Dry-Hopped vs Non-Hopped Liberty Apple Cider

Please note: this event was orginally scheduled for Saturday, June 24th from 5-8pm, but has now been postponed due to the weather until Thursday, June 29th from 4-8pm.

Liberty Apple Cider is back and the new vintage of Liberty is DRY-HOPPED with Citra, Mosaic, and Nelson* hops for the 1st time in over a century, bringing the recreation that much closer to full historical hoppy accuracy. Celebrate with Heurich House and ANXO at the official release party in the museum’s biergarten on Thursday, June 29th from 4-8pm.

At the release party, enjoy the hopped cider alongside the non-hopped version, and participate in games that test your knowledge about ciders. Our museum educators will be around to tell you the story of the original Liberty Apple, and share historic images & articles from our collection. While you learn and taste, Prohibition-era tunes will play, bringing you back to early 20th-century DC. At each table find a stack of “Apple to Apples” game cards for you to really get into the theme.

While visiting the biergarten, explore HOME/BREWED, an exhibit featuring 1,000 objects from the historic Heurich brewery. A limited selection of local beers, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages will also be available. 1921, a Biergarten, supports the museum’s Small Business Development programs.

The ANXO cider team - known for their dry-fermented ciders - worked closely with Heurich House to create a 21st Century version of legendary D.C. brewer Christian Heurich’s Prohibition-era offering using the same Stayman Winesap apples. This version of the modern cider was fermented in a foeder and dry-hopped with varieties from Right Proper Brewing Co.

*Hop varieties would have been different and this is a modern interpretation!

This event is free, but RSVP is requested. Click here to RSVP!

About Liberty Apple Cider:

In anticipation of Prohibition coming to DC, Christian Heurich pivoted his brewery to make a non-alcoholic apple drink, purchasing $100,000 worth of apples and pasteurizing them to prevent the juice from fermenting to alcohol. While he diluted the beverage and added a hop extract, what Heurich did not anticipate is that, contrary to beer which requires the addition of yeast, cider ferments in its own juices. After 18 months, the apple drink was about 6% ABV.

 

Although Prohibition was in effect, in 1920 Heurich was given special permission to sell the fermented apple drink - which he called Liberty Apple Champagne - for just three weeks. In 1933 when Prohibition was repealed, Heurich still had 60,000 gallons of Liberty Apple Champagne stored at the brewery, which were dumped and lost to time to make room for future

 

To recreate Heurich’s Liberty Apple Cider, ANXO’s cider makers used solely Stayman Winesap apples sourced from 78 Acres Farm in Smithsburg, MD, and fermented the apple juice dry in large wooden casks. The result is a tart cider that stands at 5.8% ABV and remains naturally sugar-free, gluten-free and low in carbohydrates. The can design pays homage to the original Heurich’s Liberty Apple Cider label, utilizing the 20th century logo and restoring the “made with the pure juice of the choicest apples” and “serve cold” phrases.

 

“We’re a brand born and bred in DC, so it’s incredible to be partnering with a District institution like the Heurich House Museum that holds an important role in the history of beer and cider coming out of this city,” said Sam Fitz, co-founder and president of ANXO. “Knowing that Mr. Heurich was passionate about apples - like our team at ANXO - gave us a lot of inspiration to make this recreation fantastic. We’re so honored that the Museum has trusted us to bring this cider back to life!”