Lafayette, Colorado based Stem Ciders is hosting prominent cideries from around America at its Denver RiNO neighborhood tap room from Oct 9-12 in a week of events they are calling Great American Cider Friends. These events will be taking place during the week of the Great American Beer Festival, which is hosted in downtown Denver (tickets are still available!). The events at Stem Ciders will see live music, trivia, tastings, games, and limited-edition releases over the four-day event. Some of the ciders pouring besides Stem Ciders lineup will be well known cideries like Eden, 2Towns, Finnriver, St. Vrain and more.
The first annual Great American Cider Friends will feature some of the best cideries in the U.S. and more, including live music, trivia, and curated tastings.
Stem Ciders
The reason for this event is simple: The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is including cider for the first time in its competition portion of the festival. GABF is the largest beer competition in the world, with over almost 10,000 beverages judged each year.
“We are honored to be celebrating cider’s inclusion into the GABF competition lineup with our cider friends and favorites,” said Patrick Combs, Director of Liquids at Stem Ciders. “This historic week is about sharing our love for craft cider — and naturally, we had to bring our Great American Cider Friends together at Stem Ciders RiNO.”
Stem Cider’s Head Cider Maker Shane Sheridan reinforced Combs’ enthusiasm for GABF’s competition now including cider.
“The Great American Beer Festival is truly incredible, bringing together the most passionate craft beverage enthusiasts from around the country. We’re honored for the opportunity to compete this year alongside America’s best in one of the industry’s most rigorous competitions,” said Sheridan. “Cider has long been a key part of the American craft beverage scene, and we’re excited to share a little bit of that story with everyone.”
As part of the multi-day event, Great American Cider Friends will kick off on October 9 with an exclusive guided pommeau (an alcoholic drink that’s a mixture of apple juice and apple brandy) tasting starting at 4 p.m. with Stem Ciders’ Head Cider Maker Sheridan and Director of Liquids Combs. The evening will conclude with classic pub trivia starting at 7 p.m.
On Thursday, October 10 starting at 7 p.m., limited edition bourbon barrel aged ciders will be poured and there will be live music while on Friday, October 11, the emphasis will be on fruited ciders and the live music jam will continue.
Saturday, Oct 12 will see the end of the event with a GABF afterparty with two for one Stem Ciders if you show your GABF wristband and every day, the first 40 people to arrive for an event get a free Stem Ciders glass.
Great American Cider Friends is free to attend and open to all. Each day offers something new from traditional apple blends to experimental, boundary-pushing flavors. Whether you’re a long-time cider enthusiast or are looking to learn more, the events are sure to be a hit with everyone.
For more information, or to RSVP for Great American Cider Friends event, visit Stem Ciders’ website:
and be sure follow Stem Ciders on Instagram: @stemciders and @stemcidersrino