Woodchuck Cider

Woodchuck Cider is a hard cider maker based in Middlebury that calls itself America’s original hard cider. It began in 1991 in Proctorsville, when, as the company puts it, the world was drinking beer, and its first cider, Woodchuck Amber, is still made the same way today. As demand grew, the company moved to a larger cidery in Springfield and later to Middlebury, where it settled in 2000. It passed through the hands of Stroh Brewing and England’s H.P. Bulmer before Bret Williams, its first salesperson, bought it in 2003. Woodchuck was the first U.S. cider to sell one million cases a year. In 2014 it opened a new cidery in Middlebury and marked the occasion with a backyard music festival that later became Ciderstock. Independent ownership returned in 2021, the company’s 30th year. The range includes core ciders and an 802 Collection made only with Vermont apples.