setup and serving ciders. Outback you’ll find their outdoor kitchen where they feature food three and four days a week, live music, and more.
What’s on the drink menu?
🍺 Saxby – Ginger + Lime
🍺 Hopscotch – Citra Hopped Dry
🍺 Dockside’r – Lemon, Lime, Sea Salt, Lemondrop Hops
🍺 Coba – Pineapple, Coconut, Amarillo Hops
🍺 Willow – Berries + Lime Peel
🍺 Weekly: Mango Jalapeno
Not sure what to wet your whistle with? Wild Hare flights are $12 for 3 tasting glasses – a great way to find out what your taste buds prefer.
We tried the Saxby – a traditional dry with ginger and lime peel, both of which you can actually taste. We also tried the Heritage Dry Cider, Hopscotch – which I self-described, “the purist.” It’s really smooth sans the bitterness. We move from dry to off-dry with the Willow which featured a plethora of berries. They make a small batch Mango Jalapeno – which is only available for a week and change, so definitely something you need to get before it’s gone.
A thing to note – if you find cider too sweet, you definitely need to try Wild Hare. It’s not what you’ve experienced, and we find a lot more people prefer their less-sweet take on ciders.
From their website:
“We are a small, local Virginia cidery that started from a desire to craft something with our hands, a product of science and art. Our fruit comes directly from our orchard in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. We press heritage apples and cool-ferment the juice to proper dry, and age for more than a year,
Come sip a cider, try some barbecue, enjoy live music at our circa 1840 Log Cider House in historic downtown Leesburg, Virginia Wild yet elegant, Less is More; come see just how good cider can be.”
Want to check out this newly opened Cider Pub and Garden? Of course you do. Here are the details!
🐇 Wild Hare Cider Pub & Garden
🐇 63 Main St, Warrenton, VA 20186
🐇 (703) 402-7956
🐇 https://www.wildharecider.com/
And special thanks to Joe at Calibur Home Loans for sponsoring this video – as always, thank you Joe!